Listen Live: Texas Rangers at Baltimore Orioles [Live Audio] MLB
Where: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland
The Baltimore Orioles and the Texas Rangers were both in the buyer's market at the trade deadline on Monday, but only one of them managed to pull off the big moves. The Rangers and their upgraded offense will try to ride the momentum of the deadline when they visit the Orioles in the opener of a three-game series on Tuesday.
Texas was the big winner of the deadline, grabbing All-Star right fielder Carlos Beltran from the New York Yankees and All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy from the Milwaukee Brewers along with reliever Jeremy Jeffress. The Rangers were in the market for starting pitching but switched plans based on availability and instead paid a high price in prospects to build one of the best lineups in the American League, giving them a better shot at holding off the Houston Astros in the AL West. The Orioles were in the market for starting pitching as well but could not pull off the deal for the top-of-the-rotation starter they were seeking and instead grabbed lefty Wade Miley for the back of the rotation. Baltimore is locked in a three-way battle for AL East supremacy with the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox and snapped a five-game slide with a 12-inning win over the Blue Jays on Sunday.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Texas RH Yu Darvish (2-2, 3.09 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Dylan Bundy (3-3, 3.46)
Darvish is struggling to find the win column but has been impressive since returning from the disabled list on July 16. The Japan native allowed two earned runs in each of his last three outings and notched 26 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings during that span. Darvish owns 45 strikeouts in 32 total innings this season with 11 walks but suffered the loss in each of his two road starts despite 20 k's is 10 1/3 frames.
Bundy is racking up some solid strikeout numbers as well and owns 13 k's in 10 2/3 innings over his last two starts. The former first-round pick took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before surrendering a pair of home runs to the Colorado Rockies and absorbing the loss last Wednesday. Bundy worked three perfect innings of relief at Texas on June 20, striking out three.
WALK-OFFS
1. Rangers 1B Mitch Moreland is 8-for-13 with four home runs in the last four games.
2. Orioles 1B Chris Davis is 4-for-43 with 20 strikeouts over his last 12 games.
3. Baltimore also acquired 1B/OF Steve Pearce from the Tampa Bay Rays.
PREDICTION: Orioles 3, Rangers 2
