Rangers Lineup vs. Astros: No Matchups to Play with Tatsuya Imai

The Texas Rangers have set their lineup for Monday’s game with the Houston Astros at Globe Life Field.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai. | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Houston Astros pitcher Tatsuya Imai received plenty of hype when he signed a three-year contract last year. The Texas Rangers get to see what all the fuss was about on Monday night.

The Memorial Day showdown will be the Rangers’ first chance to face Imai in person. No hitter in the lineup has faced him stateside. Sure, there is film to break down. But seeing it in person is different. And while Imai was relatively sharp in his last start against Minnesota, he is working back from right arm fatigue, which put him on the injured list for a month after he struggled with the transition from the NPB to Major League Baseball.

So, what do the Rangers do when they don't have hitter tendencies against a particular pitcher? Well, this season the Rangers have been playing the matchups. Imai is a right-handed hitter. Based on what Texas has done with its lineup so far this season, you can bet it will have every left-handed hitter in the lineup on Monday.

That means the Rangers will likely use Joc Pederson, Brandon Nimmo, Alejandro Osuna and Evan Carter in the lineup on Monday. They are the only four active left-handed hitters. The Rangers also have switch hitters Sam Haggerty, but he played Sunday for Carter, who got a day off.

Houston is in the same situation. The only Astro that has faced Rangers starter Kumar Rocker is infielder Nick Allen.

Another thing to watch is whether Josh Jung plays on Monday. The third baseman and the team's best hitter by average sat for Sunday's game after he left Saturday's game with left shoulder soreness when he dove for a ground ball.

Rangers manager Skip Schumker said tests on Jung came up clean in Anaheim, but he hasn't had an MRI yet. It will be interesting to see how Texas handles the lineup if young cannot play for a second day.

Things are going in the wrong direction for Texas. It went 3-6 on the road trip, was swept by the Angels and are now four games under .500 (24-28) and 2.5 games back of the Athletics. It feels worse than it looks.  

Here is Monday’s lineup.

Rangers Lineup on May 25

Texas Rangers center fielder Evan Carter. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

1B Joc Pederson (L)

LF Alejandro Osuna (L)

DH Brandon Nimmo (L)

3B Ezequiel Duran

CF Evan Carter (L)

2B Justin Foscue

RF Andrew McCutchen

C Danny Jansen

SS Michael Helman

RHP Kumar Rocker

There you have it — three left-handed hitters at the top of the order. Pederson is at first base so that Jake Burger can get a scheduled day off. It gives Texas a chance to put Nimmo at DH for a game. McCutchen will handle right field in his place. The Rangers will try and stay away from Jung on Monday but his MRI came back clean.