HOUSTON, Texas — On Friday, Ronald Guzmán found himself out of the lineup for the third time in as many games as the Rangers opened their three-game series against the division-leading Houston Astros. Counting the off days on Monday and Thursday, that meant the team’s “starting” first baseman didn’t start a game for five consecutive days. On Saturday, it was Nomar Mazara who landed on the Texas bench for the second time in three games. Both players are considered to be core pieces of the Rangers’ roster, but both — along with Rougned Odor — have struggled at the plate in 2019.



It presents an interesting three-facet challenge for first-year manager Chris Woodward: knowing when guys need time out of the lineup to work on things, when they need to stay in the lineup to let those adjustments get some game action and how to navigate the Rangers’ rapidly-dwindling postseason hopes by trying to win every...