Orioles at Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays have flexed their offensive muscle by scoring 30 runs during a four-game winning streak, a stretch that has catapulted the club into the top wild-card slot in the American League. The Rays aim to continue their good fortune on Monday afternoon when they open a three-game series against the visiting Baltimore Orioles.
Travis d'Arnaud has been a key cog in the high-octane offense for Tampa Bay, belting two homers in a three-game spurt before driving in a pair of runs in Sunday's 8-2 victory over Cleveland. The 30-year-old is 9-for-22 with seven RBIs during a six-game hitting streak for the Rays, who moved a half-game ahead of the Indians and a full one above Oakland. Baltimore resides significantly further down the standings, although it won the last two contests of a four-game series against Tampa Bay on Aug 22-25. Hanser Alberto collected a double and a single in Sunday's 6-4 setback at Kansas City to give him 13 hits with eight runs scored in his last seven games.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, MASN2 (Baltimore), FS Sun (Tampa Bay)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles RH Asher Wojciechowski (2-7, 5.12 ERA) vs. Rays LH Ryan Yarbrough (11-3, 3.36)
Wojciechowski fell to 0-4 in his last six outings on Wednesday after allowing five runs on six hits in four innings of an 8-4 setback at Washington. The 30-year-old will be making his fourth appearance this season versus Tampa Bay, against which he yielded four runs in a 6-3 loss on July 2 and made a quick relief stint 10 days later before adding a no-decision after five frames on Aug. 22. Tommy Pham is 3-for-9 versus Wojciechowski, who sports a 1-4 mark with a 5.76 ERA away from Camden Yards.
Yarborough is expected to get the nod after yielding three runs on four hits in six innings of a no-decision at Houston on Wednesday. The 27-year-old has faced Baltimore on three occasions (one start) this season, allowing one earned run in all three of them while picking up his lone decision in a 4-1 win on July 14. Trey Mancini (1-for-11) has struggled mightily against Yarborough, who owns a 2-2 mark with a 4.66 ERA at home as opposed to a 9-1 record with a 2.42 ERA on the road.
WALK-OFFS
1. Pham is 19-for-60 with five homers, 11 RBIs and eight runs scored against Baltimore this season.
2. Orioles 2B Jonathan Villar has recorded at least one hit and a run scored in seven of his last eight games.
3. With respect to Hurricane Dorian, the final two games of the series have been rescheduled as part of a single-admission doubleheader Tuesday.