Rangers Set Lineup Seeking Series-Opening Win over NL Central Leading Brewers

This road trip has been nothing if not convenient at least from a geographic standpoint for the Texas Rangers.

The trip started in Chicago against the White Sox and continues Friday when the Rangers (68-66) begin a three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers. But when it comes to the competition it's less than convenient.

The White Sox (70-63) lead the American League central and took two out of three from the Rangers at Rate Field. The Brewers (83-51) are in control of the NL Central and have the best record in the National League. It’s sort of like going from a frying pan and just hopping right into the fire.

The Rangers are at a point where their woes on the road are standing in the way of them clinching a playoff berth.

While Texas is 36-29 at home and has more home games remaining than road game, the Rangers are 30-39 away from home. It's a rut Texas must get out of. Because it lost two out of three to the White Sox, the Rangers fell one game behind the Houston Astros and the AL West and are now two games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the last AL wild card berth. Texas also hasn't won a series on the road since it took two out of three from the Guardians in late June.

Based on the probable pitching matchups, it looks like Texas has dodged fireballer Jacob Misiorowski. The bad news is teams don't win 83 games because they have one brilliant pitcher. The Brewers might be the game's most complete team, and they have a hefty homefield advantage this weekend.

Rangers Lineup for Aug. 28, 2026

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager follows through on a swing during a game. — Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager. Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

DH Joc Pederson (L)

SS Corey Seager (L)

LF Wyatt Langford

RF Brandon Nimmo (L)

3B Ezequiel Duran

CF Evan Carter (L)

1B Jake Burger

2B Cody Freeman

C Danny Jansen

Texas Rangers at Milwaukee Brewers

Texas Rangers pitcher Cody Bradford throws a baseball to the plate. — Texas Rangers pitcher Cody Bradford. Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Where: American Family Field, Milwaukee

Series Schedule, TV, Radio

Friday: 6:40 p.m. — TV: Rangers: Rangers Sports Network, can be streamed on BZZR; Brewers: Brewers.TV; Radio: Rangers: KRLD 1080, KFLC 1270; Brewers: WTMJ 620

Probable Pitchers

Friday: Texas LHP Cody Bradford (0-2, 3.05) vs. Brewers RHP Logan Henderson (8-2, 2.60)

Three Rangers Matchups That Matter

Corey Seager: No Rangers player has faced Henderson before. Stick with Seager to be a good matchup for Texas. He has slashed .305/.380/.476 with three home runs and nine RBI in August. Since Aug. 15 he’s had seven multi-hit games.

Cody Freeman: He’s with the MLB club because of Josh Jung’s injury. He’s keeping himself in the lineup with his bat. In his last seven games he’s slashed .286/.348/.381. He's not producing many runs, but his ability to play multiple positions and hit pitching from both sides of the mound effectively is what's keeping him in the lineup every day.

Ezequiel Duran: The Rangers can’t afford to sit Duran for even one game right now. That’s how hot he’s been. In his last seven games he’s slashed .480/.581/.760 with a home run and six RBI. He's already set a career high for RBI and has tied his career high in home runs.

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