Sporting a record of 1-5 in July, the Rangers have dropped to third place in the AL West behind the streaking Astros and Mariners. They are likely looking forward to some home cooking as they return to Arlington after a 3-5 road trip.
Next up for the Rangers is a 10-game homestand in which they host the Twins, A’s, and Mariners, starting with the first of a three-game series against Minnesota on Friday at 7:05 p.m.
Probable pitchers for the game will be a battle of the Grays. Texas righty Jon Gray (4-4, 3.96) will face Sonny Gray (4-1, 2.47) – no relation between the two.
The first 15,000 fans arriving for the game at Globe Life Filed will receive a complimentary Texas Rangers 50th Annivsary Mt. Crushmore statue.
The Twins are in first place for the AL Central and are the only team in the division with a record over .500; boasting a 47-38 mark on the year, they are 22-20 on the road. Minnesota has outscored their opponents by a 386-to-334 clip and is 5-5 in their last 10.
The Rangers are 37-43 on the season, 16 games behind first-place Houston (54-28) in the AL West and three games behind the second-place Mariners (42-42).
Texas has outscored the opposition 352-342 on the season and holds just a one-game lead over fourth-place LA Angels (38-46), while the cellar-dwelling Athletics are 28-56 in the AL West and come to Arlington following the Twins series.
As the Mid-Summer Classic in Los Angeles looms, the American League Wild Card chase is heating up.
The Yankees (60-23), Astros, and Twins are all AL divisional leaders at the near-halfway mark of the season, and three wild card spots are up for grabs.
The Rangers are currently six games out of the wild card hunt as Tampa Bay (45-37), Red Sox (45-38), and Blue Jays (45-39) occupy the slots. Texas fell behind Baltimore in the Wild-Card standings after being swept by the team, losing each of the three games by a lone run.