'It's going to be a battle': O's preview ALDS duel with Rangers
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BALTIMORE -- Over the past three days, the Orioles have held daily workouts at Camden Yards, preparing to play in the postseason for the first time since 2016. They’ve done infield drills, batting practice, bullpen sessions and even simulated games.
During that time, the ballpark has slowly transformed into the site of an imminent American League Division Series matchup. On Tuesday night, ALDS and postseason logos showed up on the walls of both dugouts and bunting was hung on the warehouse beyond right field.
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On Thursday evening, the postseason logo had been freshly painted in the grass in foul territory.
“It was cool to come out the other day, see all the stuff laid out,” center fielder Cedric Mullins said. “It’s a fun environment.”
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It’ll be a much louder environment on Saturday afternoon, when Baltimore will host Texas in Game 1 of the ALDS in the first postseason game played at Camden Yards since the 2014 AL Championship Series.
When the Orioles worked out on Tuesday and Wednesday -- amid a five-day break they earned by seizing the AL’s No. 1 seed and receiving a bye -- they didn’t yet know their ALDS opponent. They learned it would be the Rangers on Wednesday evening, when Texas completed a two-game sweep of Tampa Bay in the AL Wild Card Series.
“They’re good. They have good pitching, good offense,” outfielder Anthony Santander said. “Honestly, we were just waiting for either one. We were just preparing ourselves to compete on Saturday.”
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The O’s would have been much more familiar with the Rays, their AL East rival whom they played 13 times during the regular season. Baltimore also experienced a good bit of success against Tampa Bay, going 8-5 in head-to-head matchups en route to winning its first division crown since 2014.
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There isn’t as much recent history between the Orioles and Rangers. The two teams traded series victories early in the season -- Baltimore won two of three at Globe Life Field from April 3-5, then Texas took two of three at Camden Yards from May 26-28.
“It might take a little bit more of a deep dive into a couple guys, just to make sure we get a full grasp of what they’re trying to do to us offensively, defensively, stuff like that,” Mullins said. “It’s the same on their end as well, they haven’t really seen us as much.”
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There isn’t much postseason history between the two franchises, either. The only previous playoff meeting between the Orioles and Rangers came in 2012, when Baltimore went on the road and notched a 5-1 victory in the inaugural winner-take-all AL Wild Card Game.
Texas proved how formidable it can be during its Wild Card Series sweep at Tampa Bay, outscoring the Rays by 10 runs (11-1) over the pair of games. The Rangers’ biggest strength is their potent lineup, as they led all AL teams during the regular season in runs scored (881), batting average (.263) and OPS (.789), while hitting 233 home runs, tied for the most with the Twins.
But the Orioles knew the postseason wasn’t going to bring an easy matchup. So the 101-win team is ready for what could be its biggest test yet.
“Honestly, I think anyone we would have faced at this point was going to be challenging. We’re down to the top teams in the game,” Mullins said. “We’re going to buckle down, understand who we’re competing against, a Major League team over there, and just bring a lot of energy to the field. …
“It’s going to be a battle.”