Post by Commissioner Erick on Jul 25, 2022 13:30:15 GMT -5
Texas Rangers (61-63) @ Baltimore Orioles (68-55)
TEX: Justin Martin (4-5, 4.57)
BAL: Darwinzon Hernandez (12-7, 4.05)
Rangers 5 Key Stats:
0.95: The combined WAR this year for Carlos Correa, Nomar Mazara, and Francisco Mejia: Texas has a lot invested in its veteran stars and they haven’t performed. Mejia is batting 245, 56 points below his .301 career average. Nomar Mazara is also batting .245, well below the .315 mark he produced his first Texas season in 2026. Correa, for his part, is on pace to finish the year with 12 home runs, his fewest since his 56-game rookie season. Last year was his previous low since his rookie year, and he still clubbed 27 long balls. Texas’ stars haven’t produced, and they’ll miss the playoffs as a result.
0: The number of losing seasons in Texas’ history: The Rangers went 8-81 in 2023, and have had a winning season every single other year of their existence. This year they sit at 61-63 and need to play solid ball to maintain a winning record. They have a fairly difficult schedule the rest of the way to try to avoid their first losing season. They play most division rivals two more series, and the Angels once. That’s balanced by still having to face the Rockies and Mets though. The swing factor is that Texas still has three series remaining with the Orioles or Twins, which could tip the final record under .500.
45: Justin Martin walks this year: The rookie Martin has been a solid stopgap at the back of the Texas rotation He has a serviceable 4.57 ERA in 18 Games, 14 of them Starts. He’s whiffed 92 batters in 80.2 innings. The one thing he hasn’t done well is show good control. He’s walked 12.4% of batters, putting a lot of men on base. That’s hurt him against lefties, who have a .477 slugging mark against him. Martin can afford to walk hitters ahead of righties though—they have a .178 average against him this season.
.365: Juan Abarca’s Batting Average in August: Abarca has been a great success story for Texas. After a hot start, it appeared that his Cinderella season was shattered, after batting .192 in June and .211 in July. Abarca has heated back up in August though. He already has 10 RBIs for the month and a .406 OBP. Abarca has shown the ability to hit righties better than lefties, which is likely a small fluke, but gives him a chance to be an every day starter. With Ozzie Albies out, and a number of starters on waivers, he’ll get a chance to prove himself more down the stretch.
.872: Nick Pratto’s OPS: One of the rare offensive success stories in Texas, Pratto has maintained his status as an offensive weapon this year. He’s batting .305 with 30 doubles and 18 home runs. He’s walking less than before, but he’s also striking out less, maintaining an excellent average on balls-in-play. Pratto’s contract can run up to six more years after this one, but he’s still performing at an excellent level.
Orioles 5 Key Stats:
2: Baltimore series wins in August: Baltimore has not taken advantage of a chance to make up ground in the AL Wild Card picture. The Orioles have won just two series in the month, needing a good bullpen game on Sunday August 13 to take a two game series against Washington, then needing some good bullpen work this past Sunday to take a series in Tampa Bay. Baltimore has dropped two series against Boston this month—no shame there—but missed a chance to gain ground against Toronto, losing two of three in Canada, then disappointedly blowing a series against Detroit.
15: Wessel Russchen’s RBIs in August: It’s not Russchen’s fault the Orioles have struggled in August, going 8-8. Russchen came off the injured list July 31 and has been on fire since then with 16 RBIs in the stretch. He’s batting .379 this month and has increased his season OPS mark to 1.055. He won’t qualify for the OPS title, but the only qualified AL hitter with a higher mark is the player acquired for Russchen—Gabe Bonilla. Russchen has continued a Hall-of-Fame track, but injuries and a poor supporting cast may keep Baltimore out of the playoffs.
25: Walks allowed by Darwinzon Hernandez this season: The former strikeout artist has continued his reinvention the past few seasons. Hernandez no longer produces strikeout totals in the mid-200s, but still punches hitters out at a strong 20.9% clip. His walk rate is 3.90%, second best to a 3.50% he produced in 2026. He still goes deep into games, but nibbles less, relying on more contact. It’s been fun to watch the transformation of Baltimore’s best starting pitcher. The former All-Star and World Baseball Champion for Venezuela earlier this year will make his first Game of the Week start since getting rocked by Toronto last September.
.595: Ernie Clement’s OPS: Clement has been one of the worst players on a winning team this year, with a -0.7 WAR. He can’t hit, with just two home runs and a .237 average this season. Despite that, Clement is playing First Base. The infielder has 80 Starts at First Base this year after just one appearance at First Base the previous 197 Games of his five-year career. If Baltimore misses the playoffs by a game or two, not having even a reasonable Quad-A player to replace Clement may be the deciding factor.
28: Saves for Curt Gemma: Gemma had settled in after a rough start and produced 28 Saves, fourth in the AL. Gemma’s arm had been barking though, and now he’ll miss most, if not all, of the rest of the season. That’s bad news for Baltimore, losing a pitcher who had allowed just one earned run since the calendar turned to June. Baltimore’s bullpen has been pretty good aside from Gemma though. Eric Dusing has the best ERA at 2.77, and could step into the closer role if needed.
Questions for the GMs:
For Dave Lowitzki, you recently waived a few key veterans. What’s the thought process there?
Juan Abarca has impressed this year. Will he be your starting Third Baseman next year, or is this still a trial for him?
Raimfer Salinas has a few nagging injuries. Will he play today?
For Vic Black, why have you stuck with Ernie Clement most of this season?
Who will be your Closer with Gemma out?
Why did you send Luis Casteneda to Triple-A when you acquired him?
TRIVIA: Five pitchers have produced at least 10 WAR for the Orioles in their career. Three are Baltimore’s top three current arms, Darwinzon Hernandez, Sam Carlson, and Tommy Stanfield. Who are the other two?
