Orioles Look To Rebound From Their First Shutout Loss
Dylan Bundy appears ready to live up to the enormous promise that led the Baltimore Orioles to draft him with the No. 4 overall pick in 2011. Bundy goes for his fourth victory and the Orioles look to rebound from their first shutout loss of the season in Wednesday's rubber match of a three-game set against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays.
Baltimore has not lost a series yet this year but was blanked on two hits by five Tampa Bay relievers after manager Kevin Cash elected to hold out scheduled starter Erasmo Ramírez due to the dreary weather conditions. Bundy carries a scoreless innings streak of 13 into his matchup against fellow right-hander Alex Cobb, who owns an 4-1 record and 1.84 ERA in eight career starts versus the Orioles. Rays right fielder Steven Souza, named the American League Player of the Week, shook off an elbow contusion sustained in the series opener and was back in the lineup Tuesday. Souza collected three hits -- his fifth multi-hit effort in nine games -- as the Rays won for only the second time in nine road contests.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Alex Cobb (1-2, 4.88 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Dylan Bundy (3-1, 1.37)
Cobb tied his season high with seven strikeouts against Houston last time out but permitted four runs for the third consecutive start and has been touched for 20 hits over his last two turns. The long ball also has been an issue for Cobb, who has coughed up five homers in his four starts in his first full season since undergoing Tommy John surgery. Chris Davis and Manny Machado are a combined 3-for-31 against Cobb.
Bundy matched his longest outing of the season last time out, limiting the Boston Red Sox to six hits over seven innings to followed up six scoreless innings of five-hit ball in his previous turn at Toronto. Bundy has allowed four runs in his four starts and has not surrendered a homer after yielding 18 in 109 2/3 innings last year. Kevin Kiermaier and Evan Longoria are both 2-for-5 with a homer versus Bundy.
WALK-OFFS
1. Souza is 15-for-37 with two homers and nine RBIs in the past nine games.
2. Orioles 2B Jonathan Schoop is 6-for-30 at home as opposed to 12-for-34 on the road.
3. Baltimore recalled LHP Paul Fry from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned RHP Stefan Crichton to the minor league affiliate.
PREDICTION: Orioles 5, Rays 3