Things are looking pretty good for the Texas Rangers as they head into the All-Star Break.

Texas just finished off a series victory over the in-state rival Houston Astros to close the first half with a 49-47 record. Additionally, the Rangers will open the second half in first place in the American League West with a game-and-a-half lead.

On top of all that, they will soon be adding some much-needed reinforcements to their pitching staff.

Left-handed pitchers Jordan Montgomery and Cody Bradford both completed rehab assignments over the weekend as they work their way back from injury.

Montgomery made his fifth rehab start as he picked up the ball for Triple-A Round Rock in their game on the road against the Reno Aces.

The veteran left-hander fired four innings, allowing just one run with one strikeout and one walk on 52 pitches.

Montgomery sat between 89-90 mph on his four-seam fastball and sinker, even touching 92 mph at one point during the outing.

“I've gained velo every time,” Montgomery said before the outing. “I’ve gotten more comfortable out there, and I’m recovering fine every time. We added plyos to my routine, so that should help shorten the arm path a little bit. I’ll just keep listening to them and trust when they're saying I'm in a good spot, and just keep competing.

Montgomery will likely need just one more rehab start before joining the Rangers' rotation, something he is looking forward to in the second half.

“It sounds like I'm gonna be a starter, so I appreciate them not rushing me, especially with [Jack Leiter] going down,” Montgomery said. "It'll be nice to have five, six innings, and just see what they want to get from me.”

As for Bradford, Sunday marked his first minor-league rehab appearance as he is further behind Montgomery after suffering a setback in May.

Bradford threw just an inning for Double-A Frisco, allowing one earned run with two walks and one strikeout. In 21 pitches, Bradford was able to throw just seven strikes.

There will likely be at least four or five more rehab appearances for Bradford before he can come back. However, , the team’s need for starting pitching is not lost on him.

“I think me and Monty both see the team in need of pitching,” Bradford said. “We're hopeful that we can help serve in that way. We're working as hard as we can to get back as soon as possible, and it could mean coming back sooner than we initially thought. I think that would be a good thing."

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