The Texas Rangers head into Saturday needing something to stop the slide, and Cal Quantrill has quietly become the arm they’re leaning on to do it.
Since moving into the rotation in June after Jack Leiter’s ankle surgery, the veteran right-hander has given Texas a real lift. Quantrill has won his last two starts without allowing a run, and if you stretch back to his no-decision against the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 12, he has given up just one earned run over his last 18 innings. During that stretch, he has struck out 17 and walked three.
That kind of run is exactly what the Rangers (66-69) need as they try to halt a three-game losing streak against the Milwaukee Brewers (84-51), who own the best record in baseball. Texas enters the game two games behind the Houston Astros in the American League West and two games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the final AL wild card spot.
The problem for Texas has been even bigger on the road, where the club has struggled all season. If the Rangers are going to keep from losing more ground in the playoff chase, Quantrill has to be the one who steadies them.
Saturday’s game is set for 6:15 p.m. with Fox/Fox One carrying it for both teams. On the radio, Rangers coverage is on KRLD 1080 and KFLC 1270, while the Brewers will be on WTMJ 620.
The pitching matchup has Texas sending RHP Cal Quantrill (6-4, 2.90) against Brewers LHP Shane Drohan (6-5, 3.84).
Offensively, the Rangers are trying to keep Wyatt Langford in the lineup as much as possible, even if that means giving him more time at designated hitter. Per Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, Langford has said he’s still dealing with lingering effects from injuries earlier this season.
Texas can’t afford to lose his bat, though, especially with the way he’s swinging it right now. He is batting .346 over his last seven games.
Brandon Nimmo is another name Texas needs to wake up in a hurry. The Rangers’ clean-up hitter has gone cold, batting .074 over his last seven games with only two hits in his last 27 at bats.
Over his last 30 games, he’s hitting .221. With the standings tightening, there’s no luxury of giving him a day or two to clear his head.
Ezequiel Duran, meanwhile, gives Texas at least one encouraging note. The Brewers held him down on Friday, when he went 0-for-3, but he’s shown signs of life lately and could rebound Saturday. Duran is batting .385 in his last seven games, and he has been solid against left-handed pitching all season.
Texas also continues to work around a crowded injured list. Kyle Higashioka is on the 10-day IL with a right flexor strain, and Josh Jung is there with a left calf strain. On the 15-day IL, Nathan Eovaldi remains out with right posterior elbow inflammation.
On the 60-day IL, the Rangers are still without Carter Baumler (right intercostal strain), Robert Garcia (left shoulder inflammation), Michael Helman (multiple fractures on right hand), Jalen Beeks (flexor tendon surgery), Jose Corniell (right flexor strain) and Jack Leiter (right ankle posterior impingement).
In Other News...
Wyatt Langford Is Creating A Rangers Problem They Can't Easily Solve
Wyatt Langfords talent has been evident all season, but the Rangers are still working through the ripple effects of the forearm strain and hamstring injury he picked up earlier this year. He is not in pain, yet the lingering aftermath has made it harder for him to be the all-around player Texas wants, especially when it comes to his defense and the flexibility that normally helps a lineup breathe.
The bigger issue for Texas is that Langfords limitations have pushed more pressure onto an already patchwork roster, with the club shuffling players across multiple spots to cover injuries and matchups. The designated hitter rotation has become part of that balancing act, and while the Rangers can keep managing it for now, Langfords situation is the kind of problem that does not have a clean fix. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Bullpen Finally Gets Hope With Two Key Arms On The Move
Help may finally be on the way for a Rangers bullpen that has spent much of the spring waiting for reinforcements. Carter Baumler and Robert Garcia are both set to begin rehab assignments with Round Rock, a needed step for a relief group that opened the season with them in the mix before injuries pushed both onto the injured list in April.
Baumler, the Rule 5 pick with the roster constraints that come with that status, and Garcia, who has been out since late April with a shoulder strain, are expected to pitch in minor league games soon as they work back toward the majors. For Texas, the timing matters as much as the names, because any progress from those two arms could give the bullpen a much-needed boost if the rehab work goes as planned. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers May Need To End Joc Pedersons Leadoff Run Now
Joc Pederson has gotten a long look at the top of the Rangers lineup, but the results have started to make the arrangement harder to justify. Manager Skip Schumaker has been working through his options while Pedersons August production has dipped, and the conversation now centers on whether Texas can afford to keep using a hitter built more for damage than table-setting in the leadoff spot.
Cody Freeman has emerged as the cleaner fit for that role because of his stronger on-base work and better strike-zone judgment, the kind of traits that can give the Rangers a steadier start to games. If Schumaker decides to make a change, it would not just be about one cold stretch for Pederson, but about trying to unlock a lineup that has been searching for more consistent offense. [Read more 🡒]