Manuel Margot went 2-4 with a home run on Sunday against the Mets. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After a successful 4-2 homestand, capped by a three-game sweep of the New York Mets, the Tampa Bay Rays will make a brief excursion out of the Bay Area to Baltimore, where they will face the Orioles in a three-game series, starting Tuesday. The Orioles dropped the previous series against the Yankees, two games to three.

The Rays snapped out of their wRISP malaise, having gone 11-for-31 wRISP, good for a .355 batting average with runners on second and third base over the life of the series with New York. In Friday’s game, Tampa Bay rallied late and got a handful of key hits, including another monster shot by Gator Mike Zunino, as well as a walk-off RBI base hit by Brett Phillips. Then on Saturday, the Rays plated 12 runs without the benefit of a home run, rather they hit eight doubles, went 8-for-18 wRISP, and drove in 11 runs. Finally, on Sunday, they hit three home runs off Marcus Stroman, who previously had given up just three homers all season.

Tampa Bay saw a dramatic increase in hit placement over the last couple of weeks, with the team performing to a .310 BABIP. The overall increase in production has allowed them to increase their, well … productivity. The Rays are finally performing better than the league average over the last 14 days with regard to wRC+ (108) and wRAA (2.4). It was a breath of fresh air over the previous two series, and it wouldn’t appear that they’ve hit their ceiling.

Entering the series, Zunino is tied with Austin Meadows in the team’s home run race with eight apiece, while Meadows also has 22 RBI to lead the ball club, while, Joey Wendle leads the pack hitting .280. Over the last week, the Rays have brought back Ji-Man Choi and have seen Yandy Díaz come alive a little, hitting .438 over the last six games. Brandon Lowe’s struggles are still a concern, as is Randy Arozarena, things, however, seem to be trending in the right direction for the offense as a whole.

While the Orioles have edged out the Rays offensively overall, the pitching staff — John Means precluded — has been, uhh … not so great. All told, Baltimore’s pitching staff has performed to a 4.26 ERA and 4.40 FIP, and a 4.61 ERA and 4.10 FIP over the last two weeks. As a team, Trey Mancini and Cedric Mullins have led the way for the offense thus far. Mancini leads the team with seven homers and 32 RBI, which is good for fourth in baseball. Mullins’ .312 batting average paces the team and the one-time highly-touted prospect is finally proving his value to Baltimore. Over the last seven days, both Mancini and Mullins are hitting over .300, as are Pedro Saverino and DJ Stewart.

Even so, if Rays’ hurlers can keep Baltimore in check, Tampa Bay should have a shot at putting up some round numbers over the life of the series.

Last season, the Rays went 6-4 against the Orioles, but 4-4 in Baltimore.

Pitching Probables

Over the next three days, Kevin Cash is expected to turn to Luis Patiño (1-1, 1.54 ERA), Ryan Yarbrough (2-3, 4.20 ERA), and Rich Hill (2-1, 4.26 ERA). Brandon Hyde will counter with Matt Harvey (3-3, 4.81 ERA), John Means (4-0, 1.21 ERA), and Dean Kremer (0-3, 5.81 ERA).

Luis Patiño allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk while striking out three against the Yankees on Tuesday. Patiño found himself in a quick hole after serving up a solo home run to Aaron Judge in the first inning. Later, in the third inning, the right-hander allowed two men to reach while one ended up scoring after two passed balls allowed the runners to advance. Still, Patiño was effective once again, and he has allowed just three total runs (two earned) while striking out 13 across 11-2/3 combined innings.

Matt Harvey surrendered seven runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and one walk over 4-1/3 innings on Wednesday against the Mets. The 31-year-old pitched against his former team for the first time after spending most of his career New York, and he was tagged for seven earned runs in his worst start of the year. Harvey now maintains a 4.81 ERA, a 1.37 WHIP, and 2.64 K/BB across 39-1/3 innings this season. He relies primarily on a 94 mph four-seam fastball with natural sinking action and slight arm-side run and a 93 mph sinker, while also mixing in an 86 mph 12-6 slider, an 85 mph changeup with slight arm-side fade, and an 80 mph curveball with slight glove-side movement.

Ryan Yarbrough threw 3-1/3 scoreless innings against the Yankees on Wednesday, scattering two hits while fanning four on 56 pitches. Yarbrough has been effective in two outings behind an opener, allowing just one run on seven hits and two walks while striking out seven. He enters play with a 4.20 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP over 40-2/3 innings on the season. The left-hander is 3-1 with a 3.24 ERA in eight career outings (three starts) against the Orioles.

John Means held the Mets scoreless across six innings on Thursday. He struck out three and walked none. Coming off a no-hitter against Seattle, in which he struck out 12 batters and missed a perfect game by one dropped third strike, Means turned in another fantastic outing, blanking his opponent for the fourth time this season. The left-hander did not issue any free passes for the third time in 2021 as he tossed 52 of his 74 pitches for strikes (70% strike rate). Means now sports a shiny 1.21 ERA and a 0.71 WHIP with six quality starts on the season. Means is 3-1 with a 3.25 ERA in five career outings (four starts) against the Rays. He relies primarily on a whiffy 93 mph four-seam fastball with little arm-side run and an 83 mph changeup that has a lot of backspin, while also mixing in a 78 mph curveball with sweeping glove-side movement, and a hard 86 mph slider that generates a lot of swings and misses. Key Matchups: Mike Brosseau (4-9, 3 HR, 4 RBI), Yandy Díaz (2-7, 2B, HR, RBI), Manuel Margot (1-3), Joey Wendle (2-7)

Rich Hill tossed 6-2/3 scoreless innings against the Yankees on Thursday, scattering three hits and three walks while fanning nine. Hill has posted three straight scoreless appearances, totalling 17-2/3 innings, after beginning the season on a down note. The southpaw now owns a 9.8 K/9 with two quality starts over that three-game stretch. Hill is 2-0 with a 1.27 ERA in 13 career outings (three starts) against Baltimore.

Dean Kremer allowed two runs on five hits while striking out four over five innings against the Yankees on Friday. Both runs allowed came off the bat of Aaron Judge, who took the hurler deep twice. Kremer otherwise didn’t face too much pressure with the rest of the Yankees lineup, as he allowed just three singles. The hurler remains winless on the season with a 5.81 ERA. Kremer is 0-0 with a 1.80 ERA in one career start against the Rays. He relies primarily on a 93 mph four-seam fastball, while also mixing in a hard 87 mph slider, a 76 mph curveball with exceptional bite, and an 83 mph changeup with slight arm-side fade and natural sink. Key Matchup: Brett Phillips (1-2, 3B, RBI)

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