The Rangers are back from the All-Star break with the same goal they carried into it: keep winning and keep widening the gap in the AL West.
Texas opens the second half Friday night against the Braves, and the setup is pretty clean. The Rangers are 49-47 and hold a 1.5-game lead over the Mariners.
Atlanta comes in at 55-40 and sits atop its own division. Texas finished the first half by winning four of its last six, then got four days to reset - with one exception.
Jacob Latz, the club’s lone All-Star, was the only Ranger who didn’t fully get that break, since he logged one out in the All-Star Game for the American League.
There’s also a new wrinkle for fans trying to watch the game. The Rangers changed streaming services on Wednesday, and the switch does not affect the rest of Rangers Sports Network’s broadcast outlets.
For viewers streaming Friday’s game, it will be on BZZR. Anyone who had a Victory+ subscription should be able to move over at no additional cost.
On the field, the matchup brings together Texas right-hander Cal Quantrill and Atlanta left-hander Chris Sale. That makes the Rangers’ lineup choices worth watching, especially with Sale on the mound.
Wyatt Langford is in there, and for good reason. He’s healthy again, and he’s already shown he can handle Sale, hitting .333 against him in three plate appearances.
Langford got back sooner than many expected from his latest hamstring injury, played in all three games of the Houston series before the break, and went 3-for-11 with a home run. He’s also been over .300 across his last 30 games.
Brandon Nimmo brings a different kind of edge to the matchup. He has more history against Sale than most hitters because of his time in the NL with the New York Mets, and he’s 2-for-7 against the left-hander.
Nimmo also closed the first half with a strong showing, going 3-for-5 with two RBI against Houston on Sunday. Over his last seven games, he’s batting .320, and his bat has clearly come alive over the last two weeks.
Josh Jung is the other name that jumps off the page. He has never faced Sale before, but Friday gives him that first look.
Jung enters the second half hitting .298/.367/.452 with nine home runs and 34 RBI, and he’s been Texas’ most consistent bat all season. Some thought he should have been an All-Star.
He finished his last game before the break 2-for-3, is batting .304 over his last seven games, and that marks an uptick from his .241 average over his previous 15 games.
For Texas, the first night back is about more than just shaking off the break. It’s about getting the right bats in the right spots and trying to keep the momentum that carried over from the first half.
In Other News...
Rangers Trade Idea Puts Two Intriguing Young Pieces On The Table
Jim Bowdens trade idea gives the Rangers a familiar sort of deadline debate: do they chase a useful bat now, or protect the young depth that could matter later? In this scenario, Texas is looking at Luis Arraez as a possible fit, which makes sense only if you view the clubs roster needs through the lens of contact and versatility rather than impact power. The bigger question is whether that is the right way to spend real prospect capital when the Rangers still have more pressing holes to fill.
Yolfran Castillo and Dalton Pence are the kind of names that make these conversations interesting because both have enough upside to matter in a deal, but neither feels disposable. Castillo has been productive in the low minors, while Pence has put together a strong season on the mound and sits among the organizations better arms. Even so, Texas has other pitching prospects in the pipeline, which could make moving Pence easier to swallow than it first appears, but the front office still has to decide whether Arraez is the sort of addition worth taking that step. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Fans Just Got Pulled Into Another Deadline Rumor
Trade-season chatter has a way of finding its way to the Rangers whether they ask for it or not, and this latest round is no different. A rumor making the rounds has Texas linked to Cincinnati right-hander Hunter Greene, with the buzz spreading through social media and a Jim Bowden column that leaned on second-hand talk rather than anything confirmed. For a club that always seems to live in the middle of deadline speculation, it is another reminder that once July turns into August, the noise can move fast.
Greenes situation is what makes the rumor linger, because he is not the kind of arm a team casually dangles without a bigger plan in mind. Cincinnatis posture matters here too, since the Reds appear more inclined to retool than to tear everything down, which makes any talk of moving a young starter more complicated than the rumor mill suggests. For the Rangers, it leaves the familiar deadline question hanging in the air: are they actually in on this, or just getting pulled into another round of speculation? [Read more 🡒]
Brady Singer Is Putting The Reds At A Deadline Crossroads
With the Rangers sitting atop the AL West despite a slightly above-.500 record, the trade deadline is starting to look like a chance to shore up the one area that still feels unfinished. Texas has been searching for rotation help, and the conversation naturally turns to a few names who could fit the bill, with Brady Singer among the more interesting possibilities because of the way his situation lines up with the market.
Singers contract status gives the Reds a reason to listen, and it also gives a contender like Texas a chance to pounce if the price is right. The Rangers are not alone in weighing starting pitching, though, and the broader pool includes other arms with varying levels of certainty, leaving Texas to decide whether to strike early or keep waiting for the right deal to surface. [Read more 🡒]