As the season pushes closer to August and the looming trade deadline, the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles get set to do battle in a four-game series in Baltimore. The Rays have reestablished themselves as a viable playoff threat and sit just behind second-place Toronto in the highly competitive AL East. Baltimore, meanwhile, has found its stride and now are themselves within striking distance of a playoff spot and looming around .500. The pitching matchup for Monday's series opener will feature veteran righty Corey Kluber (6-5. 3.73) of the Rays vs. fellow right-hander Austin Voth (1-1, 6.38) of the Orioles. First pitch is scheduled for 705pm EST.
The chess pieces are all on the move behind the front-running New York Yankees in the AL East. With the Blue Jays having won six straight games, the Rays now find themselves in 3rd place after losing two straight games to the Royals over the weekend. After taking the opener 7-3 on Friday night, the Rays dropped a 6-3 decision on Saturday and then dropped the finale, 4-2, on Sunday afternoon. It was the first time in five seasons that the Rays have lost a series to Kansas City. Trailing 2-0, the Rays rallied back to tie the game at two before the bullpen coughed up the lead in the late innings. They now find themselves a half-game behind the streaking Jays for 2nd place in the AL East.
Next up: 4 in Baltimore pic.twitter.com/tt5mpubfRn
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) July 24, 2022
The Rays are now 7-3 in their last ten games as they've combined timely hitting with quality pitching over that span. They are averaging five runs per game over that span and are hitting a solid .256 despite the loss of several key everyday players, including SS Wander Franco, CF Kevin Kiermaier and C Mike Zunino. On the mound, the Rays have a 3.80 ERA over this ten-game span. On the mound to kick off this crucial AL East series will be Corey Kluber. Kluber is 3-1 in four starts during the month of July with a 4.71 ERA. He has allowed 22 hits in 21 innings while striking out 14 batters and walking only four batters. Kluber is 0-2 in three starts vs. the Orioles this season.