The Texas Rangers finally have the kind of leverage they’ve been chasing for weeks.
At 78-78, they’re up a game on the Houston Astros with six left, and that changes everything about the way Texas has to handle its pitching staff. The Rangers are home for three against the New York Mets starting Tuesday, they’ve been solid at Globe Life Field at 44-34, and they’ve gone 4-2 on this homestand. Meanwhile, the Astros have six road games left and have dropped seven of their last 10.
That puts Texas in a tricky spot: push hard enough to win the division race, but still keep one eye on a possible AL wild card series that would begin Tuesday after the regular season ends. The Rangers also have to account for Cal Quantrill being on the injured list, which means they need to cover one more start. And with Monday off, they have a little room to shuffle things if they want.
The clearest piece of the puzzle is MacKenzie Gore. He started Wednesday against Boston, and the Rangers are set to bring him back Tuesday against the Mets.
Texas announced him as the starter Monday, and the move works on two levels. It keeps him lined up to pitch Sunday in Minnesota if the Rangers still need a clincher then, and it also gives him extra rest if Texas doesn’t need him to close out the division but does need him ready for Game 1 of a wild card series.
In his last outing, Gore worked four innings, allowed two hits and three runs.
From there, Texas can keep leaning on what’s already worked. Tyler Alexander handled the opener role Thursday against Boston before Cody Bradford came in behind him, and the tandem delivered 5.1 innings while giving up just three hits and no runs.
That setup makes sense again. Alexander has been excellent in that opener role, and even if he’s useful in higher-leverage spots, the Rangers need to keep doing what helps them win right now.
Rocker is another option Texas could pair with Alexander as an opener, and the Rangers have done that three times this season. But there’s enough reason to trust Rocker on his own at home. He threw Friday against Toronto and gave up three hits and one run in 4.1 innings.
Thursday could be the first chance for Texas to clinch a playoff berth, which is why the next few days matter so much. Quantrill’s spot is the one the Rangers have to fill, and Monday’s off day gives them some flexibility to adjust based on where the standings sit.
If Texas needs to clinch Friday in Minnesota, Jacob deGrom is a logical answer. He threw Sunday, so he could go on normal rest, and that would also line him up for Game 2 of a possible AL wild card series the following Wednesday.
If the Rangers have already punched their ticket by then, they can get more creative and either turn to another starter or go with a bullpen game.
Nate Eovaldi fits later in the schedule for a couple of reasons. He’s built up enough to cover four or five innings before handing things over to the bullpen, and using him there would still leave him available for a potential Game 3 in a wild card series the following Thursday.
So the formula is straightforward. If Texas needs a win to clinch, Gore gets the ball. If not, the Rangers can use what’s left and save the rotation for October.
In Other News...
Rangers Rotation Just Took A Brutal Hit At The Worst Time
The Rangers rotation depth took another hard punch late in the season when they placed Cal Quantrill on the 15-day injured list with a right lat strain. The move makes him unavailable for the final week of the regular season and the AL wild-card playoffs, a rough development for a club already trying to steady itself heading into October.
Winston Santos was called up from Triple-A to help cover the bullpen in Quantrills absence, but the bigger concern is what this means for Texas if it manages to keep playing. Quantrill could still be eligible for the AL Division Series if he recovers in time and the Rangers advance, leaving the team to hope this latest setback is only temporary. [Read more 🡒]
MacKenzie Gores Next Rangers Start Just Raised A Bigger Rotation Question
MacKenzie Gore is set to take the ball Tuesday night against the Mets in the opener of the series, and with it comes a little more clarity for a Rangers rotation that has spent enough time in flux to make every turn feel meaningful. The left-hander will be making his 33rd start of the season, the most by a Rangers pitcher since 2019, a reminder of how much the club has leaned on him while trying to navigate the stretch run.
For now, Texas is keeping the rotation order intact, but the bigger picture still hangs on the roles of Nathan Eovaldi and Cal Quantrill. Whether those two stay in place or force a reshuffle will shape how the Rangers line up beyond this week, which makes Gores next outing about more than just one start. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Just Created A Bigger Sebastian Walcott Question
Sebastian Walcotts rapid rise took another step this week, as the Rangers pushed the top prospect from Double-A Frisco to Triple-A Round Rock for the final two games of the regular season. It is the kind of late-season move that usually signals a club wants one more look at a player before the winter, and in Walcotts case it also underscores how much stock Texas continues to place in his bat after a season interrupted by elbow surgery.
The Rangers do not plan to bring him to the majors this year, a decision tied to roster management and the uncertainty hanging over collective bargaining talks. Walcott spent the first half of the season recovering, then came back to put up strong offensive numbers in 37 games at Round Rock, leaving Texas with an even bigger question now than when the move was announced: how soon the organization is willing to push one of its most intriguing young talents into the big-league conversation. [Read more 🡒]