The Baltimore Orioles will finish their three-game series with the Texas Rangers on Wednesday afternoon, looking to complete a sweep. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our MLB odds series, which includes our Orioles-Rangers prediction and pick we have laid out below.
Baltimore, the darlings of baseball, have a 53-51 record, just one and a half games out of a playoff spot, despite trading some key contributors. The team is in the middle of a rebuild, but seems to be nearing a contention window with the successes of this season.
Texas is still in the beginning stages of its rebuild, with a 46-57 record. Texas is likely out of luck for the playoffs, sitting eight games out of the final wild-card spot. The team is in the midst of a 4-6 stretch, playing bad baseball since July.
Here are the Orioles-Rangers MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Orioles-Rangers Odds
Baltimore Orioles: +1.5 (-164)
Texas Rangers: -1.5 (+136)
Over: 7.5 (-118)
Under: 7.5 (-104)
Why The Orioles Could Cover The Spread
Baltimore is one of the surprises of baseball, perhaps the biggest surprise of the season. Fan favorite Trey Mancini was traded away, but there are still good components in this lineup. Anthony Santander has 19 home runs and a .260 batting average. Austin Hays (24), Cedric Mullins (23), Ryan Mountcastle (22), and Adley Rutschman (22) all have slugged over 20 doubles. Baltimore's 187 doubles rank seventh in the league. Their .235 average is only 23rd in the league. Baltimore also can steal bases, as their 65 steals are seventh in the league.
Baltimore's pitching is pretty strong, ranking 13th in the league with a 3.89 ERA. This afternoon, rookie Kyle Bradish will be the starting pitcher. Bradish has struggled mightily this season, with a 7.01 ERA in his 11 starts. There are signs of encouragement for Bradish, as he has rung up 53 strikeouts in his 51.1 innings. Thankfully, the Baltimore bullpen is one of the best in baseball, even with the loss of closer Jorge Lopez. Felix Bautista is the most likely candidate to fill that role, with a 1.65 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 43.2 innings. Dillon Tate, who owns a 2.19 ERA, is another closer candidate. Cionel Perez (1.25 ERA) and Keegan Aiken (2.43 ERA) are two lefties that dominate out of the bullpen.
Why The Rangers Could Cover The Spread
Texas has been rough this season, to say the least. One bright spot this year has been Martin Perez, today's starting pitcher. Perez owns a 2.52 ERA in his 20 starts and a lowly 1.15 WHIP. Perez has a 2.60 ERA in his last 15 starts, going 9-0 in those 15 games. Perez's success can be tied to his ability to miss barrels, ranking in the 91st percentile with the lowest barrel rate. Texas has an average bullpen, ranking 12th with a 3.78 ERA. Brock Burke and Matt Moore have been exceptional, both with ERAs below 2.00. Closer Joe Barlow is currently on a rehab assignment but has been good when healthy, with a 3.26 ERA and 13 saves.
Offensively, Texas' strong offseason has boosted their offensive production. Their two big-ticket infield additions have been great, as Corey Seager has bashed 24 home runs, and Marcus Semien has 14 of his own. As a team, Texas is tied for eighth with 129 home runs. Seven Rangers have double-digit home runs. In addition, Texas ranks second in baseball with an impressive 80 steals this season, led by Semien's 19 swipes.
Final Orioles-Rangers Prediction & Pick
This one should not be overthought too much.
Final Orioles-Rangers Prediction & Pick: Rangers -1.5 (+136), over 7.5 (-118)
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