Rays at Orioles
Jonathan Schoop hopes to continue his torrid stretch with the bat when the major league-worst Baltimore Orioles host the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday night for the third of a four-game set between American League East rivals. Schoop homered for the fifth consecutive contest in Friday’s 15-5 rout for the Orioles, recording 11 RBIs during that stretch, and is 17-for-45 during a 10-game hitting streak.
Danny Valencia added three hits in the victory and is a gaudy 25-for-50 with three homers and 14 RBIs over 14 games during the last two seasons against the Rays for Baltimore, which became the last team in the majors to reach 30 wins Friday. Kevin Gausman gets the start for the Orioles on Saturday and Tampa Bay will be forced to go with another “bullpen” game as it sends Ryne Stanek to the mound for the first inning or two. The Rays lost for the second time in six contests Friday to spoil a chance to match their high-water mark of the season at four games over .500, settling for a 53-51 mark. Joey Wendle is 5-for-10 over the last three games for Tampa Bay and teammate Matt Duffy should be back in the lineup after sitting out Friday, looking to snap out of a 0-for-14 slump.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Tampa Bay), MASN2 (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Ryne Stanek (1-2, 1.86 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Kevin Gausman (4-8, 4.54)
Stanek has prospered in his role as a starter, allowing just three runs over 20 2/3 innings while opening 14 games, striking out 27 and walking eight. The 27-year-old Kansas native, who boasts 78 strikeouts across 58 2/3 innings in the majors, has permitted zero runs on four hits with five strikeouts over his last four innings on the mound. Stanek, a first round pick in 2013, yielded one run over 3 2/3 innings with six strikeouts versus the Orioles in 2018.
Gausman allowed 13 runs on 20 hits across 14 2/3 innings while going winless in his past three starts after starting July with a win over the Los Angeles Angels. The 27-year-old LSU product earned all of his wins at home this season and has split a pair of matchups with Tampa Bay in 2018, including a victory in Baltimore on May 11. C.J. Cron is 5-for-15 with a homer versus Gausman, who is 6-6 with a 4.13 ERA in 16 games (14 starts) against the Rays.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Rays matched their franchise record by using 18 rookies this year and LHP Jalen Beeks would make it 19 if he pitches as expected Saturday.
2. Baltimore CF Adam Jones, who is three doubles shy of 300 with the team, is 11-for-28 during his current seven-game hitting streak.
3. Tampa Bay C Michael Perez is 4-for-6 with a run scored in his first two major league games since being acquired from Arizona on Wednesday.