ARLINGTON -- Rangers manager Skip Schumaker hasn’t been scared of changing up the lineup if things aren’t going smoothly.
Joc Pederson hitting in the leadoff spot in the Rangers' 7-4 win over the Diamondbacks on Tuesday certainly raised some eyebrows, and Schumaker might as well have been Brad Pitt as Billy Beane in “Moneyball” emphatically asserting, “He gets on base.”
Well not exactly, though Pederson was getting on base at a .400 clip over his last seven games entering the day.
The Rangers’ newest No. 2 hitter, Brandon Nimmo, had hit leadoff in every game he played before Tuesday, hitting .351/.385/.541 as the first batter of the game. The problem had recently become getting guys to drive him in. Or even getting him in run-scoring opportunities of his own.
“Just shuffling the lineup a little bit, trying to mix it up, trying to get some guys going in different spots,” Schumaker said pregame. “Obviously, Nimmo has been so good at the leadoff spot and Joc has had a nice homestand. Trying to get more guys on base for Nimmo is kind of the thought. Just trying to lengthen the lineup a little bit.”
What happened was a leadoff homer from Pederson to begin the game, along with a four-run barrage in the fifth inning as the Rangers beat the Diamondbacks to even the three-game set.
“That's a leadoff hitter,” Nimmo said of Pederson with a laugh. “I was ecstatic to see it. What a great way to start off. Joc’s been putting up great at-bats. Obviously we couldn't start it off any better, and I was really happy to see that from him.”
Meanwhile, MacKenzie Gore dealt the longest start by a Rangers pitcher this season with a much-needed eight innings of one-run ball coming off a bullpen day in the series opener.
Schumaker said he spoke to Nimmo, who exited Tuesday's win in the sixth inning with an ankle injury, about moving him out of the leadoff spot in an effort to give him more run-production opportunities. The outfielder, who the Rangers acquired this offseason in a trade with the Mets, has been one of the club’s best hitters all year long.
Nimmo, in turn, gave Schumaker all the facts and figures to explain why batting in the two-hole could work.
“Skip and I both believe that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is insanity,” Nimmo said. “We talked about shaking things up a little bit and just trying to find another way to score. I've hit in a lot of different places. Moving down one spot in the order doesn't bother me. Again, we’re just kind of just trying to shake things up. And we were able to push across seven runs today. So that was great.”
The Rangers have struggled to score at home dating back to last season. The seven runs in Tuesday’s win are the most they’ve scored at Globe Life Field in 2026, and the four they plated in the fifth inning matched their highest single-inning total this season.
The last time Texas had an inning with four or more runs at home without the aid of a home run was Aug. 4, 2025, against the Yankees. The Rangers aren’t going to score seven every night -- no one will -- but finding ways to score runs without the long ball in this park is going to be key this season.
“Every day is different,” Schumaker said. “You just learn from the day before, and get better the next day. We had a good game plan up and down the lineup that they executed really well. We had Joc leading off with a home run right away. That was really good momentum and vibes inside that dugout. Just up and down the lineup was really good.”