Texas Rangers: Seven standouts from the 2020 schedule

See what’s ahead for the Texas Rangers in a unique year. Their fun begins Friday, July 24th at 7:05 CST when they host the Rockies.

Major League Baseball 60-game schedules were released Monday afternoon. The Texas Rangers will open the season in their brand-new ballpark with a three-game set against the Colorado Rockies beginning July 24th.

In case you haven’t been following the radical scheduling adjustments, here is an overview:

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• Each team’s schedule consists of 40 divisional games and 20 interleague games.
• Gameplay involves only a club’s division and the corresponding geographical division (AL West couples with the NL West, AL Central with the NL Central, and AL East with the NL East).
• Divisions remain the same in terms of ranking and playoff access.
• Fans are not allowed in stadiums to begin the year; however, the precaution will be re-evaluated in August.

With the baseball calendar finally concrete, I scanned the Texas Rangers 2020 schedule for standout aspects. Here are my findings:

1. A favorable first seven games

The Rangers open their campaign with very winnable games. They’ll host the Colorado Rockies for three and the Arizona Diamondbacks for two. Their road schedule begins in San Francisco with two contests with the Giants. They will have a day off between each series.

Colorado finished fourth in the NL West in 2019 with a 71-91 record. They inherit the same narrative as years’ past: one of the league’s best offenses held back by one of the league’s worst starting pitching staffs. If Lance Lynn, Mike Minor, and Corey Kluber are in form for the Rangers, the trio could jump their club to a 3-0 start.

A matchup vs. the D’Backs should be entertaining, as the two teams have similar talent and aspirations. Maybe the Rangers have a home-field advantage despite a non-existent crowd?

Lastly, the Giants aren’t scary, though they are known to grind out victories. As long as the Rangers play efficiently, they should come out with a couple wins at Oracle Park.