Gameday Preview (Wednesday): Rays Aim to Take Series vs. Angels

The Tampa Bay Rays look to move to the next stop on their 12-game road trip on a positive note.

The Rays conclude their three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday in Anaheim, Calif. A win will secure Tampa Bay’s first series victory after losing four straight. The Rays' most recent series win came against the Baltimore Orioles July 18-20.

Baz gets the start

Tampa Bay right-hander Shane Baz (8-8, 4.79 ERA) will make his 23rd start of the season on Wednesday. His most recent one came in a 5-0 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 1, in which he allowed five runs while striking out eight batters in five innings.

After holding an 8-3 record going into July, Baz has lost five straight decisions. The Rays have lost six straight games with Baz on the mound, the most among starters on the roster.

Opposing hitters have a .252 batting average against the 26-year-old.

Struggling against lefties

Southpaw Tyler Anderson (2-7, 4,49) will take the mound for the Angels, which poses a challenge for the Rays.

Tampa Bay has struggled against left-handers this season. The club is hitting .226, which is No. 24 out of 30 MLB teams.

The Rays also have 298 strikeouts against lefties, which is tied for the fourth-most in baseball with the Philadelphia Phillies and the Baltimore Orioles. Tampa Bay ranks 14th in hits against left-handed opponents (255).

Anderson has made 22 starts and after winning his first two decisions, Anderson has lost seven straight decisions.

At 56-59, the Rays sit in fourth place in the American League East and seventh in the wild card standings. The Angels sit a half game behind Tampa Bay for the eighth spot.

How to Watch Rays/Angels

Who: Tampa Bay Rays (56-59, fourth in AL East) vs. Los Angeles Angels (55-59, fourth in AL West).
When: Wednesday, Aug. 6 at 4:07 p.m. ET.
Where: Angel Stadium
TV: FanDuel Sports Sun
Radio: WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM, WQBN 106.7/1300 AM (Spanish)
Betting information: The Rays are favored on the money line at HardRockBet.com at minus-115, and the money line odds for the Angels are minus-105. On the run line, you can bet the Rays minus-1.5 at plus-130 odds, and the Angels plus-1.5 at minus-165 odds. The over/under is 8.5 runs.

Here are the starting lineups for both teams:

Rays batting order

Chandler Simpson LF
Yandy Diaz 1B
Junior Caminero 3B
Brandon Lowe 2B
Ha-Seong Kim SS
Jonny DeLuca CF
Josh Lowe RF
Christopher Morel DH
Nick Fortes C

Angels batting order

Zach Neto SS
Nolan Schanuel 1B
Mike Trout DH
Taylor Ward LF
Jo Adell CF
Logan O’Hoppe C
Luis Rengifo 3B
Christian Moore 2B
Bryce Teodosio CF

Rays Newsy Nuggets

B-LOWE BLASTS: With his 20th home run of the season, Brandon Lowe stamped his name in the franchise record books on Tuesday, becoming the fourth player in Rays history to have four or more 20-homer seasons. He joins Evan Longoria (9), Carlos Pena (4) and Aubrey Huff (4). Lowe also becomes the fifth active player to achieve the feat while primarily playing second base, joining Houston’s Jose Altuve (six), Atlanta’s Ozzie Albies (four), Arizona’s Ketel Marte (four) and Texas’ Marcus Semien (four). To qualify as a primary second baseman, at least 50 percent of games must be played at the position.

MILESTONE WATCH: Rays first baseman/designated hitter Yandy Diaz is one run from tying Kevin Kiermaier (410) for fifth on Tampa Bay’s all-time list. Outfielder/designated hitter Christopher Morel is four RBIs from reaching 200 for his career. Meanwhile, third baseman Junior Caminero (98 RBIs) and catcher Nick Fortes (96 RBIs) are on the cusp of reaching 100 for their careers.

WEST COAST ROAD TRIP: The Rays’ current 12-game road trip is the longest since a pair of 12-game trips in 2005: May 30-June 12 (three games each against Oakland, Seattle, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh) and Aug. 2-14 (three games each against Texas, Los Angeles Angels, Baltimore and Detroit). After this stop in Anaheim, the Rays will head north for three games each with the Mariners, Athletics and Giants.