Opposite dugout: Despite issues, Rangers have managed to contend in AL West

Manager: Jeff Banister (1st season)

Record: 38-38

Last 10 games: 2-8

Who to watch: 1B/DH Prince Fielder (.351/.418/.538 with 12 HR, 48 RBIs); 1B Mitch Moreland (.298 with 10 HR, 36 RBIs), 3B Adrian Beltre (.248 with 6 HR, 20 RBIs), 3B/OF Joey Gallo (5 HR, 10 RBIs), RHP Nick Martinez (5-4, 3.39 ERA), RHP Colby Lewis (7-3, 4.10 ERA), RHP Shawn Tolleson (10 saves, 2.48 ERA)

Season series vs. Orioles: First meeting (1-6 in 2014)

Pitching probables:

June 29: LHP Wandy Rodriguez vs. RHP Bud Norris, 7:05 p.m., MASN
June 30: RHP Colby Lewis vs. RHP Miguel Gonzalez, 7:05 p.m., MASN2
July 1: RHP Nick Martinez vs. LHP Wei-Yin Chen, 7:05 p.m., MASN2
July 2: RHP Yovani Gallardo vs. Kevin Gausman, 7:05 p.m., MASN2

Inside the Rangers:

To say the Rangers got off to a slow start under first-year manager Jeff Banister would be an understatement. While the Astros were piling up wins left and right over the season's first few weeks, the Rangers were struggling to find any semblance of consistency. It took Texas until May 4-5 to post consecutive victories, and the inability of veterans like center fielder Shin-Soo Choo, third baseman Adrian Beltre and shortstop Elvis Andrus to reach their career averages was a chief culprit. Lately, the wins have been hard to come by - they've dropped eight of their last 10 games, includng a six-game skid.

Though they trailed the Astros by as much as 9 1/2 games on May 20, the Rangers enter this week's annual visit to Camden Yards in third place in the American League West and only five games back of the Astros, who have cooled off a little since their sizzling start. They've done so with Beltre on the shelf for 19 games, spotty contributions from Choo and Andrus, and a first-time closer in Shawn Tolleson, who has reeled off 10 saves in 10 tries since taking over when Neftali Feliz went on the disabled list in late May.

While it may look like they've done it with smoke and mirrors, it's pretty easy to pinpoint what's gone right deep in the heart of Texas. For starters, Banister has proven adept at getting the most out of who's available - no small challenge for a guy in his first crack at managing in the majors. First baseman Prince Fielder, who missed most of last season after undergoing neck surgery, showed up at spring training slim and trim, and has proceeded to spend most of the year among the American League's batting average leaders. He's currently leading the Rangers with a .351 average, 12 homers and 48 RBIs, and staking an early claim for AL Comeback Player of the Year honors. Veteran right-handed starting pitchers Colby Lewis and Yovani Gallardo have been money for the Rangers. Lewis's seven victories lead the club, but his 4.10 ERA could stand to be slimmed down. Gallardo, acquired in the offseason from Milwaukee, started slowly and, while he's only got a 7-6 record and a 2.72 ERA in 16 starts, he's emerged as the most reliable option in a rotation ruined by injuries. The Rangers are waiting for Josh Hamilton - who relapsed in the offseason, again acknowledged his addiction issues and started the season on the DL before being traded to Texas by the Angels - to return from a hamstring injury that landed him back on the sideline. He could be back in the next couple of days, and might replace the slumping Leonys Martin in center field. And when Beltre went down, it opened the door for top prospect Joey Gallo, who has five homers in 24 games but looks like he's hitting a wall. Banister is playing Gallo at third base and the outfield to keep his bat in the lineup now that Beltre is off the DL. The Rangers have also gotten some nice production from first baseman Mitch Moreland, who sometimes pushes Fielder into the DH spot. Moreland is hitting .298 with 10 homers and 36 RBIs.

If they're going to challenge the Astros, the Rangers need to improve the offense. They rank 10th in the majors in homers (77), 12th in runs (326) and seventh in stolen bases (53). But their slash line of .248/.316/.395 as a team places them in the bottom half of the majors in everything but slugging percentage, where they rank 15th. Likewise, their 4.04 ERA (19th) and .257 opponent batting average (19th) could be better. But somehow, they're pushing through and confounding prognosticators. Righty Yu Darvish would help, but he's out for the year after Tommy John surgery. Injuries have been a major problem: Texas has 13 players on the disabled list right now, including eight players - three of them who were supposed to be in the starting rotation - on the 60-day DL.

Monday night starter Wandy Rodriguez is a guy who has benefited from the Rangers' health issues. After being cut by the Braves late in spring training, the left-hander latched on with the Rangers, made a couple of starts for Triple-A Round Rock and went right into the rotation. Results have been mixed - he's gone six or more innings in five of his 12 starts, but the Rangers had won six straight games he pitched until he was touched for eight runs and 11 hits in four innings by the A's on June 24. He's been solid on the road, working to a 4-0 record with a 2.28 ERA and holding foes to a .212 batting average. The O's will probably be aggressive early, since opponents are slashing .306/.364/.653 against Rodriguez in the first inning. He's never had much success against Baltimore, going 0-1 with a 5.87 ERA in two career starts against the Orioles and 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA in one Camden Yards start. His repertoire is pretty simple: a fastball between 85-91 mph 60 percent of the time and a 70-77 mph curveball 35 percent of the time.

Lewis gets the nod on Tuesday night, and he has posted five quality starts and a 3.03 ERA in June. He's 6-2 with a 2.94 ERA at night this season, but 4-3 with a 4.59 ERA on the road, where he's allowed a .303/.335/.482 slash line. Using mostly a fastball/slider combination, he's limited the damage - a .327/.347/.510 slash line looks bad until you consider that it has come with none on. Lifetime against the Orioles, Lewis is 1-4 with a 6.35 ERA, and he's 0-3 with a 5.74 ERA in Baltimore.

Right-hander Nick Martinez takes the mound Wednesday night, hoping to turn around a forgettable June in which he's pitched to a 6.35 ERA in five starts. In his last outing on June 26 at Toronto, the Blue Jays mashed him for nine runs (eight earned) on nine hits in six innings. But he's been giving the Rangers length, recording 11 quality starts in 15 outings. His numbers at night (2-3, 4.47 ERA) don't look too impressive, but he's 3-2 with a 2.96 ERA on the road (with a .235 average against) and 5-3 with a 2.60 ERA on grass. Martinez is prone to losing it quickly, however - from his 76th to 90th pitches, opponents are slashing .435/.500/755. His fastball sits between 86-93 mph and his slider from 78-85 mph - those two pitches account for 83 percent of his offerings. The Orioles have always hit him well: Martinez is 0-2 with an 8.71 ERA in two career starts against the Birds, and 0-1 with a 10.80 ERA in one start at Camden Yards.

Gallardo carries a streak of 23 scoreless innings into his start in Thursday's series finale. In his last outing, he fell two outs short of a complete-game shutout, settling for a three-hitter over 8 2/3 innings. In five June starts, the righty has a microscopic 0.54 ERA. Opponents are hitting only .229 against Gallardo this year, and he's been particularly tough with runners in scoring position, holding foes to a .213 average. Since Gallardo was a National Leaguer until this season, having spent his entire career with Milwaukee, he hasn't seen much of the Orioles. He's made one career start versus Baltimore, picking up a win and allowing three runs on four hits over 6 2/3 innings with five walks and five strikeouts. But he did allow two homers in that win last May 28 at Miller Park. Gallardo pumps his fastball to hitters 55 percent of the time, and he reaches 94 mph with the pitch. He also features a biting slider that sits between 84-91 mph.