O's game blog: Zach Eflin on the mound in Game 2 against Tampa Bay

Riding a small winning stretch - with four wins in the last five games - the Orioles will get another series win today if they can beat the Tampa Bay Rays at Oriole Park.

The Orioles (82-60) pitched their ninth shutout of 2024 in winning 2-0 Friday night on a four-pitcher three-hitter with 12 strikeouts.

In winning four of five, O's pitchers have a 2.20 ERA and .585 OPS against. The O's are 8-5 their past 13 games with a 3.32 team ERA in this span. They are now 24-22 since the All-Star Game.

Through Friday's games, the Orioles led the New York Yankees (81-60) by a half-game atop the American League East. The Birds have 20 games left to play and New York has 21. The clubs play a three-game series in the Bronx beginning Sept. 24.

The Orioles have pitched well versus the Rays all year in going 9-2 in the season series. In the 11 games, they have given up one, five, four, three, zero, two, two, one, five, two and zero runs. They've allowed two runs or fewer seven times and have a 2.02 season ERA against Tampa Bay with a .197 average against and .545 OPS. O's starting pitchers have a 2.11 ERA in the season series. 

In going 29-15 on the season in AL East games, the O's pitchers have a 3.20 ERA.

Right-hander Zach Eflin (10-7, 3.60 ERA), acquired July 26 by the Orioles from Tampa Bay, will make his 25th start today and his sixth with Baltimore.

This year he has allowed more walks (17) than home runs (16). In 142 1/3 innings he has a 1.117 WHIP with a 1.0 walks-per-nine-innings rate and 7.7 strikeouts per nine.

Eflin's teams have gone 15-9 in his starts and the Orioles are 5-0. So is Eflin, who is 5-0 with a 1.95 ERA as an Oriole. Over 32 1/3 innings he has allowed 28 hits and three homers along with three walks. He's struck out 34. With the Orioles he has allowed 0.959 WHIP.

In his past three O's starts, he is 3-0 with an ERA of 0.90 while recording two walks to 24 strikeouts over 20 innings and allowing a .181 batting average and .439 OPS.

On Aug. 9, Eflin faced his former team at Tropicana Field and pitched the Orioles past the Rays, allowing one run and four hits over seven innings, surrendering just one walk while striking out nine on 85 pitches. 

Righty Ryan Pepiot (7-6, 3.76 ERA) will go for Tampa Bay. The team is 11-10 in his starts on the year. Over the past two he has allowed eight runs (five earned) over nine innings. Pepiot is 0-1 with an ERA of 6.00 this season against the Birds, allowing four runs in six innings June 10 at the Trop.

With a win today, the Orioles will be 23 games over .500 for the first time since the end of play on July 9, when they were 57-34.