The Baltimore Orioles (45-44, 57-32 RL, 37-47-5 O/U) collide with the Tampa Bay Rays (49-40, 42-47 RL, 41-43-5 O/U) as the division foes conclude a big series on Sunday afternoon. The Orioles will have Jordan Lyles on the hill. The Rays will reply with Corey Kluber who is targeting his sixth victory. The Rays lead the season series by a 6-4 count.
The Orioles will give Jordan Lyles the nod for the 19th time of the season. Lyles was stellar last time out, limiting the Cubs to only two runs in seven innings, leading to a 4-2 win to improve his season record to 6-7. The veteran right-hander features a dazzling 1.86 ERA this month and is now sporting a 4.37 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP in 105 innings of work on the year. Lyles squandered five runs in five innings against the Rays in April and is 0-1 with a 4.29 ERA in 21 career innings against the rivals.
Baltimore is one of the best stories in the big leagues. They were abysmal last season and find themselves in Wildcard contention after a remarkable 10-game winning streak which ended in Friday's defeat. They issued sweeps against the Rangers and Angels in the winning streak.
Ryan Mountcastle has fared well against the Rays' tough pitching, recordi ng a .313 average with four RBIs. The 25-year-old first baseman is having an outstanding season, collecting 44 RBIs accompanied by a .790 OPS. Mountcastle has five RBIs on the month.
The Orioles are averaging 4.17 runs per game, ranking them 23rd overall. The pitching staff has posted a 3.90 team ERA, placing them 15th in the big leagues.