The Tampa Bay Rays (51-24), one of the best offenses in baseball, are set to host the Baltimore Orioles (44-27) at Tropicana Field on Tuesday to open a two-game series. The Orioles won only one out of three in their last series against the Cubs, taking the finale 6-3 on Sunday at Wrigley Field.
Austin Hays was 3 for 4 with a double and one run. Aaron Hicks added a double and one run. The Rays are back home for a six-game homestand after returning from a seven-game road trip (3-4).
They lost two of three against the Padres in their last series, dropping the finale 5-4 on Sunday at Petco Park. Randy Arozarena went 3 for 4 with two runs. Harold Ramirez added one RBI on one hit.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Orioles have won two of three in the season series between the AL East rivals, including a 2-1 victory in their most recent meeting on May 10 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Dean Kremer threw six scoreless innings for the win, and Yennier Cano picked up his third save with a scoreless ninth.
ON THE MOUND
Kyle Bradish (2-3, 3.90 ERA) is set to take the mound for Baltimore. The right-hander allowed one run over seven innings in his last start, a 3-1 road defeat against the Blue Jays on Wednesday. He took the loss, giving up four hits while striking out one. Bradish is making his first appearance against the Rays this season.
Over two starts against the Rays in 2022, Bradish was 0-1 with a 10.24 ERA over 9.2 innings. He had eight strikeouts and three walks. Right-hander Tyler Glasnow (2-0, 3.43 ERA) gets the start for Tampa Bay. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Orioles.
In his last start on Wednesday, Glasnow got the win on the road against the Athletics. He threw 5.1 innings and gave up three runs on six hits, striking out six and walking four in the 6-3 victory.
AT THE PLATE
The Baltimore offense is averaging 4.9 runs per game for the season, with a slash line of .256/.323/.425. Hays leads the team in OPS at .875. The center fielder is slashing .320/.360/.515 with eight home runs, 31 RBIs, and 38 runs over 65 games.
Over the last five games, though, Baltimore has averaged only 3.2 runs a game partially thanks to diminished slugging (.376). Against righties like Glasnow this season, the O’s have a .742 OPS. Hays also is the team’s strongest hitter against right-handers with a .880 OPS in 169 at-bats.
Tampa Bay is slashing .263/.337/.466 for the season and averaging 5.5 runs per game, second-best in MLB. Four Rays hitters have an OPS of .800 or better, led by Yandy Diaz (.916). The third baseman has 12 home runs, 36 RBIs, and 45 runs scored with a slash line of .302/.394/.522.
Tampa Bay is averaging only 4.0 runs per game in the last five with their slugging percentage slipping to .418. The Rays have a .793 OPS against right-handers in 2023, the highest in MLB. With a .936 OPS over 148 at-bats, Luke Raley has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Baltimore is 22-14 on the road in 2023, scoring 5.3 runs per game while allowing 4.6 runs. Tampa Bay has gone 31-7 at home this season, averaging 5.8 runs per game while surrendering 3.5. Tampa Bay is 8-2 in the last 10 games between the teams at Tropicana Field with an average scoreline of 5.3-3.4.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Rays lead the AL East by five games over the Orioles.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
TB Rays (-175)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
