The Tampa Bay Rays and the Baltimore Orioles meet in game two of their four-game AL East division series from Camden Yards on Friday.
Rays Eke Out Win In Game One
The Tampa Bay Rays managed to snag a win to kick off the series thanks to a narrow 4-3 win over the O’s in game one on Thursday. The win propelled the Rays to 91-57 on the year, sitting 1 game back of the Orioles for the lead in the AL East while holding tightly onto the top Wild Card spot in the AL. Isaac Paredes leads the Rays with 29 home runs while Jose Siri has 25 home runs with Paredes also chipping in a team-high 89 RBIs while Randy Arozarena has 81 RBIs this season. Yandy Diaz also has a team-high 158 hits with a .323 batting average and a .402 OBP as well on the season. Zach Eflin will start for the Rays here and is 14-8 with a 3.53 ERA and 164 strikeouts this season.
Tampa Bay Rays Team Facts
- The Rays have lost each of their last four games as favorites against American League opponents following a road win.
- The Rays have covered the run line each of their last eight night games against teams that held a winning record.
- The Rays have led after 3 innings in each of their last three night games against the Orioles.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Rays’ last four night games against AL East opponents.
Orioles Sliding At The Worst Time
The Baltimore Orioles have gone on a frustrating losing streak by their standards, losing their grip at the wrong time after their third straight loss on Thursday. The loss dropped the O’s to 91-55 on the year, still holding on to the top spot in the AL East and the top record in the AL. Anthony Santander leads the Orioles with 27 home runs and 84 RBIs as well as 137 hits and 37 doubles while Adley Rutschman has a team-high 144 hits and a .366 OBP. Austin Hays has a team-best .284 batting average and 135 hits and 36 doubles as well for the O’s. Gunnar Henderson also has a team-high 8 triples for the Orioles up to this point in the year. Jack Flaherty will start for Baltimore here and is 8-8 with a 4.98 ERA and 138 strikeouts this season.
Baltimore Orioles Team Facts
- The Orioles have won each of their last seven games as underdogs against American League opponents following a loss.
- The Orioles have covered the run line in each of their last seven games as underdogs against American League opponents following a loss.
- The Orioles have led after 7 innings in each of their last four games as underdogs against AL East opponents.
- The Orioles have led after 5 innings in each of their last four games as home underdogs against American League opponents.
- The Orioles have led after 3 innings in three of their last four games as home underdogs against American League opponents.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Baltimore Orioles rank 3rd in the league for doubles this season (281).
- The Baltimore Orioles rank 6th in the league for runs scored this season (744).
- The Tampa Bay Rays rank 1st in the league for runs allowed this season (585).
- The Tampa Bay Rays rank 2nd in the league for steals this season (154).
Chris’ Pick
I’m siding with the Rays here. It just feels like the Rays have the momentum behind them, as Baltimore’s struggled offensively in their recent mini cold run, scoring just 5 runs in the three games of this losing skid. Eflin’s been a lot better at home, but I think he’s the better starter right now and Flaherty’s started to stumble himself as of late in some of his recent outings. All in all I think this is going to be another tight game, but one that I think Tampa Bay wins. Give me the Rays.
