The Orioles and Rangers set their lineups for the second game of their series in Texas after Baltimore dropped a 2-1 decision the night before at Globe Life Field. The Orioles turned to Kyle Bradish against Jacob deGrom in a game shaped by the standings as much as the matchup.
Baltimore listed Gunnar Henderson leading off, with Tyler O’Neill batting second as the designated hitter and Jackson Holliday in the third spot. Dylan Beavers hit fifth and played left field, Christian Encarnacion-Strand handled third base and Colton Cowser was in center field, while Carlos Narváez caught. The Rangers countered with Austin Wynns behind the plate and deGrom on the mound, a familiar pairing for a club that has spent the week chasing every run it can find.
The search around this game starts with the standings and the night that came before it. Joc Pederson’s two-run homer in the sixth inning decided the opener, while Shane Baz worked eight innings with nine strikeouts and left Baltimore with another loss. The Orioles went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and have gone 3-for-22 in six games in August, a stretch that helps explain why they were two games back for the final Wild Card when the lineup card came out.
For the Rangers, the math is just as tight. They were a half-game behind the Twins and Guardians for the third spot, which gives every inning a little more weight than usual. That is why the pitching matchup matters so much, even before the first pitch: Bradish has allowed only two runs in 13 1/3 career innings against Texas and has held the Rangers to one run in 6 2/3 innings in Texas, but he also has labored through his last two starts, going 4 2/3 innings and three innings while allowing seven runs and 12 hits.
DeGrom brings the kind of résumé that can turn a close race into a daily burden. He entered with a 3.96 ERA in 21 starts and 135 strikeouts over 113 2/3 innings, though he also gave up five runs and seven hits with five walks in 3 1/3 innings in his last outing in Houston. Against Baltimore, he had already shown the full range of his stuff: three runs and six hits with seven strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings earlier this season at Camden Yards, a one-hit shutout over seven innings last year in Baltimore, and then two runs in six innings in his next start.
The Orioles have reason to keep watching the edges of the roster, too. Alex Hoppe became the 53rd player used by the club this season, a reminder of how much turnover has gone into a year that has not stayed still. And on Tuesday, three Orioles draft picks were scheduled to make their professional debuts with Single-A Delmarva, including Eric Booth Jr., the seventh-overall selection out of Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, Miss. The next step for Baltimore is plain enough: Bradish has the matchup history to make this a night the Orioles can still control, but only if the version that showed up in his recent starts does not.
