Rangers scheduling quirk presents unique opportunity that cuts like a double-edged sword

The good news is that the Texas Rangers have the 3rd easiest remaining schedule in the league as of June 12. That is encouraging given that they played a brutal opening 60 games and remained close to .500 and in contention for a wild-card berth or even an AL West title.

So, as the Rangers survived that house of horrors to begin the year and are still sitting in contention for both the division and a wild card berth, it's still unclear whether or not the club will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline.

This next stretch should give us some clarity as to which direction Texas will go. The run of cupcakes coming up will help push things in the direction that fans want, but the string of winnable games comes with a caveat that could turn things upside down.

Rangers' stretch of winnable games isn't without a major roadblock

The remaining Rangers opponents have a combined .486 winning percentage, and they will only face two teams with a winning record in the San Diego Padres and the Cleveland Guardians until the All-Star break. And now the Padres are struggling to find ways to score after a hot start to the season.

Other than the Padres and Guardians, the next eight opponents on the docket are the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, Miami Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, and division rivals, the Houston Astros and LA Angels. All of these teams are currently at least two games below .500.

It bodes well for a club that has already faced the toughest teams on its schedule and is favored to win most of its remaining games. But the team still has to show up, play good, fundamentally sound baseball, and execute, because despite having the roughest opening schedule in MLB, they are still under .500 heading into the series finale with the Royals.

Also, within that stretch between now and the Midsummer Classic, the Rangers are scheduled to play 23 games in 25 days. Beginning on June 18, when they play the Twins at Globe Life Field, and the last game of the first half against the Astros on July 14, which will also be at home in Arlington.

The lack of off days could be the equalizer that levels the playing field. The Rangers haven't been the picture of health this year, and while the cavalry is coming off the IL, navigating that sort of workload and keeping everyone healthy and productive will be ideal. Skip Schumaker will have his work cut out for him, balancing rest for all of the key pieces that need it while not giving away any games.

That is a brutal gauntlet regardless of who you are playing. And the team won't see any cupcakes during that stretch like the Rockies, Mets, or Giants. So they will have to be focused day in and day out, even when they are playing a lot of games against teams that may not be playing for much in the way of the playoffs.

This Ranger team has been guilty of playing down to their competition, and that will have to change if the team is going to take advantage of a favorable schedule and establish themselves as a legit, over .500 playoff contender.

This could be do-or-die for the Rangers. If they take care of business and survive the strain the workload will place on them, they could be sitting pretty at the trade deadline. At that point, buying will be a foregone conclusion and we'll look forward to a second-half run. However, if they fold under the weight, it'll be time to plan the fire sale.

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