Wei-Yin Chen (3-4, 2.90 ERA) and Nick Martinez (5-4, 3.39 ERA) start in the third of a four-game series between the Baltimore Orioles (41-36) and the Texas Rangers (40-38) at Camden Yards. The Rangers won the last game 8-6 and Texas leads the series 2-0. Action begins at 7:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jul. 1 and can be seen on FSN-SW and MASN2.
Chen pitched 6.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering two runs, striking out five and walking two in a 4-3 defeat to the Indians. Manny Machado (.307, 51 Rs, 16 HRs, 44 RBIs, 11 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI. Martinez is 0-2 with an 8.71 ERA against the Orioles in his career. He is up against a quality Baltimore offense that’s batting .261. Mitch Moreland (.305, 26 Rs, 14 HRs, 43 RBIs, 1 SB) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 3 yesterday with two runs, two home runs, and four RBIs.
Baltimore is a -155 favorite against Texas and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The Orioles have recorded an overall money line of +567 and have shown high-level performance as a favorite this season with a record of 25-15. Baltimore is an impressive 3-1 as the favorite over its last 10 games.
In games where it is the underdog, Texas has a 34-33 record and an overall money line of +1,442.
The Rangers have the edge in the season series, 2-0. The Orioles have a 31-28 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Martinez takes the mound. Chen (LHP) will be on the hill against the Rangers, who have a 14-15 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – BAL, O/U – Over
Notes
The Orioles managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Rangers who are coming in with a 14-10 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
It looks like the Rangers have a slight leg up on the Orioles, as the Rangers have won their last two games while the Orioles have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Orioles are 30-8. The Rangers have a 30-4 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking eighth, Texas sits in the top 10 of the league in runs, scoring 342 this season. Baltimore ranks in the top five at fourth with 355.
Ranking 22nd, Baltimore is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 192 this season. Texas ranks in the top half at 11th with 233.
The Orioles are 34-17 when they hit at least one home run. The Rangers perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 30-17 record.
