The worst part of the Texas Rangers absolutely saved them in the World Series
The Texas Rangers have to win two of their remaining four games with a pitching staff that may ultimately go down as one of the “least good” in the history of the World Series.
At this point, why should we be surprised if and when they pull this off?
In Game 3 of the World Series on Monday night in Phoenix, the Rangers had to rely on 39-year-old Max Scherzer to save them from their own bullpen.
This is a pitching staff that “features” a bullpen that during the regular season was one of the worst in baseball, and three of the five members of the starting rotation are question marks on top of question marks.
Scherzer did his part for three innings until his back, not his elbow, refused to cooperate, which put his team in between not a rock and a hard place but rather a queen-sized bed of jagged boulders and the World Series.
Enter the starter turned reliever who saved Scherzer, manager Bruce Bochy, general manager Chris Young, and the entire Rangers franchise by turning in a performance this team had to have to any shot to win on Monday night.
Jon Gray pitched three scoreless innings in relief of Scherzer, and the Texas Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-1 on Monday night. The Rangers lead the World Series, 2-1.
The Rangers remain undefeated on the road this postseason, 9-0.
Game 4 is Tuesday night back here in Phoenix. As to the Rangers’ starting pitcher?
Uhh ... might you be available on Tuesday evening in the desert? Maybe have a relative who can get off work early to come down to Chase Field to throw a few innings?
After the game, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said, “I’m going to need an hour here, to be honest. We’ll huddle up and decide who we’re going to (go with).
“We were able to stay away from a lot of guys because of Jon Gray’s effort.”
Shortly before 11 p.m. CT, the Rangers announced they are going with Andrew Heaney for Game 4.
Gray was (very) tentatively, lightly penciled in to start Game 4, but when Scherzer was forced to leave Game 3 before the start of the bottom of the fourth inning, that changed the Rangers plans.
In the bottom of the second inning, Scherzer took a line drive off his lower back, which oddly actually resulted in a 1-5-3 putout. Scherzer pitched one more scoreless inning, but when he tried to go in the fourth it wasn’t happening.
After the game, Scherzer called it a spasm in his back. The ball off the elbow had nothing to do with it.
“It’s frustrating because there is nothing I can do,” he said after the game. “I’ve had it (before) and it lasts a little longer and it clears in 48 hours. There is a path forward for me to get back on the mound (in this series). It’s a spasm, not a strain.”
According to Fox Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal, Scherzer was on the brink of tears as he walked through the dugout to the visitor’s clubhouse.
Bochy brought in Gray, who dealt with injuries this season and has been a reliever in the postseason. Before Monday, Gray had made two appearances in these playoffs.
In Game 3 of the American League Championship Series against Houston, he allowed a run on two hits in one inning. In the Rangers’ Game 1 win against Arizona in this series, he was perfect with four strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings.
There was no way to tell which Gray would appear in Game 3.
Turned out it was the nearly perfect one. In three innings, he allowed one hit with three strikeouts, which allowed Bochy to reach the pitchers he can (semi) trust to close out a game.
That would include Josh Sborz and Jose Leclerc, the latter who pitched a perfect ninth for the save.
Gray’s performance changes the entire series.
“I love it. I love it,” Gray said. “To be able to help it feels amazing. Whatever role they want me in, I don’t care. I’ll go in and bunt.”
If you had told a Rangers fan that they would only score three runs for a Scherzer start to beat the Diamondbacks, they would have sent you to the hospital.
The challenge now for the Rangers is to win one of these two remaining games in Arizona by relying on the relatively new “bullpen start.”
Do not expect the leash on Heaney to be longer than that of your dog on a morning walk. Expect Dane Dunning, and, the pride of Aledo High School, Cody Bradford to be ready early in Game 4. And or 5.
Martin Perez is a distinct possibility, but it’s hard to judge just how much faith Bochy and his staff have in the veteran left-hander. He was not good in relief in the Game 2 loss.
The preference for Game 4 was Gray, who might just be available for Game 5. He threw but 30 pitches on Monday night, and had everything working. He said he would be good for Game 4, but that won’t be his call.
His performance made the Rangers’ third inning stand up; Marcus Semien’s run-scoring single was followed up by Corey Seager’s two-run home run and those three runs were all of the offense this pitching staff needed.
The Rangers lead the 2023 World Series 2-1, and if they can somehow pull this off they will have done it with a collection of pitchers who may go down as the “least good” in the history of the Fall Classic.
This story was originally published October 30, 2023 at 10:03 PM.
