​After a thrilling 7-3 win on Friday night, the Texas Rangers return to Globe Life Field for the second game of their three-game set with their in-state rivals, the Houston Astros. First pitch is slated for 6:05 p.m., with the parking lots opening at 3 p.m. and gates following at 4 p.m. Former Rangers catcher Dave Valle will be on hand to sign autographs for the first 225 fans in line at the New Era Alumni Alley stand, located on the Upper Concourse behind Section 223, beginning at 4:15 p.m. Fans who purchase a theme night ticket through the Rangers’ official website will receive an Ezequiel Duran “The Solution” T-shirt.
Additionally, the Rangers will celebrate Stephen F. Austin Night at the ballpark. Fans who purchase a Community Night ticket will receive a limited-edition Rangers Stephen F. Austin University cap. For those unable to attend in person, all the action will be streamed on Rangers Sports Network and broadcast on radio at 105.3 The Fan.
On the mound, Kumar Rocker will make his 16th start (19th appearance) of the season, aiming to follow up Cal Quantrill’s six-inning, one-run performance from Friday night. Rocker comes into the game with a 2-7 record, a 3.95 ERA, a 1.34 WHIP, and 74 strikeouts across 84.1 innings. In his last outing against the Detroit Tigers on July 5, he gave up three earned runs over 5.1 innings. Saturday’s contest will also spotlight the Rangers’ bullpen, with attention on which arms are available after Friday’s high workload. Both of the Rangers’ top leverage relievers, Jacob Latz and Peyton Gray, were unavailable on Friday. Gray should be back in action, but Latz’s status remains uncertain after throwing 41 pitches on Thursday. Manager Skip Schumaker indicated that Latz would be available at some point during the Astros series.
The Rangers will face Astros right-hander Peter Lambert, who owns a 7-5 record and a 3.26 ERA. Entering the game, Texas sits at 48-46, which places them atop the American League West standings. A victory on Saturday would push their record to three games over .500 and could give them a 2.5-game lead in the division.
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