The Orioles’ 6-5 win over the Rays on Wednesday did more than snap Tampa Bay’s nine-game streak. It pulled Baltimore to within one game of the Wild Card, with the Orioles tied with the Blue Jays and the Guardians just a half-game back.
And now Baltimore is trying something new at the top of the order.
Tyler O’Neill is batting leadoff for the first time in his career, doing it in his 724th game. Pete Alonso, who hit first last night for the first time, drops back to second.
Jackson Holliday stays in the third spot, with Coby Mayo handling designated hitter duties. Christian Franklin is in left field and Leody Taveras is in center.
Kyle Bradish gets the ball for his 24th start, and the Rays have already seen plenty of him. He faced them in back-to-back starts in May, giving up two runs in 5 1/3 innings in St. Petersburg and one run in six innings at Camden Yards.
Overall, Bradish has made nine career starts against Tampa Bay and carries a 5.10 ERA across 47 2/3 innings. At Tropicana Field, he’s allowed six runs in 22 1/3 innings over four starts.
Yandy Díaz has been one of the tougher outs for him, going 10-for-25 with two doubles, a triple and a homer. Taylor Walls has had the opposite kind of night against Bradish, going 1-for-14.
Bradish has also done a better job keeping the ball in the park lately. He allowed 1.35 home runs per nine innings over his first 14 starts, then cut that number to 0.34 over his last nine.
Mayo’s bat has been trending up, too. His line-drive rate was 18.7 percent before July, and it has climbed to 28 percent.
The Rays are countering with left-hander Ian Seymour, who has made nine starts among 38 appearances and struck out 106 in 90 1/3 innings. He’s faced the Orioles three times in relief this season and allowed two unearned runs in 4 1/3 innings. Colton Cowser is 2-for-6 with a home run against him.
From STATS, the Rays and Orioles own the majors’ two highest batting averages against 95-plus mph fastballs this season, with Tampa Bay at .266 and Baltimore at .263.
The Orioles’ lineup has O’Neill leading off, followed by Alonso, Holliday, Mayo, Gunnar Henderson, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Franklin, Taveras and catcher Carlos Narváez. Bradish starts on the mound.
The Rays counter with Yandy Díaz, Jonathan Aranda, Junior Caminero, Liam Hicks, Chandler Simpson, Jonny DeLuca, Cedric Mullins, Richie Palacios, Taylor Walls and Seymour on the hill.
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