Now, it’s really getting serious.
The Orioles are one game back for the last Wild Card, tying them with the Tigers. The Twins and Guardians are a half-game ahead of them.
The Rangers hold the last Wild Card and are 1 ½ games out of first place in the American League West. They’re hosting the Orioles this weekend.
Really serious.
Texas won two of three games at Camden Yards on March 30-April 1. A six-game losing streak beginning July 29 was followed by back-to-back wins over the Giants leading into tonight.
Jackson Holliday is batting third for the first time in his career. Gunnar Henderson is leading off.
Tyler O’Neill is the cleanup hitter and he’s batting fourth. Coby Mayo is the third baseman.
Carlos Narváez is behind the plate.
Shane Baz held the Phillies to one run over 6 1/3 innings in his last start to lower his ERA to 3.86. He’s allowed one earned run in each of his last three starts totaling 16 2/3 innings. He’s also allowed 10 earned runs over his last six starts totaling 34 1/3 innings.
Baz has faced the Rangers twice in his career and allowed six runs in 11 innings.
The Orioles drew eight walks Thursday to increase their season total to 447, third most in majors. This is the Orioles’ highest total through 115 games this century.
Yesterday marked the first time since Aug. 22, 2009 in Chicago that the Orioles had at least eight walks and scored one run or fewer.
Pete Alonso has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games against the Rangers since Aug. 30, 2023, slashing .350/.426/.600 (14-for-40).
Colton Cowser owns an 11-game hitting streak against the Rangers since July 19, 2024, batting .308 (12-for-39).
O’Neil has improved his OPS from .552 before July to 1.138 since that point. His plus-.586 improvement is the second largest in the majors in a minimum 50 plate appearances with each split.
The Orioles are 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position in their last five games.
Through five games this month, they’re averaging 1.80 runs for the lowest mark in the majors.
The Orioles’ 28 pinch-hit RBIs are the most since 1991 (30). The team record is 45 in 1982.
The Orioles certainly know Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi. They’ve faced him 21 times in the regular season and he’s gone 9-4 with a 3.79 ERA in 111 2/3 innings. He allowed six runs and eight hits in four innings on April 1 at Camden Yards.
Samuel Basallo homered, but he’s on the 10-day injured list.
Eovaldi also started against the Orioles in the 2023 American League Division Series and allowed one run in seven innings in the clincher.
Henderson is 7-for-13 with a double against Eovaldi. Alonso is 3-for-4, and Cowser is 2-for-5 with a home run.
Eovaldi has a 4.31 ERA in 21 starts this season. He’s coming off a rough outing in Houston, where he allowed six runs and 10 hits in five innings. He held the Mariners to one run and three hits over seven innings in his previous start.
Eovaldi posted a 5.67 ERA in five July starts.
Brandon Nimmo is 9-for-18 this month, with multiple hits in four of his five games.
The Rangers have posted a .267 average in the first inning this season, second best in the majors behind the Tigers’ .286. Texas has scored 68 runs in the first, its most in any inning this season.
The Orioles are 10-5 in Texas since 2021, outscoring the Rangers 74-48.
For the Orioles
Gunnar Henderson SS
Pete Alonso 1B
Jackson Holliday 2B
Tyler O’Neill DH
Dylan Beavers LF
Leody Taveras RF
Coby Mayo 3B
Colton Cowser CF
Carlos Narváez C
Shane Baz RHP
Scoring change: Vaughn Grissom reached second base Tuesday on what was ruled an error on Christian Encarnacion-Strand and changed to an RBI double. The play has been changed back to an error.
Right-hander Anthony Eyanson, the organization’s No. 1 prospect after arriving from the Red Sox in the Adley Rutschman trade, will start Saturday at Double-A Chesapeake.
For the Rangers
Joc Pederson DH
Wyatt Langford LF
Corey Seager SS
Brandon Nimmo RF
Ezequiel Duran 3B
Evan Carter CF
Jake Burger 1B
Elias DÃaz C
Nicky Lopez 2B
Nathan Eovaldi RHP
Tonight’s game airs exclusively on Apple TV.
