The Rangers can finish off a second straight road sweep on Wednesday at Progressive Field, and they’re doing it without some of the names you’d normally expect to see carrying the lineup.
Texas has already won two straight in Cleveland despite being without Wyatt Langford, Corey Seager and Brandon Nimmo for the last two games. Langford is on the injured list.
Seager sat Monday and then exited Tuesday’s game before an at-bat because of back stiffness. Nimmo has missed the last two games with a sprained A/C joint in his left shoulder.
Even with that short-handed group, the Rangers keep finding answers. They enter Wednesday with a one-game lead in the AL West and then head home for a series against the Detroit Tigers that begins Thursday, which is why the game starts in the early afternoon.
Wednesday’s matchup is Texas left-hander MacKenzie Gore, who is 5-6 with a 4.05 ERA, against Guardians left-hander Joey Cantillo, who is 6-3 with a 3.87 ERA.
The Rangers’ best path against Cantillo starts with Justin Foscue. He has turned into the club’s preferred DH against lefties, and Monday only strengthened that case when he went 2-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI against Parker Messick.
Foscue has been excellent in that split all season, hitting .385/.467/.744 against left-handed pitching. He also brings a little history against Cantillo, with a home run and two RBI in two career at-bats.
Josh Jung is another bat that fits this matchup. He already has a career home run off Cantillo and is 3-for-5 against him overall, good for a .600 average.
Jung’s numbers against left-handers this season - .308/.400/.446 - stand out in a year that could send him to the All-Star Game for the second time. Last season, he hit .250 against left-handed pitching.
Alejandro Osuna rounds out the group of lefty-split threats. With Wyatt Langford sidelined, Osuna has become an everyday player, giving Texas another left-handed hitter it can lean on against southpaws. He is batting .333/.391/.333 versus left-handed pitching and has not faced Cantillo before.
In Other News...
Rangers Winning Streak Suddenly Comes With A Corey Seager Fear
The Rangers have been piling up wins in spite of a pretty ordinary reminder that the season does not pause for momentum. Corey Seager was pulled from a recent game after back tightness surfaced during warmups, and for a club already trying to navigate a string of injuries, any discomfort around one of its most important bats gets attention fast. It also comes on the heels of a messy stretch for Seager, who had already been working his way back after a concussion and earlier back inflammation.
Texas now has to balance the immediate joy of a streak with the more practical question of how thin the roster can get before it starts to matter. Seagers status is the obvious one to watch, but there are other moving pieces around the club that could force adjustments if the injury picture worsens, including a possible shuffle from Triple-A that would make sense only if the Rangers need help in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Prospect Caden Scarborough Just Reached Another Important Milestone
Major League Baseballs Futures Game roster announcement brought a nice bit of recognition for one of the Rangers fastest-rising arms. Caden Scarborough, now the clubs No. 2 overall prospect, was the organizations lone selection, another sign of how quickly he has climbed since arriving in the system. The 2023 sixth-round pick has turned a delayed start into momentum at High-A Hub City, where his work has stood out enough to put him on a bigger stage.
Scarboroughs season line reflects more than just results, because the Rangers have been watching the way he has paired strikes with command since joining the system. He is already expected to move on to Double-A Frisco after the All-Star break, which makes the Futures Game nod feel like both a reward and a checkpoint. For a pitcher whose rise has been as notable as his production, the next step may matter even more than the showcase itself. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Rode Two June Surprises While Two Key Setbacks Loomed
June gave the Rangers a much-needed lift, with Texas climbing into first place in the AL West and finding a pair of unexpected answers in Joc Pederson and Jacob Latz. Pederson supplied real thump in the middle of the lineup, while Latz emerged as an unusual but important late-inning option, even tying a franchise monthly saves mark as the club pieced together wins.
The problem is that the month also exposed how fragile that progress can be. Corey Seagers availability never settled into a steady rhythm, and Jack Leiters brief run in the rotation ended abruptly, leaving Texas to keep sorting out its infield and pitching depth even as the standings finally started to tilt its way. [Read more 🡒]