The Baltimore Orioles and the Texas Rangers begin the second half of the season with a three-game series starting Friday night in Arlington, Texas.
And unlike their last visit to the Rangers’ home ballpark, one loss won’t doom the Orioles this time around.
Baltimore returns to Globe Life Field for the first time since losing to Texas in Game 3 of last year’s American League Division Series, which brought a swift end to the Orioles’ first playoff appearance in seven years.
With the AL’s second-best record and a one-game lead over the New York Yankees in the AL East, Baltimore is well-positioned for a push toward a second straight postseason berth.
However, the Orioles will look to exit the All-Star break stronger than they entered it.
Baltimore went 9-13 to close out the first half and weathered two five-game losing streaks during that span. The Orioles’ offense scuffled amid the team’s latter five-game skid from July 9-13, during which Baltimore scored a total of four runs and was shut out in consecutive games on July 10-11.
Despite their recent struggles, with 66 regular-season games remaining, Baltimore starting pitcher Dean Kremer is confident his team will regain its groove down the stretch.
“We went through a little skid here, but it really doesn’t matter,” Kremer said after the Orioles’ 6-5 walk-off win over the Yankees on Sunday, which snapped their second five-game slide.
“What matters is getting hot at the end of the second half and kind of building on that for the playoffs. And I think we’re more than capable of doing that.”
The Rangers eventually parlayed last year’s playoff sweep of Baltimore into the franchise’s first World Series title.
While Texas currently sits outside of the postseason picture, the Rangers enter the second half with long-awaited momentum after winning nine of 13 to close the first half.
“We have a lot of baseball left,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said following the Rangers’ 4-2 road win over the Houston Astros on Sunday.
“We have to make up ground, we know that, but if we play that type of ball, good things could happen.”
Texas trails the first-place Seattle Mariners by five games in the AL West and is 7 1/2 games out of the AL’s final wild-card spot.
The Rangers will send Nathan Eovaldi (6-3, 2.97 ERA) to the mound Friday opposite Orioles ace Corbin Burnes (9-4, 2.43).
In 18 career starts against Baltimore, Eovaldi has gone 8-2 with a 3.23 ERA.
Burnes threw seven innings of one-run ball to beat the Rangers on June 27 in his only career start against Texas.
Burnes also tossed a scoreless first inning in his start for the American League in Tuesday’s All-Star Game, hosted by the Rangers.
The teams combined to send eight players to the Midsummer Classic.
Burnes was one of Baltimore’s five representatives, joining shortstop Gunnar Henderson, catcher Adley Rutschman, infielder Jordan Westburg and outfielder Anthony Santander. Texas sent second baseman Marcus Semien, shortstop Corey Seager and relief pitcher Kirby Yates.
Henderson, who competed in Monday’s Home Run Derby, ranks among the AL’s top five in homers (28), RBIs (63) and OPS (.956).
Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia, another Derby contestant, has 17 long balls this season, one below Seager for the team lead.
–Field Level Media