Baltimore @ Tampa Bay preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 22, 2013 ) Baltimore 1, Tampa Bay 3

The Tampa Bay Rays continue to find answers from the pitching depth in their organization and it may carry them into the playoffs again. Chris Archer takes the mound as the Rays try to complete a four-game sweep of the visiting Baltimore Orioles on Monday afternoon. Tampa Bay has won 10 of its last 12 against the Orioles after a 3-1 triumph Sunday and holds the top spot in the American League wild-card race, a half-game ahead of Cleveland and two clear of Texas.

If Archer can notch the victory, the Rays would become the first team to have a rookie with 10 or more wins in five straight seasons since the 1947-52 Philadelphia Athletics did it six straight times. The Orioles have dropped four straight and stand 4 ½ games behind Cleveland for the second AL wild-card position. Baltimore slugger Chris Davis is 3-for-24 in five games since hitting his league-leading 51st homer.

TV: 3:10 p.m. ET, MASN (Baltimore), SunSports (Tampa Bay)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles LH Wei-Yin Chen (7-7, 4.03 ERA) vs. Rays RH Chris Archer (9-7, 3.02)

Chen has gone winless in his last five starts with a 7.36 ERA since beating Tampa Bay on Aug. 21, when he gave up two runs over seven innings. The 28-year-old from Taiwan is 0-4 in 10 starts during September and October in his career. Ben Zobrist is 10-for-20 with a home run versus Chen, who is 2-3 in seven career starts against the Rays with a 2.93 ERA.

Archer rebounded from two consecutive losses by allowing only two runs over 12 innings with 13 strikeouts and one walk in his last two starts. The 24-year-old has yielded two or fewer earned runs in 12 of his last 15 starts since July 1 and is 5-3 with a 2.70 ERA at home in 2013. Manny Machado is 2-for-4 against Archer, who beat Baltimore on June 7 by surrendering one run over seven innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Orioles need one victory to clinch back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1996-97.

2. Tampa Bay RHP Jesse Crain, who has been out since late June with a shoulder strain, is expected to be activated Monday.

3. Baltimore’s bullpen has given up only four unearned runs over 35 innings in the first nine games of its road trip.

PREDICTION: Rays 5, Orioles 2