The Tampa Bay Rays are about to open a nine-game homestand that figures to play a key role in their quest for an American League wild-card spot.
It starts Friday as they open a three-game series in St. Petersburg, Fla., against the Baltimore Orioles, who share the AL East lead with the New York Yankees.
The Rays are five games out of the final wild-card spot following a 3-3 road trip to Houston and St. Louis that was capped with a 6-4 victory over the Cardinals on Thursday night. Tampa Bay also will host the AL West-co-leading Houston Astros and the defending National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks for three games each during what could be viewed as a make-or-break homestand for the Rays.
Right-hander Zack Littell (5-7, 4.06 ERA), who has allowed just seven hits and one run over 12 2/3 innings while winning his past two outings, will start the series opener for Tampa Bay.
Littell is 0-1 with a 3.66 ERA in five career appearances (three starts) against Baltimore, including 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in two starts this season.
Littell will be opposed by ex-Ray Zach Eflin (7-7, 4.05 ERA).
Eflin has won both of his starts for the Orioles and is very familiar with the mound at Tropicana Field. He signed a three-year, $40 million contract with the Rays on Dec. 13, 2022, the largest free agent contract in Rays history, and then went 16-8 with a 3.50 ERA in 31 starts for Tampa Bay in 2023.
Eflin was 5-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 19 starts the Rays this year before he was traded to the Orioles for minor-leaguers Matthew Etzel, Jackson Baumeister and Mac Horvath on July 26.
Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe told the Tampa Bay Times about facing his former teammate just two weeks the trade, “It’s going to be weird.”
St. Petersburg is the final stop of a season-high, 10-game road trip for Baltimore, which has dropped four of the first seven games, including a 7-6 loss at Toronto on Thursday night.
Trailing 7-2 going into the top of the ninth, the Orioles scored four times and had the tying run on first base when Anthony Santander, who is second in the American League with 34 home runs, flied out to center to end the comeback bid.
“We had the tying run on base there in the ninth inning after not doing much offensively for a while, so give our guys credit for that. But a disappointing loss,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said.
The Orioles, who have won six of seven meetings against Tampa Bay in 2024, are just 11-15 since July 9.
“I think overall we haven’t been playing our best baseball, but we’re still in the fight for the division,” said Colton Cowser, who hit a two-run homer on Thursday. “I think that’s really all you can ask for.”
Lowe continued his hot hitting with a two-run, go-ahead homer during a three-run seventh inning to help propel the Rays to their 6-4 win at St. Louis. Lowe is batting .383 (18-for-47) with seven doubles, three home runs and 13 RBIs in his past 12 games.
“We’re going against a great opponent in the Orioles,” Lowe said. “It’s going to be a tough series. It’s going to be a grind.”
–Field Level Media
