The Rangers head into Milwaukee carrying the same problem that has tripped them up all road trip long: the away games keep getting in the way.
Texas opens a three-game set Friday night against the Brewers, and this one doesn’t come with much breathing room. The Rangers are 68-66, already dropped two of three in Chicago against the White Sox, and now have to deal with a Milwaukee club sitting at 83-51 and leading the NL Central with the best record in the National League.
For Texas, the bigger issue is the math. The Rangers are 36-29 at home, but 30-39 on the road, and that split is becoming a real obstacle as they try to lock down a playoff spot.
After losing the series to the White Sox, they slipped one game behind the Houston Astros in the AL West and sit two games back of the Cleveland Guardians for the final AL wild card berth. They also haven’t won a road series since taking two of three from the Guardians in late June.
The matchup on paper doesn’t make things easier, even if Texas appears to have avoided Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski. Milwaukee’s record tells the rest of the story. The Brewers are not just built around one arm, and they’re especially dangerous at home.
Friday’s first pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. Texas will send left-hander Cody Bradford to the mound against Milwaukee right-hander Logan Henderson.
Bradford is 0-2 with a 3.05 ERA, while Henderson comes in at 8-2 with a 2.60 ERA.
At the plate, Corey Seager remains one of the Rangers’ best bets in a matchup like this. No Texas hitter has faced Henderson before, but Seager has been rolling in August, slashing .305/.380/.476 with three home runs and nine RBI. Since Aug. 15, he’s already logged seven multi-hit games.
Cody Freeman has also earned his spot. He’s on the big-league roster because of Josh Jung’s injury, and he’s staying in the lineup with production and versatility.
Over his last seven games, Freeman has hit .286/.348/.381. The run production hasn’t been loud, but his ability to move around the field and handle pitchers from both sides has kept him in the everyday mix.
Ezequiel Duran has been even hotter. Texas can’t really afford to sit him right now, not with the way he’s swinging it.
In his last seven games, Duran has slashed .480/.581/.760 with a home run and six RBI. He’s already set a career high in RBI and matched his career high in home runs.
In Other News...
Rangers Prospect Seong Jun Kim Is Creating A Bigger Debate Than Expected
The Rangers farm system got a lift in MLB Pipelines latest rankings, and a good part of that rise traces back to the clubs 2026 draft class. One of the more interesting names in that group is Seong-Jun Kim, the 19-year-old two-way player from Korea who has begun turning heads after moving up to Single-A Hickory, where his work on the mound has been especially encouraging and his bat has shown enough to keep the discussion alive.
Kims early success has done more than add a promising arm and another athletic bat to the organizational picture. It has also created a bigger question than expected about what his long-term role should be, because his progress this season has come while he continues to operate in both lanes of the game. For a Rangers system that is suddenly drawing more attention, Kim is becoming one of the more compelling development stories to follow. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Outfield Picture Just Got More Complicated Because Of Dylan Dreiling
Dylan Dreiling has quietly turned a strong 2026 season with Double-A Frisco into something bigger than a nice development story. The Rangers No. 13 prospect has taken a real step forward at the plate after a much quieter 2025, and his rise has only added to the sense that Texas has another legitimate bat climbing its system. A hitter regarded as one of the best in the organization, Dreiling already has the kind of pedigree that makes people pay attention, thanks in part to the standout run he put together at Tennessee, capped by College World Series Most Outstanding Player honors in 2024.
For the Rangers, the bigger question is where all of this leaves the outfield picture as Dreiling keeps trending up. Texas has spent plenty of time sorting through its young talent and trying to figure out who fits where, and a bat like Dreilings only complicates that process. He may still be on the longer road toward a big league arrival, with a possible MLB debut in 2027, but the arrow is clearly pointing the right way. If he keeps hitting like this, the Rangers will have another decision to make sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]
Jack Leiter Is Creating A Rangers Problem At The Worst Time
Jack Leiters 2026 season has turned into one of the more uncomfortable questions facing the Rangers, and it has nothing to do with his pedigree or long-term ceiling. The right-hander has labored through 15 starts, carrying a 5.29 ERA while dealing with an ankle injury that eventually required arthroscopic surgery, and the result has been a rotation spot that no longer feels secure.
His rehab assignment has not offered much clarity. Leiter has been uneven in the minors, putting up a 9.45 ERA, which only adds to the debate over whether the Rangers can still count on him as a starter right away or need to think about a different role. A recall does not appear imminent, and for a club trying to piece together the rest of its season, that leaves another unresolved decision hanging over the pitching staff. [Read more 🡒]