The Baltimore Orioles should continue their dominance over the Tampa Bay Rays today when they send Chris Tillman to the hill. Tillman is 16-5, with a 3.68 ERA and he is 3-0, with an ERA of 3.04 in 4 starts against the Rays this season. Baltimore is 5-0 in Tillman’s last 5 starts against Tampa. The Oriole’s Mark Trumbo, who leads the Majors with 42 home runs, is expected back in the lineup today after sitting out the last game with back spasms. Matt Andriese gets the start for the Rays and he is 7-7, with a 4.46 ERA, and he is 0-3 with a bloated 9.24 ERA against the Orioles. The Rays struggle at Camden Yards, going 1-8 in their last 9 games there.
The Texas Rangers’ magic number to clinch the west is 7, and they’ll try to inch closer today when they host the Oakland Athletics in Arlington. Yu Darvish gets the start for the Rangers and he is 5-4, with a 3.28 ERA, and defeated Oakland on August 17th, yielding 2 runs on 8 hits in 7 innings of work. Texas is 6-1 in Darvish’s last 7 starts. The Oakland Athletics will give Raul Alcantara the nod today and he’ll be making his third Major League start. Alcantara is 0-1, with a 7.27 ERA, has struck out just 4 batters in 8-2/3 innings, and has served up a home run in each of his 2 starts. The Athletics are 3-13 in their last 16 against the American League West and they are 0-4 in their last 4 in Arlington.
Today’s picks:
Baltimore Orioles
Texas Rangers