Here are some notes and information on where to watch and what to expect for the primetime game on Sunday, June 30.
ESPN will host Sunday Night Baseball all season.
Texas Rangers (37-46) @ Baltimore Orioles (53-30), 7:00 pm EDT, ESPN
Odds: Orioles -165 (ESPNBet)
Probable Starters: Andrew Heaney (TEX), 2-9, 4.17 ERA vs. Cole Irvin (BAL), 6-4, 3.74 ERA
Preview: These two teams faced off in the 2023 ALDS, where the Rangers swept the young Orioles. They would ride that momentum to the World Series, where they would eventually knock off the Arizona Diamondbacks.
After winning last year, the defending World Series champs have struggled in 2024. Is it a World Series hangover? Bad luck? Maybe a combination of both. Whatever it is, the Rangers have lost six straight heading into Sunday night but have lost both games to the Orioles in this series by just one run.
They have struggled against teams above .500 all year, with a record of 15-28. If they hope to repeat some of the success they had last year, they need to address that area. They recently got Max Scherzer back from the Injured List, where he spent the first two and a half months on the shelf.
The Orioles, on the other hand, are one of the best teams in baseball. Led by their young stars, they have the second-best record in the AL and have won four straight. Gunnar Henderson is having an MVP-caliber season. He’s batting almost .300 from the leadoff spot with 26 home runs and 58 RBIs.
Their experience in the 2023 playoffs will only help this young core succeed in 2024, and they are a team everyone expects to be competing in late October.
Prediction: It’s hard to pick against the Orioles right now, especially against a pitcher who has struggled in 2024.
Orioles win this one at home.
Photo Credit: Colton Cowser #17, Cedric Mullins #31, Gunnar Henderson #2, Anthony Santander #25, and Jordan Westburg #11 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrate after the final out of the game against the Texas Rangers. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
