Gameday Preview: Rays Wrap Up Long Road Trip With Sunday Game vs. Orioles
BALTIMORE, Md. — It's been a long, tough road trip for the Tampa Bay Rays, but they'll try to end it on a high note on Sunday by winning the series against the Baltimore Orioles.
The Rays, who won 7-6 Saturday night to snap a four-game losing streak, will send veteran right-hander Corey Kluber to the mound. The Orioles were forced to scratch projected starter Jordan Lyles with a stomach virus, so they will have a bullpen day, with right-hander Austin Voth throwing first.
Kluber has been solid for the Rays all year, with just a couple of shaky outings so far in his 12 starts. But the 36-year-old has also been a great clubhouse presence for the Rays' other young starters.
Tampa Bay ace Shane McClanahan raves about him.
"Corey's very personable. People always say he's quiet and stuff like that, but maybe he's quiet because he doesn't like you, I don't know,'' McClanahan said. "When you get Corey around a setting where he's not around baseball and in a relaxed setting, he's a very very comfortable person, and he talks a lot. He likes to have fun.
"I watch the way he goes about his business every single day. Some bad outings, some good outings, I'm still learning. I've learned a lot from this guys so far about how he carries himself and goes about his business.''
Here's how to watch Sunday's game, with TV information and starting lineups and more.
How to watch Rays at Orioles
- Who: Tampa Bay Rays (36-29) at Baltimore Orioles (29-38)
- When: 1:35 p.m. ET, Saturday, June 18
- Where: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Md.
- TV: Bally Sports Sun
- Stream: Fubo.tv CLICK HERE
- Announcers: Dewayne Staats (play-by-play), Brian Anderson (color commentary) and Tricia Whitaker (reporter).
- Radio: WDAE 95.3 FM, SiriusXM Channel 176 (Orioles broadcast; Rays online)
- Announcers: Andy Freed and Dave Wills.
- Latest line: The Rays are favored at minus-148 on the money line according to the Fanduel.com website opening line as of Friday afternoon. The Orioles are plus-126. The over/under is 8.5.
Rays-Orioles series history
- Rays barely lead series: This Rays lead the all-time series 226-202 over the Orioles, and they are 104-110 at Camden Yards since 1998. The Rays' 104 wins here are the most they've won anywhere on the road in their 25 years. This season, the Rays lead the series 5-3 so far, winning three straight to open the season in St. Petersburg, but losing two of three games in Baltimore, both in extra innings, during a series from May 20-22. They lost 1-0 on Friday night, and won Saturday 7-6.
Projected starting pitchers
- Rays right-hander Corey Kluber: Corey Kluber is 3-3 with a 3.50 earned run average, but he's been better than his numbers indicate. He pitched six innings against the Yankees on Tuesday and gave up just two unearned runs in the 2-0 loss. He's pitched against Baltimore twice this season, allowing just two earned runs in 7 2/3 total innings.
- Orioles right-hander Austin Voth: Austin Voth, is a 29-year-old from Redmond, Va., gets the unlikely start with Jordan Lyles out with a stomach bug. Voth has been used in relief all year. He's pitched 22 innings and has a 0-0 record with a 9.41 ERA.
Projected lineups
- Rays lineup: Kevin Kiermaier CF, Manuel Margot LF, Yandy Diaz 3B, Ji-Man Choi DH, Randy Arozarena DH, Francisco Mejia C, Brett Phillips RF, Vidal Brujan 2B Taylor Walls SS, Corey Kluber P.
- Orioles lineup: Cedric Mullins CF, Ryan Mountcastle 1B, Anthony Santander DH, Austin Hays, Adley Rutschman C, Roughned Odor 2B, Tyler Nevin 3B, Ryan McKenna RF, Jorge Mateo SS, Austin Voth P.
Newsy nuggets
- No. 1 — Mejia heating up: Francisco Mejia had a four-hit night for the Rays on Saturday, the first of his big-league career. He couldn't even remember the last time he had four hits in a game at any level. He's hitting .236 now with three home runs and 14 RBIs. and he's benefitting from getting more playing time with Mike Zunino out with a shoulder injury. "I think there were some inconsistencies early on because Z was getting the lion's share of the playing,'' Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "This has been helping Frankie a little bit. We know what he can do with the bat. (Saturday) was a good day and hopefully that trend continues.'' Mejia is in the lineup again on Sunday.
- No. 2 — Road trip wrap: The Rays have pitched to a 3.13 ERA this season, fourth in the majors behind the New York Yankees (2.79), Los Angeles Dodgers (2.94) and Houston Astros (3.03). They have yielded two earned runs or fewer in five consecutive games, their longest such streak since April 23-29, when they did it six times in a row.
- No. 3 — Winning series: The Rays would like to get a win on Sunday to grab the series from the Orioles. They've struggled to do that lately. The Rays are just 2-4-2 in their last eight series after a 7-2-0 stretch to start the season.
- No. 4 — Pitching gems: Tampa Bay has a 2.51 ERA in the last 33 games, which is best in the majors since May 11 ahead of the Yankees (2.95).
