O's game blog: Orioles face first-place Rays in homestand opener

The Orioles, following a 1-5 road trip, return home tonight to begin a 10-day, nine-game homestand. They'll host Tampa Bay, Boston and the Los Angeles Angels each for three games.

Tampa Bay (20-11) is leading the American League East by 2 ½ games over the New York Yankees. The Rays are 9-7 at home and 11-4 on the road, including a 4-2 mark on their current nine-game trip that ends with this series. Rays pitchers lead the American League with an ERA of 3.07 and have allowed two runs or less 16 times. The O's team ERA of 5.89 is last in the league. Tampa Bay is 8-1-1 in its 10 series.

Tonight the Orioles face the AL ERA leader in right-hander Tyler Glasnow (5-0, 1.75 ERA). His wins total is tied for the league lead and is also one more than he recorded combined over the last three years, and that was in 67 games and 28 starts.

Over 36 innings, Glasnow has allowed 27 hits and ranks fifth in the league with his WHIP of 0.944. He averages 1.8 walks and 9.5 strikeouts per every nine innings. He has four quality starts which is the Orioles total for the entire year and has allowed two earned runs or less all six starts.

He beat the Orioles on April 16, going seven innings allowing seven hits and two runs. He threw 83 pitches and retired 13 of the last 14 batters he faced. In two career starts, Glasnow is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA versus Baltimore.

For 2019 he is throwing his four-seam fastball 66 percent of the time at an average of 97.3 mph. He features his curveball 30 percent of the time with a velocity of 83.6.

The Rays are 2-1 against the Orioles. When Baltimore won the final game of an earlier series at Tropicana Field, that snapped the Birds' six-game losing streak against Tampa. The Rays have used an opener nine times this year and their openers have a combined 1.98 ERA over 13 2/3 innings.

The Orioles (11-21) split a doubleheader in Chicago against the White Sox on Wednesday to wrap up their road trip. They won the opener 5-4 and lost the nightcap 7-6 on a walkoff, two-run single by Yonder Alonso. Baltimore pitching fanned a season-high 16 batters in that game. The Orioles made five errors in the twin bill. They scored 11 runs in those games after scoring seven runs in the first four games of the road trip.

Baltimore right-hander Dan Straily (1-1, 6.75 ERA) makes his sixth appearance and fifth start for his new team. After allowing 10 runs in his first two games, Straily has pitched to an ERA of 2.57 in his last three games. Over 14 innings he has allowed 11 hits and four earned runs. For the season he holds lefty batters to a .194 batting average while right-handed hitters are batting .375 with an OPS of 1.096.

A few farm notes: Triple-A Norfolk's Ryan Mountcastle has hit safely in nine straight games, over which he's batted .409 (18-for-44) with a home run, three doubles and four RBIs. He ranks among International League leaders in hits (1st, 37), RBIs (T-4th, 21), total bases (4th, 60) and games (T-4th, 27).

Despite being held hitless for just the fifth time all season on Thursday, infielder Mason McCoy is swinging a hot bat at Single-A Frederick. He had four hits against Wilmington on Monday and did the same thing on Wednesday, going 4-for-5 with three runs scored. In his last six games, McCoy is 13-for-29 (.448). Among the best hitters in the Carolina League this season, the 24-year-old enters Friday with a .383/.422/.495 slash line and a .918 OPS through 25 games.

In Double-A Bowie's 4-0 win last night over Erie, left-hander Zac Lowther allowed just two balls to reach the outfield grass in 5 1/3 scoreless. The one hit he allowed was an infield single. Rylan Bannon tied his career-high with four hits including a solo home run in the win. Bannon is batting .294/.397/.530 with 10 doubles, four homers, 14 RBIs and an OPS of .927. According to a tweet from Baysox broadcaster Adam Pohl, Bannon's new stance has produced solid results. Where he once used to be wide open with big leg kick, the stance is much more conventional now.