The Baltimore Orioles will go into Arlington Ballpark and face the back-to-back American League Champions Texas Rangers at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. ET. Although the Orioles have played wonderful baseball as of late, I see the Rangers taking this one because of the man on their mound.
Yu Darvish will be on the mound for the Rangers and he will face the O's midseason acquisition in Joe Saunders in the Wild Card Game this evening.
Neither pitchers has faced the opposing team this season and coming into the game, the only batters Saunders has faced on the Rangers' lineup are Ryan Dempster (0-1) and Geovany Soto (2-3).
Automatically, this matchup has me swaying to the Rangers' as the favorite to walk out victorious and advance to the ALDS.
It is still a mystery as to how the Rangers lost the A.L. West, but this team will be able to put it behind them and with their potent batting lineup, they will harass Joe Saunders all night long.
Saunders has had solid starts as of late, but he allows too many runners on base. In his last four starts, Saunders has given up 31 hits in 27 innings pitched. Yes, the game is about scoring runs, not getting base hits, but this Rangers' lineup will make you pay as they are capable of hitting the long ball.
The Rangers were fifth in the league with 200 homers. Although the Orioles hit the second most homers with 214, Yu Darvish only gave up 14 in 29 starts. So the long ball will be neutralized tonight.
Score Prediction: With Beltre and Young red hot hitting a combined .366 in the last 10 games and pitchers fearing Hamilton who was second in the league with 42 homers, the Rangers will win 6-3 and face the New York Yankees in the ALDS.
RELATED ARTICLES:
AL Wild Card Game Live Stream: Watch Online The Texas Rangers Vs. Baltimore Orioles At 8:37 PM ET
NL Wild Card Live Stream Braves vs. Cardinals: Watch One-Game Playoff Free Online
NL Wild Card Game Prediction: Braves Will Defeat the Cardinals and Advance to the NLDS
