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The Tampa Bay Rays finished off their disappointing series against the Blue Jays, with a frustrating (and lackluster) 1-0 loss against Mark Buehrle and Toronto, after Jake Odorizzi put up 7-1/3 superb innings of shutout ball. The Rays had a prime scoring opportunity in the ninth, loading the bases with only one out, but low and behold Tampa Bay — as it’s been wont to do this season — couldn’t capitalize on the game winning opportunity. As Neil Solondz mentioned in the post-game show, when the Rays found themselves in a prime, scoring opportunity, they put the pressure on themselves to cash in — not on the pitcher. I live blogged the game from section 107. You can relive the game at our Tumblr page, otherwise, our Rays/Orioles series preview is below.

The Rays welcome the Orioles for the sixth and final series of the season. For Tampa Bay, the wanton desire to finish off the season on a high note hasn’t translated to tallies in the win column. Rather, it feels like a slow dragging grind to game 162 — akin to a funeral procession. The Rays, coming off their 17th shutout of the year, have fallen short in 13 of their last 19.

On the other hand, the Baltimore Orioles are a few weeks shy of their second playoff berth in three years. They’ve hit the most home runs in baseball (185) — 25 more than the next-closest team. Nick Hundley belted a three-run shot and Nelson Cruz and Jonathan Schoop also went deep Thursday’s night in their 9-7 win against the Reds. Schoop has homered in each of the last three games, giving him 15 on the season to rank third among rookies. Meanwhile Nelson Cruz leads the majors with 37 after hitting his third in five games. Baltimore out homered its opponents 22-6 in winning nine of 11 on its recently completed home stand.

Per Marc Topkin of the Times, “The O’s are 64-14 when scoring four or more runs, including 32-2 since June 30. (The Rays are 51-23.)”

Rays and Orioles series starters (over the last 30 days).
Rays and Orioles series starters (over the last 30 days).
Rays and Orioles offensive production (at home, away, and over the last 30 days).
Rays and Orioles offensive production (at home, away, and over the last 30 days).

Wei-Yen Chen: The Rays were able to incur some damage against Chen (14-4, 3.83 ERA) on August 26th. The only problem: Showalter took him out of the game before Tampa Bay could score more than two runs, and the Rays lost 4-2. As I wrote a little more than two weeks ago, the Rays have had a fair amount of success against Chen this season. In his first start against the Rays, Chen held Longoria and company to one run on five hits. Yet the Rays beat Chen and the Orioles twice since — and previous to the game on the 26th — both times by a 5-4 margin. In the case of his most recent five run start, Chen gave on seven hits, including three homers. One thing is certain, with a 12% HR/FB the fly ball pitcher does give up his fair share of homers. Key matchups: Logan Forsythe (3-10, HR, 2 RBI), Brandon Guyer (1-4), Desmond Jennings (7-28, 2 2B, HR, RBI, 3 BB), Matt Joyce (1-4, 2 BB), Kevin Kiermaier (2-5, HR, 2 RBI), James Loney (4-10, 2 2B), Jose Molina (2-5, 2B, RBI, BB), Ben Zobrist (12-32, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB).

Kevin Gausman: Talk about an uneven outing. Despite giving up only two earned runs, Gausman last only four innings against the Rays in a 3-1 loss on August 27th. He’s now thrown for five innings or fewer in seven of his 15 starts, while opposing teams (Rays included) have walked away with wins in six of those games. Key matchups: David DeJesus (1-3, 2B), Yunel Escobar (5-7, RBI), Brandon Guyer (2-2, 2 2B, RBI), Matt Joyce (2-9, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB), Kevin Kiermaier (2-8), Evan Longoria (3-10, 2B, RBI, 2 BB), Jose Molina (1-2, RBI), Wil Myers (1-3), Ben Zobrist (6-10, 3 2B, 3 RBI, BB).

Bud Norris: While Norris (12-8, 3.83 ERA) was very good against Tampa Bay last season — posting a 1-1 record in 9-1/3 innings of work — the Rays were able to tag him for four runs on six hits, back on Augsut 28th. His most impressive start came as an Astro, putting together a 7 IP/6 H/1 R outing against Roberto Hernadez. Norris’ change-up has vastly improved over previous seasons. It’s coaxed a modest number of whiffs (10.3%), and a hefty number of grounders (65.7%). His change-up pairs well with a plus slider. Key matchups: David DeJesus (8-15, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB), Desmond Jennings (3-11, 2B, BB), Matt Joyce (4-9, RBI 2 BB), James Loney (11-21, 3 2B, 3 RBI, 3 BB).

Noteworthiness

  • The Orioles lead the season series 11-5, and are 5-1 at the Trop. The O’s lead 147-146 overall, while the Rays lead 77-69 at the Trop.

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