The Baltimore Orioles will be at home to face the Tampa Bay Rays Thursday afternoon. The Rays beat the Orioles 6-4 Wednesday to improve to 53-45. Baltimore is now 49-49 after losing Wednesday's matchup. Baltimore has been a good team at Camden Yards, carrying a 28-20 record there this season.
Tampa Bay now leads the Cleveland Guardians by 2.5 games at the moment for the final Wild Card spot entering this series finale.
"Pleased to pull this one out #RaysUp" - RaysBaseball
Jordan Lyles, who is 6-8 with a 4.79 ERA in 20 starts, will be on the hill Thursday for Baltimore. In his previous outing, Lyles tossed five frames, allowing eight hits and three earned runs. Lyles eats up innings and typically has a long leash, so expect him to throw around 100 pitches on Wednesday.
Lyles has gotten lit up in two starts versus Tampa Bay this year, but both of those games were on the Rays' home field, which is a turf surface. The Rays' offense doesn't usually blow teams out of the water, so Lyles should be able to keep the O's in the game at the very least at home.
"Good morning. Jordan Lyles had the dog in him last night..." - Locked IN Orioles
Tampa Bay sends out lefty Ryan Yarbrough for Thursday's matchup, who is 0-3, with a 5.70 ERA as a starter. He'll be tasked with an offense that is ranked #21 in runs per game in the majors. Last time out, Yarbrough threw 5 1/3 innings, giving up five hits and two earned runs while fanning four.
Baltimore had their opportunities on Wednesday but failed to cash in, going 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position. They'll look to bounce back on Thursday against the Rays' southpaw.
Baltimore Orioles vs. Tampa Bay Rays Match Details
Fixture: Tampa Bay Rays @ Baltimore Orioles
Date & Time: Thursday, July 28, 12:35 p.m. EDT
Venue: Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore Orioles vs. Tampa Bay Rays Betting Odds
Baltimore Orioles vs. Tampa Bay Rays Best Picks
Adley Rutschman has been a key part of the Orioles' recent success. The switch-hitter has proven his consistency over the last month, where he has a .857 OPS. While Yarbrough might not pitch deep into the game, Rutschman also has a .843 OPS versus lefties this year.
Pick: Adley Rutschman Over 1.5 Total Bases (+105)
Baltimore Orioles vs. Tampa Bay Rays Betting Prediction
These two clubs have played tight games all series long, and they're pretty evenly matched at the moment. Baltimore has the slight home advantage, but Tampa Bay has won six of their last eight as underdogs. The best bet here is to go with the over, which has hit in the previous two games.
Prediction: Over 9 Runs (-115)