Orioles at Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays must lick their wounds after a disastrous weekend and move back in a positive direction when they host the American League East-rival Baltimore Orioles on Monday to open a three-game set. The Rays coughed up multiple-run leads in three straight setbacks against Texas at home to push their losing streak to four and lose some ground in the wild-card race.
“We put ourselves in a position we want to be in,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash told reporters of his team, which is in a virtual tie with Kansas City for the final AL wild-card position. “The way these three games have unfolded is not ideal, but I totally believe we can bounce back with a good series. … This team is good and we’ll respond.” The Rays will need a big effort from winless Blake Snell as he takes on Baltimore’s Kevin Gausman, who was dominant with nine strikeouts in seven scoreless innings against Tampa Bay on July 2. The Orioles have climbed back into contention with five victories in their last seven games, pulling within 3 ½ games of the AL’s second wild-card, while Jonathan Schoop and Adam Jones are red-hot. Schoop is 13-for-27 with 15 RBIs and Jones 13-for-28 with 10 runs knocked in during six-game hitting streaks in which they’ve both gone deep three times.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MASN (Baltimore), FSN Sun (Tampa Bay)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles RH Kevin Gausman (6-7, 6.11 ERA) vs. Rays LH Blake Snell (0-5, 4.98)
Gausman is unbeaten in five consecutive outings after limiting Texas to one run on four hits over six innings in a 10-2 victory on Wednesday. The 26-year-old LSU product allowed one run over 18 1/3 innings in his last three wins, but opponents are batting .316 against him overall and he owns a 7.98 ERA on the road in 2017. Trevor Plouffe is 4-for-9 with a homer versus Gausman, who is 4-4 with a 4.21 ERA in 12 career games (10 starts) against the Rays.
Snell is still looking for his first victory of the season, but the Rays snapped a five-game losing streak with him on the mound Tuesday at Oakland after he allowed three runs in four frames. The 24-year-old Seattle native has given up nine runs on 11 hits and 12 walks over 14 innings in three outings since being recalled from a stint at Triple-A Durham. Snell permitted four runs on six hits over 4 1/3 innings in his only meeting with Baltimore last year.
WALK-OFFS
1. Schoop is 10-for-32 with three homers and nine RBIs, while Jones is 10-for-37 with two blasts against the Rays in 2017.
2. Tampa Bay 3B Evan Longoria has hit safely in 15 of his last 18 games, batting .333 with 12 RBIs during that stretch.
3. Baltimore LHP Zach Britton converted his AL-record 55th straight save opportunity Sunday in a 9-7 victory over Houston.