First pitch is 6:45 PM CT and the Rangers send MacKenzie Gore (4-4, 3.96) to the bump opposite Andre Pallante (5-4, 4.19). Gore is coming off a 6.1-inning shutout against the Royals on 99 pitches. Pallante's last outing was the opposite kind of day — 8 hits and 4 earned in 3 innings against the Cubs.
This Texas team has flipped the script in a hurry. They swept the Royals at home, then stole the first two in St. Louis (2-1 behind a deGrom gem, then 7-4 on Tuesday), and now they're set up to walk out with a 5-game sweep at the halfway mark of the road trip. Not bad for a club still without Corey Seager, Wyatt Langford, and Josh Smith.
The Cardinals (31-28) are the ones suddenly looking shaky. They've lost 3 of their last 5, and the bullpen is going to be running on fumes if Pallante hands them another short start. Masyn Winn has historically punished Gore (.445 in 11 ABs per the series preview), so St. Louis is going to need him to actually do something with the bat for once tonight.
- Day-To-DaySebastian Walcott SS — Rangers GM Ross Fenstermaker said Tuesday that Walcott could be ready for game action in August, "if all things according to plan" in his rehab from the internal brace procedure he underwent on his right elbow, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
- 10-Day-ILCorey Seager SS — The Rangers sent Seager (back) to Double-A Frisco on Tuesday to begin a rehab assignment.
- 10-Day-ILWyatt Langford LF — Langford (forearm) served as the designated hitter and went 0-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored in a rehab game for Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday.
- 10-Day-ILJosh Smith 2B — Smith (illness) rejoined his teammates at Globe Life Field on Thursday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILChris Martin RP — The Rangers placed Martin on the 15-day injured list Monday with a right shoulder impingement.
- bereavementSam Haggerty LF — Haggerty replaced Brandon Nimmo (ankle) in Tuesday's 7-4 win over Arizona. He went hitless in his lone plate appearance.
- 15-Day-ILCole Winn RP — Winn (0-1) took the loss against Pittsburgh on Wednesday, allowing three runs on two hits while striking out one over one-third of an inning.
- 60-Day-ILRobert Garcia RP — The Rangers transferred Garcia (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.
- Day-To-DayPacky Naughton RP — Naughton will undergo surgery next month to repair the damaged UCL in his left elbow, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
- Day-To-DaySem Robberse SP — Robberse (elbow) signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Monday, which includes an invitation to spring training, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
- Day-To-DayVictor Santos RP — The Red Sox traded Santos (undisclosed) and Nick Robertson to the Cardinals on Friday in exchange for Tyler O'Neill (foot), Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
- Day-To-DayIxan Henderson SP — Henderson (elbow) is starting the season on the 60-day injured list at Triple-A Memphis.
- Day-To-DayZack Thompson RP — The Cardinals reassigned Thompson (shoulder) to minor-league camp Monday.
- 10-Day-ILRamon Urias 3B — Urias (elbow) has resumed taking batting practice and is going through a throwing program, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
- 10-Day-ILNathan Church LF — Church (shoulder) has begun a throwing program and has been taking batting practice, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
- 60-Day-ILLars Nootbaar LF — Nootbaar (heels) "appears targeted" to be activated from the 60-day injured list before the start of Friday's series against the Reds, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Market has this one essentially a coin flip — Cards -114 at home, total sitting at 8.5 with the under juiced to -121. That tracks. Gore has been the better arm this year and Pallante just got rocked, but Texas is missing the middle of its lineup and Busch isn't an easy place to close out a sweep. Lean Rangers if you're picking a side, but the under is where the number actually looks soft.
Bottom line: Texas hasn't smelled a 5-game winning streak all season. They get there tonight and they're suddenly a .500 club with their best starter on the mound and reinforcements (Langford, Seager) inching closer to rehab returns. Cardinals need a stopper game in the worst way.