Tampa Bay faces off against Baltimore in division matchup
Tampa Bay Rays (76-54, second in the AL East) vs. Baltimore Orioles (41-88, fifth in the AL East)
Baltimore; Saturday, 7 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Rays: Jose Alvarado (1-5, 4.55 ERA) Orioles: John Means (8-9, 3.75 ERA)
LINE: Rays -194; over/under is 10 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Division rivals Baltimore and Tampa Bay will play on Saturday.
The Orioles are 18-44 against the rest of their division. Baltimore has slugged .409 this season. Trey Mancini leads the club with a .520 slugging percentage, including 60 extra-base hits and 29 home runs.
The Rays are 32-26 against opponents from the AL East. Tampa Bay has slugged .429 this season. Austin Meadows leads the team with a .532 slugging percentage, including 51 extra-base hits and 23 home runs. The Rays won the last meeting 7-1. Trevor Richards recorded his fourth victory and Meadows went 1-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs for Tampa Bay. Ty Blach took his second loss for Baltimore.
TOP PERFORMERS: Mancini leads the Orioles with 29 home runs and is slugging .520. Renato Nunez is 11-for-35 with a double, three home runs and eight RBIs over the last 10 games for Baltimore.
Meadows leads the Rays with 23 home runs and is batting .278. Tommy Pham is 9-for-32 with a double, three home runs and five RBIs over the last 10 games for Tampa Bay.
LAST 10 GAMES: Orioles: 2-8, .221 batting average, 6.14 ERA, outscored by 24 runs
Rays: 6-4, .225 batting average, 3.29 ERA, outscored by two runs
Orioles Injuries: Josh Rogers: (elbow), Alex Cobb: (lumbar strain), Shawn Armstrong: (forearm), Richie Martin: (hand), Mark Trumbo: (knee).
Rays Injuries: Blake Snell: (elbow), Tyler Glasnow: (forearm), Yonny Chirinos: (finger), Avisail Garcia: (oblique), Joey Wendle: (wrist), Brandon Lowe: (leg), Yandy Diaz: (foot).
