Rangers

ARLINGTON, Texas - The Rangers have had success against left-hander Joe Saunders -- the Orioles' starter in tonight's AL wild-card game -- but Texas manager Ron Washington said Saunders is a much different pitcher that he one his team saw often in the AL West when he pitched with the Angels. “From what I understand and what I've been reading in the reports, he's not the guy I remember reading about when he was in Anaheim,” Washington said. “So I think we're just going to have to wait and see. We know he's going to use his off-speed.

Here's a look at how our Orioles Insiders see tonight's American League wild-card playoff against the Rangers shaking out: Eduardo A. Encina Orioles 5, Rangers 3 This is the kind of matchup up that Orioles manager Buck Showalter enjoys, a one-game, winner-take-all fight to the final out. And his team will relish it, too. Every time the Orioles seem to be out this season, they come charging back. Expect Showalter's wild-card roster to be packed with relievers so he can utilize matchup advantages. If the suddenly silent bats show up, the Orioles are coming home for the ALDS.  Dan Connolly Orioles 7, Rangers 6 There's absolutely no logical reason for this pick.

  Orioles manager Buck Showalter has put his team's playoff hopes in the hands of veteran left-hander Joe Saunders, who has been tabbed to start tonight's do-or-die American League wild-card playoff game at Rangers Ballpark. By now, Saunders' career struggles at Rangers Ballpark -- an 0-6 record with a 9.38 ERA in six starts -- are well documented. We also know that Saunders, who has made most of his starts against the Rangers as a member of the Los Angeles Angels in the AL West, has pitched well with the Orioles, going 3-3 with a 3.63 ERA in seven starts.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Orioles and Rangers announced their rosters for tonight's one-game American League wild-card playoff at Rangers Ballpark. Not a lot of surprises. Orioles manager Buck Showalter will have 10 relievers to pick from tonight in relief of left-handed starter Joe Saunders. Because the Orioles can submit a new roster before Sunday's first ALDS game, if they win tonight and continue their season, Friday's roster was expected to be reliever heavy and starting pitcher short - and it is.  Here are the non-injured players who are here but didn't make this roster: Xavier Avery, Wei-Yin Chen, Miguel Gonzalez, Chris Tillman.  The Rangers have included lefty starters Matt Harrison and Derek Holland, in case they need them for a matchup or an inning.

ARLINGTON, Texas - Chris Davis was on the roster of two Texas Rangers teams that eventually went to the World Series. He didn't make the postseason cut in 2010 and was traded to the Orioles halfway through 2011. On Friday, he'll play the first big league postseason game of his career in Arlington, but he'll be on the visitor's side. "It's good to be back," said Davis, who still lives in Dallas and returned to Rangers Ballpark earlier this season with the Orioles. "I think it helped playing here in August to get all the emotions out, coming back to a place that I was here for a while.

Inside the Orioles clubhouse, a tub of champagne on ice sat in the middle of the room, a black tablecloth covering it. Plastic covers were rolled atop the lockers, ready to be unraveled to cue a celebration 15 years in waiting. Hours later, anticipation was met with validation. While traveling to their final regular-season series in Tampa Bay, the Orioles received word that they had clinched their first postseason berth since 1997 with the Los Angeles Angels' loss to the Texas Rangers Sunday evening.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Orioles manager Buck Showalter has stressed all season that one game can't mean too much - whether it's an inspiring comeback or an epic clunker. Ponder what happened for a few minutes post-game, Showalter preaches, and then turn the page. Given that thinking, the Orioles need to treat Wednesday's 12-3 pummeling by the Texas Rangers like a spellbinding thriller. And flip through it quickly. “We are playing with house money. We're not supposed to be where we are,” Orioles first baseman Mark Reynolds said.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - The first and only time Chris Tillman had pitched at Rangers Ballpark back in July 2010, the Orioles right-hander turned in what might have been his signature performance as a major leaguer, taking a no-hit bid into the seventh against a club that eventually made it to the World Series that year. Tillman wasn't that unhittable Tuesday night, but he was plenty good enough as the Orioles picked up a 5-3 victory to set up a series rubber match with the Rangers tonight.

ARLINGTON, Texas - After the Orioles' 5-1 loss to the Texas Rangers on Monday night, center fielder Adam Jones said he walked into the visiting clubhouse and sensed the right vibe, one that's been prevalent throughout this surprising season. “The first thing I said after the game, when I came in the clubhouse, was, 'Hey, it's the first game of the series. You thought it was gonna be easy?' We're good,” said Jones, who had two of the Orioles' four hits Monday. “In previous years, you lose a game and you come into the clubhouse, it's like a mortuary.