Tampa Bay @ Baltimore preview
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Last Meeting ( Sep 13, 2011 ) Tampa Bay 2, Baltimore 4
THE STORY: The Tampa Bay Rays will attempt to bounce back from a costly defeat when they face the host Baltimore Orioles in the finale of a three-game series Wednesday. Rays ace David Price was unable to hold a one-run lead Tuesday and that loss, coupled with Boston’s win, dropped the Rays four games behind the Red Sox in the American League wild-card chase with 15 games to play. Tampa Bay, which cannot afford to fall further back with a four-game series beginning Thursday in Boston, sends Wade Davis to the mound Wednesday to oppose Baltimore’s Jeremy Guthrie.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, SunSports (Tampa Bay), MASN2 (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Wade Davis (10-8, 4.36 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Jeremy Guthrie (7-17, 4.29).
Davis has won his last two starts, including a 6-3 victory over the Orioles on Sept. 3. He tossed his first complete game of the season in a 7-2 win at Boston on Friday. Davis is 3-2 in five starts against the Orioles this season. He has made himself at home at Camden Yards with a 4-0 record and 3.27 ERA in five career starts. Matt Wieters if 4-for-9 and Nick Markakis and Adam Jones 5-for-13 each against Davis this year. Guthrie, who leads the majors in losses, turned in perhaps his best performance since opening day by blanking Toronto on three hits over seven innings Friday. He'll be making his fifth start against the Rays this season, having gone 1-2 against them. The Rays whacked him for seven runs in five innings Sept. 4, but he shut them out on three hits over eight innings in the season opener. Guthrie is 6-10 with a 4.24 ERA in 20 appearances (18) starts against Tampa Bay.
ABOUT THE ORIOLES (59-88): Baltimore collected six hits for the second straight night against the Rays, but they made the most of them. Jake Fox delivered a key two-out, pinch-hit double that tied the score and knocked David Price out of the game. That set up Wieters’ two-run homer one inning later, which put the Orioles within four wins of averting a third straight 100-loss season. Wieters homered for the second straight night and has eight in his last 19 games. It was his sixth career blast in 37 games against the Rays. J.J. Hardy had a double among two hits, marking his second extra-base hit in 12 games.
ABOUT THE RAYS (82-65): Evan Longoria was poised to play the hero after his two-run homer gave Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning, but the bullpen was unable to hold it. J.P. Howell served up the homer to Wieters, only the second time he has been taken deep in his last 27 appearances. Closer Kyle Farnsworth remains unavailable because of a sore elbow, limiting manager Joe Maddon’s options in late-game scenarios. B.J. Upton extended his hitting streak to six games. Lefty reliever Troy Patton retired all three batters he faced Tuesday to notch his first major league victory in 20 appearances.
FINAL PITCH: Tampa Bay’s Johnny Damon became the ninth player in major league history with 200 homers and 400 steals when he swiped his 15th base Tuesday.