Home Cooking
Securing victories hasn’t been a problem for the Tampa Bay Rays lately, and that’s been especially evident when playing at home.
The surging Rays, winners of four straight overall, try to sweep a visiting opponent for the eighth time this season on Sunday as they conclude a three-game series with the slumping Baltimore Orioles.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made Tampa Bay -245 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for today’s game, the over/under has been set at 9 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 73% of bets for this game have been placed on Tampa Bay -245 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Tampa Bay (83-51) is an AL-best 28-12 since the All-Star break, and hasn’t lost a series in that span – winning 12 and splitting a four-game set.
The Rays assured themselves of winning a ninth consecutive series at Tropicana Field with a 10-9 victory over Baltimore (63-72) on Saturday.
Rocco Baldelli delivered the game-winning RBI double in the ninth inning, and the AL East-leading Rays rallied from a four-run deficit for their seventh straight win over the Orioles.
Tampa Bay, which previously completed a three-game home sweep of Baltimore from May 23-25, remained 4 1/2 games ahead of Boston in the East.
"Our guys are really aware of what’s going on," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "You can tell by the intensity."
Though nearly a month remains in the regular season, the Rays are guaranteed to finish with a winning record for the first time in their 10-year existence.
Their success as hosts has contributed to that accomplishment. Tampa Bay owns the majors’ best home record (51-19), due largely to a pitching staff that owns an AL-best 3.12 ERA there.
James Shields (11-8, 3.75 ERA) has led the Rays to victory in 13 of his 15 home starts, going 8-2 with a 2.41 ERA and holding opponents to a .229 average in those outings.
The right-hander had won five straight decisions at Tropicana Field, but allowed four runs and nine hits over 6 2-3 innings in a 6-2 home loss to Toronto on Tuesday. Still, he is 4-2 with a 3.58 ERA in his last eight games overall.
Shields is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in three starts – all Rays wins – against the Orioles this season. He didn’t receive a decision, but helped them to a 5-4 home victory on May 25 after yielding three earned runs and eight hits over eight innings.
Baltimore’s Aubrey Huff is only batting .240 (6-for-25) lifetime against Shields, but has three homers and six RBIs.
Huff had a three-run homer on Saturday for the Orioles, who lost for just the second time in 21 games when totaling at least nine runs.
"We’re out there scoring our runs," right fielder Nick Markakis, who went 4-for-5 with a homer, told the Orioles’ official Web site. "We’re struggling a little bit with our pitching."
Markakis is understating his team’s struggles on the mound.
Baltimore is 3-10 since Aug. 16 – a stretch during which the pitching staff has a 6.85 ERA. Orioles pitchers have walked 18 and allowed 24 runs over the past two games.
Brian Burres (7-8, 5.79) has experienced similar trouble on the mound lately, going 0-3 with an 11.48 ERA in his last three outings.
The left-hander was recalled from a three-week stint at Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday, and was reached for five earned runs and 10 hits in five innings of an 8-3 home loss to the Chicago White Sox.
Burres is 0-3 with a 9.64 ERA in 11 career appearances – three of them starts – versus the Rays.
On Saturday, the Orioles learned they’ll be without Melvin Mora for about a week after he strained his left hamstring in Friday’s opener. The third baseman is batting a major league-best .393 (59-for-15) with 12 homers and 49 RBIs in 37 games since the All-Star break.
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