The Rangers answered Monday’s blowout with another test on Tuesday, this time against a left-hander, Anthony Kay, instead of the right-handed José Urquidy they lit up for 11 runs the night before. That shift matters for Texas, which has been forced to keep adjusting as the AL West race stays tight.
Texas enters the game at 66-66 and sits a half-game ahead of the Houston Astros, who are in the Bronx facing the Yankees. The Rangers’ magic number to clinch a playoff berth is 31, though that number can shrink fast if Texas loses and Houston wins, with the division lead potentially flipping in the process.
Chicago comes in at 68-63 and sends Kay to the mound against Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom. The two clubs have already seen this matchup once this season.
On July 22 at Globe Life Field, Kay picked up the win after working five innings and allowing five hits, two earned runs and two walks while striking out four. DeGrom also faced the White Sox in that series, just on a different day, and was tagged for seven hits and five earned runs in 4.2 innings.
He struck out six and walked two.
Because the White Sox are starting a lefty, the Rangers are going with a different lineup on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s game is set for 6:40 p.m. Texas will be on Rangers Sports Network and streamed on BZZR, while Chicago will be on Chicago Sports Network. The radio calls are KRLD 1080 and KFLC 1270 for the Rangers, and ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM and 107.9 La Ley for the White Sox.
The matchup on the Texas side starts with Corey Seager, and there’s no sign the Rangers want to take his bat out of the middle of things anytime soon. He doesn’t have any experience against Kay, but in August he’s slashing .342/.415/.534 with three home runs and nine RBI. He has at least two hits in seven of his last eight games and went 3-for-4 in Monday’s win.
Logan O’Hoppe is in the mix to handle left-handed pitching on nights when Joc Pederson can’t be in the order. He has played just one game for Texas so far, coming Sunday in Texas, when he went 1-for-2 and scored a run.
Ezequiel Duran is making his own case to stay locked into the lineup. Over his last seven games, he’s slashing .417/.517/.708. He’s already tied his career high with 14 home runs, and there’s still a chance he reaches 20 this season.
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