This year has been a memorable season for both the Baltimore Orioles and the Texas Rangers; just two years ago, in 2021, both teams lost over 100 games in a single season, but this year both teams made it to the playoffs and faced each other in the American League Division Series (ALDS).

The last postseason meeting between these two teams was in the 2012 American League Wild Card game (the first year the Wild Card game was implemented), where the Orioles defeated the Rangers 5-1 to advance to the next round. Of course, the rosters are completely different now compared to back then.

The analysis is divided into 8 sections:
(1) Pre-playoff predictions and advantages of both teams
(2) Pitching performances of both teams
(3) Batting performances of both teams
(4) Defensive performances of both teams
(5) Analysis of game 1
(6) Analysis of game 2
(7) Analysis of game 3
(8) Summary

This article will cover sections (1) to (4), and the next will discuss the game-by-game tactical analysis.

Sources:
MLB Official Site
Fangraphs
Baseball Reference

(1) Pre-playoff predictions and advantages

Comparing regular season data, the Rangers have a well-rounded lineup and strong starting pitchers but unstable bullpen strength; the Orioles, while also having a good lineup connectivity, lack the star-studded lineup of the Rangers, with less stable starting pitching but a strong bullpen as their significant advantage. Regarding postseason experience, the Rangers are more seasoned due to acquisitions over the past two years, making them the favorites in many people’s pre-series predictions.

Surprisingly, the Rangers swept the Orioles 3-0 in a one-sided series, with Orioles’ starting pitchers unable to contain the Rangers’ robust lineup in games 2 and 3, allowing the Rangers to take an early lead in these games. The unexpected aspect was not just the Rangers winning the series, but how dominantly they did so.

(2) Pitching performances

Starting Pitchers Comparison

Here are the series stats for the starting pitchers:
Team | Innings Pitched | ERA | WHIP | K/BB | BAA
TEX | 14 2/3 | 3.68 | 1.23 | 5.00 | 0.267
BAL | 8 1/3 | 14.63 | 3.25 | 1.83 | 0.455

Relief Pitchers Comparison

Team | Innings Pitched | ERA | WHIP | K/BB | BAA
TEX | 12 1/3 | 2.92 | 1.30 | 1.86 | 0.209
BAL | 18 0/3 | 4.00 | 1.22 | 1.42 | 0.161

Although the Orioles’ bullpen had better season stats, their advantage was almost null in the series due to early deficits.

(3) Batting performances

Series batting stats:
Team | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | HR | SB | R/G
TEX| .283 | .387 | .491 | .878 | 5 | 0 | 7.00
BAL| .243 | .301 | .388 | .689 | 3 | 0 | 3.67

The Rangers’ hitters were exceptionally productive, significantly outperforming their regular season averages, especially in crucial scoring situations.

(4) Defensive performances

Both teams performed well defensively during the regular season, with the Rangers committing fewer errors and generally showing superior advanced defensive metrics. In the ALDS, the teams maintained solid defensive performances with minimal errors, contributing to the overall competitive nature of the series.

This overview will be followed by detailed game-by-game tactical analyses in the next article.