Texas Rangers at Atlanta Braves

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
TEX	1	0	2	0	0	4	0	0	0	7	12	0
ATL	0	4	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	6	9	2

Owen Murphy (0-1, 2.25 ERA) gets the assignment against MacKenzie Gore (5-8, 4.63) in a matchup that looks lopsided on paper before you even glance at a scoreboard. Murphy has been sharp in his brief MLB run — a scoreless relief outing against St. Louis where he retired all 9 hitters he faced — but this is his first time starting a big-league game, full stop. Gore, meanwhile, is walking into Truist Park in the middle of the worst stretch of his season.

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ML

Total

Rangers(49-48)

LWLWW

7

+1.5-186+106o9.5+125

Braves(56-40)

WWLLW

6

-1.5+182-108u9.5-125

Best BetBraves -116

Pregame

Atlanta's the play here even walking a rookie out for his first career start, because Texas is missing too much firepower and Gore has been genuinely bad since June. The Braves' offense has been dormant for weeks, but a shorthanded Rangers lineup gives them a soft landing spot to snap out of it. Lay the price and trust the home lineup over Gore's control issues.

The Rangers still don't have Corey Seager, who's doing light on-field running but isn't close, and Cody Freeman is out for the year after neck surgery. Jacob deGrom is throwing bullpens and lined up for a start against the White Sox next week, and Nathan Eovaldi is fighting through illness but expected to give it a go Sunday — so this weekend is about surviving with what Texas has left in the tank. Atlanta isn't at full strength either: Ronald Acuna Jr. is still working back from a hamstring issue and Mike Yastrzemski is out with elbow inflammation, which has left an already-cold Braves lineup even thinner.

MacKenzie Gore

(6-9)·4.77 ERA

Jul 12 vs Astros

ND

4.0IP

1ER

4K

1BB

65P

07/18 Lineup

Owen Murphy

(0-1)·4.05 ERA

07/18 Lineup

That offensive cold streak is the real subplot here. Atlanta's still holding onto first place in the NL East, but the lineup has been dead weight for two months now, and Friday night's 15-run outburst looked more like an outlier than a trend reversal. If Murphy struggles to give length in his first start, that bullpen work falls on a group that's been anything but consistent.

Texas Rangers

(49-48)

Jul 17L@ Braves1-15

Jul 12Wvs Astros6-5

Jul 11Lvs Astros3-9

Jul 11Wvs Astros7-3

Jul 10Wvs Angels7-6

Atlanta Braves

(56-40)

Jul 17Wvs Rangers15-1

Jul 12W@ Cardinals4-3

Jul 11L@ Cardinals1-4

Jul 11L@ Cardinals1-2

Jul 9W@ Pirates10-5

Texas took 3 of 4 from Houston to close out the first half looking like a team that could hang around the Wild Card race, then got run off the field in the series opener here. That's been the story of Gore's summer — flashes of swing-and-miss stuff (he's still got 111-plus strikeouts on the year) undercut by control problems and a lat issue that's popped up more than once. A lineup that's been feasting on mistakes lately doesn't need many from a shaky starter.

Texas Rangers

(14)

• Day-To-DayNathan Eovaldi (SP) — Eovaldi is dealing with an illness but is lined up to start against Atlanta on Sunday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.07/17
• Day-To-DayJacob deGrom (SP) — DeGrom (glute) will throw a bullpen session Saturday and will likely make his next start during the Rangers' home series against the White Sox that begins Monday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.07/17
• 10-Day-ILCorey Seager (SS) — Seager (back) is doing some light running on the field ahead of Friday's game against Atlanta, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.07/17
• 10-Day-ILCody Freeman (3B) — Freeman underwent surgery June 29 to repair a herniated disc in his neck, MLB.com reports.07/13
• 10-Day-ILDanny Jansen (C) — Jansen (forearm) played catch Wednesday for the first time in two weeks, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.07/08
• 15-Day-ILJakob Junis (RP) — The Rangers are expected to reinstate Junis (hip) from the injured list ahead of Saturday's game against Atlanta, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.07/18
• 15-Day-ILChris Martin (RP) — The Rangers placed Martin on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to a right shoulder impingement.07/12
• 15-Day-ILJalen Beeks (RP) — Beeks (back) will miss the rest of the 2026 season after undergoing arm surgery, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.07/04
• 15-Day-ILJack Leiter (SP) — Leiter underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose body from his right ankle region Tuesday and should be considered out indefinitely, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.06/23
• 60-Day-ILJordan Montgomery (SP) — Montgomery (elbow) struck out a batter and allowed one earned run on four hits and no walks across four innings Sunday in a rehab start with Triple-A Round Rock.07/13
• 60-Day-ILCody Bradford (SP) — Bradford (elbow) struck out a batter and allowed one run on no hits and two walks in a one-inning rehab start with Double-A Frisco on Sunday.07/13
• 60-Day-ILMichael Helman (CF) — Texas transferred Helman (hand) to the 60-day injured list Friday.06/19
• 60-Day-ILRobert Garcia (RP) — The Rangers transferred Garcia (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.06/01
• 60-Day-ILCarter Baumler (RP) — Baumler (intercostal) has been shut down from his rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.05/23

Atlanta Braves

(12)

• 10-Day-ILRonald Acuna Jr. (RF) — Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Friday that he hopes Acuna (hamstring) will be ready to return from the 10-day injured list before the end of the team's homestand July 23, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.07/17
• 10-Day-ILHa-Seong Kim (SS) — Atlanta announced Monday that Kim (finger) will begin a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.07/13
• 10-Day-ILMike Yastrzemski (LF) — Atlanta placed Yastrzemski on the 10-day injured list Saturday with left elbow inflammation.07/11
• 15-Day-ILRobert Suarez (RP) — Suarez (elbow) played catch on the field at Truist Park on Friday, Harrison Smajovits of SI.com reports.07/17
• 15-Day-ILMartin Perez (SP) — Atlanta placed Perez on the 15-day injured list Monday due to a left forearm contusion.07/06
• suspensionJurickson Profar (LF) — Profar will miss the full 2026 season after the appeal of his 162-game PED suspension was denied Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.05/08
• 60-Day-ILAJ Smith-Shawver (SP) — Smith-Shawver (elbow) will make at least one more rehab start with Triple-A Gwinnett, Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.07/13
• 60-Day-ILSpencer Schwellenbach (SP) — Schwellenbach (elbow) will likely report to Atlanta's spring training facility in early July and could be a candidate to rejoin the major-league rotation by late August or early September, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.06/29
• 60-Day-ILSpencer Strider (SP) — Atlanta transferred Strider (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Wednesday.06/17
• 60-Day-ILSean Murphy (C) — Murphy had the cast on his left hand removed Tuesday and is now wearing a splint to protect his fractured middle finger, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reprots.06/04
• 60-Day-ILJoe Jimenez (RP) — Atlanta manager Walt Weiss revealed Wednesday that Jimenez underwent another surgery on his left knee 3-to-4 weeks ago, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.05/13
• 60-Day-ILJoey Wentz (RP) — Atlanta placed Wentz (knee) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08

This is the kind of game where the storylines outweigh the standings math. A rookie trying to prove he belongs in a rotation, a former ace trying to find his rhythm again, and two lineups missing key pieces trying to figure out who can capitalize first. Whichever bullpen holds up longer probably decides it.