Rays eager to regain form, salvage series finale vs. Orioles

Not only have the Tampa Bay Rays struggled in the past week-plus, but the troubles have come against the bottom teams in the American League East.

Tampa Bay will try to avoid a three-game series sweep by the host Baltimore Orioles when the teams face off on Sunday afternoon.

The Rays, who dropped two of three games to fourth-place Toronto earlier in the week, have lost seven of their last nine games as their lead in the AL East has shrunk to three games over the second-place New York Yankees.

The Orioles are last in the division but maintain aspirations of advancing to the playoffs.

The Rays and Orioles will meet for the seventh time in a 10-day span, making Sunday's game the teams' last meeting of the regular season. The Orioles are 8-4 in the season series, including a three-game sweep of the Rays in late May.

The Orioles began their current six-game homestand with three straight losses to the Yankees, so Baltimore is trying to pull even in this stretch before heading back out on the road.

"Every game feels like it matters more, and every win really matters right now for us," Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo said. "So we're going out there and doing the best we can every single night to try to get a win."

Dylan Beavers led off the 10th with a pinch-hit double to drive in the winning run in Saturday night's 3-2 Baltimore victory.

"He's ready for the moment," manager Craig Albernaz said. "That's the thing with Beavs -- even temperament, he doesn't get too high, too low. Does a great job of managing the at-bat."

The other two Baltimore runs came on Basallo's pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Baltimore first baseman Pete Alonso went 2-for-4 to extend his career-high hitting streak to 14 games and raise his batting average to .273.

Right-hander Shane Baz (4-13, 4.02 ERA) will start for the Orioles on Sunday against his former team. He's 0-7 across his last 11 starts, including a 3-1 defeat Tuesday against the Yankees despite striking out 10 batters in 6 1/3 innings. He has 25 strikeouts with five walks this month.

Baz faced the Rays for the first two times in May, picking up a victory and holding them to two runs across 13 innings.

The Rays will counter Sunday with right-hander Nick Martinez (12-4, 3.05 ERA), who had his least-effective start of the season when Toronto torched him for six runs and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings Tuesday. Tampa Bay lost 10-5.

"He has been so good for us and very confident that he'll bounce right back," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "He'll do everything he needs to do to get right back on the mound."

Martinez hasn't faced the Orioles this year but is 0-3 with a 5.85 ERA in five career appearances (three starts) against them. Baltimore has homered seven times in 20 innings against Martinez.

Of Tampa Bay's past six losses, the Rays have scored more than three runs in only one game.

--Field Level Media