Tampa Bay Rays vs Baltimore Orioles Picks and Predictions August 9th 2024

The Orioles head into Friday’s AL East matchup vs. the Rays looking for a win and move to 69-48, while the Rays are looking to gain some ground in the division, as they are 4th at 58-56. This one is being played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, and the Orioles are the slight money line favorite (-130).

Friday’s forecast in St. Petersburg calls for thunderstorms, with the first pitch currently scheduled for 6:50 PM ET. BSSUN will be televising this one, and the over/under line is currently at 7.5 runs. Zach Eflin is starting for the Orioles, while the Rays are going with Zack Littell.

Baltimore vs. Tampa Bay Key Information

Zach Eflin gets the start for the Orioles today as he faces the Rays on the road. He has made 21 starts this season and has a record of 7-7 with an ERA of 4.05. Eflin’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.18. In his last outing, Eflin picked up the win, going 6 1/3 innings and giving up two earned runs on five hits. Looking back further, he has won three straight starts. Eflin’s ERA on the road is 5.21, compared to 2.65 at home.

As a team, the Orioles are the top home run hitting team in the league and are 3rd in the league in scoring at 5.1 runs per game. They have been even better on the road, averaging 5.3 runs per contest. Overall, they are batting .254, which is 6th in the league, and are the top team in the league in slugging percentage.

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Anthony Santander is 2nd in the league with 34 home runs and is 9th in the league with 78 RBIs. He has also been hot of late, going 12/42 (.286) with four homers over his last 10 games. Gunnar Henderson is batting .285 for the season and has 29 homers, which is 2nd on the team and 5th in the league.

Zack Littell gets the start for the Rays today and will be looking to build off his last outing, where he picked up the win. Against the Astros on August 3rd, Littell went 5 2/3 innings, giving up just one earned run. Looking at his overall numbers, Littell has made 22 starts and has a record of 5-7. His ERA for the season is 4.06, along with a WHIP of 1.33. Opposing batters are hitting .280 off Littell this season. The right-hander has turned in eight quality starts and is averaging 8.12 strikeouts per nine innings. For the year, he has allowed 18 home runs.

Heading into today’s game, the Rays offense is averaging just 4 runs per game, which is 27th in the MLB. They have been even worse at home, averaging only 3.7 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .235 and are 21st in the league in home runs. The good news is that they are 9th in the league in walks and have a collective OBP of .313.

Looking at some of the team’s top hitters, Yandy Diaz is batting .274 and has 10 homers, while Brandon Lowe is also having a good season at the plate, with a batting average of .265 and 14 home runs. Lowe has been hot of late, going 12/39 in his last nine games. Christopher Morel leads the team with 53 RBIs but is hitting just .194 for the season and has gone 3/25 in his last seven games.

Our lean in this Orioles vs. Rays matchup is to take the Orioles to pick up the win. We also have this as the 4th lowest-scoring game of the day, but with the line sitting at 7.5 runs, we are leaning towards taking the over. The Orioles have the 3rd highest projected home run total, and Zach Eflin is 5th among today’s starters in projected strikeouts. On the other side, Zack Littell has the 2nd worst strikeout projection among today’s starters.

Rays Open Critical Homestand with Series Against Orioles

The Tampa Bay Rays are set to start a pivotal nine-game homestand that could significantly impact their mission for an American League special case spot. The homestand starts off on Friday with a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles, who presently share the AL East lead with the New York Yankees. This series marks the start of a stretch of games that could decide the Rays’ postseason fate, with matchups against top-level teams, for example, the AL West co-leading Houston Astros and the shielding National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks also not too far off.

Rays’ Playoff Push

The Rays get themselves five games out of the final trump card spot as they get back following a challenging 3-3 road excursion to Houston and St. Louis. The outing closed on a high note with a 6-4 triumph over the Cardinals on Thursday night, giving Tampa Bay some truly necessary energy as they prepare for this crucial homestand. Given the strength of their impending rivals, this series against the Orioles could be seen as a make-or-break second for the Rays’ playoff ambitions.

Tampa Bay will send right-hander Zack Littell to the hill in the series opener. Littell has been in phenomenal structure as of late, allowing only one run and seven hits north of 12 2/3 innings while winning his last two trips. He carries a 5-7 record with a 4.06 ERA into Friday’s game. In any case, Littell has had blended results against Baltimore in his career, with a 0-1 record and a 3.66 ERA in five appearances (three starts). This season, he has faced the Orioles two times, posting a 4.50 ERA over those starts.

Familiar Foe: Zach Eflin

Opposing Littell will be former Ray Zach Eflin, now pitching for the Orioles. Eflin, who signed a three-year, $40 million contract with Tampa Bay in December 2022, was a key part of the Rays’ rotation last season, going 16-8 with a 3.50 ERA. However, he was traded to Baltimore on July 26 in exchange for three minor leaguers. Eflin has continued to pitch well with his new team, winning both of his starts and carrying a 7-7 record with a 4.05 ERA into the matchup.

Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe acknowledged the unusual sensation of facing Eflin so not long after the trade. “It will be odd,” Lowe told the Tampa Bay Times. Lowe has been one of the Rays’ most smoking hitters, batting .383 with seven duplicates, three home runs, and 13 RBIs over his last 12 games. His go on two-run homer in the seventh inning on Thursday assisted the Rays with getting their triumph over the Cardinals.

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Orioles’ Recent Struggles

The Orioles, meanwhile, are finishing up a season-high 10-game road trip with this series in St. Petersburg. Baltimore has battled on the road, losing four of their last seven games, including a 7-6 defeat to the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday. In that game, the Orioles nearly mounted a dramatic comeback, scoring four runs in the 10th inning and bringing the binds race to initially base prior to falling short.

“We had the tying run on base there in the 10th inning after not doing much unpalatably for some time, so give our folks credit for that. In any case, a disappointing misfortune,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said following the game.

Notwithstanding their new battles, the Orioles have had the high ground against the Rays this season, winning six of the seven gatherings between the two teams. Be that as it may, Baltimore’s new 11-15 stretch since July 9 has allowed the Yankees to catch up in the division race. Outfielder Colton Cowser, who hit a two-run homerun on Thursday, remains hopeful. “I think overall we haven’t been playing our best baseball, however we’re still in the battle for the division. I believe that’s really all you can ask for,” Cowser said.

Key Series Ahead

With the two teams battling for playoff situating, this series vows to be a firmly challenged battle. The Rays are hoping to proceed with their new accomplishment at the plate, while the Orioles aim to rediscover their triumphant structure and fortify their grasp on the division lead.

“We’re conflicting with a great rival in the Orioles,” said Lowe. “Being an extreme series is going. Being a grind is going.”

As the Rays embark on this critical homestand, the result of this series could establish the vibe until the end of their season and their quest for a playoff billet.