The Texas Rangers limped into the playoffs. However, they have won three straight games which has changed the complexion of their season. Texas will face the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, October 8th, 2023 in Game 2 of their ALDS. Game time is at 4:07 PM ET and Texas holds a 1-0 series lead over Baltimore. My Rangers vs Orioles prediction is that this game will be a defensive battle and low-scoring.
Texas vs Baltimore Prediction: Recent MLB News
The Rangers claimed the first game of the series on Saturday. They defeated the O's 3-2 in a game that Baltimore hosted. The O's cannot afford to fall behind 0-2 with both of the losses suffered at home. They will definitely be pulling out all the stops to try and beat the Rangers in Sunday's game.
The pitching matchup for the game is Jordan Montgomery of Texas against Grayson Rodriguez of the Orioles. Montgomery went 10-11 on the regular season with a 3.20 ERA. Montgomery also appeared in the Wild Card series on October 3rd. He pitched seven shutout innings of baseball against Tampa Bay, a performance that went a long way toward helping the Rangers get to where they are now. Including all of September, it was the third time he went seven innings and did not allow an earned run.
Grayson Rodriguez went 7-4 in the regular season with a 4.35 ERA. He has not appeared in a game since September 27th. Accordingly, his arm is at full rest. But Rodriguez is a rookie who has never played in one of these pressure-filled games. Baltimore backers can't feel great about having him on the mound.
That said, in his last three starts in the regular season, he performed well. Those starts included eight innings of shutout baseball against the Tampa Bay Rays on September 16th. At the time of the game, there was some pressure as the Rays were in the hunt for the AL East division. Perhaps this rookie is the kind that's hardwired for the pressure games.
Rangers vs Orioles Prediction: Betting Tips
The Orioles are favored in this game at -120 (bet365). But bettors should feel more confident in taking the UNDER for total runs. That is set at 7.5 with the UNDER at -105.
You have to like Texas' starting pitcher. For the Orioles, they had such a long rest between the regular season and the divisional round that you have to like their bullpen still as they've only played one game in several days. My recommendation is to take the UNDER.
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