Tampa Bay @ Baltimore preview
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Last Meeting ( Sep 12, 2012 ) Tampa Bay 2, Baltimore 3
The Baltimore Orioles are not going away quietly. In fact, Buck Showalter's charges routinely have caused a ruckus by winning wild one-game affairs - much like Wednesday's 3-2 triumph over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Orioles, who share first place in the American League East with New York, will look to bring their brooms on Thursday afternoon when they complete a three-game set versus visiting Tampa Bay. After the matinee, Baltimore will head west to begin a nine-game road trip on Friday with a three-game set against Oakland.
After making a brilliant defensive play in the top of the ninth, rookie Manny Machado opened the bottom of the frame with a single before Nate McLouth gave Baltimore a 3-2 win with the game-winning hit. While Camden Yards was whipped into a frenzy, the Rays were saddled with their fourth setback in six outings to fall three games behind the AL East co-leaders in the races for both the division and second wild card. Tampa Bay will travel to New York for a three-game set this weekend.
TV: 12:35 p.m. ET, SUN (Tampa Bay), MASN (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Jeremy Hellickson (8-10, 3.33 ERA) vs. Orioles LH Wei-Yin Chen (12-9, 4.06)
Hellickson was unable to end a two-game skid despite yielding just one run in six solid innings in a no-decision versus Texas on Friday. The 25-year-old fell to 5-3 in his career against the Orioles after yielding all four runs and walking as many in four innings in a 4-0 loss on Aug. 4. Hellickson has struggled with the long ball, allowing five homers in his last three games after permitting just two in his previous seven starts.
Chen will look to snap a two-game losing skid after dropping a pair to the Yankees. The 27-year-old Taiwan native was throttled in his last start, yielding seven runs in 4 2/3 innings in an 8-5 setback on Friday. Chen improved to 1-2 in his rookie season versus Tampa Bay after scattering five hits over seven shutout innings on Aug. 4.
WALK-OFFS
1. Baltimore CF Adam Jones, who is riding a 10-game hitting streak, is 8-for-25 with three homers in his career versus Hellickson.
2. B.J. Upton is not to blame for Tampa Bay's troubles after belting his fourth homer in three games and reaching the 30-steal plateau for the fifth straight season. Upton, however, is just 1-for-8 with two strikeouts against Chen this season.
3. Orioles RHP Jason Hammel will have an MRI on Thursday to determine the severity of the injury to his right knee. Hammel exited Tuesday's game with the injury while making his second start since undergoing surgery in July.