BALTIMORE ORIOLES NOTES:
No team release available.
TAMPA BAY RAYS NOTES:
HEARTBREAK IN EXTRAS — The Rays lost their fifth straight game in Thursday’s series opener against Baltimore at Tropicana Field, falling 4-3 in 10 innings…C Francisco Mejía (1-for-2, RBI) gave Tampa Bay an early 1-0 lead with an RBI-single in the second frame, but the Orioles responded with three runs in the fourth…Baltimore remained ahead until DH Yandy Díaz (1-for-5, 2B, 2RBI) delivered a game-tying two-run double in the seventh, knotting the score at 3-3…RHP Jason Adam (1.0IP, 2SO) and RHP Pete Fairbanks (1.0IP, 2SO) both contributed perfect innings of relief to send the contest to extra innings, but Baltimore used a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly to push across the automatic runner in the 10th frame for the game-winning run.
RHP Tyler Glasnow (7.0IP, 6H, 3R, 2ER, 9SO) tossed a season-high 7.0 innings and has turned in back-to-back quality starts for the first time since 5/26-6/8, 2021 (3QS)…Glasnow has struck out 6+ batters in each of his 10 starts, the longest streak to open a season in Rays history.
The Rays were held to a 2-for-14 (.143) clip with runners in scoring position… they are batting an MLB-low .146 (7-for-48) with RISP since the All-Star break, including .103 (3-for-29) in their last four games.
Tampa Bay has lost seven of its last eight home games and is 5-10 at Tropicana Field since 6/10 following a 30-6 start to their home slate.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS — Earlier today, the Rays announced that C Francisco Mejía has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left MCL sprain and C René Pinto has recalled from Triple-A Durham…Pinto, 26, batted .213 (17-for-80) with five extra-base hits and 10 RBI across 25 games spanning four stints with the Rays in 2022, his first career major league action (4/22-5/5; 6/10-7/11; 7/26-8/5; 9/13-22).
Mejía is just the third Rays position player to be placed on the IL this season, joining Brandon Lowe (6/5-7/4) and Jose Siri (4/8-25)…Tampa Bay position players have spent a cumulative total of 48 days on the IL, the fewest in the majors behind Toronto (55 days), according to Spotrac.
DEVIL RAY MAGIC — Tampa Bay is 7-1 when wearing their throwback Devil Rays uniforms at Friday night home games, winning each of their first seven contests before a 2-1 loss to Atlanta on 7/7…they have outscored opponents, 57-25 (+25), in those games and clubbed 16 homers (2.00 HR/G)…Rays pitchers have produced a 3.25 ERA (72.0IP, 26ER) on Devil Rays Days compared to a 3.56 ERA (392.0IP, 155ER) in all other home games.
PEN TO PAPER — The Rays announced that SS Brayden Taylor (Round 1, No. 19 overall) has officially signed with the club, joining the following list of Tampa Bay signees from the 2023 First-Year Player Draft: SS Adrian Santana (CB-A, No. 31), OF Colton Ledbetter (Rd. 2, No. 55), SS Hunter Haas (Rd. 4, No. 120), RHP Trevor Harrison (Rd. 5, No. 156), RHP T.J. Nichols (Rd. 6, No. 183), RHP Owen Wild (Rd. 7, No. 213), LHP Dalton Fowler (Rd. 9, No. 273), RHP Adam Boucher (Rd. 10, No. 303), RHP Garrett Edwards (Rd. 11, No. 333), RHP Chandler Murphy (Rd. 12, No. 363), C Bryan Broecker (Rd. 13, No. 393), LHP T.J. Fondtain (Rd. 14, No. 423), RHP Will Stevens (Rd. 15, No. 453), 1B Wooyeoul Shin (Rd. 16, No. 483), RHP Hayden Snelsire (Rd. 17, No. 513) and LHP Jeremy Pilon (Rd. 18, No. 543). Ê Eighteen of the Rays 21 selections have signed…the deadline for clubs to sign their 2023 draft picks is 7/25 at 5:00 p.m. ET.
