After a disappointing, yet winnable, series in New York, the Tampa Bay Rays will try to get back on track when they travel to Baltimore to open a three-game series on Friday night. The Rays have lost five out of six games heading into the forthcoming series, while Baltimore is coming off a series split against Toronto.
At 35-28 on the season, the Rays enter play seven games above .500, having lost four total games in the win/loss columns.
The Rays limited the Yankees to eight runs total (three earned) over the last three days, although it’s kind of hard to defeat a team when you’ve been limited to four total runs. Of their most recent losses, four were by one or two runs.
The obvious, Tampa Bay has struggled at the plate this season, yet it will be facing a Baltimore pitching staff that is ranked 23rd in baseball on team ERA at 4.37. Who knows, perhaps that will spark an offensive resurgence.
It is not clear if centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier will appear in any of the games in Baltimore. Kiermaier did not play Thursday after leaving Wednesday’s contest with left achilles inflammation. Meanwhile, Mike Zunino’s status is still unclear after a pair of MRIs and a botox shot in his left shoulder as he deals with shoulder concerns.
Baltimore has been hovering around 10 games below the .500 for most of the season, as the Orioles are trying to avoid sliding completely out of playoff contention before the All-Star Break. They split a four-game series with Kansas City last weekend before the most recent series split. They enter this set as one of the worst offensive teams in baseball, ranked number 26 in team batting average (.231). Left fielder Austin Hays leads the way with 65 hits and 36 RBI in his breakout campaign, while DH Trey Mancini has 63 hits. He, however, is out indefinitely with a hand injury.
The Rays are 4-2 against the Orioles this season, but 1-2 in Baltimore.
Pitching Probables
Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will throw Shane Baz (0-1, 19.29 ERA), Jeffrey Springs (3-2, 1.45 ERA), and Corey Kluber (3-3, 3.50 ERA). Brandon Hyde will counter with Dean Kremer (1-1, 3.86 ER), Kyle Bradish (1-4, 6.86 ERA), and Jordan Lyles (4-5, 5.10 ERA).
Shane Baz gave up five runs on three hits and three walks in 2.1 innings while striking out just two batters Saturday against the Twins. Baz entered the season with plenty of hype, but arthroscopic elbow surgery in late March kept him on the shelf for the first two months of the season. His debut certainly didn’t go as he would have liked, as the Twins scored five runs in the third inning on a Luis Arraez grand slam and a Jose Miranda double. However, one bad outing shouldn’t dent Baz’s significant pedigree, although it serves as a reminder that expecting dominance immediately after a return from elbow surgery may be unwise.
Dean Kremer struck out two in five innings while allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks on Sunday against the Royals. Kremer held Kansas City scoreless through the first five innings, scattering three singles and a couple of walks. He allowed a single to lead off the sixth and, after an error by Richie Martin which led to a run, Kremer’s day ended. It was the second start of the season for the 26-year-old, and he has a 3.86 ERA and a 4.42 FIP, with a 1.29 WHIP, and a 1.67 K/BB through 9.1 innings on the season. Kremer relies primarily on a 94 mph four-seam fastball and a hard 88 mph slider, while also mixing in an 83 mph changeup that dives down out of the zone and has slight arm-side fade, and a 78 mph 12-6 curveball.
Jeffrey Springs allowed two hits and two walks while striking out five over 5.1 scoreless innings on Sunday versus the Twins. Springs was stingy on the mound and received plenty of support from the Rays’ offense. This was his second win in eight starts, and it’s the fifth time he’s managed to keep runs off the board since moving into the rotation. Overall, he’s pitched to a strong 1.45 ERA and 3.16 FIP, with a 0.91 WHIP and a 4.17 K/BB across 49.2 innings (16 outings). Springs is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA across three outings (one start) against the Orioles this season.
Kyle Bradish allowed five runs on nine hits and a walk with three strikeouts across 4.1 innings on Monday versus the Blue Jays. Bradish has completed five innings just once in his last six turns after doing so twice in his first three major-league starts. The fifth inning proved troublesome this time, as he was responsible for three of the Blue Jays’ seven runs in the frame, although he was also to keep the ball in the yard for the first time this season. The right-hander has an uninspiring 6.86 ERA and 5.61 FIP, with a 1.67 WHIP, and 2.53 K/BB and 10 home runs allowed across 42 innings this season. On the season, Bradish is 0-1 with a 8.44 ERA in one start against the Rays this season. Key Matchups: Randy Arozarena (2-2, 2 HR, 3 RBI, BB), Yandy Diaz (1-3), Kevin Kiermaier (2-3)
Corey Kluber got the start Tuesday against the Yankees and allowed two unearned runs on four hits, a hit batsman, and a walk while striking out three across six innings. Kluber held the Yankees hitless through the first three frames, yet a pair of Tampa Bay errors led to his unearned runs in the fourth inning. The veteran has had two strong outings against the Yankees this season, allowing just one earned run across 12 innings. Over his last six starts, Kluber has a 2.53 ERA and a 3.59 FIP, with a 6.75 K/BB in 32 innings. On the season, Kluber is 2-0 with a 2.35 ERA in two starts against the Orioles.
Jordan Lyles gave up four runs on five hits and two walks over 5.1 innings against the Blue Jays on Tuesday. He struck out seven. It wasn’t an impressive performance from the right-hander, who tossed 59 of 96 pitches for strikes (61% strike rate) before exiting, although Baltimore’s offense gave him just enough run support. Lyles hasn’t completed six innings in any of his last four turns, stumbling to a 7.78 ERA and a 1.98 WHIP, with a 1.78 K/BB through 19.2 innings over that stretch. He is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in one start against the Rays this season. Key Matchups: Ji-Man Choi (1-2, BB), Kevin Kiermaier (1-3, 2B, BB), Francisco Mejia (3-4, HR, 3 RBI), Brett Phillips (1-4, RBI)