Barstool Bush
Predictions

Baltimore Orioles at Texas Rangers

By Bush StaffUpdated 15d ago·2 min read
Baltimore OriolesBAL(56-59)
Texas RangersTEX(57-58)
1—2
FINAL
123456789RHE
BAL
010000000170
TEX
00000200—230

First pitch in Arlington is set for 7:15 PM CT, with Shane Baz taking the ball for Baltimore against Nathan Eovaldi for Texas. Baz is 4-10 despite a 3.86 ERA, the kind of record that tells you more about the offense behind him than the guy on the mound.

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FINAL
Spread
ML
Total
Orioles(56-59)
LWWLL
1
Rangers(57-58)
WWLLL
2
Best BetOrioles +125
Pregame

Baltimore's plus-money price looks fair given how Baz has actually pitched — he's kept the Orioles in games all year even when the record doesn't show it. Texas is favored at home, but a beat-up lineup missing both of its primary catching options and its third baseman is an easier price to attack than the moneyline suggests.

Eovaldi's been the Rangers' rock for most of the year at 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA, but his last time out was a mess — 6 earned runs and 10 hits in just 5 innings against Houston. Texas also enters this one without Josh Jung at third and both of its top catching options, Danny Jansen and Kyle Higashioka, sidelined.

Shane Baz
Shane Baz
(4-13)·4.02 ERA
Aug 1 vs Phillies
L
6.1IP
1ER
4K
1BB
99P
08/07 Lineup
Nathan Eovaldi
Nathan Eovaldi
(10-9)·4.21 ERA
Jul 31 @ Astros
L
5.0IP
6ER
5K
1BB
94P
08/07 Lineup

None of that stopped the Rangers from staying quiet at the deadline while their AL East opponent blew everything up. Baltimore moved Rutschman to Boston, plus Taylor Ward, Tyler Wells and Dean Kremer, in a full-scale teardown that reshaped the roster in a matter of days.

That kind of sell-off usually means a lineup full of unfamiliar names and shaky chemistry, and the Orioles have looked the part lately — dropping 2 of their last 3 with the bats going cold in Philadelphia. Whatever's left in that clubhouse is playing out the string, whether the front office admits it or not.

Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
(56-59)
Aug 6Lvs Angels1-4
Aug 5Wvs Angels5-2
Aug 4Wvs Angels3-1
Aug 2Lvs Phillies0-8
Aug 1Lvs Phillies0-5
Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers
(57-58)
Aug 5Wvs Giants6-0
Aug 5Wvs Giants5-4
Aug 4Lvs Giants1-5
Aug 2L@ Astros3-7
Aug 1L@ Astros4-5

Texas has actually trended the other way, riding a 2-game winning streak into the weekend after taking 2 of the first 3 from San Francisco. But a closer look at the roster shows plenty of cracks — the rotation and bullpen have been picked over by injuries all year, and this team hasn't been able to pull away from .500 despite the healthier-looking record.

Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
(10)
  • 10-Day-ILSamuel Basallo (C) — Manager Craig Albernaz said Tuesday that Basallo (shoulder) is close to participating in both his catching and hitting progressions and could be cleared for a rehab assignment within the next two weeks, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.08/04
  • 10-Day-ILBlaze Alexander (3B) — Alexander (hand) does not have a timeline to return from the 10-day injured list, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.07/17
  • 60-Day-ILFelix Bautista (RP) — Bautista (shoulder) threw live batting practice Tuesday, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.08/04
  • 60-Day-ILChris Bassitt (SP) — Bassitt (back) struck out four and allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and one walk Sunday in a rehab start with Triple-A Norfolk. He also hit three batters.08/03
  • 60-Day-ILRyan Helsley (RP) — Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Friday that Helsley (elbow) has resumed a throwing program, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.07/31
  • 60-Day-ILColin Selby (RP) — Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Friday that Selby underwent right shoulder surgery Tuesday to repair his labrum and rotator cuff, Andy Kostka of TheBanner.com reports.07/31
  • 60-Day-ILRyan Mountcastle (1B) — The Orioles announced that Mountcastle (foot) suffered a "significant" oblique strain while warming up for his first rehab game and will now be out a couple more months, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.07/31
  • 60-Day-ILKeegan Akin (RP) — Akin (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.07/15
  • 60-Day-ILJordan Westburg (3B) — Westburg (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Andrew Golden of TheBanner.com reports.05/15
  • 60-Day-ILZach Eflin (SP) — Eflin underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.05/08
Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers
(12)
  • paternityMacKenzie Gore (SP) — Gore didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Giants. He tossed six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out four.08/05
  • 10-Day-ILJosh Jung (3B) — Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Wednesday that Jung (calf) has been making slow progress in his recovery and will remain out for at least 10 more days, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.08/05
  • 10-Day-ILKyle Higashioka (C) — Higashioka is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox.07/21
  • 15-Day-ILJack Leiter (SP) — Leiter (ankle) threw two innings of live batting practice Monday, MLB.com reports.08/05
  • 15-Day-ILJakob Junis (RP) — The Rangers placed Junis on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a left adductor strain.07/30
  • 60-Day-ILJordan Montgomery (SP) — Montgomery (elbow) is scheduled to make another rehab start Sunday, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.07/30
  • 60-Day-ILJose Corniell (RP) — The Rangers placed Corniell on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with an elbow injury, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.07/30
  • 60-Day-ILDanny Jansen (C) — Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Saturday that Jansen (forearm) is dealing with setbacks that put his return in doubt, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.07/30
  • 60-Day-ILJalen Beeks (RP) — The Rangers transferred Beeks (forearm) to the 60-day injured list Tuesday.07/21
  • 60-Day-ILMichael Helman (CF) — Texas transferred Helman (hand) to the 60-day injured list Friday.06/19
  • 60-Day-ILRobert Garcia (RP) — The Rangers transferred Garcia (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.06/01
  • 60-Day-ILCarter Baumler (RP) — Baumler (intercostal) has been shut down from his rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.05/23

Both bullpens are running thin, and both lineups are missing pieces that would've started this game a month ago. It's not a marquee matchup, but it's a fair test of which stripped-down roster has more fight left in it.

Sources

MLBBaltimore OriolesTexas RangersPolymarketKalshiShane BazNathan Eovaldi