The Orioles (56-59) open a critical three-game road series and 10-game road trip on Friday night against the Texas Rangers (57-58) at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, with Baltimore having won five of their last ten and Texas winning four of their last ten, though the Rangers have taken two straight heading into the series opener.
Baltimore dropped its last outing, though, 4-1 to the Los Angeles Angels, with the offense managing little against the Halos. Yohel Pozo provided the lone run with a solo home run, going 1-for-3. Starter Brandon Young was tagged for three earned runs over 4.1 innings with four strikeouts, while Albert Suárez provided two scoreless frames in relief and Josh Walker added 1.2 scoreless innings of his own. The O's left home one game of a series sweep against one of the league's worst teams, which would have keped heading into a critical month of August in which Baltimore will face much of its direct AL wild-card competition.
Texas currently holds the third wild-card spot, but not by much. The Rangers sit one game above .500 at 57-58. Righty Nathan Eovaldi, a familiar face to anyone who remembers the O's 2023 postseason sweep at the hands of the Rangers, takes the hill for Texas 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA.
Shane Baz (4-10, 3.86 ERA) goes for Baltimore. With the trade deadline now past and the Orioles three games under .500, winning this series would give them back-to-back series victories and push them toward the .500 mark during a make-or-break stretch that could define whether this season has any remaining upward trajectory.
Probable Starters
Texas Rangers: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (10-9, 4.31 ERA)
Baltimore Orioles: RHP Shane Baz (4-10, 3.86 ERA)
Where to Watch/Listen
First pitch: 8:15 PM ET at Globe Life Field
Weather: Indoors
TV: Apple TV, MLB.TV
Radio: 98 Rock (97.9 FM) and WBAL NewsRadio (AM 1090 / FM 101.5)