It’s the middle of July, and the once uncatchable Rays have been caught. The Baltimore Orioles, with their win against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, find themselves percentage points ahead of Tampa Bay for first place in the AL East.
What makes this more exciting is that these two teams are set to face each other for a four-game series beginning Wednesday night in what will be the fight for the division lead. Coming into the series, the Orioles have won three of five games this season against the Rays.
Tampa Bay jumped out quickly to a big division lead, once thought uncatchable. Fortunately for the Orioles, the Rays have lost four straight and have lost 11 of their last 14 games.
With the Rays’ sudden struggles, the Orioles have won nine of their last 11 games, which includes an eight-game winning streak. This looks to be a hard fought series as all but one game this season has been decided by three runs or less between these two teams.
The O’s will open the series with Kyle Gibson on the mound, and he will be followed by Kyle Bradish, Grayson Rodriguez and Tyler Wells to close the series. For the Rays, they will open with Tyler Glasnow, who will be followed by Zach Eflin, Shane McClanahan and Taj Bradley.
BATTERY ❌-FACTOR
There is so much riding on this game that the BATTERY ❌ -FACTOR could go in numerous directions. There is only one fitting for this series, though, and that is how the Orioles will respond to the pressure and new spotlight.
The young upstart Orioles find themselves in first place, heading into the series. The most important thing to balance now is the pressure that comes with it. With all the talent on the table, it will be how the young Birds handle the pressure of this series.
This is the biggest series of the season to date and one of the biggest in nearly eight seasons. Will the Birds rise up to the moment, or will the pressure be too much to overcome come?
GAME 1 STARTING LINEUPS
Baltimore Orioles (58-37): Managed by Brandon Hyde
1. Gunnar Henderson 3B
2. Adley Rutschman C
3. Anthony Santander 1B
4. Ryan O’Hearn DH
5. Austin Hays LF
6. Aaron Hicks CF
7. Ramón Urías 2B
8. Colton Cowser RF
9. Jorge Mateo SS
SP. Kyle Gibson RHP (9-6, 4.77)
Tampa Bay Rays (60-39): Managed by Kevin Cash
1. Yandy Díaz DH
2. Wander Franco SS
3. Luke Raley 1B
4. Randy Arozerena LF
5. Brandon Lowe 2B
6. Jose Siri CF
7. Josh Lowe RF
8. Taylor Walls 3B
9. Francisco Mejía C
SP. Tyler Glasnow RHP (3-3, 3.78 ERA)
The first pitch of the series is set for 6:40 p.m. EST tonight and on Friday night. Saturday’s game has a first pitch slated for 4:10 p.m. EST and Sunday wraps up with the first pitched slated for 1:40 p.m. EST.
Who will come out on top in the series? Will it be the young and talented Orioles, or will the Rays regain their swagger and take back the division lead?
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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