Rangers Lean Into Left-Handed Hitters for Twins Finale Lineup

The Texas Rangers have set their lineup for Thursday’s game with the Minnesota Twins.

Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers will face the Minnesota Twins on Thursday afternoon looking for some redemption after an awful loss on Tuesday.

The Rangers (35-38) lost to the Twins, 12-2, in what amounted to a game Texas was never really in. It exposed their starting rotation’s issues with the first inning and compounded the offense’s inability to come back from a deficit. At one point catcher Kyle Higashioka pitched. That’s how bad it got.

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker put it on him during his post-game press conference on Tuesday. But he’s in a “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink” position with his team. He can’t execute for them.

Texas was off on Wednesday due to a World Cup match next door. So here’s the lineup for the series finale with the Twins.

Texas Rangers Lineup for May 18

Texas Rangers right fielder Brandon Nimmo. | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

DH Joc Pederson (L)

3B Josh Jung

LF Wyatt Langford

RF Brandon Nimmo (L)

SS Ezequiel Duran

2B Josh Smith (L)

1B Jake Burger

CF Alejandro Osuna (L)

C Kyle Higashioka

RHP Jack Leiter

The Rangers face right-hander Joe Ryan on Thursday, which explains the abundance of left-handed hitters. Pederson remains at the top of the order. With Corey Seager out for now, the Rangers stick with Ezequiel Duran at shortstop. Josh Smith gets another start at second base after returning from the IL on Monday after three different issues including viral meningitis. This will be his second start.

Historically the Rangers in the lineup don’t have much success against Ryan. Nicky Lopez has the most at-bats against him (14) but has a .214 average. Duran is batting .200 in five at-bats. Catcher Elias Diaz is .500 in two at-bats. Six other Rangers haven’t faced him.

What continues to sting the Rangers is that even though they are three games under .500 they are locked into a race for the American League West title because the division, and the American League at large, has been largely mediocre this year.

Texas enters Thursday's action two games behind the Seattle Mariners in the division and just a half game out of the final wild card berth in the American League. It would only take one jump start for this team to get back in the race.

Texas thought it had that jump start at the end of May after it won five games in a row. Since then Texas is 5-7 in its last 12 games.