Orioles at Rays
Something clicked in when Avisail Garcia met his former team last week and the outfielder looks to continue his hot streak with the bat when the Tampa Bay Rays host the Baltimore Orioles for the second of a three-game set Wednesday. Garcia, who signed as a free agent with the Rays after spending five-plus years with the White Sox, was 4-for-24 before returning to Chicago and is 14-for-31 since with seven RBIs in seven games.
“We’re going to have some challenging decisions coming up when some of our guys get healthy again,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash told reporters after Garcia belted a two-run homer and knocked in three runs in Tuesday’s 4-2 win. “Avi has certainly picked us up in a big way and he will continue to do that. . … He’s a tough guy not to have in the lineup right now.” Hard-throwing Ryne Stanek will start the game as an “opener” for the Rays on Wednesday and Baltimore will counter with fellow right-hander David Hess, who will try to cool off the team with the best record in baseball (13-4). The Orioles held a 2-0 lead through 3 1/2 innings Tuesday, but were held without a hit in their final five frames to lose for the 10th time in their last 13 contests. Renato Nunez had an RBI double to extend his hitting streak to seven games (10-for-29) while slugger Chris Davis sat out the game due to illness and is day-to-day.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MASN2 (Baltimore), FS Sun (Tampa Bay)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles RH David Hess (1-2, 3.32 ERA) vs. Rays RH Ryne Stanek (0-0, 2.16)
Hess lost his last two starts against Boston and the New York Yankees, allowing seven runs on 11 hits (four homers) across 10 2/3 innings combined. The 25-year-old Tennessee native, who tossed 6 1/3 hitless innings to win his first start of the season at Toronto, has struck out 15 and walked five while sporting a 0.89 WHIP. Ji-Man Choi is 2-for-4 with a homer versus Hess, who was 2-1 with a 2.96 ERA in five outings (four starts) against Tampa Bay last year.
Stanek will open the game with an inning or two for the fourth time this season and he has been brilliant in that role, allowing one hit in five innings with eight strikeouts. The 27-year-old Arkansas product has also permitted two runs on four hits across 3 1/3 frames as a reliever during the first few weeks of the campaign. Trey Mancini is 2-for-6 with a homer against Stanek, who was 0-1 with a 6.48 ERA in seven outings (four starts) versus Baltimore last season.
WALK-OFFS
1. Tampa Bay LHP Blake Snell, the reigning American League Cy Young winner, was placed on the 10-day injured list with a toe injury but is expected to miss just one start.
2. Baltimore CF Cedric Mullins is 1-for-24 the last eight games to drop his batting average to .104 with 11 strikeouts overall.
3. Rays LF Tommy Pham worked a walk Tuesday to extend his on-base streak to a franchise-best 48 games.