Five Rangers Games Head to National Television Broadcasts in Next Four Weeks

The Texas Rangers will have five more games on national television as they head into the trade deadline and potential pennant race.

Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Saturday's showdown between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners was already scheduled to be broadcast on Fox. The Rangers will play four other nationally televised games by Aug. 21.

The Rangers posted to their social media account, Texas Rangers PR on X (formerly Twitter) the schedule for the team's next five nationally broadcast games, three of which will be on Apple TV.

The Apple TV games are notable because all three are on Friday night, which during the summer is usually a game broadcast on CW33 for over-the-air consumption. Per the Rangers’ schedule, those games will only be on Apple TV.

Rangers National Games

Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The list of the five upcoming national games includes:

Sat., 7/25 vs. Seattle - FOX

Fri., 7/31 at Houston - Apple TV

Mon., 8/3 vs. San Francisco - ESPN

Fri., 8/7 vs. Baltimore - Apple TV

Fri., 8/21 vs. Los Angeles Angels - Apple TV

All but one of the games are at Globe Life Field.

The national games are coming at a critical time for the Rangers. Texas was off on Thursday and has a one-half game lead over Seattle in the American League West Division. The two teams will meet in a four-game series that begins on Friday. It's an opportunity for both teams to try and put a little distance between each other. At worst, the Rangers want a split of the four-game series, so they keep their slim lead.

Three of the games come before the trade deadline at 5 p.m. central on Aug. 3. The Rangers will be on national television against the Giants shortly after the deadline and fans will have a clear idea of any moves that president of baseball operations Chris Young and his staff make to either improve Texas or sell off assets, if they believe a playoff run is no longer within their grasp.

Given how close the race is it's unlikely to be a fire sale on Texas’ behalf. Payroll But it's possible they could try to get rid of payroll exchange for players that could help them for a playoff run and beyond.

After the Rangers host the Mariners, they go back on the road for six games beginning with a three-game series against the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday. After that series, the Rangers head to Houston for a three-game series with the Astros, who are still in contention in the AL West. When that series ends next Sunday, Texas heads home to begin its next homestand with a three-game series against the Giants.