Orioles seeking to maintain home field advantage

BOSTON - The Orioles close the regular season with three games in Toronto and three in the Bronx. If they want an easier path to the playoffs, they better take full advantage of their last homestand that starts tonight with four games against the Rays.

The Orioles are 11-4 against Tampa Bay, winning all six games at Camden Yards. This series is right in their wheelhouse.

A 45-25 home record also works in their favor.

If only the games were played on paper. Bad stuff can still happen. But the Orioles need to pounce on this opportunity like me on an airport breakfast sandwich, as passengers soon will attest.

Yovani Gallardo is poised to make a big impact in 2017, according to various people in the organization who point to his improved health and conditioning, but he needs to finish strong in 2016 after going 5-7 with a 5.44 ERA and 1.597 WHIP in his first 20 starts.

Gallardo is averaging 4.6 walks per nine innings, but he issued only one free pass over five innings in his last start against the Rays at Tropicana Field. He allowed two runs, one earned, in an 11-2 victory.

Gallardo is 1-0 with a 4.11 ERA in three starts against the Rays this season, with seven earned runs in 15 1/3 innings, and 3-1 with a 3.55 ERA in six career starts.

Logan Forsythe is 7-for-19 with a double and home run, Corey Dickerson is 5-for-11 with a double and home run and Kevin Kiermaier is 4-for-11 with a double.

Logan Morrison is 3-for-25 and Evan Longoria is 2-for-17.

Gallardo is 2-2 with a 3.80 ERA in eight starts at home and 3-5 with a 6.71 ERA in 12 starts on the road.

Again, the Orioles need to take advantage.

The Rays are sending rookie Blake Snell to the mound for his 17th major league start. He's 5-8 with a 3.62 ERA and 1.676 WHIP in 77 innings.

More important, his nickname is "Snellzilla."

Snell hasn't gone more than 3 2/3 innings in four of his last six starts.

Snell is the third left-hander to start against the Orioles in the last four games. They also faced David Price and Drew Pomeranz in Boston, with decidedly different results.

Infielder Paul Janish will have his contract selected today from Triple-A Norfolk and someone will come off the 40-man roster to make room for him. Executive vice president Dan Duquette and manager Buck Showalter were discussing it yesterday.

Could pitcher Jayson Aquino be impacted? He's still with the club after Showalter indicated that the left-hander would report to the minicamp in Sarasota following the Rays series at Tropicana Field. The guy barely moves in the bullpen, the exception being his scoreless eighth inning on Monday.

I'm not campaigning for his removal, just wondering if he's vulnerable today or Monday if outfielder Joey Rickard comes off the 60-day disabled list.