Listen Live: Baltimore Orioles At Tampa Bay Rays [Live Audio] MLB
Where: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
The Tampa Bay Rays look to produce another big pitching effort when they host the Baltimore Orioles for the middle contest of a three-game series on Tuesday night. The Rays used five pitchers to limit the Orioles to five hits during a 2-0 victory on Monday and can reach the .500 mark for the first time in almost three weeks with a victory as Jake Odorizzi takes the mound.
Catcher Curt Casali had both RBIs on Monday for Tampa Bay, which has won six of its last nine contests after stumbling out of the gate at 3-7. Baltimore gives the ball to right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez after managing one run in the last two games and losing for the seventh time in 11 outings since a franchise-record 7-0 start. Manny Machado is 0-for-7 in the last two outings after starting the season with a 16-game hitting streak and slugger Chris Davis went 0-for-8 with four strikeouts the past two contests for the Orioles. Mark Trumbo has hit in 10 straight games and 16-of-18 on the season for Baltimore.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles RH Ubaldo Jimenez (1-1, 3.71 ERA) vs. Rays RH Jake Odorizzi (0-1, 3.97)
Jimenez has struggled with control his last two starts after a solid debut when he limited Minnesota to two runs (one earned) over seven innings. The 32-year-old Dominican Republic native walked four batters in each of the last two outings, but has struck out 20 in 17 innings overall. Logan Morrison is 3-for-3 against Jimenez, who is 4-1 with a 2.56 ERA in five career games versus Tampa Bay.
Odorizzi comes in off the worst of four starts when he permitted five runs and eight hits over four innings at Boston before the Rays rallied for a 12-8 win. The 26-year-old has allowed 25 hits while striking out 23 in 22 2/3 innings overall. Adam Jones is 8-for-20 with a homer and Machado is 7-for-19 with a pair of blasts versus Odorizzi, who is 2-3 with a 4.94 ERA in 10 games (nine starts) against Baltimore.
WALK-OFFS
1. Baltimore manager Buck Showalter has 1,351 wins, one away from tying Chuck Tanner for 30th on the all-time major league list.
2. Tampa Bay RF Steven Souza Jr. is 7-for-19 with two homers, five RBIs, four runs scored and three walks during a five-game hitting streak.
3. The Orioles optioned INF Ryan Flaherty to Triple-A Norfolk to make room for Monday starter RHP Kevin Gausman.
PREDICTION: Rays 5, Orioles 3
