Texas @ Baltimore preview
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Last Meeting ( Aug 19, 2010 ) Texas 0, Baltimore 4
The road has not been kind to the Texas Rangers lately. Neither have the Baltimore Orioles.
The Orioles try to extend their winning streak against the Rangers to six tonight when the teams meet at Camden Yards for the second game of their four-game series.
After sweeping a brief two-game set vs. Baltimore at home in May, Texas was swept in a four-game series in Arlington from July 8-11. The Orioles continued their mastery on Thursday thanks to Brian Matusz, who scattered five hits over eight scoreless innings after posting an 18.57 ERA in two previous starts against the Rangers this season.
The Orioles have received at least eight innings from their starters in three straight games for the first time since May 2005, when Daniel Cabrera, Erik Bedard and Sidney Ponson accomplished the feat.
Baltimore scored all four of its runs in the seventh, with Brian Roberts' two-run double highlighting the rally. With the victory, the club improved to 11-6 overall and 8-3 at home since Buck Showalter became manager.
It was the fourth consecutive setback for Texas and sixth straight on the road, tying its season high. The Rangers also dropped six in a row away from home from April 15-21.
The shutout was just the second endured by Texas this year and dropped its record against American League East opponents to 12-22. It is 3-6 on its current 12-game stretch vs. the division.
Thursday's loss also reduced the Rangers' lead in the AL West over the Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics to seven games.
Texas has the right starter on the mound as it tries to end its slide, as C.J. Wilson enters having won each of his last four decisions. However, his most recent loss came against Baltimore on July 11, when he surrendered three runs and three hits in 4 2/3 innings of a 4-1 defeat.
On Sunday, Wilson limited Boston to one run and four hits over 7 2/3 frames, striking out eight in a 7-3 triumph. Opponents are hitting just .213 vs. the 29-year-old, the second-best mark in the AL behind Oakland's Trevor Cahill's .195 mark.
Wilson, who has yielded three earned runs or less in all but one of his last 14 outings, is 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA in two career starts against Baltimore. The left-hander owns a 2-3 record and 3.33 ERA in nine road appearances this season.
Hoping to extend the Orioles' success against the Rangers will be Jake Arrieta, who is just 1-2 with a 6.21 ERA over his last six outings. Ironically, he has the exact same numbers in six home starts this year.
Arrieta allowed just three runs and six hits in six innings at Tampa Bay on Sunday but took the loss in a 3-2 setback. He did, however, outperform Wilson on July 11, giving up one run and six hits in 6 1/3 frames in his first career meeting with the Rangers.