BATTLE FOR THE EAST — Entering play on Wednesday, Tampa Bay had been the outright leader of the AL East since 4/1, but the Rays 3-12 record in July opened the door for Baltimore, which has gone 11-5 this month, to claim sole possession of first place…the Rays and Orioles are both 17-11 (.607) against AL East opponents, sharing the AL’s best record against the division…the Rays have won 10 of their 14 games against divisional opponents at Tropicana Field, scoring 6+ runs in nine of those contests.
Tampa Bay is 2-4 against Baltimore this season, going 1-2 at both Tropicana Field and Oriole Park…since winning 27 of 29 meetings with the Orioles from 8/25/20- 4/10/22, including a club-record 15-game winning streak from 7/10/21-4/10/22, the Rays are 9-13 (.409) over the last 22 matchups (5-4 at home).
Tampa Bay has won the season series in each of the previous six seasons, going 70-41 (.631) against Baltimore since the beginning of 2017.
Luke Raley is batting .438 (7-for-16) with a .550 OBP in five games against Baltimore this season…Manuel Margot has strung together a 20-game on-base streak against the Orioles, batting .343 (24-for-70) with three doubles, 12 RBI and a .410 OBP in that span…it marks the longest on-base streak against a single opponent of his career, ahead of an active 15-game run against Seattle (since 8/6/19).
Randy Arozarena is slashing .353/.411/.689 (59-for-167) with eight doubles, 16 homers and 40 RBI across 43 games vs. the Orioles…among active players (min. 150PA), he ranks third in both career average and OPS (1.099) against Baltimore.
SUMMERTIME SADNESS — The Rays are 3-12 (.214) in July after entering the month with the league’s best record at 57-28 (.671)…it matches Pittsburgh (also 3-12) for the worst record in the majors this month…Tampa Bay has not been shut out in July, but it has scored three or fewer runs nine times, including five games with just one run.
This marks the 10th time Tampa Bay has begun a calendar month at 3-12 or worse, including just the third instance since becoming the Rays in 2008 (also: 3-12 in July ‘16; 2-13 in Sept. ‘09)…per Elias, Tampa Bay has started a month worse than 3-12 only four times in club history: Sept. 2009 (2-13), July 2002 (1-14), Sept. 2000 (2-13) and July 1998 (2-13).
Tampa Bay has plated only 50 runs this month, averaging an MLB-worst 3.33 runs per game; the next closest team is Pittsburgh (3.60 R/G)…it ranks at the bottom of
the AL in batting average (.213), OBP (.275) and OPS (.643) during July.
Per FanGraphs, the Rays own the AL’s worst batting average (.119), OBP (.200), SLG (.169) and OPS (.369) in high-leverage situations this month, while slashing .225/.285/.395 in all other scenarios…in Rays history, there has been only one month in which the club posted a lower batting average and OPS in high-leverage situations: July 2016 (AVG – .114; OPS – .363).
According to Elias, the lowest winning percentage in July for a team that entered the month leading their respective league (AL or NL) belongs to the 1995 Philadelphia Philles, who posted a 9-20 (.310) July after entering the month at 38-21 (.644) during the strike-shortened 1995 campaign.
THE YANDY MAN CAN — Yandy Díaz has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, batting .394 (13-for-33) with two doubles, one homer, 6 RBI, three walks and four multi-hit games in that span…on the season, Díaz paces the Rays in multi-hit games (30G, T7th in AL) and 3+ hit games (12G, T1st in AL).
Díaz has hit safely in 18 of his last 19 games against AL East foes since 4/16, batting .320 (24-for-75) with seven doubles, two homers and 15 RBI in that span.
He is slashing .349/.465/.530 (29-for-83) from the seventh inning on, pacing the majors (min. 75PA) in OBP while ranking fourth in AVG and 12th in OPS (.995).
