The Rangers open a three-game trip in Chicago on Monday night with a familiar face on the mound for the White Sox.
José Urquidy, the former Astros starter Texas used to see all the time, gets the ball for White Sox (68-62) at Rate Field as they host the Rangers (65-66). First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m., with both clubs still in the thick of the playoff chase.
Texas is tied with Houston for the AL West lead, though the Astros hold the tiebreaker. Houston also made news Monday by parting ways with general manager Dana Brown, adding another wrinkle to the Astros’ upcoming trip to New York to face the Yankees and Mets.
The Rangers, meanwhile, are tied with the Guardians for the final AL wild card spot. Texas won that season series 4-2, which could matter later. But the lane is crowded: five teams are within 3.5 games of Cleveland and Texas.
One thing Texas has not done lately is win a road series. The Rangers’ last road series win came in late June against the Guardians, and this set in Chicago offers another chance to change that.
Monday’s matchup sends Texas right-hander Kumar Rocker (4-10, 4.46) against Urquidy (2-1, 5.06). The game will air on Rangers Sports Network and can be streamed on BZZR. Chicago Sports Network will carry it for the White Sox, with radio coverage on KRLD 1080 and KFLC 1270 for Texas, and ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM and 107.9 La Ley for Chicago.
The most obvious Texas threat in this matchup is Corey Seager. He has at least two hits in six of his last seven games and is batting .444/.483/.630 over that stretch with two home runs and three RBI.
That hot run has lifted his season line to .224/.321/.413. He has also handled Urquidy well, hitting .333 in nine at-bats with a home run and two RBI.
Evan Carter is another name to watch. He has never faced Urquidy, but with a right-hander on the mound, he is almost certain to start.
Carter is batting .211/.211/.316 over his last seven games, and Texas has been getting him more at-bats against left-handers lately. He should start two games in the series, depending on how the White Sox line up.
His defense in center field remains important for Texas.
Joc Pederson is the trickier call. He is the kind of bat Texas would normally use at DH and slot into the leadoff spot, but he has not had a hit in his last seven games, a stretch of 14 at-bats.
He is batting .222 over his last 30 games. With Logan O’Hoppe now on the roster, Texas could choose that route in the short term and give Pederson time to get going again.
In Other News...
Logan OHoppes First Rangers Comments Say Plenty About This Fresh Start
Logan OHoppes first day in a Rangers uniform brought the kind of small but meaningful reset that often comes with a deadline trade. Texas acquired the catcher from the Angels, along with reliever Chase Silseth, in exchange for infield prospect Angel Arredondo, and OHoppe wasted no time getting into the action. He made his debut against his former club and went 1-for-2 at the plate in a win, a tidy little reminder that a change of scenery can arrive with both a new jersey and a new opportunity.
OHoppes comments after the game said plenty about why the move mattered to him. He described his four years in Los Angeles as difficult and made it clear he is looking at Texas as a fresh start, the kind of chance players often talk about but rarely get in such a clean form. For the Rangers, it is another layer of catching depth and a player who already has reasons to be motivated every time he steps in against the Angels or anyone else wearing a target on their back. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers May Need A Bold Sebastian Walcott Decision Very Soon
Sebastian Walcott is back in the mix at Double-A Frisco after recovering from a right elbow UCL internal brace procedure, and the Rangers are already weighing how quickly they want to push one of their top prospects. For now he is working as a designated hitter, but the larger picture is obvious: Texas is in a tight playoff race and looking for any offensive spark it can find, even if that means accelerating the timeline on a player who has barely resumed game action.
The wrinkle is roster construction. Walcott is not on the Rangers 40-man roster, which makes any big-league move more complicated at a time when every decision carries extra weight. General manager Ross Fenstermaker has sounded optimistic that Walcott will get back on the field before the season ends, and how the club handles that next step could say plenty about how aggressively it wants to chase help down the stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Shakeup Just Raised The Stakes For The Rangers Down Stretch
The Rangers push down the stretch got a little more complicated with Houstons front office suddenly in flux. The Astros and general manager Dana Brown have mutually agreed to part ways, and owner Jim Crane is stepping in to oversee baseball operations as the club tries to steady itself after a disappointing season and a year without a playoff berth.
For Texas, the timing matters because a division rival with that kind of urgency can become more unpredictable in the final weeks. Browns duties will be spread among assistant general managers Charles Cook, Gavin Dickey and Connor Huff, along with senior advisor Jeff Bagwell, leaving Houston to sort out its direction while the standings are still in motion. The bigger question for the Rangers is how much a changing Astros decision-making structure alters the race before the season is over. [Read more 🡒]