The Texas Rangers are down to one game and one arm, with Kumar Rocker carrying the burden of keeping Houston from completing a sweep on Sunday.
After back-to-back rough starts from Texas’ top two starters, the Rangers need Rocker to steady things in the finale. Nathan Eovaldi was tagged for 10 hits and six runs in five innings on Friday, and Jacob deGrom gave up five runs in fewer than four innings on Saturday.
That leaves Rocker, the second-year pro, with a chance to keep Texas from spiraling into a much bigger problem. A loss would push the Rangers 2.5 games behind the Astros, who are 57-55, in the AL West. It could also put president of baseball operations Chris Young in a tough spot with the trade deadline arriving Monday, especially if he has to move expiring contracts.
In other words, this is not just about avoiding a sweep. The Rangers may be playing to protect the shape of their entire deadline plan.
First pitch is set for Sunday at 1:10 p.m. Texas will send out Rocker, who is 4-8 with a 4.03 ERA, while Houston counters with Peter Lambert, who is 8-5 with a 3.06 ERA.
The Rangers are also leaning on some familiar bats to set the tone against Lambert. Joc Pederson has seen him the most, with 16 career at-bats, and has gone 4-for-16 with two homers and three RBI. Pederson is once again leading off as the left-handed designated hitter.
Brandon Nimmo is another name Texas needs to wake up. He has gone 0-for-7 against Lambert in his career, but he comes in swinging a better bat lately, posting a .291/.361/.436 line over his last 15 games.
And then there’s Yordan Alvarez, who keeps looming over this matchup. He has hit more home runs against the Rangers than any player in baseball this season, and more than any team has managed against Texas.
Against Rocker specifically, Alvarez is 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in his career. An intentional walk would not be a shocking move on Sunday.
In Other News...
Rangers Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Trade Deadline Plans
After months of injuries and illness interrupted his season, Josh Smith is moving off the Rangers roster, and the club is making a very specific kind of move as the trade deadline approaches. Texas is sending Smith and pitching prospect Josh Stephan to Toronto in exchange for left-hander Adam Macko, a deal that adds a bullpen arm while subtracting a player who had been part of the 2023 World Series club and won last years American League Silver Slugger as a utility man.
Smith had already been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock, so the writing was on the wall for a player whose value had been built on versatility and steady production. Macko has worked in relief for the Blue Jays this season, going 2-0 with a 4.91 ERA in 22 games, and the trade gives Texas another left-handed option as it continues shaping the roster for the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Trade Deadline Shift Could Mean More Than A Salary Dump
The trade deadline picture in Texas has changed quickly enough to make the rest of the month feel unsettled. The Rangers have moved from a buyers posture to one that looks more like a sellers, with the front office weighing moves that could trim salary while also taking advantage of whatever value the roster still holds. Even with the season still unfolding, the conversations around the club now sound less like a team pushing in and more like one preparing to reframe its next step.
Nathan Eovaldi, MacKenzie Gore and Jacob Latz are among the names surfacing in those discussions, a sign that the Rangers are at least listening broadly as they gauge the market. The expectation, though, is that the younger core under team control, including Wyatt Langford, Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter, remains far more likely to stay put, which leaves plenty of room for the kind of deadline maneuvering that could reshape the roster without fully stripping it down. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Bullpen Shakeup Puts One Veteran In A Brutal Spot
The Rangers bullpen has been in constant motion lately, and the latest move leaves veteran right-hander Chris Martin in a tough spot. Texas activated him from the injured list and then designated him for assignment, a sign of how quickly his season has gone off track amid shoulder issues and uneven performance.
Now the club has only a short window to find a trade partner, with the afternoon deadline looming before Martin likely clears waivers and can choose free agency. The timing underscores how unsettled the bullpen picture remains in Texas, especially with the front office still weighing outside interest in other relievers after the recent losses. [Read more 🡒]