Series Preview: Rays vs. Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles continue their 10 game home stand as the Tampa Bay Rays come to Baltimore for a three game set. The Orioles are coming off a series loss to the Cleveland Indians and sit at 6-17 for the season. The Rays are on a four game winning streak and sit at 8-13 on the year. Let’s check out the pitching matchups for this week’s series:
Game One: Jacob Faria (1-1, 5.82 ERA) vs. Alex Cobb (0-2, 15.43 ERA)
Jacob Faria will get the start for the Rays in the series opener against the Orioles. Faria grabbed his first win of the season in his last start, going six innings allowing one run while striking out six against the Texas Rangers. In four appearances (three starts) against the Orioles, Faria holds a 4.09 ERA over 22 innings. Adam Jones, Trey Mancini, and Chance Sisco all have home runs off of Faria in their careers.
Alex Cobb will get the ball for the Orioles in the series opener on Tuesday. Cobb has gotten off to a rough start this season, as he has yet to make it through the fourth inning in either one of his starts. Cobb will make his first home start with the Orioles along with his first start against Tampa, as he spent his first seven seasons in the major leagues with the Rays.
Game Two: Chris Archer (1-1, 6.59 ERA) vs. Dylan Bundy (1-2, 1.42 ERA)
Chris Archer will take the mound for the Rays in the middle game of the series Wednesday. Archer was solid in his last start, going 6.2 innings while allowing two runs against the Minnesota Twins. In four starts against the Orioles in 2017, Archer posted a 2-2 record with a 5.91 ERA in 21.1 innings. Chris Davis is a name to watch, as he has three home runs and nine RBI in 28 at-bats against Archer in his career.
Dylan Bundy will toe the rubber in the middle game of the series against the Rays. Bundy picked up his first win of the season against the Indians in his last start, going six innings while allowing one run and striking out nine. In three starts against the Rays in 2017, Bundy posted a 1-1 record with a 5.19 ERA in 17.1 innings. Brad Miller has a home run off of Bundy in his career.
Game Three: TBD vs. Chris Tillman (0-4, 9.87 ERA)
The Rays have not announced a starter for the series finale on Thursday.
Chris Tillman will get the ball for the Orioles on Thursday for the series finale. Tillman went six innings while allowing four runs in his latest start against the Indians, but has not recorded a win since May of 2017. In four appearances (three starts) against the Rays in 2017, Tillman posted a 7.63 ERA in 15.1 innings. Wilson Ramos and Jesus Sucre both have a home run off Tillman during their careers.
The Orioles currently sit in last place, three games behind the fourth place Rays. The offense will have to pick up the pace, as they rank 29th in runs per game and last in baseball in batting average and on-base percentage. The Orioles lost the season series to the Rays 11-8 last season.
