Aug 5, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cody Bradford delivers a pitch to the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images Left-hander Cody Bradford will make his first road start in almost two years Tuesday night when the Texas Rangers continue a four-game series with the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif.
Bradford (0-0, 0.00 ERA), who is 1-1 with a 5.02 ERA in three career starts against Los Angeles, last started a road game on Sept. 25, 2024. That was the final night game that the Las Vegas-bound Athletics played at the Oakland Coliseum before moving into their temporary home in West Sacramento, Calif. The Rangers won that contest, 5-1.
Bradford, bothered by elbow issues that eventually required internal brace surgery in June 2025, made his major league return to the mound in a 6-0 victory over the visiting San Francisco Giants on Wednesday. He left after throwing 70 pitches over 4 1/3 shutout innings, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out five.
“Six-hundred-seventy-nine days since I last pitched, back when there was a team still in Oakland,” Bradford said. “My goal today was just get through 70 pitches and see how far I could get in the game and try and just soak in the moment of being back.”
Even though he didn’t get the required five innings to pick up the win, Bradford was pleased with the results.
“It was so exciting,” Bradford said. “It kind of felt like a debut again with just the excitement of friends and family reaching out except I’ve been here before and I’ve already done it. I know what it takes now, and to kind of lean on that experience was really helpful.”
Bradford played a key role his rookie season in 2023 in helping pitch Texas to a World Series title, compiling a 1-0 record and 1.17 ERA in five relief appearances. The Rangers are hoping he can help them get back to the playoffs in a tight American League West race that sees them a half-game behind the first-place Houston Astros but 1 1/2 games in front of the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers for the final wild-card spot.
Right-hander Ryan Johnson (2-6, 7.11), a 2024 second-round pick out of Dallas Baptist, will try and help the last-place Angels play the spoiler role against his hometown team. Johnson, who went 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA in two relief appearances against the Rangers in 2025, comes in off a 4-1 victory at Baltimore on Thursday that saw him allow one run on three hits in 4 2/3 innings with five walks and one strikeout.
The Angels bring a three-game losing streak into the contest after dropping Monday’s series opener, 4-1, in 10 innings. Brandon Nimmo drove in the go-ahead run with a bases-loaded single, and Jake Burger followed with a two-run single to lead the Rangers.
Mike Trout gave Los Angeles a 1-0 lead in the first inning with his 20th homer, a 418-foot drive to left-center. It was the 424th home run of his career, moving him into a tie with Edwin Encarnacion for 54th place on the all-time homer list, and also his 49th career home run in 204 games against Texas.
The Angels managed just five hits after Trout’s blast and finished 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
“Definitely a tough day with the bats,” Los Angeles manager Kurt Suzuki said. “Really couldn’t get anything going. (Texas starter MacKenzie) Gore threw the ball well, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to try and string some at-bats together. It’s been tough to do at times, but we’ve just gotta keep on trucking.”
–Field Level Media
