Rangers Trusting This Lineup to Salvage Series Split with Tampa Bay Rays

The Texas Rangers have set their lineup for the final game of their four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday in Arlington.

Texas Rangers pitcher MacKenzie Gore. Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The only thing that helped the Texas Rangers on Saturday was that everyone else of note in the AL West and the AL wild card race lost.

But the Rangers won't keep getting that lucky much longer.

Texas (70-73) has one more home game on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays (85-57), who are closing in on clinching the AL East and the No. 1 overall seed in the AL playoffs. The Rangers are just trying to cut into the Houston Astros’ lead in the AL West or the Toronto Blue Jays’ lead — yes, the Blue Jays — in the AL wild card race.

The Rangers enter Sunday's action three games back of the Astros, who wrap up a series with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile, the Toronto Blue Jays (72-71) are tied with the Cleveland Guardians for the final AL wild card berth. If the playoffs started today the Blue Jays would claim that birth based on the tiebreaker.

The Rangers are two games back of that group. That may be their better pathway to the postseason because Texas still has three games left with the Blue Jays on their final homestand.

But it means nothing if the Rangers can't win on Sunday or can't turn around their under-.500 record on the road next week when they head to Seattle and Arizona for their final two-city road trip of the campaign.

Rangers Lineup for Sept. 6, 2026

Texas Rangers shortstop Ezequiel Duran.. Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

CF Ezequiel Duran

SS Corey Seager (L)

2B Justin Foscue

RF Brandon Nimmo (L)

LF Wyatt Langford

1B Jake Burger

DH Logan O’Hoppe

C Elias Diaz

3B Cody Freeman

Tampa Bay Rays at Texas Rangers

Where: Globe Life Field, Arlington

Series Schedule, TV, Radio

Sunday: 1:35 p.m. — TV: Rangers: Rangers Sports Network, can be streamed on BZZR; Rays: Rays.TV; Radio: Rangers: KRLD 1080, KFLC 1270; Rays: WDAE 95.7 FM, WQBN/1300AM

Probable Pitchers

Sunday: Rangers LHP MacKenzie Gore (8-10, 4.31) vs. Rays LHP Ian Seymour (9-6, 4.21)

Three Rangers Matchups That Matter

Texas Rangers second baseman Justin Foscue. Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ezequiel Duran: There isn’t a single player in the Rangers lineup with a home run or an RBI off Seymour for their career so one must rely on current track record. Duran has the best track record of any player in the lineup. Texas has been using him in center field against left-handers of late. He is slashing .300/.401/.467 against left-handers.

Justin Foscue: The former first-round pick has become what the Rangers hoped Andrew McCutchen would become at the start of the season. — their right-handed hitter of choice against lefties. Foscue is slashing .319/.391/.622 with eight home runs and 22 RBI against left-handed pitching.

Cody Freeman: This could be a veteran break day for some with the off day on Monday and the road trip. But not for Freeman. He just keeps plugging along after what looked like a lost season due to injury. He’s slashing .260/.329/.338 in 27 games this season.