O's game blog: Gabriel Ynoa makes his third start

Right-hander Gabriel Ynoa (1-2, 4.18 ERA) will make his eighth appearance and third start for the Orioles as they open a four-game series tonight with the Tampa Bay Rays. It is the last home series of the 2017 season.

Ynoa is getting a chance to show what he can do and maybe even get a jump on the competition for a 2018 rotation spot. His first start was at Cleveland and he went 4 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits and three runs on 77 pitches. In his last start at New York, he went 4 1/3 innings and gave up five hits and three runs (two earned) on 64 pitches.

In five career major league starts, Ynoa has gone 0-2 with a 3.98 ERA with five walks and 18 strikeouts over 20 1/3 innings. He has failed to complete five innings in all five of his starts. Three came during the 2016 season while with the Mets. He has not allowed a home run in any of his starts.

Ynoa had a 6-9 record and ERA of 5.25 this season for Triple-A Norfolk. He pitched better in the second half for the Tides, going 5-1 with a 2.87 ERA over nine starts.

Ynoa is keenly aware that any chance to start is a big opportunity for him and, an audition of sorts, for 2018.

"I think it is going to benefit my career. I'm very confident in myself and my abilities. And I think I can help the team. Hopefully, I can help them now and in the future," he said.

The Orioles (73-80) have nine games left and the season ends with a five-game road trip after this series with the Rays. Anything less than an 8-1 finish will mean the team will have its first losing season since 2011. The Orioles were swept three straight by Boston and have lost five of six, 12 of 14 and 15 of 20 games.

Tampa Bay (74-78) is third in the American League East, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Orioles. Last night, the Rays beat the Cubs 8-1 for a two-game series split, ending a stretch of three consecutive series losses. They avoided falling to a season-most six games under .500. The Rays have lost eight of their last 12 games on the heels of winning 10 of 15.

Tampa Bay right-hander Matt Andriese (5-3, 4.44 ERA) will make his 16th start for the Rays. He has gone five innings or less in five consecutive starts, the longest streak of his career. Two of these starts have been injury-shortened: May 30 at Texas and June 10 versus Oakland.

Andriese is 0-2 with a 10.64 ERA in three September starts. This stretch has increased his season ERA from 3.38 to 4.44. But overall, he has still yielded three earned runs or fewer in 11 of his 15 starts this season and two or fewer in nine.

The Orioles were shut out the last two games of the series with Boston and have not scored over their past 26 innings as this series begins.