Baltimore Orioles vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction 9-15-23 MLB Picks
The Tampa Bay Rays and the Baltimore Orioles meet in game two of their four-game AL East division series from Camden Yards on Friday.
Rays Eke Out Win In Game One
The Tampa Bay Rays managed to snag a win to kick off the series thanks to a narrow 4-3 win over the O’s in game one on Thursday. The win propelled the Rays to 91-57 on the year, sitting 1 game back of the Orioles for the lead in the AL East while holding tightly onto the top Wild Card spot in the AL. Isaac Paredes leads the Rays with 29 home runs while Jose Siri has 25 home runs with Paredes also chipping in a team-high 89 RBIs while Randy Arozarena has 81 RBIs this season. Yandy Diaz also has a team-high 158 hits with a .323 batting average and a .402 OBP as well on the season. Zach Eflin will start for the Rays here and is 14-8 with a 3.53 ERA and 164 strikeouts this season.
Orioles Sliding At The Worst Time
The Baltimore Orioles have gone on a frustrating losing streak by their standards, losing their grip at the wrong time after their third straight loss on Thursday. The loss dropped the O’s to 91-55 on the year, still holding on to the top spot in the AL East and the top record in the AL. Anthony Santander leads the Orioles with 27 home runs and 84 RBIs as well as 137 hits and 37 doubles while Adley Rutschman has a team-high 144 hits and a .366 OBP. Austin Hays has a team-best .284 batting average and 135 hits and 36 doubles as well for the O’s. Gunnar Henderson also has a team-high 8 triples for the Orioles up to this point in the year. Jack Flaherty will start for Baltimore here and is 8-8 with a 4.98 ERA and 138 strikeouts this season.
Chris’ Pick
I’m siding with the Rays here. It just feels like the Rays have the momentum behind them, as Baltimore’s struggled offensively in their recent mini cold run, scoring just 5 runs in the three games of this losing skid. Eflin’s been a lot better at home, but I think he’s the better starter right now and Flaherty’s started to stumble himself as of late in some of his recent outings. All in all I think this is going to be another tight game, but one that I think Tampa Bay wins. Give me the Rays.
