With just under one half of the season left on the calendar, the Orioles remain in the driver’s seat in the AL East going into mid-July with a two-game lead over the Sox and Blue Jays for first place.
In the eyes of the national media, this wasn’t the result most were expecting.
In fact, most had this Orioles squad not only missing the playoffs, but scrapping to finish near or above five-hundred.
The special thing about this squad in particular is the fact that they’ve never needed the hype or the praise; they just find ways to win regardless. The knack for thriving under the radar has almost become the Orioles status quo in recent times and this year is no different.
And now, just 75 games stand between the O’s and once again playing October baseball.
It’s time to get back to work.
The Orioles (51-36) will kick off the second half of the campaign with a three-game stint in St. Petersburg.
After sweeping the Rays in a four-game set for the first time in franchise history at Camden Yards back in June, the Orioles own a commanding 7-2 lead over Kevin Cash’s injury-hobbled squad in the season series and a stellar 22-13 mark versus the AL East on the year.
Since the start of the 2014 season, the Orioles own an impressive 29-18 record against their Floridian rivals.
Tampa Bay (34-54) will be looking to start fresh after enduring a brutal first half in which they were ravaged by injuries. They find themselves facing a 17.5-game mountain for first place in the division.
To make matters worse, the Rays enter the second half of the campaign on a current six-game losing skid and have posted a woeful 1-10 record over their last 11 games.
And “The Trop” hasn’t been a safe haven for the battered Rays; they own a miserable 18-28 record at home on the year.
Yovani Gallardo (3-1, 5.82 ERA) will take the mound versus Chris Archer (4-12, 4.66 ERA) in the series opener on Friday.
Gallardo will face the Rays for the second time in three weeks tonight after allowing three runs on seven hits over 5.1 innings against Tampa in a 6-3 win on June 24th.
Over four career starts against Tampa, Gallardo owns a 2-1 record with a solid 3.52 ERA.
Archer, 27, is going through a nightmare of a season, mainly due to his inability to keep the ball in the yard. He’s allowed 18 homers over 110 innings this season after allowing only 19 over 212 innings last season and 12 over 194.2 innings I 2014.
In 11 games (10 starts) versus the O’s, Archer has registered a 3-5 record with a 4.48 ERA. However, he posted one of his best outings of the season against the O’s on April 25th, allowing just five hits over 6.2 shutout innings with zero walks and ten K’s in a 2-0 win.
Chris Tillman (12-2, 3.41 ERA) will square off against Matt Moore (5-6, 4.46 ERA) on Saturday night.
This will mark Tillman’s fourth start versus Tampa Bay on the season. The 28-year-old owns a 2-0 record with a 3.78 ERA against the Rays on the year and a 7-9 record with a 4.23 ERA over 23 career starts.
Along with being perfect at home, Tillman has been a road warrior this season as well. He owns a 4-2 record and a solid 3.71 ERA away from Camden Yards.
Moore, 27, has posted a 0-2 record and a 5.27 ERA over two starts versus the Orioles on the year despite registering a stout 0.95 WHIP.
The southpaw has registered a 4-6 mark with a 4.13 ERA over 11 career starts versus the Orioles.
With Tampa Bay out of the playoff picture and possibly looking to the future, Moore’s name has been mentioned frequently in the rumor mill. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that his form is at a season-high after posting a 2-1 record with a sparkling 1.93 ERA recently.
I’d say about a dozen or so teams will be lining up to inquire about the former All-Star that’s still in his prime after coming off of two injury-hit seasons. And he’s a lefty…too bad they most likely wouldn’t trade him in-division.
GulfBird Sports/Craig Landefeld
Finally! The moment we’ve all been waiting for…Dylan Bundy (2-1, 3.08 ERA) will make his first major league start against Jake Odorizzi (3-5, 4.47 ERA) in the series finale on Sunday. Give ‘em hell, DB!
The 23-year-old Bundy forced his way into the rotation after posting a 14.1 straight scoreless innings over his last six outings while racking up 19 K’s.
After Bundy’s performance versus the Dodgers in which he allowed three hits over 2.1 shutout innings with seven strikeouts, I think the writing was on the wall: the kid was ready.
And now Bundy gets his shot to become a mainstay in the rotation. Don’t miss this one, folks!
Odorizzi, 26, has posted a 0-1 record with a 5.63 ERA over three starts against the Orioles on the season and owns a 2-3 record over 10 career starts.
However, the Illinois native has seen a recent dip in form in which he’s registered a 0-2 record with a dreadful 7.63 ERA over his last three starts.
The free-swinging Rays enter the three-game clash at Tropicana Field ranked fourth in the AL in home runs (118) but just 14th in OBP (.306) and dead last in the two biggest categories; scoring (3.90 runs per game) and batting average (.240). Superstar Evan Longoria (.289, 19 HR, 47 RBI) has been in excellent form all season long, while shortstop Brad Miller (.241, 14 HR, 32 RBI) is in the middle of a breakout season and slugger Corey Dickerson (.230, 13 HR, 35 RBI) has had a solid first season in St. Petersburg.
Despite their best efforts, Tampa Bay has gone through a brutal scoring drought in which they’ve manufactured just 30 runs over their past 11 ballgames and 14 during their six-game losing streak.
The Rays pitching hasn’t been much better as of late. They’ve allowed 69 runs (6.27 runs per game) during their horrid 1-10 stretch.
And with the first place Orioles ranked first in the majors in home runs (137) and second in the AL in scoring (5.08 runs per game) and batting average (.272), things won’t be getting any easier for the hosts with Manny Machado (.318, 19 HR, 53 RBI), Mark Trumbo (.288, 28 HR, 68 RBI) and Chris Davis (.237, 22 HR, 58 RBI) coming to town.
Here’s to picking up right where we left off and starting the second half on a high note!
