Tampa Bay Rays Game Preview: Key Matchups vs Orioles 7/31/20

The Tampa Bay Rays will look to get back in the win column after dropping two straight to the Atlanta Braves. Blake Snell will take the mound against Alex Cobb and the Orioles.

Tampa Bay Rays will head into Camden Yards Friday night in Baltimore for a three-game set against the Orioles. The Rays are now on a two-game skid after dropping yesterday’s game against the Atlanta Braves 2-1. Rays hitters had no answer for Braves pitcher Max Fried, who went six and 2/3 innings with one earned run and seven punch-outs. Ryan Yarbrough pitched well for the Rays as he went six and 1/3 giving up two earned runs on just two hits. Rays hitters really struggled at the plate, namely Yandy Diaz who went 0-3 and is now batting just .111 on the year.

Tampa Bay Rays – Blake Snell

Former AL Cy Young Blake Snell will make his second start of the 2020 season tonight against the Orioles. In his first start of the year, he pitched two shutout innings in a Rays win over Toronto. Following his elbow surgery last year, Snell is taking a cautious approach to this season. Some fans may not be very excited about that because of the urgency of this shortened season, but if Snell is going to rediscover that Cy Young form then not rushing back into things is probably the best option for him. Snell owns a career record of 2-2 against the Orioles with a 4.67 ERA.

Alex Cobb vs Tampa Bay Rays

Former Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Alex Cobb will take the mound for the Orioles. Cobb had a strong start to his 2020 campaign as he went five and 1/3 innings giving up one earned run and striking out 6 batters in a 7-2 Orioles win over the Red Sox. Cobb pitched for the Rays from 2011-2017 before joining the Orioles and owns an 0-3 record with a 4.63 ERA against his former squad.

Tampa Bay Rays Key Matchups

Blake Snell will look to shut down a less than stellar Orioles lineup. The Orioles might be without Jose Iglesias who is dealing with a quadriceps issue and is considered day-to-day. Iglesias was off to a torrid start in the first 4 games of the year going 8-16 at the plate with 4 doubles, so Snell may be lucky if Iglesias sits out another game. Orioles 3rd baseman Rio Ruiz is off to a hot start as well as he has mashed 3 long balls already in this early season.

The Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles will start their three-game series Friday night in Baltimore at 7:35 PM ET. Currently, on Draftkings Sportsbook the Rays are a sizable -210 favorite with the run line being set at O/U 9.

Let us know your predictions in the comments down below!