Two teams with extended postseason droughts, the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers, have now both made it to the second round of the MLB Playoffs. Neither have experienced playoff action since 2016, but now, the two teams will face off in the American League Division Series. The Rangers started off the season hot, but injuries have caused them to fizzle out. The Orioles are one of baseball's most exciting young teams. They surprisingly dominated this season, but they also have some injury concerns. Here is everything that you need to know about the ALDS.

When and where is the series?

The best-of-five series is a 2-2-1 format, with the Baltimore Orioles having home field advantage. The Orioles' stadium is Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, is where the Rangers play. Game 1 is on Oct. 7.

How to watch Rangers vs. Orioles

The ALDS is a five-game series. The first two games are on FS1, and Game 3 is on FOX. Games can be streamed live using fuboTV.

Dates/locations: 

Game 1: Texas Rangers @ Baltimore Orioles, Oct 7 at 1 p.m. ET – FS1

Game 2: Texas Rangers @ Baltimore Orioles, Oct. 8 at 4:07 p.m. ET – FS1

Game 3: Baltimore Orioles @ Texas Rangers, Oct. 10 at 8:03 p.m. ET – FOX

Game 4: Baltimore Orioles @ Texas Rangers, Oct. 11 – TBD

Game 5: Texas Rangers @ Baltimore Orioles, Oct. 13 – TBD

TV channel: FS1/FOX| Live stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)

Odds: Orioles/Rangers -110

Rangers storylines

The Rangers may be without multiple of their top options, but they still managed to sweep the Tampa Bay Rays in the Wild Card Series. Jacob deGrom – the team's ace – was lost for the year due to Tommy John surgery. His replacements, Max Scherzer and Jon Gray are both injured now as well. There is hope that both may return in the playoffs, but it likely won't be soon enough to make an impact in the ALDS.

The players that were healthy stepped up in a big way in the Wild Card Series. The Rangers dominated the higher-seeded Rays team that was one of the best teams in baseball for a good chunk of the season. Corey Seager stepped up to the plate for the Rangers and led the way. The shortstop was brought in to be the team's top player, and he proved that he is in the Wild Card Series. The shortstop went 4-8 and had two walks.

Evan Carter was the X-factor in the series. Batting out of the nine-hole, Carter went 3-4 with three walks. The team batted .280 for the series, but more importantly, their pitchers stepped up in the absence of the team's stars.

Jordan Montgomery's seven scoreless innings were impressive, but it was his energy that got the rest of the team going in Game 1. Montgomery dove for a bunt attempt, putting his body on the line to make an impressive play. The Rangers only allowed one run in the entire series. They will have their hands full taking on the top team in the American League in the ALDS. The Orioles won 101 games.

Orioles storylines

Nobody expected the Orioles to have the season they had. After being one of the worst teams in baseball for years, they surprised everyone by winning 83 games in 2022. After an underwhelming offseason, some envisioned regression in Baltimore. Instead, the Orioles young core led the team to become the American League's top squad.

Baltimore has a young and exciting offensive unit. Adley Rutschman and Gunner Henderson were top prospects who quickly developed into superstars. They are surrounded by veterans like Cedric Mullins, Anthony Santander, Adam Frazier, and Austin Hays. The lineup is complete, one through nine, and the team has some nice bench pieces as well.

The Orioles had one of the top bullpens that carried an average starting staff for most of the regular season, but that has changed in the playoffs. Yennier Cano and Felix Bautista formed the best eight/ninth inning combo for much of the year. However, Bautista went down with a season-ending injury, and an extended role has caused Cano to show fatigue.

The starting pitchers have turned it up a notch, though. Perhaps even multiple notches as of recently. After an average start to the season, Kyle Bradish has developed into one of the best pitchers in baseball recently. Grayson Rodriguez's start to the season wasn't even average. Another former top prospect, his start to the season was so bad that he got sent back down to the minor leagues. Both players got into their groove around the All-Star break and had an amazing second half of the season. They both finished in the top three for second-half ERAs.

The starting unit will likely have to go deep into games with the bullpen's depth thinned, but the Orioles have more than enough talent to make a deep playoff run. Their season has been somewhat of a Cinderella story, but everyone at this point knows that they are a talented team. This Rangers-Orioles series should be good.