On Tuesday, the Baltimore Orioles will pay a visit to Tropicana Field for the first time this season to play the best team in baseball for a brief two-game set.
The Orioles come in at 44-27, which amazingly still is good only for second place in the AL East. The Rays still sit at the top with a 51-24 record.
Beyond simply being numbers one and two in the division, this should be a great matchup. The Orioles have 22 road wins, while the Rays are virtually unbeatable at Tropicana (31-7).
The last time these two AL East powerhouses met was back in early May, when Baltimore took two of three against Tampa Bay from Camden Yards.
Starting for the Orioles this time around will be Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells. Opposite of those arms will be Tyler Glasnow and Taj Bradley. The Birds are in a good spot with these two arms, especially Tyler Wells, who still sits atop the league leader board in WHIP at 0.68.
The offense has a huge test at hand in facing Glasnow, who just returned recently from his Tommy John surgery recovery, and keeping him out of rhythm in his first matchup against the O’s offense is pivotal.
ROSTER MOVES
Prior to the start of the series, the Orioles made a flurry of roster moves.
Firstly, they selected the contract of catcher Anthony Bemboom from Triple-A Norfolk. They also recalled right-hander Logan Gillaspie from Triple-A Norfolk.
Also, catcher José Godoy was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk, and right-hander Spenser Watkins was designated for assignment.
BATTERY ❌️-FACTOR
In this two-game series, scoring runs will be a tough task for the Oriole offense. However, doing so against the Rays’ two starters will be the BATTERY ❌️-FACTOR.
The Rays have a very good bullpen, and if these games get into the territory where the O’s must climb back against that pen, it will not be pretty. The offense must come out of the gate hot against Glasnow and Bradley.
Gunnar Henderson should be back in the lineup for both games, as he missed Sunday’s game due to a stomach bug. Left-handed bats like his and Ryan O’Hearn will lead the offense against two good young right-handers.
Only five Orioles have faced Glasnow, while no Oriole player has ever faced Bradley. Aaron Hicks is batting .333 against Glasnow in six at-bats, while Austin Hays is batting .250 off the flamethrower with one home run.
GAME 1 STARTING LINEUPS
Baltimore Orioles (44-27): Managed by Brandon Hyde
1. Gunnar Henderson DH
2. Adley Rutschman C
3. Anthony Santander RF
4. Ryan O’Hearn 1B
5. Austin Hays LF
6. Aaron Hicks CF
7. Adam Frazier 2B
8. Ramón Urías 3B
9. Jorge Mateo SS
SP. Kyle Bradish RHP (2-3, 3.90 ERA)
Tampa Bay Rays (51-24): Managed by Kevin Cash
1. Yandy Díaz 1B
2. Wander Franco SS
3. Luke Raley RF
4. Randy Arozerena LF
5. Harold Ramírez DH
6. Josh Lowe CF
7. Isaac Paredes 3B
8. Taylor Walls 2B
9. Francisco Mejía C
SP. Tyler Glasnow RHP (2-0, 3.43 ERA)
This series begins on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. EST. You can catch each game on MASN2 or on your local Orioles Radio Network station.
How do you see this series playing out? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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