Tampa Bay @ Baltimore preview

Last Meeting ( May 27, 2018 ) Baltimore 3, Tampa Bay 8

The Tampa Bay Rays took two of three at home against one of baseball’s best teams to start the week and hope to take care of business on the road when they visit the major league-worst Baltimore Orioles on Thursday for the opener of their four-game series. The Rays edged the New York Yankees 3-2 on Wednesday afternoon - hours after announcing the trade of scheduled starter Nathan Eovaldi - for their third win in four contests.

Eovaldi was shipped to Boston for 25-year-old left-hander Jalen Beeks, who will join the team in Baltimore, and six pitchers limited New York to seven hits in the finale as Tampa Bay held baseball’s top home run-hitting team without a blast in the series. Reliever Hunter Wood is expected to start Thursday for the Rays (52-50) as they attempt to piece together another strong pitching effort while former Tampa Bay right-hander Alex Cobb gets the call for the Orioles. Baltimore (29-73) avoided a probable fifth loss in six games Wednesday as its contest against Boston was postponed after a 2-hour, 33-minute rain delay with the club trailing 5-0 in the second inning. Jonathan Schoop, who is batting .310 with three homers and seven RBIs against the Rays this season, brings an eight-game hitting streak into the series for the Orioles.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Tampa Bay), MASN2 (Baltimore)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Hunter Wood (0-0, 2.93 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Alex Cobb (2-13, 6.17)

Wood is slated to make the third start of his career and is likely to work just one or two innings as the Rays use their bullpen to open the game for the third time in four contests. The 24-year-old native of Arkansas gave up one run on four hits and one walk over three frames in his first two starts. Wood, who will be facing Baltimore for the first time as he makes his 11th major-league appearance, has registered 14 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings this year.

Cobb, who won 48 games in parts of six years with the Rays, has recorded three quality starts in his last six outings but is 0-4 in that stretch as he continues to add to his career-high loss total. The 30-year-old Bostonian has given up 125 hits (17 homers) over 97 2/3 innings this season and is 0-5 with a 5.86 ERA in six starts at home. C.J. Cron is 2-for-6 with a homer and Joey Wendle has gone 3-for-5 against Cobb, who is 0-2 with a 6.97 ERA versus his former team in 2018.

WALK-OFFS

1. Orioles CF Adam Jones, who needs three doubles to reach 300 with the team, is batting a club-best .375 versus the Rays this year.

2. Tampa Bay also dealt RHP Mike Andriese to Arizona on Wednesday for C Michael Perez and RHP Brian Shaffer.

3. The Rays have won five of nine overall meetings this season while the teams have split the first six games in Baltimore.

PREDICTION: Rays 6, Orioles 3