Back at Tropicana Field today where the Tampa Bay Rays look to avoid a sweep to the Baltimore Orioles, as well as their fourth-straight loss with a matinee match at 1:10 p.m. It’s a getaway day for the Rays, who head on an 11-game road trip that begins Thursday in the Bronx vs. the surging New York Yankees, who are 3.5 games out of the second wild card spot. Here are today’s lineups:
Rays
Logan Forsythe – 2B
Kevin Kiermaier – CF
Evan Longoria – 3B
Brad Miller – 1B
Logan Morrison – DH
Mikie Mahtook – RF
Nick Franklin – SS
Corey Dickerson – LF
Luke Maile – C
O’s
Adam Jones – CF
Michael Bourn – LF
Manny Machado – 3B
Mark Trumbo – DH
Steve Pearce – 1B
Jonathan Schoop – 2B
J.J. Hardy – SS
Drew Stubbs – RF
Caleb Joseph – C
On the mound
Rays: Drew Smyly makes his 27th start this season looking to rebound from a bad outing Weds vs. Boston when he gave up two home runs including a grand slam to Xander Bogaerts. While Smyly is 6-11 this season, he is 4-0 with a 3.44 ERA in his last eight starts. He last faced Baltimore in June and that was a loss in which he gave up eight runs on 10 hits. Smyly has allowed 29 homers this season, fourth-most for a season in franchise history.
O’s: Dylan Bundy is making his 11th career major league start today and is 8-5 with a 3.47 ERA this season. Bundy, a rookie who entered the season as the Orioles top-ranked prospect, last pitched Sept. 2. vs. the Yankees and picked up the win. His 85 strikeouts this season rank fifth amount AL rookie pitchers. However, in two outings (one start and relief appearance), Bundy is 0-1 with a 5.68 ERA vs. the Rays. His first major-league start came July 17 at Tropicana Field.
Duffy done
Recently acquired shortstop Matt Duffy was out of the lineup Wednesday, as the Rays announced Duffy will be shut down for the remainder of the season and undergo heel surgery most likely this weekend.
Duffy was one of the players the Rays acquired at the Trade Deadline from the San Francisco Giants for LHP Matt Moore.
In his brief time in a Rays uniform, Duffy was 21-for-76 with three doubles, a homer and seven RBI.
Forsythe milestones
With last night’s leadoff homer in the first inning, second baseman Logan Forsythe recorded his 500th career hit and a career-high 18th homer of the season. Plenty have taken notice of his offensive output this season.
“(He’s) one of the best hitters in the AL,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said after Tuesday’s game. “I love Forsythe. Forsythe can play.”
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