The Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles have found various degrees of satisfaction during the past week even with slightly different results.
They begin a three-game series on Monday night in Baltimore.
The Orioles are back home after a 3-4 road trip against American League East opponents with stops at Tampa Bay and New York.
“I was happy with the way we played on the road trip and, yeah, I feel like that’s what we can take away from it,” Baltimore shortstop Gunnar Henderson said.
The Rangers won two of three games at Pittsburgh, ending with Sunday’s 8-3 loss when they were outhit 15-6.
“You take the series, I guess you look at the positive,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “We’re going to Baltimore and see if we can keep taking a series.”
Texas has won six of its last eight road games.
The Rangers had outfielder Wyatt Langford back in the lineup Sunday after he sat out two days because of back discomfort. He went 0-for-3 with a walk.
Bochy said some of his late-game decisions Sunday were in relation to looking ahead to the series in Baltimore.
“We’re trying to rest some guys in the bullpen,” he said.
The Orioles might have more roster issues to sort out, particularly at catcher. Adley Rutschman (left oblique strain) went on the injured list on Sunday, then Maverick Handley, who replaced him on the roster, exited in the second inning Sunday following a collision at the plate with New York’s Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Handley might enter the concussion protocol.
“We haven’t seen a collision like that at the plate, probably, since all the new rules came in,” Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “So we’re evaluating him right now, full body, every part of it. We’ll have more information (Monday).”
Catcher Chadwick Tromp could be called up from Triple-A Norfolk to join Gary Sanchez, who replaced Handley on Sunday.
Baltimore played Sunday without infielder Jordan Westburg, who suffered a finger sprain Saturday.
The Orioles will go with left-hander Trevor Rogers (0-0, 3.12 ERA) as their starting pitcher in the series opener. He’ll be in his third big league game of the season, most recently working 2 1/3 innings as a starter while giving up three runs Wednesday at Tampa Bay.
Rogers is 0-1 with a 4.38 ERA in 12 1/3 innings over two career starts against the Rangers.
The Orioles have a different look in their bullpen. Right-hander Yennier Cano, an All-Star two years ago, was optioned to Norfolk on Sunday, with right-hander Yaramil Hiraldo taking his place.
“(Cano has) been up and down. I think everyone can admit that,” Mansolino said. “And I think this could be a really good opportunity for Yenni to go down right now and kind of make the small adjustment, whatever needs to be made in order to get back to being Yenni Cano.”
The Rangers have left-hander Patrick Corbin (4-6. 3.91) lined up as their starting pitcher. That could be a tough matchup for the Orioles, who have struggled mightily at times against left-handers.
Corbin has lasted at least five innings in each of his last nine starts, though he’s 1-3 in his past four games. In his 13 outings, he has surrendered 11 home runs, including seven in road games.
Corbin has matched up nine times in his career with Baltimore, holding a 1-5 record and 5.21 ERA across 46 2/3 innings in those games.
–Field Level Media
