How the Oakland A’s might alter the Texas Rangers’ next series at the Houston Astros
The Texas Rangers’ next road trip is scheduled to take them to Houston on Tuesday for a three-game series and then on to Seattle for four games.
But member of the Oakland A’s traveling party might cause that to be altered.
Someone with the A’s was flagged for a positive COVID-19 test and their game against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park was postponed. The teams played a doubleheader Saturday after they boycotted playing Friday.
The A’s self-isolated Sunday in their Houston hotel, and both teams and ballpark staff will undergo additional testing. The visitor’s clubhouse at Minute Maid will undergo a deep cleaning before the Rangers-Astros series.
The Rangers said they plan to travel Monday to Houston.
“It’s definitely on our radar,” manager Chris Woodward said. “As of right now, all systems are kind of go, but we’re prepared. The good thing is we have an off day and we weren’t going to leave until tomorrow anyway, so we have a little bit of time to sort through it and talk with MLB and see what the latest is.”
The first team to have a COVID-19 outbreak this season was the Miami Marlins, and it happened at Philadelphia. At least one member of the Phillies’ visiting clubhouse staff also tested positive, and their ensuing series against the New York Yankees was postponed.
Woodward said that the Rangers are not staying at the same hotel as the A’s and won’t be using the same buses, but they will use the same clubhouse.
The A’s and Astros played nearly five hours’ worth of baseball Saturday over two seven-inning games, but were likely in their clubhouses for around nine hours. No Astros have tested positive, but one test would likely be enough to disrupt the schedule.
“Obviously, if somebody from Houston tests positive, we probably don’t play,” Woodward said. “That would be my guess. They have at least a couple days to clean the clubhouse and do all those things.”
The Rangers have one more trip to Houston, Sept. 15-17. The Astros play their only series at Globe Life Field on Sept. 24-27 to end the regular season.
