After an impressive sweep of the Minnesota Twins in the opening series of the 2016 season, the O’s take on an AL East rival for the first time in the form of the Tampa Bay Rays (2-2) in a three-game format before heading up to Fenway to take on the Sox.
Before the first pitch is thrown tonight, let’s take a look at a few key players for the home squad and a few trends that the Orioles hope to continue – and one that they hope doesn’t – during their early season surge:
– Joey Rickard: We just can’t stop talking about this guy, can we? And for obvious reasons I must add. The Spring Training stud turned into a fan favorite and a media darling almost overnight after his fantastic opening series display against the Twins in which he went 5-for-11 (.455) with a double, a home run, and two RBI. I’m sure that Rickard is taking it all in stride, but one cannot deny that a repeat performance against his former club would put a huge smile on his face (and probably a bunch of scowls in the visiting dugout).
– Matt Wieters: Or should we just call him the bane of Tampa? The 29-year-old has a career line of 15 home runs, 54 RBI, a .319 avg, and a .373 OBP against the Rays, the highest totals he has recorded against a single club by a long shot. Look for that trend to continue in this upcoming series.
– Chris Davis: While he didn’t exactly tear the cover off the ball against the Twins (other than the ball he crushed over the centerfield wall on Wednesday night), Davis has a solid track record against the Rays. The 30-year-old has launched 22 home runs against the Rays in his career, good for the third most he’s hit against a single opponent, trailing only the Yankees (23) and the Blue Jays (31). Look for ”Crush” to put one or two over the fence at OPACY over the next three games.
– Injuries: Adam Jones is missing his second straight game tonight after feeling some discomfort in his rib area while swinging on Wednesday. J.J. Hardy is out of tonight’s lineup as well, as Buck says he’s dealing with some calf tightness. Manny Machado is playing short, with Ryan Flaherty at third. Let’s hope these injuries to a couple of the Birds’ key veterans don’t linger (and that nobody else comes up lame!)
Now, let’s take a look at a few numbers that really stand out from the series against Minnesota that the red-hot O’s will look to build upon going forward:
– Starting Pitching: We really can’t emphasize it enough. This is the key to the entire season for the Orioles in 2016, and the early results through three games are very encouraging. The O’s starting trio of Chris Tillman, Yovani Gallardo, and Ubaldo Jimenez were lights out against the Twins, allowing just two earned runs on ten hits over fourteen innings while fanning eighteen batters and walking just three. Combined, they registered an outstanding 1.29 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. Hopefully Tillman, Mike Wright, and a TBD third starter of the series can continue this stellar run of form against the Rays.
– Bullpen: There aren’t too many clubs in baseball that can match the O’s bullpen, if there is any at all. Fact. This is the backbone of the team, and they have started the year in scintillating form. If you take away Mychal Givens‘ rough first two outings, the rest of the bullpen, led by Darren O’Day and Zach Britton, have racked up eleven scoreless innings while allowing just six hits and one walk while notching fourteen strikeouts and a 0.63 WHIP. That’s just insane, and how lucky are we to have that kind of reliability night in and night out? Keep it up guys!
– Opening the season with three W’s and a sweep! It doesn’t get any better than that. And who knows? If the O’s can continue their red-hot play against the Rays, they could end up flying to Boston still undefeated…
This is Logan Quick signing out from Eutaw Street Report, enjoy the games this weekend folks!
