Young lefty leaves early, but not before impressing in first start for Texas Rangers
Kolby Allard has the kind of high expectations you’d expect of a former first round draft pick.
Perhaps he wasn’t completely satisfied with his first career appearance for the Texas Rangers on Friday against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.
But that probably won’t stop the Rangers’ front office and fans from salivating over the fact that the 21-year-old is part of the club’s future.
Although Allard was long gone by the time the Brewers won it 6-5 with Eric Thames’ solo walk-off home run in the ninth off Emmanuel Clase, flashed some of the stuff that intrigued the Rangers in the first place.
Allard, who turns 22 on Tuesday, allowed two runs on three hits in 4 1/3 innings against the Brewers. He left after an infield single and two walks loaded the bases with one out in the fifth. Adrian Sampson replaced him and walked in a run to give the Brewers a 2-1 lead. Sampson, however, regrouped and struck out the Nos. 3 and 4 hitters — Mike Moustakas and Ryan Braun — to keep the deficit at one.
“I thought I was trying to do a little too much, trying to be a little too perfect in the fifth,” Allard said. “Trying to make the perfect pitch rather than just executing pitches like I was earlier in the game.”
The Rangers tied it at 2-2 when Hunter Pence scored from third on a bases-loaded wild pitch. Rougned Odor also tried to score on the play from second base but was thrown out. The wild pitch from Alex Claudio, a former Rangers reliever, bounced hard off the back wall behind home plate. Claudio tried to flip the deflection back to catcher Manny Pina, but his glove-flip sailed wildly over Pina’s head. Pence scored easily.
Replays showed Odor slid in safely, too, before being tagged, but he was called out, and Texas didn’t have a challenge left after challenging a throw to first from Odor in the bottom of the fifth. Shortstop Hernan Perez had been called safe on that play, and the replay supported the call. He later scored to give Milwaukee the 2-1 lead.
Although Allard was forced to leave early because of command issues (and 93 pitches), he impressed with seven strikeouts — five of them in the first two innings. Milwaukee scored a run in the first on Braun’s double, but Allard got Yasmani Grandal swinging to end the inning.
It was Allard’s four major-league appearance and the second start of his career. He started once for the Atlanta Braves, the team that drafted him 14th overall in 2015, in the 2018 season.
Allard was acquired from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for reliever Chris Martin on July 30.
He is the youngest U.S.-born pitcher to start for the Rangers since Brian Bohanon on June 5, 1990.
“It’s been a big-time whirlwind,” Allard said of the trade. “I’ve been in a lot of cities this last week but I’m really excited for this opportunity. I’m really happy to be a Texas Ranger. I really think I can help this team win a lot of ball games.”
This story was originally published August 9, 2019 at 10:11 PM.
