ARLINGTON, Texas — Everyday players such as Corey Seager, Wyatt Langford, and Brandon Nimmo get a conversation before they move up or down the Texas Rangers batting order, manager Skip Schumaker said Thursday. Platoon and role players do not.
Schumaker made the comments on The Skip Schumaker Show, the pregame segment Rangers Sports Network posted at 6:42 p.m. CT before Thursday night’s series finale against the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Field.
Schumaker submits the lineup and sends it out the night before.
“I think players in general want to know where they’re hitting,” Schumaker said. “I think the everyday player, I have conversations with them if I’m going to move them up or down in the lineup. But I think the platoon player or the role player, I think you just put them in the lineup and we’re good.”
“But I think the Corey Seagers and the Wyatt Langfords and the Brandon Nimmos of the world, I mean, I’m going to have conversations and the reasons why I see them moving up and down in the lineup,” Schumaker continued. “But for the most part, the other role type of players were platoon-neutral or platoon-strength guys. I’m just going to submit the lineup and send it out the night before.”
Ezequiel Durán Leads Off Against Sonny Gray
Boston started left-handers in each of the first two games of the series. Against right-hander Sonny Gray on Thursday, Texas changed the top of its order.
Ezequiel Durán is leading off at third base, and Seager is batting second at shortstop. Josh Jung is the designated hitter in the third spot. Nimmo is hitting fourth in right field, and Langford is fifth in left.
Jake Burger is at first base in the sixth spot, followed by Nicky Lopez at second base, Danny Jansen at catcher, and Evan Carter in center field.
Justin Foscue and Elias Díaz are both out of the lineup. Foscue led off Wednesday and had 2 hits, including a double on the first pitch of the game. In the fourth inning, he singled home Langford to tie it at 2.
Foscue has been good at the top of the order, Schumaker said after Wednesday’s 7-3 win.
“Justin Foscue has been so good at the top of the lineup as well, and then obviously Seager at the end,” Schumaker explained. “But up and down the lineup, I could go through each guy that had productive outs, even when they made the outs, and then they had productive at-bats with guys in scoring position.”
Brandon Nimmo’s Double Broke Wednesday’s Tie
Nimmo doubled off Boston left-hander Erik Miller in the seventh inning Wednesday to score Seager and break a 3-3 tie. Durán followed with a two-run single, and Seager added an RBI single in the eighth. Miller is a tough left-hander, Schumaker said after the game.
“We had a lot of big hits today,” Schumaker said. “But I thought after, when Miller came in the game, Nimmo had a giant hit the other way against, Miller’s a really tough lefty, 95 with really good secondary. And then obviously [Durán] coming through with two more RBIs, kind of give us a little, a little bit of cushion for Evo, was maybe the, the hit of the game, but I thought Nimmo’s at-bat was just fantastic.”
Texas finished Wednesday with 13 hits. Jung had 3 of them, and Burger and Foscue had 2 apiece.
Entering June 12 at Fenway Park, Nimmo was 5-for-13 against Gray, Seager was 3-for-12, and Burger was 2-for-9, the Boston Globe reported. Langford was 0-for-3 and Durán was 1-for-5.
Entering Thursday, Texas was 76-76 and tied with the Houston Astros for first place in the American League West, with Houston holding the tiebreaker. The Toronto Blue Jays visit Globe Life Field from Sept. 18 to 20.
