If Cody Bradford’s first Major League start since 2024 was about an emotional release, his second start will come with much different stakes. Bradford is set to start for the Texas Rangers on Tuesday in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels. Six days ago, he was on the mound at Globe Life Field and what he could give Texas was unclear. After all, his previous start was in September of 2024 in Oakland, Calif., against a team that now plays in West Sacramento. The vibes were great that day. Bradford had a strong start. The Rangers beat the San Francisco Giants. When he talked with Rangers Sports Network’s Jared Sandler after his first start, he admitted he wasn’t thinking ahead. He just wanted to enjoy that moment. It was a reboot of his career. Now comes the hard part. It’s six days later and he must do it again.Cody Bradford’s Second Start Comes with StakesTexas Rangers starting pitcher Cody Bradford. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters ConnectThe situation is different now. The Rangers just placed Nathan Eovaldi on the 15-day injured list with an elbow issue. He’s out of the rotation for the next two turns at minimum. Jack Leiter is still out after ankle surgery, but he could start rehabbing this week. Still, he needs two or three starts to get ready. Left-hander Jordan Montgomery is back but in a relief role and he was less effective than hoped when he pitched on Sunday. Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said that part of the logic for keeping Bradford in the rotation was that he was pitching better. The numbers back that up. He threw 4.1 shutout innings in his first Major League start since Sept. 25, 2024. He gave up five hits and two walks with five strikeouts. He reached his goal of 70 pitches, though he wanted to go five innings. That backed up how he pitched on his minor league rehab assignment. He pitched in five games and had a 2.25 ERA. He allowed 11 hits, three earned runs and two walks against 16 strikeouts as batters hit .239 against him. Texas needed to see what Bradford could do at the Major League level. How he pitched last week was encouraging. Now the Rangers need him to take it up a notch. They need him to pitch well on Tuesday against the Angels. Texas has momentum since returning home last week at the trade deadline. The Rangers are coming off a 4-2 homestand and have now won five of their last seven games.Texas remains a half-game behind the Houston Astros in the AL West and 1.5 games ahead of the field for the final AL wild card berth. There’s little room for error — for Bradford or for the Rangers.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow