Tampa Bay @ Baltimore preview
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Last Meeting ( Apr 14, 2010 ) Tampa Bay 9, Baltimore 1
The Tampa Bay Rays received a taste of what it will take to be the best in the AL East this weekend. Now they get a chance to pad their record against the team in the basement.
After dropping two of three to division-leading New York Yankees, the Rays continue their road trip when they meet the Baltimore Orioles on Monday for the first of three games at Camden Yards.
Tampa Bay had a chance to win the series against New York on Sunday and sent All-Star Game starter David Price to the mound, but he was not up to the task.
The Rays scored three in the top of the first, but Price gave up two runs in the home half of the frame. By the time he was done after five innings, the Yankees had opened up a 7-3 lead.
Now, the Rays trail the Yankees by three games and lead the race for the American League wild card by 3 1/2 games over the Boston Red Sox.
Tampa Bay is 5-1 against Baltimore this season and swept a three-game set from the Orioles in April in Camden Yards. The Rays are 23-12 against the AL East while the Orioles are 9-30 and just got swept in three games at home by the Toronto Blue Jays.
The first Rays pitcher to get a crack at the Orioles will be Wade Davis (6-9, 4.69 ERA).
Davis had lost five straight decisions before a win over the Cleveland Indians on July 8. Wade's misfortune was more a product of lousy run support than bad pitching. He has allowed three runs or less in five of his last six starts but has only the win over the Indians to show for it.
In two career starts against the Orioles, Davis is 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA having allowed just one run and 11 hits in 16 innings.
Baltimore just continues to play lousy baseball and has the fewest wins in the majors with 29. The Orioles were just swept at home by the Blue Jays and were outscored, 17-5, in the process.
Chris Tillman (1-3, 5.64) gets the start for Baltimore and will be looking for his second straight win.
After dropping three consecutive decisions, Tillman allowed one run and two hits in 7 1/3 innings of a 6-1 victory over the AL West-leading Texas Rangers on July 10. In two career starts against Tampa Bay, Tillman is 0-1 with a 2.84 ERA.