This Saturday the (58-53) Baltimore Orioles and the (58-52) Tampa Bay Rays will play game two of this three-game series. The first pitch will be thrown out at 4:10 PM EST inside Tropicana Field. These two teams are currently in a very tight Wild Card race, as the Rays are currently holding a .5 game lead over the Orioles for the final AL Wild Card spot.
The Baltimore Orioles are coming into this one after winning their previous series against the Toronto Blue Jays. They also lost their one-game matchup with the Red Sox. Baltimore has it rolling right now, as they will continue to push for a playoff spot.
The Tampa Bay Rays are entering this one after losing back-to-back games to the Milwaukee Brewers. They lost the final game of that series in extra innings, as the Rays failed to score enough runs to challenge the Brewers on the road. They will need to put their game faces on for this series, as these three games have serious playoff implications.
This game was written/published before last night's results.
The Baltimore Orioles are currently a .5 game out of the last AL Wild Card spot, as they will need to take care of business in this one if they want to squeak their way into the postseason. The Orioles are also (7-3) in their last 10, as they have been stacking wins to put themselves in this position. There is still a long way to go, but the winner of this series will have an advantage. At the plate, the Orioles are scoring 4.30 runs per game and they are hitting .237 as a team. This is the 19th most runs scored per game and the 22nd lowest overall team batting average, as they have struggled to consistently reach base this season. As of late, they have been more clutch when they have runners in scoring position. Baltimore has also realized that they have multiple guys that can change the game with one swing of the bat. They are averaging 1.05 home runs per game, which is the 15th most in the league. They have shown that they aren't one -dimensional at the dish, as they can score multiple different ways. I also expect the Orioles to stay aggressive once they have reached base safely. They have already recorded 70 stolen bases this season, which is the ninth most in the league.
According to MLB.com, the Orioles will be starting Spenser Watkins on the mound in this one. He is currently (4-2) with a 4.02 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. He has been solid on the road this season, as well. He is (3-1) with a 3.28 ERA, as he dominated the Rangers in his last road start. He pitched for 6.0 innings and only gave up five hits and one earned run. His team has also won four of his last five starts. On the mound, they are allowing the 13th least amount of runs per game and they have the third lowest overall bullpen ERA. Their bullpen is only allowing 3.09 runs per game, as they have come into each one of these games ready to attack. The bullpen has been one of the hottest parts of this team, as they continue their q uest to the postseason.