Texas Rangers: A Running Diary of Three Important Prospect Outings

The Texas Rangers rolled out three young starters in a row on Monday and Tuesday. Here’s a running diary of how those starts went.

We’ve been hearing for a while that the Texas Rangers have an army of young pitchers just waiting to arrive. And as we enter the last stretch of the season, the first wave of those hurlers are starting to arrive. Rangers fans no longer have to wait to see what the future holds.

Jon Daniels and the Rangers front office want to see what their prospects can do, and with the team out of contention and the dog days of summer upon us, now is the perfect time to do so. So the decision was made to throw Kolby Allard (No. 16 prospect), Joe Palumbo (No. 6 prospect) and Brock Burke (#7 prospect) in three consecutive games.

Allard and Palumbo have each appeared in a few big league games, but Burke’s start would be his major league debut. To document this three game stretch, I decided to keep a running diary of their starts.

Kolby Allard

Allard’s previous two outings were pretty good. He allowed two runs against the Brewers and three runs against the Blue Jays, picking up the win against Toronto. I like his attitude more than his stuff, but he seems to know how to pitch. I was looking forward to his start.

1st Inning

Things start out alright. Allard gets David Fletcher to ground out and holds Mike Trout to a single, which should probably count as an out in the score book. But then Shohei Ohtani reaches base via catcher interference and Trout is in scoring position. A Justin Upton double and a Kole Calhoun single bring in two runs, and suddenly Albert Pujols is up with two runners on and only one out. Not ideal.

And of course, Pujols parks a four-seam fastball into the left field seats. It’s 5-0, and the wheels are officially off. But then miraculously, Allard sandwiches a single between a pop out and a strike out to get out of the inning.

2nd Inning

Allard walks Fletcher, but then gets a huge strikeout against WAR King Trout. I’m ready to pronounce Allard as officially good, but I’ll wait. And it’s a good thing I do, because Ohtani rifles a cutter into left center, scoring Fletcher. Ohtani comes home on a Upton single, and Allard has given up seven runs in less than two innings. Again–not ideal.

Allard is able to escape further damage, though, by getting Calhoun and Pujols each to line out. Despite a terrible start, he’s still battling.

3rd Inning

With just eleven pitches, Allard has his first 1-2-3 inning. He seems to be settling down.

4th Inning

Allard has another three up, three down inning, which includes another strikeout of Trout. Now I’m ready to put him in the Hall of Fame.

5th Inning

Upton starts the inning off with a walk, and I wonder if the wheels are going to come off again. It wouldn’t be surprising for such a young pitcher to be up and down during his start. But Allard gets Calhoun to hit into a double play, and then gets Pujols to ground out to third to end the inning. Allard’s night is done. He’s thrown 103 pitches.

No, Allard’s first start in Arlington didn’t go very well. But the fact that he was able to battle through early struggles and give the Rangers five innings is an accomplishment in itself. Texas is starting a stretch of eight games in seven days, and having to use the bullpen for six or more innings would have been devastating. Whatever Allard’s skill level might be, the Texas Rangers at least have a guy who will fight through whatever the weird game of baseball will throw at him.

Brock Burke

This will be Burke’s big league debut. It’s not surprising that he’s pitching in Arlington, because he has great stuff, but he’s had a tough year. He was sidelined by blister problems and shoulder fatigue early in the season. A perfect five innings on July 20th, however, proved he had put all the injuries behind him. And now he’s arrived.

1st Inning

Burke gets Fletcher, Trout and Ohtani to each ground out, all on different pitches. It only takes 13 pitches. It’s a much better way to start the game.

2nd Inning

Pujols reaches on a single, but goes nowhere, as Burke strikes out two and gets Luis Rengifo to line out. Burke is rolling.

3rd Inning

Burke fields a grounder himself and then walks Max Stassi. He gets another line out and then has to face Trout. It’s a little tense, because it Trout is always on the verge of going supernova, but Burke stays steady and strikes out probably the best hitter in MLB. Burke throws 22 pitches in the inning, the toughest frame he’s had so far.

4th Inning

Ohtani leads off the inning and battles, eventually earning a single on the seventh pitch of his at-bat. But Burke bounces back and gets Upton to hit into a double play. Then Pujols doubles to left, the first batter Burke has allowed to advance to second base. Again, the young pitcher works around a base runner, striking out Goodwin to end the inning.

5th Inning

Burke gets his second 1-2-3 inning, this time on just seven pitches. SEVEN PITCHES. He’s rolling.

6th Inning

This will be Burke’s third time through the lineup, and I’m concerned. He’s been great, but hitters typically start getting to pitchers on that third trip through the order. Burke gets Fletcher to ground out, and then Trout flies out to left. Maybe I was wrong to worry.

Then Ohtani singles, and Upton walks, and suddenly the tying run is on base. I’m concerned. But Brocke Burke doesn’t share my concern, and gets Pujols to fly out to end the inning.

Burke’s day is done, and he’s pitched six scoreless innings in his major league debut. You can’t ask for more from a young pitcher, and I think it’s safe to say we’ll see a lot more of Burke in Arlington this season.