The Baltimore Orioles (58-52, 73-38 RL, 51-53-6 O/U) collide with the Tampa Bay Rays (58-52, 51-59 RL, 51-59-9 O/U) in the first of a big three-game AL East series on Friday evening. The Orioles will give the nod to Austin Voth, targeting his third win. The Rays will counter with the veteran, Corey Kluber. The season series is even at 8-8.
Austin Voth will get the start on Friday. Voth was decent in his latest effort, squandering three runs in five innings against the Pirates, and was awarded the victory. The veteran right-hander has been outstanding since joining the Orioles in June. However, Voth struggled in his time with the Nationals this year and enters with a poor 5.53 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP accompanied by a 2-1 record in 55.1 innings of work. Voth has excelled against the Rays, limiting the rivals to just one run in eight innings this season.
The Orioles continue to win games and are now in the 3rd Wildcard spot entering Thursday night. They have won three consecutive series after recording two wins in two meetings against the Blue Jays and are in the early stages of a seven-game road trip.
Anthony Santander has been productive against the Rays, logging a .288 average with eight RBIs. The 27-year-old slugger is having a productive season, delivering 20 big flies with 60 RBIs and a .805 OPS. Santander has collected five RBIs and a .903 OPS on the month.
The Orioles are scoring an average of 4.25 runs per game, ranking them 19th overall. The pitching staff has logged a 3.89 team ERA, placing them 13th in the big leagues.