TONIGHT’S STARTER: RHP ZACH EFLIN (10-5, 3.59)
TONIGHT’S START — The right-hander makes his 19th start of the season, including his 11th at home…Eflin has allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his 10 starts at Tropicana Field, pitching to a 2.34 ERA (61.2IP, 16ER) with 64 strikeouts against just six walks…he has not issued a walk in each of his last four starts
spanning 22.0 innings.
LAST TIME OUT — Eflin took the loss on 7/16 at Kansas City after allowing a season-high five runs on seven hits across a season-low 3.0 innings.
The five runs allowed were his most since surrendering seven runs on 5/28/22 at New York-NL…it signaled his shortest start since 6/19 at Washington (2.0IP, 5H, 4ER, 2SO, HBP).
Marked his only career start without a walk or a strikeout.
BOHS AND O’S — In three career starts opposite Baltimore, Eflin is 1-2 with a 4.74 ERA (19.0IP, 10ER) and 20 strikeouts against two walks.
Faced the Orioles this season on 5/9 and took the loss after throwing 6.0 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks with seven strikeouts.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME — Before suffering his lone home loss on 7/4 vs. Philadelphia, Eflin became the first pitcher to earn a win in each of his first eight home starts of a season since STL Adam Wainwright in 2010 (10GS)… became the eighth pitcher since 1901 to earn a win in each of his first eight home starts with a club, including the first since CHC Rick Sutcliffe (8GS) from 6/24-9/14, 1984.
Eflin’s 2.34 ERA at Tropicana Field is the second lowest through a pitcher’s first 10 home starts with the Rays in club history, behind Matt Garza (2.10 – 4/8-7/19, 2008).
Min. 50.0 IP, Eflin ranks among AL leaders at home in wins (1st, 9), WHIP (1st, 0.84), walk rate (2nd, 2.6%), SO/BB (2nd, 10.67), ERA (3rd), and opp. OPS (3rd, .555).
ROCKY ROAD — In eight road starts this season, Eflin is 1-4 with a 5.36 ERA (43.2IP, 26ER) and a .275 (47-for-171) opponent average…in 10 home starts, he is 9-1 with a 2.34 ERA (61.2IP, 16ER) and a .204 (46-for-226) opponent average.
He is 16-32 with a 5.37 ERA (372.1IP, 222ER) and one save in 75 career appearances (69 starts) on the road compared to 30-18 with a 3.42 ERA (392.1IP, 149ER) in 70 appearances (64 starts) at home.
QUALITY CONTROL — Eflin’s 7.00 SO/BB ratio is second best in the majors (min. 100.0IP), trailing only SEA George Kirby (9.36).
Has not issued a walk in four consecutive starts since 6/28, the longest active streak among starting pitchers in the majors…matches his career longest streak from 4/16-5/2, 2021.
He has walked two or fewer batters in each of his last 21 starts since 6/14/22, the second-longest streak of his career (longest: 33GS, 8/29/20-6/3/22)…overall, the righty has issued two or fewer walks
in 54 of his last 55 starts dating back to 8/29/2020
Since the beginning of 2021, his 3.9 pct. walk rate is the lowest in the majors (min. 1,000BF), outpacing KC Zack Greinke (4.5%).
ABOVE THE CURVE — Has limited opponents to a .151 batting average (18- for-199) and a .319 slugging pct. on his curveball…of his 105 strikeouts on the season, 46 have come via the curveball…has produced a 37.3 pct. whiff rate on the offering.
His .151 AVG on the curveball is the lowest in the majors (min. 100PA ending in a curveball), ahead of DET Alex Lange (.161) and ATL Charlie Morton (.172).
LEFT SIDE, STRONG SIDE — He has held left-handed hitters to a .203/.229/.335 (40-for-197) line compared to .265/.300/.420 (53-for-200) against right-handed batters.
FIRST HALF REVIEW — Eflin’s 105 strikeouts were his most before the All-Star break in any season of his career, ahead of his 2021 campaign (94SO)… his 102.1 innings were also the most he had ever thrown before the All-Star break, surpassing his 2021 season (102.0IP).
