Twins-Astros Game 1 X-factor: Lefties vs. Verlander

June 2024 · 2 minute read

Rangers: LHP Andrew Heaney

2023 stats: 10-6, 4.15 ERA, 147 1/3 innings, 151 strikeouts, 1.38 WHIP

Bruce Bochy had a few options for Game 1 starter, none of them completely comforting, and he waited until the 11th hour before going with Heaney, who mostly pitched in relief for the Rangers in September. Heaney was fabulous last year in a half-season sample, with a 3.10 ERA and a 35.5 percent strikeout rate (!). That stretch looks more and more like a beautiful outlier. Heaney has dealt with a ton of traffic this year, and his strikeout rate has slid to 23.6 percent.

A big reason for that? The slider that looked like a revelation for Heaney last season — .170 opposing batting average, 44.3 (!!) percent whiff rate — has returned much more pedestrian results for the Rangers: .259 batting average, 29.6 percent whiff rate. The slider helped Heaney suffocate left-handed hitters last season (.670 OPS), but not this year (.806 OPS).

Orioles: RHP Kyle Bradish

2023 stats:12-7, 2.83 ERA, 168 2/3 innings, 168 strikeouts, 1.04 WHIP

April 3: Bradish is four outs into his season when a left-handed hitter smokes a 104 mph line drive that hits Bradish’s right foot and ricochets to first base for a painful 1-3 putout. The opponent: Texas. The batter: Jonah Heim. The place: Globe Life Field. Bradish gets back on his feet, tries a warm-up toss but winces and hops off the mound as he follows through. His season debut is over.

But look at him now.

Bradish missed his next two starts in April but still put together a brilliant season. He beat the Rangers in late May, and he’ll have a chance for even greater payback in Game 1. Bradish, who has a 2.09 ERA since Aug. 1, has stifled almost everyone this season. Lefties had a .623 OPS against him; righties had a .590 OPS. His slider and curve have been unbelievably effective.

The slider: .168 batting average, .272 slugging, 36.4 percent whiff rate

The curve: .142 batting average, .162 slugging, 35.6 percent whiff rate

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