Zach Eflin takes on his former team as the Orioles’ rising momentum meets a tough test in Tampa.
Things have looked pretty good in Birdland of late. Injured players are returning. The offense is improving. The pitching has stabilized. And the O’s are coming off a three-game sweep of the Angels that moved them within six games of a wild card spot (just don’t look at how many teams they’d have to pass).
But it’s one thing to look good while playing the Angels, an exceptionally mid ballclub. The Orioles now embark on a grueling road trip against the two best teams in their division, starting with four against the red-hot Rays, who are 18-6 in their last 24 games. This week of baseball may well reveal whether the O’s have actually turned the corner or remain a fatally flawed team that just took advantage of a soft patch in the schedule.
Zach Eflin gets the road trip started for the Birds, taking on the team that traded him last year. Last August, in his first start in Tampa after the trade, he dominated the Rays for seven shutout innings. I’d gladly take an encore of that, please.
With the Orioles facing a right-handed starter (Ryan Pepiot) for the first time in three days, their lineup is back to looking much more conventional than the past couple of games. Colton Cowser and Ryan O’Hearn, both of whom were nursing injuries at the end of the homestand, return to the lineup, as do Adley Rutschman and Jackson Holliday, who both got a day off on Sunday.
For my money, this is one of the best looking Orioles lineups of the year. Let’s see if they can play like it.
Orioles lineup:
2B Jackson Holliday
C Adley Rutschman
SS Gunnar Henderson
DH Jordan Westburg
1B Ryan O’Hearn
3B Ramón Urías
CF Cedric Mullins
LF Colton Cowser
RF Dylan Carlson
RHP Zach Eflin
Rays lineup:
RF Josh Lowe
2B Brandon Lowe
DH Yandy Díaz
1B Jonathan Aranda
3B Junior Caminero
CF Jake Mangum
SS José Caballero
C Danny Jansen
LF Christopher Morel
RHP Ryan Pepiot