ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said the club has been working out where to bat Justin Foscue so he comes up against left-handed pitching with runners on base.
Schumaker spoke to Rangers Sports Network before Friday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Globe Life Field.
“Well, it starts with the base hit. And then I think the thing with Foscue, trying to figure out, is it at the top of the lineup? Is it in the middle of the lineup? Where can we get him where he’s driving guys in?” Schumaker said. “He’s been so good at the top, but it’s tough not to put Zeke at the top right now just because of the way he’s playing. And so then you’re trying to figure out where we can put Foscue to have him get the most of bats against the lefty with guys on base. And it so happened to work out yesterday. Base hit in the sixth hole to get the first run across.”
Justin Foscue Delivers From The Six Hole
Foscue batted sixth on Thursday and singled home Wyatt Langford in the fourth inning off Shane McClanahan for the first run of a 6-0 win. Langford had doubled into the left field corner.
Foscue entered Thursday batting .258/.322/.500 with 11 home runs and 27 RBIs in 81 games, and he homered twice on the homestand. He was the 14th overall pick in the 2020 draft and debuted on April 5, 2024. He has appeared at second base, first base, and designated hitter this season.
Ezequiel Duran batted fifth on Friday and carries a team-leading 4.4 wins above replacement. Duran entered Thursday hitting .276/.336/.455 with 16 home runs and 75 RBIs in 131 games, and he has played seven positions this season.
Foscue was not in the starting lineup for Friday’s game. Joc Pederson led off as the designated hitter, Corey Seager batted second, and Langford hit third.
How the Rest Of The Texas Rangers Offense Produced
McClanahan gave up 4 runs in 5 innings on Thursday and fell to 10-7. The left-hander has not finished 6 innings in a start since July 8.
Duran flared a ball to right in the fifth inning that scored Logan O’Hoppe, and Seager followed with a two-run homer. Texas added 2 runs in the eighth when Evan Carter tripled home Langford and scored on Jake Burger‘s sacrifice fly.
Cal Quantrill allowed 2 hits and 2 walks and struck out 5 over 7 scoreless innings. Jakob Junis and Chase Silseth finished the combined three-hitter, the 13th shutout of the season for Texas.
Texas had scored 578 runs in 141 games entering Friday and carried a .243 team batting average, which ranked 16th in the majors. The Rangers have hit 157 home runs.
Tampa Bay entered Friday at 83-57, leading the American League East by 3 games over the New York Yankees. The Rays led the majors in team batting average at .261 and had lost 10 straight games in Arlington.
Texas entered Friday at 70-71, one-half game behind Cleveland for the American League’s final wild-card spot and 2 games behind first-place Houston in the West, with 21 games left on the schedule. Right-hander Trevor Williams opened Friday’s game with Kumar Rocker lined up to follow, opposite Rays right-hander Nick Martinez (13-4, 2.99 ERA).
