Every team in the AL East has a winning record, but these two stand above the rest as this series reaches its conclusion on Wednesday. The Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles are set to duke it out for the final time until late June when they take the field for this one. The first game finished in Tampa's favor, as most games have this season, with the Rays winning 3-0. Oriole Park at Camden Yards is hosting both clubs again, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. EDT. Let's see who will come out on top this time.
Hello, Luke?
Yes, we'd like another run, please. pic.twitter.com/c6ms5JNR8C
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 9, 2023
Monday's victory made Tampa 9-2 over their last 11 games. It was also the seventh time they pitched a shutout this season. The offense, which is second in runs per game with over 6.00, may not have put up their typical amount of runs, but three was all they needed. Two solo home runs, which added to their league-leading total, also would've sufficed. There isn't a team with a higher batting average, OBP, or slugging percentage, and only a handful of teams have more stolen bases. Wander Franco, Randy Arozarena, and Yandy Diaz are leading a lethal lineup in Tampa Bay.
The Rays also have the league's top ERA as a team. As they've become infamous for, Tampa's bullpen is elite, with the most innings pitched and the third-lowest ERA in the league. Their relievers have a shockingly low-ranking strikeout rate (28th) but make up for it with a high groundball rate (6th) and low HR/9 (3rd). They have a lower ERA than every other club from starting pitchers this year, something Yonny Chirinos won't want to ruin. Typically a reliever, Chirinos' last appearance was a start, one in which he gave Tampa 5.1 innings with three runs allowed. In 14.0 innings pitched before that start, he had only allowed one run. While he's started 30 games in his career, his numbers out of the bullpen are better. That won't matter for this game though, as he'll face Baltimore from the beginning.