Texas @ Baltimore preview
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Last Meeting ( Jun 30, 2015 ) Texas 8, Baltimore 6
Mitch Moreland is single-handedly mauling Baltimore pitchers and looks to keep it going when the Texas Rangers visit the Orioles in Wednesday's third contest of the four-game set. Moreland hit two homers in each of the first two games of the series and has seven RBIs while Texas has socked eight homers en route to winning the first two games.
Moreland is the eighth player in franchise history to hit multiple homers in back-to-back games and has slugged six over his last six contests. The left-handed hitting first baseman has 14 homers and 43 RBIs and is on pace to shatter his previous career highs of 23 homers and 60 RBIs in 2013. Baltimore first baseman Chris Davis also hit two homers on Tuesday and has gone deep four times during a 10-game hitting streak. The Orioles are just 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position during the series.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Texas), MASN2 (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers RH Nick Martinez (5-4, 3.39 ERA) vs. Orioles LH Wei-Yin Chen (3-4, 2.90)
Martinez is 1-4 over his last six starts as his ERA has soared from 1.96 to 3.39. He gave up a season-worst nine runs (eight earned) to go with nine hits in six innings against Toronto in his last turn after allowing five earned runs over his previous three turns. Martinez is 0-2 with an 8.71 ERA in two career starts against Baltimore.
Chen is 2-0 over his last four starts and has given up just six runs during the stretch. He defeated Cleveland in his last outing when he allowed two runs and seven hits in six innings. Chen is 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA in four career starts against the Rangers but has struggled with shortstop Elvis Andrus (6-for-11).
WALK-OFFS
1. Rangers LF Josh Hamilton (hamstring) came off the disabled list on Tuesday and went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
2. Baltimore 3B Manny Machado homered on Tuesday and is 21-for-51 during a 12-game hitting streak.
3. Texas RF Shin-Soo Choo is 4-for-9 with two homers in the series.
PREDICTION: Orioles 9, Rangers 6