Orioles at Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays have found their top form again and look to finish off a three-game sweep of the visiting Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night before taking on the top dogs in the American League East over the weekend. The Rays, who host the first-place New York Yankees for four games starting Thursday, have won four straight contests to reach 50 wins after Brandon Lowe went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs in a 6-3 victory Tuesday.
Lowe left the game with a leg contusion and is considered day-to-day while Tommy Pham and Avisail Garcia also knocked in two runs apiece Tuesday for Tampa Bay, which owns the top AL wild-card spot after winning for the sixth time in its last eight home contests. Right-hander Ryne Stanek is expected to be the opener in the series finale for the Rays and Baltimore counters with lefty John Means, who was selected as the team’s representative in next week’s All-Star Game. The Orioles have dropped three straight games since scoring 13 runs in back-to-back contests last week, but catcher Chance Sisco has hit three homers in his last four games and boasts 11 RBIs in his past five with an at-bat. Jonathan Villar has hit safely is six straight games (9-for-22, five runs, four RBIs) for Baltimore and teammate Trey Mancini has at least a hit in 21 of his past 24 contests, including the last five in a row (7-for-20).
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MASN (Baltimore), FS Sun (Tampa Bay)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles LH John Means (7-4, 2.50 ERA) vs. Rays RH Ryne Stanek (0-1, 2.64)
Means is unbeaten in his last six trips to the mound with a 2.25 ERA in that stretch and allowed one run or fewer in four of those outings. The 26-year-old University of West Virginia product gave up one hit and one walk with five strikeouts across five scoreless innings to beat Cleveland on Friday. Means pitched two scoreless innings to get the win at Tampa Bay on April 18 and is 2-3 with a 3.73 ERA on the road this year.
Stanek will likely open his 25th game this season and second of the series after permitting one hit and one walk over two scoreless innings with one strikeout Monday. The 27-year-old Kansas native owns a 2.13 ERA in 38 innings as a starter, striking out 42 in the role. Yonny Chirinos (7-4, 3.10 ERA) could be in line to follow Stanek, but fellow right-hander Austin Pruitt (1-0, 5.74) is also a possibility after being recalled before Tuesday’s game.
WALK-OFFS
1. Baltimore 1B-DH Chris Davis homered Tuesday, his first since May 12 and 33rd of his career in 129 games against the Rays.
2. Tampa Bay gave up two homers Tuesday, but has allowed the least longballs (78) in the majors by a large margin.
3. The Orioles activated Josh Lucas (strained right shoulder) on Tuesday and fellow RHP Tom Eshelman was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.