With Rutschman nowhere in sight, the O’s begin a three-game set with the Rays.
It’s been a long time since the Orioles have beaten the division rival Rays. Their most recent victory came on July 19th of last season. They have since lost 15 straight games to the west Florida ball club. That includes a sweep to begin 2022.
These sorts of streaks are certainly the result of one team being very good and the other being very good, but it’s also just an oddity of probabilities. No matter what the talent gulf may be between the two squads, the Orioles should be winning at least a little more often.
You know what would help the Orioles win more often? Promoting their über-prospect catcher. But that hasn’t happened, at least not yet, and there is no indication that such a move is on the immediate horizon.
Instead, we watch the Rutschman-less Birds fight for their lives against a perennially pesky Tampa team that will almost certainly make a deep playoff run. It’s a fact of life that is helped, in no small part, by their 21-year-old shortstop that got promoted halfway through last season, wreaked havoc on the league, and earned a big old extension out of it. That was fun!
Orioles Starting Lineup
- Cedric Mullins, CF
- Austin Hays, LF
- Trey Mancini, DH
- Anthony Santander, RF
- Jorge Mateo, SS
- Tyler Nevin, 1B
- Ramón Urías, 3B
- Robinson Chirinos, C
- Chris Owings, 2B
Tyler Wells, RHP (1-3, 4.18 ERA)
Rays Starting Lineup
- Yandy Díaz, 3B
- Wander Franco, SS
- Harold Ramirez, DH
- Ji-Man Choi, 1B
- Randy Arozarena, LF
- Kevin Kiermaier, CF
- Isaac Paredes, 2B
- Mike Zunino, C
- Brett Phillips, RF
Jalen Beeks, LHP (1-0, 1.72 ERA)