Rangers Lineup vs. Angels: Texas Facing Rookie Right-Hander for First Time

The Texas Rangers have set their lineup for Saturday’s game with the Los Angeles Angels and it’s what one would expect.

Texas Rangers right fielder Brandon Nimmo. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers may have lost on Friday night, but the good offensive vibes continued against the Los Angeles Angels.

The Angels won, 9-6, mostly due to Rangers (25-27) starting pitcher Jacob deGrom giving up two home runs in the first inning. The Angels scored four runs off those home runs, and it turned out to be the difference in the game.

But, the Rangers’ offense got Texas back in the game. They racked up 11 hits and scored six runs. Since Texas defeated Houston 8-0 on Sunday, the Rangers have scored 36 runs in their last five games. In fact, they’ve scored no fewer than five runs in any of those games, and those five runs came in a win over Colorado.

It's as close to an offensive explosion as Texas has had in 2026. The Rangers are scoring seven runs per game in this stretch, and they hope to keep that moving on Saturday as they sit 1.5 games behind the Athletics in the AL West, and two games under .500 for the season.

The Rangers are two games away from returning to Arlington. After the final game against the angels on Sunday, the Rangers hop on a plane and head back to Arlington to begin a seven-game homestand that starts on Monday against the Houston Astros. It's a Silver Boot Series that begins on Memorial Day.

Rangers Lineup on May 23

Nimmo's 2nd home run robbery in 6 days! pic.twitter.com/2DbJbg8Syt

— Rangers Sports Network (@RangersSNtv) May 23, 2026

DH Joc Pederson (L)

RF Brandon Nimmo (L)

3B Josh Jung

LF Alejandro Osuna (L)

1B Jake Burger

CF Evan Carter (L)

SS Ezequiel Duran

2B Justin Foscue

C Kyle Higashioka

RHP Nathan Eovaldi

This is one of those rare moments for the Rangers where they can't lean into matchups because Walbert Ureña is a rookie. He made his Major League debut last month and has been part of the Angels’ rotation for the past six turns.

He has a 1-4 record but a 2.70 ERA so he’s shown an ability to keeps runners from getting to home plate. So, for this game, Texas leans heavily into its left-handed lineup, with the same four lefties in the order from Friday night.

Looking at the lefties from Friday night, Joc Pederson went 1-for-2, Brandon Nimmo went 2-for-5 with two RBI and a home run, Alejandro Osuna went 2-for-4 and Evan Carter went 1-for-2 with two RBI. Based on action from Friday, running those matchups is a good play for Texas.