Hess, Orioles to take on Jurado, Rangers
Baltimore Orioles (19-42, fifth in the AL East) vs. Texas Rangers (31-28, second in the AL West)
Arlington, Texas; Thursday, 8 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Orioles: David Hess (1-7, 7.36 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 48 strikeouts) Rangers: Ariel Jurado (2-2, 2.43 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 22 strikeouts)
BOTTOM LINE: Both Baltimore and Texas are looking for a series win with a victory.
The Rangers are 21-10 in home games. The Texas pitching staff as a whole has an ERA of 4.96. Mike Minor leads the team with a 2.55 ERA.
The Orioles are 11-19 on the road. Baltimore has slugged .405 this season. Trey Mancini leads the team with a mark of .539. The Rangers won the last meeting 2-1. Jeffrey Springs earned his third victory and Delino DeShields went 4-for-6 with an RBI for Texas. Paul Fry took his third loss for Baltimore.
TOP PERFORMERS: Shin-Soo Choo leads the Rangers with 29 extra base hits and is batting .295. Nomar Mazara has 13 hits and is batting .000 over the last 10 games for Texas.
Renato Nunez leads the Orioles with 15 home runs and is batting .245. Jonathan Villar has 12 hits and is batting .000 over the last 10 games for Baltimore.
LAST 10 GAMES: Rangers: 6-4, .258 batting average, 4.45 ERA, outscored opponents by 13 runs
Orioles: 4-6, .254 batting average, 5.17 ERA, outscored by 11 runs
Rangers Injuries: Edinson Volquez: 60-day IL (elbow), Yohander Mendez: 60-day IL (elbow), Taylor Hearn: 10-day IL (elbow), Luke Farrell: 60-day IL (jaw), Kyle Dowdy: 10-day IL (elbow), Scott Heineman: 60-day IL (shoulder), Joey Gallo: 10-day IL (oblique), Willie Calhoun: 10-day IL (quad).
Orioles Injuries: Nate Karns: 60-day IL (forearm), Alex Cobb: 60-day IL (lumbar strain), DJ Stewart: day-to-day (ankle), Jonathan Villar: day-to-day (thumb), Mark Trumbo: 60-day IL (knee), Pedro Severino: day-to-day (head).