Rangers Open Homestand vs. Pirates: Preview, Storylines

Major League Baseball paid the Texas Rangers back for a 10-game road trip with a nine-game homestand directly after it.

The Rangers (11-11) start the homestand on Tuesday with the opener of a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates (13-9). Texas is among the best teams in the AL West, but that isn’t saying much. The leaders are hovering around .500. The Pirates are playing in a division, the NL Central, where everyone is better than .500.

The Rangers went 4-6 on the road trip that just wrapped up, losing both three-game series to the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Seattle Mariners. Texas salvaged a four-game split with the Athletics, a team it will face again later this week. The Rangers lost two pitchers during the road trip, as relievers Luis Curvelo and Chris Martin went on the 15-day injured list. They were replaced by Gavin Collyer and Cal Quantrill.

Another reliever, Carter Baumler, is eligible to come off the injured list on Tuesday and Robert Garcia is dealing with rotator cuff inflammation. It’s not clear if it’s serious enough for an IL trip for the left-hander.

There is potential in this series for Rangers fans to see Paul Skenes, perhaps in the finale on Thursday. There is also a chance Texas could start Jacob deGrom in that game. It would be his normal spot in the rotation, and he would be getting extra rest from the off day. For Skenes to pitch on Thursday, he would do so on normal rest after going four innings in his start on Saturday. That would be an incredible matchup.

After the Pirates leave town, the Athletics come to Arlington for a three-game series, followed by a three-game series with the New York Yankees, led by three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge. It will be the Yankees’ only visit to GLF this season.

Texas gets a day off the last day of April to travel to Detroit to start a three-game set with the Tigers on May 1.

Here is a breakdown of the game, including how to watch, the starting pitchers, injuries and other notes.

How to Watch Texas Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates