All eyes will be on the starting pitchers Wednesday as the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles close out a three-game series in Arlington, Texas.
Two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom is scheduled to make his second start for the Rangers, while Orioles top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez was called up Wednesday morning make his major league debut.
It’s likely Rodriguez will have a crowd of family and friend in the stands. He won a state 3A championship at Central Heights High School in Nacogdoches, Texas — about a three-hour drive from Arlington.
And they’ll also see the Orioles going for a sweep and their ninth straight victory over the Rangers dating back to last July. Texas, meanwhile, is hoping to find its way back to the winning side behind its ace.
deGrom (0-0, 12.27 ERA), who joined the Rangers on a five-year, $185 million contract in the offseason, had a rough debut against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday. He allowed five runs and a career-high six extra-base hits over just 3 2/3 innings, though Texas went on to win 11-7.
“Obviously, I’m not thrilled with how I threw the ball,” deGrom said afterward. “Didn’t make pitches when I needed to, but the most important thing is we got the win.”
Even though the Rangers rallied for a victory in the contest, it wasn’t the type of outing expected by deGrom. Texas hopes the second time around is better for 34-year-old veteran, who is 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA in two career starts against Baltimore.
The Rangers’ offense has struggled to get much going the first two games against the Orioles. Texas had just one hit and was shut out in the opener, then scored just twice on Tuesday on solo home runs by Adolis Garcia and Nathaniel Lowe.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy credited the Orioles’ pitching staff, but he said he was encouraged by the at-bats on Tuesday.
“I do think we swung the bats better, hit some balls hard tonight,” Bochy said. “It’s encouraging.”
For Baltimore, it will be a highly anticipated day with Rodriguez on the big stage. He struggled at the end of spring training, allowing 14 runs (11 earned) over 10 2/3 innings in his final three outings, and was sent to Triple-A Norfolk instead of breaking camp with the Orioles. General manager Mike Elias said earlier this spring that Rodriguez still had work to do.
“I think he needs to look like himself and get some longer outings,” Elias said of what Rodriguez needed to work on in Triple-A, per The Baltimore Sun. “(He) was not ready to jump into a major league rotation, not getting past the fourth inning. We know what he’s capable of. I wasn’t expecting this. We were hoping that he would show up as a better version of himself than I think we got here. We just had five other guys that were more ready at this point in time. I know what he’s capable of, I think he’s going to show it again very quickly. As soon as he does, we’re going to be all over it.”
He didn’t have much of a chance to prove himself before necessity called. In his first start of the season Friday at Norfolk, Rodriguez allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits with four walks and two strikeouts over four innings.
Rodriguez, 23, possesses undeniable talent, as he is ranked as the No. 7 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline.
The Orioles are off to a strong start at the plate, with 11 home runs through five games. Shortstop Jorge Mateo has homered in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
On the health front, the Rangers aren’t expected to place outfielder Josh H. Smith on the injured list. Smith was hit in the face with an 89 mph pitch on Monday and required six stitches, but he returned to the ballpark on Tuesday and is considered day-to-day.
For Baltimore, starter Kyle Bradish (right foot contusion) left his start Monday in the second inning after taking a 104 mph liner off his foot. X-rays were negative, but the Orioles placed him on the 15-day injured list Wednesday, retroactive to Tuesday.
–Field Level Media
