Mighty O’s swing into series with Rays
Mark Trumbo has been a stalwart for the Orioles all season. Yesterday, though, he produced perhaps his most important base knock to date.
The MLB pacesetter in homers slugged his 42nd dinger off Rick Porcello, accounting for the only scoring in Baltimore’s series-finale triumph over Boston. Manager Buck Showalter would love to see No. 45 clear the fence in a few hours, too, when the O’s host the Rays. Online sports book Bovada.lv gives the AL East’s second-place squad odds of -120 to come out on top. Conversely, Tampa Bay enters Camden Yards as a +110 underdog.
Resting just one game back of the division lead, the Orioles (80-65) cannot wait to return to the 410. They’re 45-25 at home, taking full advantage of the park’s hitter-friendly dimensions. In fact, 118 of the team’s 232 jacks have occurred in Charm City.
Trumbo (.250/.312/.523) and his lumber-wielding friends want to offer tonight’s starter, Yovani Gallardo (5-7, 5.44 ERA), as much support as possible. The Yankees recently tagged the veteran righty for eight runs in 1 1/3 innings. He’s 3-1 with a 1.48 WHIP in six career outings vs. the Rays.
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Kevin Cash answers with Blake Snell (5-8, 3.62), who’s not exactly lighting the world on fire, either. The rookie is 1-3 with a 5.88 ERA since Aug. 22. He’ll face Baltimore for the first time.
Tampa Bay (62-83) boasts legitimate power of its own, with Kevin Kiermaier commanding special attention at the moment. Yet Showalter’s troops understand the significance of opening this set in a positive manner. Expect the O’s to indulge in that home cooking once again.
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