The Tampa Bay Rays open a three-game series on the road Friday against the Baltimore Orioles. Tampa Bay is 79-48 following a 7-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. Francisco Mejia hit a three-run homer to break a tie in the 9th inning and help lead the Rays to victory. Tampa Bay is first in the American League East 4 ½ games ahead of the second-place New York Yankees.
Randy Arozarena is batting .272 to lead Tampa Bay and the left fielder has a team-high 116 hits. Second baseman Brandon Lowe is the leader in home runs with 30, while designated hitter Austin Meadows is the leader in RBIs with 88 and first baseman Yandy Diaz is the leader in on-base percentage at .361. On Friday, Tampa Bay will send Shane McClanahan to the mound. The left-hander is 8-4 with an ERA of 3.62, 113 Ks and 31 BBs.
The Baltimore Orioles snapped a 19-game losing streak when defeating the Los Angeles Angels 10-6 on Wednesday. Brandon Marsh hit his first home run in the majors, while Cedric Mullins, DJ Stewart and Anthony Santander also hit home runs. Baltimore is last in the American League East 39 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.
Center fielder Cedric Mullins is batting .307 to lead Baltimore and has team highs in hits with 145 and on-base percentage at .375. Third baseman Ryan Mountcastle has 23 home runs and 67 RBIs to lead Baltimore in both categories. On Friday, Baltimore will send Matt Harvey to the mound. The right-hander is 6-13 with an ERA of 6.27, 89 Ks and 34 BBs.
