Seldom used slider carries Quantrill through latest gem vs. Rays

ARLINGTON -- Did you know Cal Quantrill throws a slider?

Well, he didn’t know either.

Ok, that’s a bit dramatic. But when you throw 17 sliders in one game after throwing 35 the entire season, one begins to wonder.

“[Rangers catcher Elias] Díaz and I have worked together a lot in the last three years, and one thing I can always trust with Díaz is if we find something that's working, he's not afraid to be creative,” Quantrill said. “He started calling sliders, so we threw sliders.”

Quantrill only had one start in 2025 (March 31) with more sliders (18), but beside that, Thursday night’s 6-0 win over the Rays marked his most occurrences throwing that pitch since 2020. That was the game plan after realizing the Rays had more right-handed hitters in their lineup than the Rangers initially expected.

“Well, I've thrown sliders before,” Quantrill said. “I know how to throw them. I think both [pitching coach Jordan] Tiegs and Díaz feel like it's probably better than maybe I gave it credit for. So yeah, I don't know. We just threw lots of sliders today.”

However many sliders Quantrill threw, it was the right decision. The veteran right-hander tossed seven scoreless innings against the American League-leading Rays, helping the Rangers to victory to open the four-game set at Globe Life Field.

Cal Quantrill is the Rangers’ reigning Player of the Month for August, as voted on by media members and broadcasters who cover the team on a regular basis. It was his first monthly award with Texas after posting a 1.45 ERA in 31 innings last month. ​

Quantrill began his bid for the Rangers’ September Player of the Month on Thursday.

“Gosh, what he did in August, and now what he's doing to start September -- with some pretty significant injuries to Jack [Leiter] and [Nathan Eovaldi] -- and he has stepped right in and filled in the role pretty much he is like an ace,” said manager Skip Schumaker. “I mean, he's pitched like an ace. I don't know what we'd be doing, because he's not only provided quality start after quality start, but again, he's become this innings eater as well, which has been huge. Cal has been that guy that stops the bleeding and has provided that for us. He's been excellent."

And if not for All-Star closer Jacob Latz, Quantrill could have even eventually won the Rangers’ Pitcher of the Year award. He’s surely been the most valuable since joining the big league club in mid-April.

Quantrill signed a Minor League deal with the Rangers this offseason and opened the season at Triple-A Round Rock. When he was initially brought up, he was used as a long relief option and then a leverage arm out of the bullpen.

An injury to Leiter forced him into the rotation back in June and then again when Eovaldi landed on the injured list in August. Whatever the Rangers have needed of him, Quantrill has delivered.

Quantrill has now made 29 appearances this season: 17 relief outings and 12 starts. In his last eight games (seven starts), Quantrill has posted a 1.25 ERA, good for lowest qualified ERA in MLB during the span.

“I think the end is in sight and we have bigger ambitions than the regular season,” Quantrill said. “We're well aware of how important each one of these games is. We're frustrated with how we've played on the road. We want to make sure that we're not throwing away a good opportunity here. For myself, I know how important these games are. I want to make sure that there's nothing left in the tank as we get into September. It's rewarding, but we have a job to do here in these next 25 games.”

Every successful team has guys like Quantrill: those who you didn’t expect to be in the thick of things come September who ultimately become some of the most important pieces. The Rangers have a few in addition to him, like Ezequiel Duran and Latz.

As the Rangers continue their postseason push, each one of those guys will be just as important as guys like Corey Seager and Jacob deGrom down the stretch.

“Cal’s provided gigantic innings the entire year,” Schumaker said. “Putting him in the rotation, taking him out of the rotation, high leverage, multi-inning guy, long man, and now he's pitching like an ace. I've known Cal since we drafted him in San Diego. I’m happy that he decided to sign here. We’ve utilized him this year without any complaints, and he’s providing winning types of outings each time, giving us a chance to win in September in a playoff race. I would not have envisioned it, but I'm happy we have him, there's no doubt.”