TEX: Justin Martin (4-5, 4.57)
BAL: Darwinzon Hernandez (12-7, 4.05)
Rangers 5 Key Stats:
0.95: The combined WAR this year for Carlos Correa, Nomar Mazara, and Francisco Mejia: Texas has a lot invested in its veteran stars and they haven’t performed. Mejia is batting 245, 56 points below his .301 career average. Nomar Mazara is also batting .245, well below the .315 mark he produced his first Texas season in 2026. Correa, for his part, is on pace to finish the year with 12 home runs, his fewest since his 56-game rookie season. Last year was his previous low since his rookie year, and he still clubbed 27 long balls. Texas’ stars haven’t produced, and they’ll miss the playoffs as a result.
0: The number of losing seasons in Texas’ history: The Rangers went 8-81 in 2023, and have had a winning season every single other year of their existence. This year they sit at 61-63 and need to play solid ball to maintain a winning record. They have a fairly difficult schedule the rest of the way to try to avoid their first losing season. They play most division rivals two more series, and the Angels once. That’s balanced by still having to face the Rockies and Mets though. The swing factor is that Texas still has three series remaining with the Orioles or Twins, which could tip the final record under .500.
45: Justin Martin walks this year: The rookie Martin has been a solid stopgap at the back of the Texas rotation He has a serviceable 4.57 ERA in 18 Games, 14 of them Starts. He’s whiffed 92 batters in 80.2 innings. The one thing he hasn’t done well is show good control. He’s walked 12.4% of batters, putting a lot of men on base. That’s hurt him against lefties, who have a .477 slugging mark against him. Martin can afford to walk hitters ahead of righties though—they have a .178 average against him this season.
.365: Juan Abarca’s Batting Average in August: Abarca has been a great success story for Texas. After a hot start, it appeared that his Cinderella season was shattered, after batting .192 in June and .211 in July. Abarca has heated back up in August though. He already has 10 RBIs for the month and a .406 OBP. Abarca has shown the ability to hit righties better than lefties, which is likely a small fluke, but gives him a chance to be an every day starter. With Ozzie Albies out, and a number of starters on waivers, he’ll get a chance to prove himself more down the stretch.
.872: Nick Pratto’s OPS: One of the rare offensive success stories in Texas, Pratto has maintained his status as an offensive weapon this year. He’s batting .305 with 30 doubles and 18 home runs. He’s walking less than before, but he’s also striking out less, maintaining an excellent average on balls-in-play. Pratto’s contract can run up to six more years after this one, but he’s still performing at an excellent level.
Orioles 5 Key Stats:
2: Baltimore series wins in August: Baltimore has not taken advantage of a chance to make up ground in the AL Wild Card picture. The Orioles have won just two series in the month, needing a good bullpen game on Sunday August 13 to take a two game series against Washington, then needing some good bullpen work this past Sunday to take a series in Tampa Bay. Baltimore has dropped two series against Boston this month—no shame there—but missed a chance to gain ground against Toronto, losing two of three in Canada, then disappointedly blowing a series against Detroit.
15: Wessel Russchen’s RBIs in August: It’s not Russchen’s fault the Orioles have struggled in August, going 8-8. Russchen came off the injured list July 31 and has been on fire since then with 16 RBIs in the stretch. He’s batting .379 this month and has increased his season OPS mark to 1.055. He won’t qualify for the OPS title, but the only qualified AL hitter with a higher mark is the player acquired for Russchen—Gabe Bonilla. Russchen has continued a Hall-of-Fame track, but injuries and a poor supporting cast may keep Baltimore out of the playoffs.
25: Walks allowed by Darwinzon Hernandez this season: The former strikeout artist has continued his reinvention the past few seasons. Hernandez no longer produces strikeout totals in the mid-200s, but still punches hitters out at a strong 20.9% clip. His walk rate is 3.90%, second best to a 3.50% he produced in 2026. He still goes deep into games, but nibbles less, relying on more contact. It’s been fun to watch the transformation of Baltimore’s best starting pitcher. The former All-Star and World Baseball Champion for Venezuela earlier this year will make his first Game of the Week start since getting rocked by Toronto last September.
.595: Ernie Clement’s OPS: Clement has been one of the worst players on a winning team this year, with a -0.7 WAR. He can’t hit, with just two home runs and a .237 average this season. Despite that, Clement is playing First Base. The infielder has 80 Starts at First Base this year after just one appearance at First Base the previous 197 Games of his five-year career. If Baltimore misses the playoffs by a game or two, not having even a reasonable Quad-A player to replace Clement may be the deciding factor.
28: Saves for Curt Gemma: Gemma had settled in after a rough start and produced 28 Saves, fourth in the AL. Gemma’s arm had been barking though, and now he’ll miss most, if not all, of the rest of the season. That’s bad news for Baltimore, losing a pitcher who had allowed just one earned run since the calendar turned to June. Baltimore’s bullpen has been pretty good aside from Gemma though. Eric Dusing has the best ERA at 2.77, and could step into the closer role if needed.
Questions for the GMs:
For Dave Lowitzki, you recently waived a few key veterans. What’s the thought process there?
Juan Abarca has impressed this year. Will he be your starting Third Baseman next year, or is this still a trial for him?
Raimfer Salinas has a few nagging injuries. Will he play today?
For Vic Black, why have you stuck with Ernie Clement most of this season?
Who will be your Closer with Gemma out?
Why did you send Luis Casteneda to Triple-A when you acquired him?
TRIVIA: Five pitchers have produced at least 10 WAR for the Orioles in their career. Three are Baltimore’s top three current arms, Darwinzon Hernandez, Sam Carlson, and Tommy Stanfield. Who are the other two?
