The Baltimore Orioles (45-27) are on the road to face the Tampa Bay Rays (51-25) at Tropicana Field on Wednesday with the visitors looking to sweep the two-game series.
The Orioles took Tuesday’s series opener 8-6, their third head-to-head victory in four games this season. Starter Kyle Bradish went five innings, allowing two runs on four hits and striking out eight, to get the win, and Felix Bautista pitched 1.1 scoreless innings to pick up his 20th save.
Austin Hays was 3 for 4 with two doubles and two runs in the win. Aaron Hicks added a home run and four RBIs. Isaac Paredes went 2 for 3 with two runs and one RBI for the Rays.
ON THE MOUND
Tyler Wells (6-2, 3.20 ERA) is slated for the start for Baltimore. The RHP allowed two runs over 6.2 innings in his last start, a 4-2 road win over the Blue Jays on Thursday. He was credited with the win, yielding five hits while striking out eight and walking one.
Wells is making his first appearance against the Rays this season. Over four starts against the Rays in 2022, Wells was 0-2 with a 7.71 ERA over 16.1 innings. He had 17 strikeouts and six walks.
For Tampa Bay, right-hander Taj Bradley (4-3, 4.19 ERA) gets the ball. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Orioles. In his last start on Thursday, Bradley took a no-decision on the road against the Athletics. He threw 4.1 innings and gave up three runs (2 ER) on four hits, striking out 11 and walking three in the 4-3 win.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Baltimore has averaged 4.6 runs a game, a small drop compared to their season average of 5.0. Against right-handed pitchers like Bradley this season, the O’s have a .747 OPS. Hays is the team’s most productive hitter against right-handers with a .906 OPS in 173 at-bats.
Tampa Bay is averaging only 4.0 runs per game in the last five, down from 5.5 for the season, with their slash line dropping across the board (.251/.319/.374).
The Rays have a .791 OPS against right-handers in 2023, the highest in MLB. With a .414 OBP over 151 at-bats, Randy Arozarena has their highest on-base percentage against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Baltimore is 23-14 away from home in 2023, scoring 5.4 runs per game while allowing 4.6 runs. Tampa Bay has gone 31-8 at home this season, averaging 5.8 runs per game while surrendering 3.6. Tampa Bay is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings at Tropicana Field with an average scoreline of 5.2-4.0.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Rays lead the AL East by four games over the Orioles.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
TB Rays (-145)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
