A series with wild-card implications will take place this weekend in Arlington, Texas, when the Texas Rangers open a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.
The Rangers were idle on Thursday, one day after posting a 6-0 win over the San Francisco Giants.
It was the second straight victory for the Rangers after losing six games in a row. That skid took them from leading the American League West on July 28 to holding the league’s third and final wild-card spot on Thursday, but five teams lurk within 1 1/2 games in the standings.
Among those teams are the Orioles, who saw their two-game winning streak end Thursday afternoon with a 4-1 home loss to the Los Angeles Angels. The Orioles have been held to two or fewer runs in five of their last 10 games.
Despite being in the playoff hunt, the Orioles dealt two of their better offensive players in Adley Rutschman and Taylor Ward for prospects before last Monday’s trade deadline.
“We lost some really good players and teammates. … I feel we have to, unfortunately, go about business as usual and try to win every night. Same kind of deal as before.” outfielder Dylan Beavers said after Thursday’s loss.
Offense also has been an issue for the Rangers, who are tied for the fifth-fewest runs (477) in the majors.
In each of the last two games, Brandon Nimmo has driven in the first run. In a postgame interview Wednesday on the Rangers Sports Network, the outfielder said he hopes the team’s struggles are in the past.
“I hope that’s the case moving forward,” he said. “We played much better that last two games.”
A pair of right-handers will face off in Friday’s series opener: Texas’ Nathan Eovaldi vs. Baltimore’s Shane Baz.
Eovaldi (10-9, 4.31 ERA) will look to shake off his recent struggles. After winning four straight starts, the veteran has won just once in his last four while posting a 5.73 ERA over 22 innings. That includes giving up six runs on 10 hits and a walk in five innings last Friday in an 11-2 setback to the Houston Astros.
Eovaldi will start against Baltimore for the 22nd time in his career. He’s 9-4 in those games, with a 3.79 ERA. However, the Orioles scored six times on him in four innings on April 1 as Baltimore posted an 8-3 home win.
That was the Orioles’ only win in that three-game series.
Baz (4-10, 3.86 ERA) has not won a start in nearly two months, although his ERA has dropped over that same time frame.
Last Saturday, he allowed the Philadelphia Phillies just one run over 6 1/3 innings but still was saddled with the loss in a 5-0 game.
In two career starts against the Rangers, Baz is 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA. He earned the win in his last matchup on June 4, 2025, as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays. He scattered five hits over five innings and allowed just three runs in a 5-4 victory.
–Field Level Media
