Series Preview: Tampa Bay Rays vs Baltimore Orioles

The Tampa Bay Rays went from hitting a brick wall in Boston to obliterating the New York Mets.

Getting into the sequence as one of the best group in baseball, the Mets had been swept away by the Rays over the three recreation sequence. Now the Rays are 39-32 with the highest wild card spot; the Rays are actually simply 3.5 video games again of the Yankees for the division lead. The Rays will now journey again dwelling to Tampa the place they’ll tackle the final place Baltimore Orioles.

To say the 2025 season has been a disappointment for the Orioles can be an enormous understatement. Baltimore is at the moment 30-40 on the season, 12 video games again within the division and 6 video games again of the third Wild Card spot.

Getting into the yr, the Orioles had an thrilling younger core of gamers that had helped propel them to consecutive playoff appearances. They did lose Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander within the offseason, each of whom have their very own separate struggles this season, however most each participant on the roster suffered by way of abysmal begins to the season and have solely not too long ago began to carry out extra like their profession norms.

Since struggling a walk-off loss within the first recreation of a double-header on Could twenty fourth, the Orioles are 13-6; the Rays are 14-6 over the identical time-frame.

Statistically, Ryan O’Hearn is having one of the best yr amongst Orioles place gamers as he’s hitting .310/.391/.502 with 10 HR (156 wRC+ | 1.9 fWAR). Nonetheless, Gunnar Henderson (123 wRC+ | 1.7 fWAR) has been surging recently and can probably declare that high spot over O’Hearn quickly. Cedric Mullins (123 wRC+ | 1.2 fWAR can also be having a stable season and having fun with one of many higher offensive years of his profession to this point. Adley Rutschman and Jackson Vacation have additionally rounded into type. It’s the dearth of manufacturing from Ryan Mountcastle, Heston Kjerstad, and free agent signee Tyler O’Neill which have hampered the Orioles offensively.

In the meantime, the pitching has been a large number. The Orioles weren’t capable of re-sign Corbin Burnes within the offseason and failed so as to add any high of the rotation expertise to their rotation and as a substitute tried to fill their wants with Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano. Morton has been a catastrophe whereas Sugano has been a stable signing and is probably the ace of the employees. Within the bulllpen, Gregory Soto has been the group’s high reliever, though Felix Bautista stays as Baltimore’s nearer.

Frivolities

The highest gamers by profession bWAR to have performed for the Rays and Orioles:

Nelson Cruz
Jose Bautista
Aubrey Huff
Alex Cobb
Erik Bedard

The Rays greatest participant offensively in opposition to the Orioles all-time (min. 25 PA):Mike Brosseau: .322/.365/.729 with 8 HR over 63 PAThe subsequent 4 are Rey Ordonez, Tommy Pham, Aaron Ledesma, & Logan Morrison

The Rays most earlier transacation with the Orioles:— 7/6/24: Rays commerce Zach Eflin to the Baltimore Orioles for Jackson Baumeister, Matthew Etzel, & Mac Horvath

The Rays first transaction with the Mets— 3/29/99: Rays commerce Jason Johnson to the Baltimore Orioles for Danny Clyburn & Bolivar VolquezREAD MOREFirst trades in Tampa Bay Rays historical past: “With the Baltimore Orioles”

Possible pitchers are projected by FanGraphs