That's part of why this line looks the way it does — Texas as the clear home favorite with the far better ERA on the mound. But form only tells you so much. The Angels put up 18 runs against Houston just days ago, a reminder that even a bad team can turn a bullpen game into a track meet, and Texas already needed a strong finish just to edge L.A. 2-1 in the opener of this set.
Zoom out and the standings tell the real story. Texas is fighting to stay in the Wild Card picture and can't afford to let a last-place team steal games in its own building. The Angels, meanwhile, are so far off the pace that they fired their pitching coach midseason — a sign of how far the staff has fallen off, Johnson included.
- Day-To-DayWade Meckler (LF) — Meckler (head) isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against the Rangers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.08/21
- Day-To-DayNolan Schanuel (1B) — Schanuel (side) isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against Texas, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.08/21
- 15-Day-ILSamy Natera Jr. (RP) — Natera said Wednesday that he's managing a tight back and is day-to-day, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.08/20
- 15-Day-ILSam Bachman (RP) — Bachman (forearm) played catch out to 60 feet Monday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.08/11
- 15-Day-ILShaun Anderson (RP) — The Angels placed Anderson on the 15-day injured list Monday due to right shoulder inflammation.08/10
- 60-Day-ILSebastian Rivero (C) — Rivero (hand) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.08/21
- 60-Day-ILYusei Kikuchi (SP) — Kikuchi (shoulder) said Sunday that he expects to join the Angels on their upcoming six-game road trip and believes he'll be ready to return from the 60-day injured list during that time, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.08/16
- 60-Day-ILYoan Moncada (3B) — Moncada (knee) has been rehabbing at his home and hasn't started baseball activities, MLB.com reports.07/22
- 60-Day-ILJack Kochanowicz (SP) — Kochanowicz's Tommy John surgery on his right elbow was deemed "successful," per MLB.com.06/27
- 60-Day-ILRobert Stephenson (RP) — The Angels announced that Stephenson underwent ligament and flexor repair surgery on his right elbow Wednesday and is likely to miss the remainder of the season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.05/08
- 60-Day-ILAnthony Rendon (3B) — The Angels placed Rendon (hip) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08
- 10-Day-ILJosh Jung (3B) — Jung (calf) did some running on the field Sunday and could be cleared to begin a defensive progression within the next few days, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.08/16
- 10-Day-ILKyle Higashioka (C) — Higashioka is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox.07/21
- 15-Day-ILNathan Eovaldi (SP) — The Rangers placed Eovaldi on the 15-day injured list Monday with right posterior elbow inflammation.08/10
- 60-Day-ILJack Leiter (SP) — Leiter (ankle) allowed five runs (four earned) on three hits and two walks while striking out five over three-plus innings for Double-A Frisco on Thursday.08/21
- 60-Day-ILJose Corniell (RP) — The Rangers placed Corniell on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with an elbow injury, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.07/30
- 60-Day-ILJalen Beeks (RP) — The Rangers transferred Beeks (forearm) to the 60-day injured list Tuesday.07/21
- 60-Day-ILMichael Helman (CF) — Texas transferred Helman (hand) to the 60-day injured list Friday.06/19
- 60-Day-ILRobert Garcia (RP) — The Rangers transferred Garcia (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.06/01
- 60-Day-ILCarter Baumler (RP) — Baumler (intercostal) has been shut down from his rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.05/23
Bradford's stuff has looked fine in flashes, but his last outing was more survival than dominance — 8 hits allowed in just 4 innings against Oakland. If that trend continues, Texas is going to need its offense and its already-taxed bullpen to bail him out again.