Monday has the potential to be one of those days for the sometimes offensively challenged Texas Rangers.
Normally, a trip to Coors Field in Denver — where the stadium is one mile above sea level, the air is thin and the balls fly out of the ballpark — is a good thing for any visiting team. But the Rangers have an issue they can’t get around. The Rockies are starting a left-handed pitcher and that poses a threat to the Rangers winning the first game of the series. First pitch is set for 7:40 p.m. central.
Colorado will start veteran Jose Quintana, who is only 1-2 but is having a solid season. But it’s not so much his effectiveness that’s a problem for Texas. The problem is he throws baseballs with his left hand.
Texas is slashing .193/.277/.269 against left-handed pitching this season. The Rangers only have four home runs and 25 RBI. This is a team that does its damage against right-handers, with a slash of .238/.320/.387 with 38 home runs and 138 RBI.
Texas is coming off an 8-0 victory over the Houston Astros on Sunday in which its offense exploded for five runs in the seventh inning without Corey Seager, who will not be in Monday’s lineup while he gets his back spasms checked out in Arlington. But how will the Rockies throwing a left-handed pitcher at Texas counteract the batting order?
The Rangers tend to stack left-handed hitters against right-handed pitching. It stands to reason that many of those left-handers will be on the bench for at least part of the game on Monday night.
Rangers Lineup on May 18
Texas Rangers right fielder Brandon Nimmo. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
LF Andrew McCutchen
RF Brandon Nimmo (L)
3B Josh Jung
1B Jake Burger
C Danny Jansen
SS Ezequiel Duran
2B Justin Foscue
LF Sam Haggerty
CF Michael Helman (S)
LHP MacKenzie Gore
The Rangers have been using Joc Pederson as a leadoff hitter for the past four games. But those games were all against right-handers. Pederson is a platoon left-handed bat who only hits against right handers. So the Rangers went with Andrew McCutchen and kept Brandon Nimmo in the No. 2 spot.
Sam Haggerty is in the lineup because he’s a switch hitter, even though his numbers have been sub-par at the plate all season. Michael Helman, who was promoted on Monday, is in the No. 9 spot because he’s a right-handed hitter.
If one looks at past Quintana matchups, Nimmo and Andrew McCutchen are two hitters to watch. Nimmo is batting .400 with a home run and an RBI in five at-bats. McCutchen is batting .296 with a home run and three RBI in 27 at-bats.
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