Cole Hamels (7-8, 3.82 ERA) and Kevin Gausman (2-5, 4.30 ERA) take the hill in the first of a three-game series between the Texas Rangers (65-61) and the Baltimore Orioles (63-64) at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Action begins at 8:05 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 28 and can be seen on MAS2 and FSSW.
Hamels pitched 6.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering two runs, striking out two and walking two in a 4-2 win over the Tigers. Rougned Odor (.280, 38 Rs, 11 HRs, 43 RBIs, 5 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 3 with two runs, one home run, and two RBIs. Gausman went 7.0 innings, surrendering two runs and striking out eight in a 4-3 defeat to the Twins in his last outing. Manny Machado (.293, 78 Rs, 26 HRs, 65 RBIs, 16 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one RBI.
Texas is a -140 favorite against Baltimore and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The Rangers have an overall money line of +1,936 and a record as the favorite of 13-12. Texas is unbeaten as the favorite and has a 6-4 SU record in its last ten outings. Texas is one of the best in the AL in terms of walks at home, earning an average of 3.1 per game.
In games where it is the underdog, Baltimore has a 23-32 record and an overall money line of -508. The Orioles allow 4.0 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 5.3 runs per game during that span.
The Rangers lead the season series, 3-1. The Rangers have a 41-37 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Gausman takes the mound. Hamels (LHP) will be on the hill against the Orioles, who have a 17-13 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tex, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Baltimore is 24-18, while Texas is 24-30.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Orioles are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Rangers have a 6-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they outhit their opponents, the Orioles are 46-13. The Rangers have a 48-9 record when outhitting opponents.
Both falling in the top 10 of the league based on total runs this season, Texas ranks sixth with 561 runs and Baltimore is eighth with 557.
Ranking 26th, Baltimore is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 301 this season. Texas ranks in the top half at 14th with 362.
When the Rangers hit at least one home run, they are 49-26, well-matched with the Orioles who are 56-33 when hitting one or more homers.
