The Texas Rangers sprang to baseball’s best record early in the season, but a recent burst by the Baltimore Orioles has the two teams tied at 19-10. The team’s will create some kind of separation Tuesday night as they continue their three-game series at Camden Yards.
Baltimore rocketed to the top of the AL East standings by beating up on traditional heavyweights New York and Boston last week, winning five of its last six. The Orioles outlasted the Red Sox in a marathon 17-inning affair on Sunday, but fatigue took its toll the following day.
They lost to Texas in the first game yesterday, extending a six-game losing streak to the Rangers dating back to last year. Josh Hamilton, Michael Young and Brandon Snyder all homered in a 14-3 pummeling that allowed them to regain a tie for the AL’s best record with Baltimore and Tampa Bay.
“I’m probably going to have to wake up tomorrow and read something to make sure it happened,” Snyder, a former Oriole who knocked in a career-high six runs, said. “It’s a special night, being back in Baltimore, but the biggest thing is having my family there.”
It’s been that kind of luck for Texas, which has outscored the Orioles 60-15 during its six-game streak.
“That’s not something our guys or I’m going to dwell on. It’s part of what we do for a living,” Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said. “You get thrown some self-inflicted things that you have to deal with and nobody’s going to feel sorry for you. Hopefully get a good night’s rest and turn the page.”
The Orioles weren’t without bright spots, though, getting homers from Roberto Andino and Wilson Betemit. Shortstop J.J. Hardy collected his eighth hit in two games, too.
Texas hopes to shut him down by giving the ball to Neftali Feliz, who couldn’t shut anyone down his last time out. The former reliever gave up two home runs for the first time in over two years last week in an 8-7 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. He walked a career-high six batters in that game while surrendering four runs.
Feliz, who spent his first two years as a closer, has a 6.43 ERA in seven appearances against the Orioles.
His opponent, Jake Arrieta, was the opposite in his last start, going eight masterful innings against the Yankees.
The Rangers are favored by 1 1/2 runs according to Bovada’s Rangers vs. Orioles Betting Lines, with a -111 moneyline.