Baltimore @ Texas preview
Choctaw Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jul 8, 2010 ) Baltimore 6, Texas 4
Brian Matusz surprised just about everyone by stonewalling the Boston Red Sox his last time out.
Doing the same thing to the Texas Rangers on Friday would go a long way in reversing what has been a lost season to date.
Matusz looks to avoid becoming his team's second 10-game loser as he leads the Baltimore Orioles into the second of a four-game series against the Texas Rangers in Arlington. The Orioles rallied from 4-1 down in Thursday's series opener, emerging with a 6-4 victory to snap a three-game losing skid.
Matusz would like to build on the come-from-behind win and atone for a disastrous start to his second major league campaign. The 23-year-old left-hander showed plenty of promise last season, going 5-2 in eight starts and giving Baltimore fans a reason to get excited for 2010.
So far, his sophomore season has been anything but sensational.
Matusz (3-9) went nearly 2 1/2 months without a victory before putting together a downright dominant performance against the Red Sox five days ago at Fenway Park. The 2008 first-round pick limited the high-octane Boston lineup to just two hits over seven scoreless innings, striking out eight as the Orioles cruised to a 6-1 victory.
The win ended a stretch that saw Matusz go 0-7 over his previous 13 starts.
His career numbers against the Rangers are ghastly, as he owns a 1-1 record with an unsightly 10.61 ERA over two starts. He faced them back on May 20 and didn't get out of the third inning, surrendering seven runs on eight hits while recording just seven outs. Baltimore went on to lose the game 13-7.
Matusz will face off against Rangers righty Scott Feldman (5-8), who has scuffled since putting together a two-game winning streak in mid-June. The 27-year-old is 0-2 over his previous three starts, allowing exactly five runs in each of them. His previous outing saw him surrender eight hits over six innings to earn the loss in a 5-3 defeat at the hands of the Chicago White Sox.
Feldman will look to remain perfect against the Orioles for his career, coming into tonight's meeting with a 4-0 record and a 3.77 ERA over 31 innings. He was on the winning end of the Rangers' wild win over the Orioles on May 20, allowing four runs on 12 hits over six innings but hanging around to earn the victory.
He'll hope to get better bullpen support than teammate Tommy Hunter, who left with a lead but earned a no-decision in Thursday's opener. The Texas bullpen had been lights-out of late, tossing eight consecutive scoreless innings over a three-game span.