Bud Norris (2-6, 6.70 ERA) and the Baltimore Orioles (41-34) go up against Wandy Rodriguez (4-3, 4.06 ERA) and the Texas Rangers (38-38) in the first of a four-game series at Camden Yards. The game starts at 7:05 p.m. ET on Monday, Jun. 29 and will air on FSN-SW, MASN and ESPN.
In his most recent outing, Norris pitched 5.2 innings, allowing zero runs (five unearned), striking out three and walking one in a 5-1 loss to the Red Sox. Manny Machado (.305, 50 Rs, 15 HRs, 43 RBIs, 11 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run and two RBIs. In his career against the Orioles, Rodriguez is 0-1 with a 5.87 ERA. He gets a strong Baltimore offense that’s batting .262. Prince Fielder (.351, 38 Rs, 12 HRs, 48 RBIs) has been hitting the ball well for the Rangers, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Baltimore, a -141 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Texas. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at eight runs. The Orioles perform well as a favorite with a 24-14 record and have an overall money line of +597. Over the last 10 games, they have a very good record when playing as the favorite (3-1).
On the other side, the Rangers have a record of 33-33 when they are the underdog and are +1,322 overall with the money line. Over the past 10 matchups, they are 2-8 SU and have played poorly as the underdog with a 2-7 record. The Rangers will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent offensive struggles. In their 10 most recent games, Texas’s run production has dropped to 2.5 runs per game, compared to 4.6 for the duration of the season.
The Orioles will take on a left-hander (Rodriguez) in this game and have a 10-6 record against left-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Rangers will be the right-hander Norris. They sport a 24-23 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – BAL, O/U – Over
Notes
Baltimore won its last game in a shutout, its sixth of the season. Texas has been shut out four times this season.
The Orioles are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The Rangers have a 2-1 record when opponents give up that many walks.
When they are outhit, the Orioles are 5-22. The Rangers have an 8-30 record when opponents outhit them.
Texas ranks in the top 10 of the league at ninth when it comes to home runs, hitting 77 this season. Baltimore ranks in the top five at fifth with 92.
Baltimore and Texas both rank in the top 10 of the league in hits. Baltimore sits at sixth with 8.79 hits per game and Texas ranks ninth with 8.45.
Ranking 17th, Texas is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.711). Baltimore ranks in the top 10 at sixth with an OPS of .747.
When the Rangers allow at least one home run, they are 19-30. When the Orioles allow one or more homers, they have a 22-23 record.
