The Texas Rangers visit the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on Friday, May 15, 2026, to begin a three-game series between American League West rivals. Texas enters the matchup following a successful 4-2 homestand, while Houston seeks to reverse a slide after losing six consecutive series.
The Rangers currently hold a 21-22 record, placing them third in the division, one game behind the first-place Athletics. The Astros sit in fourth place with a 17-28 record, trailing the division lead by six games according to Sports Yahoo.
Texas will start right-hander Jack Leiter, who carries a 1-3 record and a 4.85 ERA into his ninth start of the season. Leiter has struggled with consistency, recording 42 2/3 innings with 49 strikeouts but issued five walks in his last outing against the Chicago Cubs as reported by Sportsbookwire.
Houston counters with rookie right-hander Spencer Arrighetti, who has posted a 4-1 record with a 1.88 ERA. Arrighetti has been a bright spot for the injury-depleted Astros, striking out 30 batters over 28 2/3 innings while allowing only six earned runs across five starts according to SI.com.
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The Astros roster is currently hampered by a significant injury list that includes 14 players. Key absences include shortstop Carlos Correa, catcher Yainer Diaz, and several starting pitchers such as Cristian Javier and Hunter Brown, who are on the 60-day injured list as noted by The New York Times.
Texas is also dealing with injuries to infielders Cody Freeman and Josh Smith, as well as outfielder Wyatt Langford. However, the Rangers’ bullpen leads the league with a 3.07 ERA, contrasting with Houston’s relief corps which ranks last in the MLB with a 5.86 ERA according to Sportsbookwire.
Offensively, Houston’s Yordan Alvarez remains a primary threat, slashing .321/.429/.642 with 14 home runs this season. Texas relies on Josh Jung, who maintains a .325 batting average with five home runs and 20 RBIs as reported by The New York Times.