For the middle contest of a three-game bill, the Baltimore Orioles will play host to the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night. The O’s went home happy after the series opener, a 7-6 win in extra innings. That was the start of a seven-game home stand for Baltimore.
The Rangers (37-41) are losers of four of their last five. They’re looking to return home on a bit of a higher note, as they play ten consecutive home games to round out this half of the campaign. In the MLB standings, Texas is in third place in the American League West, trailing Houston by 14.5 games.
After trudging through losses in four straight MLB matchups, Baltimore (37-44) salvaged the final game of a set against Minnesota Sunday before the win on Monday.
Tasked with catching up to the juggernaut New York Yankees, they’re not in a very good position in the MLB standings. They sit in last place in the American League East, 21.5 games separating those clubs.
Statistically, the Orioles are struggling in the batter’s box. Only three crews — Pittsburgh, Arizona, and Oakland — have worse collective averages than Baltimore’s .229.
Designated hitter Trey Mancini paces the O’s by hitting .277, but first baseman Ryan Mountcastle has heated up over the last week, notching a .348 average in 23 plate appearances.
Right fielder Anthony Santander has clubbed 15 home runs, while left fielder Austin Hays has 45 RBIs. Center fielder Cedric Mullins has a team-high 82 total knocks.
Rangers vs Orioles Odds
MLB odds point toward the visitors to even the slate and set up a rubber match on Wednesday. Texas is -1.5 on the run line at +142, while the Orioles are -172 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the Rangers are -116 and Baltimore -102. The total has been set at 9.5 runs, with the over being -110 and the under the same at the time of this writing.
Texas is teetering on the edge of the bottom third of MLB, ranking 19th in the bigs with a .238 batting average. They also have the fourth-most homers in the AL right now.
Right fielder Adolis Garcia and shortstop Corey Seager are tops in the department with 15 long balls. Four other Rangers — including Marcus Semien and Kole Calhoun — have double-digit dingers.
First baseman Nathaniel Lowe has a team-best .277 average at the dish. He also has a .327 on-base percentage.
Matchup Information
Rangers vs Orioles Betting Preview
Right-hander Spencer Howard will make the start on the mound for the visitors. The fourth-year hurler has pitched in three games in 2022, one of them being a start.
Each of his outings came in April, and he’s posted an uninspiring 12.15 ERA to this point. He hasn’t thrown for more than three innings in a game yet this season.
Against Atlanta on April 29, he lasted 1.2 frames, allowing a home run in what wound up being a 6-3 Rangers loss.
The Baltimore Orioles are slated to send Austin Voth out. The 30-year-old has been used mostly in a reliever’s capacity this year, making three starts among his 25 appearances.
He hasn’t done much better than his competition in this one, coming in with a 7.34 ERA in 30.2 innings pitched. Each of his last three times out were starting efforts, and, like Howard, he hasn’t gone more than three frames in any of them.
The way it looks here, runs won’t particularly be at a premium with these guys on the hill.
Rangers vs Orioles Picks and Predictions
This won’t be much of a pitcher’s duel if recent trends hold true. Both clubs will look to the bullpen early on, most likely. Rangers are the more trustworthy group at the plate, which will translate to a victory here.
In your MLB picks today, go with Texas to cover the spread in a high-scoring affair. They’ll have a chance to go back to the Lone Star State on a short win streak.
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