After a 3-4 westward trek, the Tampa Bay Rays return to the friendly confines of the Trop, where they’ll start a brief two-game series against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday. Similar to the Rays, the Orioles dropped two of three over the weekend.
At 51-24 on the season, the Rays enter play 27 games over .500, and 5.0 games up on the second-place Orioles.
The Rays dropped a rare series over the weekend, as their late comeback (from a three-run deficit) fell short in the series finale, on Sunday. Randy Arozarena (two runs) collected three hits in the contest, while Josh Lowe (run, RBI) and Christian Bethancourt each had two. Despite hitting .296 with runners in scoring position over the life of the series, Tampa Bay left nine runners on base in the rubber match of the series.
Over the last week, the Rays maintain a combined .260 BA/.327 OBP/.390 SLG/.717 OPS slash line with an above-average .336 BABIP, but a 106 wRC+, and a .130 ISO. Unlike the Padres, who are notoriously bad at playing small ball, Tampa Bay was able to get runners on and over, however, that big go-ahead run-scoring hit alluded them.
Meanwhile, Baltimore managed to salvage a win in the finale of their three-game set at Wrigley Field to avoid being swept. Baltimore banged out 14 hits, led by Austin Hays (run), who collected three. Anthony Santander homered for the Orioles in the victory. Over the last seven days, the Orioles maintain a combined .298 BA/.336 OBP/.456 SLG/.792 OPS with a marginally better .158 ISO and a 120 wRC+.
Tampa Bay is 1-2 against the Orioles this season, having scored as many runs (6) as they’ve allowed.
Pitching Probables
Over the next two days, Kevin Cash will call on Tyler Glasnow (2-0, 3.43 ERA, 4.23) and Taj Bradley (4-3, 4.19 ERA, 2.67 FIP). Brandon Hyde will counter with Kyle Bradish (2-3, 3.90 ERA, 3.80 FIP) and Tyler Wells (6-2, 3.20 ERA, 4.44 FIP).
Tyler Glasnow struck out six while allowing three runs on six hits and four walks over 5.1 innings. Glasnow allowed season highs in walks and hits, but he still completed five innings for a third consecutive start and recorded his second straight win. The right-hander has surrendered 10 walks over his past three starts, but his command issues haven’t yet come back to haunt him. Given he missed the first two months of the season with an oblique injury, his overall numbers — 3.43 ERA and 4.23 FIP, 1.29 WHIP, and 2.36 K/BB — across his first four appearances are solid.
Kyle Bradish allowed one run on four hits with no walks over seven innings against the Blue Jays on Wednesday. He struck out one. Bradish retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced while hitting Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with a pitch to open the second inning. He went on to allow only four hits over seven innings, with his only real mistake coming in the sixth inning, when George Springer crushed an errant changeup over the wall in left field to put Toronto on the scoreboard. The right-hander was charged with the loss despite limiting the Blue Jays to one run. Bradish also recorded just one strikeout on the night after posting a season-high 10 punchouts in his previous start. Overall, Bradish maintains a 3.90 ERA and a 3.80 FIP, with a 1.25 WHIP, and a 3.25 K/BB across 60.0 innings. He relies primarily on a 94 mph cutter that has good “rise” and an 88 mph slider that sweeps across the zone, while also mixing in a hard 84 mph 12-6 curveball that has a sharp downward bite, a 95 mph sinker, and a 90 mph worm-killer changeup. Bradish is 0-1 with a 10.24 ERA in two career starts against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Randy Arozarena (3-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, BB), Yandy Díaz (4-6, 2B), Manuel Margot (1-3, 2B, 2 RBI), Francisco Mejía (2-4, 2 BB), Harold Ramírez (2-5, 2B, 2 RBI)
Taj Bradley allowed three runs on four hits and three walks over 4.1 innings against the Athletics. He struck out 11 on 88 pitches (55 strikes, 63% strike rate). Bradley was dealing Thursday, striking out the first six batters he faced and nine of the first 12 overall. However, the rookie began to struggle with his command in the fifth inning, issuing back-to-back walks before eventually surrendering three runs as Oakland took a 3-1 lead. In spite of that, Bradley notched a career-high 11 strikeouts. On the downside, Bradley has now failed to make it through five innings in two of his last three starts, issuing 10 walks over that stretch. Overall, the right-hander maintains a 4.19 ERA and a 2.67 FIP across 43.o innings, with a 4.20 K/BB, and a 1.30 WHIP.
Tyler Wells allowed two runs on five hits and one walk over 6.2 innings against the Blue Jays on Thursday. He struck out eight. Wells was able to keep a dangerous Toronto lineup at bay for most of the afternoon, with the exception of Danny Jansen, who took the right-hander deep in the third and fifth innings to provide the Jays with their only runs. The right-hander has now struck out at least seven batters in six of his last seven turns. He’s also held opponents to two earned runs or fewer in four straight contests, lowering his ERA to a strong 3.20 on the season, with a 4.44 FIP, a 0.86 WHIP, and a 5.13 K/BB across 81.2 innings. Wells relies primarily on a whiffy 93 mph fourseam fastball that has some added backspin, while also mixing in a firm 86 mph changeup that has slight arm-side fade, an 89 mph cutter that has strong cutting action, an 84 mph slider, and a 75 mph curveball that has a sharp downward bite. He’s 0-2 with a 6.45 ERA in eight career outings (four starts) against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Wander Franco (1-2, BB), Josh Lowe (3-5, 2 2B, 2 BB), Luke Raley (1-4, HR, RBI), Harold Ramírez (3-7, 2B)
The Music That Influenced This Preview
Friday marks the album drop of Militarie Gun’s forthcoming LP, Life Under the Gun. I’ve been jamming the first three singles from the LP for months now, and I cannot wait to hear the remaining tracks. Listen to the songs, preorder the LP, and wake up early Friday to download what promises to be a top-10 album of the year.