The three-game series between the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros at Minute Maid has been shifted to Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, and will begin as scheduled Tuesday, according to industry sources.
Major League Baseball, the Rangers and the Astros agreed to play in St. Petersburg, Fla., rather than attempt to play any of the games in flood-ravaged Houston or at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas, which emerged as the second choice.
Playing at Tropicana Field puts the games at a neutral site, the dome ensures that the games will be played, and the stadium would be available this weekend in case the Astros must play a series against the New York Mets there, too.
Moving the series to Arlington would have had its challenges. The Rangers weren't sure if they could staff the game with the full range of employees needed for regularly scheduled games, and there were concerns about the weather for at least one day.
Swapping the series with the Astros series at the next month was also difficult for the same reasons and that the Rangers would have been forced to play 12 straight road games next month beginning Sept. 15.
