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Texas Rangers players are seen in the dugout during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox at Globe Life Field, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Arlington.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
ARLINGTON\u00a0\u2014 We\u2019d hate to overdramatize anything. Hyperbole is not our game. But let\u2019s consider what\u2019s at stake for the Rangers<\/a> during a four-game series with Seattle at Globe Life Field that begins Friday night: \u00a0<\/p>\n First place in the AL West.\u00a0<\/p>\n Maybe direction for the trade deadline<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Maybe the long-term direction of the franchise. \u00a0<\/p>\n Chris Young and Ray Davis are waiting for a sign on which way to go and not just for the remainder of the season. They\u2019ve been waiting all year for the Rangers to reveal themselves for who they are<\/a>. Unless, of course, the signs have been there all along, and they\u2019ve simply chosen to dismiss them. As the Rangers head into this series with Seattle, they are in first place in the AL West, but they have hardly played like a first-place team.\u00a0<\/p>\n At 51-51, they are at exactly .500 for the season. They are at exactly .500 since the start of last season. They are at exactly .500 since June 19, 2024, a span of more than two calendar years and 354 games. At that sample size, that looks more like an identity than just a stretch. \u00a0<\/p>\n And yet, Young is still willing to be moved by this team to push for more players and take another shot at the playoffs. That is, if the Rangers can string together definitive winning baseball for a 10-day stretch that begins with Seattle and winds up on Aug. 2 in Houston, which currently trails the Rangers by two games. \u00a0<\/p>\n All the Rangers have to do is convince him. \u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n If the Rangers can\u2019t convince Young of their worth, it might just convince him that the team has stagnated and that selling at the deadline is the way to go. It brings to the fore the long-simmering referendum on the wisdom of continuing to bet on this core when nearly two years of results suggest it isn\u2019t good enough. And if that\u2019s the verdict, no assumption about the future of this roster, including the place of stars such as Corey Seager<\/a> and Jacob deGrom<\/a>, should go unquestioned.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe next four games\u00a0\u2014 the next 10 days honestly\u00a0\u2014 it\u2019s going to say a lot about our team,\u201d manager Skip Schumaker<\/a> said moments after the Rangers’ loss Wednesday night. \u201cIt\u2019s a big series for both teams. We are both in a spot to go one way or another.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n At least the Rangers sound like they know what\u2019s at stake.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think we need to show that we\u2019re the better team, plain and simple,\u201d said first baseman Jake Burger of the task ahead. \u201cWe need to do it on all sides of the ball\u00a0\u2014 pitching, defense, hitting. It\u2019s a pivotal series for both of us. And we should treat it as a playoff series. You look at this series, and if you split this, it\u2019s a failure. Every single pitch matters.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n