Saturday, September 6, 2014

Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Saturday afternoon, the Baltimore Orioles will give the ball to Kevin Gausman (7 - 7, 3.93 ERA) as they square off against the Tampa Bay Rays and Drew Smyly (9 - 10, 3.31 ERA). Gausman will be making his 17^th start as Smyly makes his 25^th start and 28^th appearance.

Kevin Gausman dropped his 3^rd straight game in his last start. In the loss, Gausman surrendered 5 runs and 5 hits in 7.1 innings. He walked 2 and struck out 7. Gausman has been up and down in recent starts and is just 4 - 5 in his last 10 starts. Last season, Gausman started 5 games and made 15 relief appearances en route to a 3 - 5 record and a 5.66 ERA.

In 2013, as a rookie Gausman was 0 - 1 with a 13.50 ERA in a start and a relief appearance against the Rays. This season, he is 1 - 2 in 3 starts against Tampa Bay.

Drew Smyly pitched to a no-decision in his last outing. In 5.2 innings of work, Smyly allowed 2 runs and 3 hits (including a home run) while walking 2 and striking out 7. The former Detroit Tiger has pitched well for the Rays since coming over in August. Smyly is 3 - 1 in his 6 starts for Tampa Bay and 5 -2 in his last 10 outings overall. Last season, Smyly made 63 relief appearances for the Tigers and posted a record of 6-0-2 with a 2.37 ERA.

In 2013, Smyly picked up a save in his 2 relief appearances against the Orioles. This season, he has made a relief appearance and 2 starts and will bring a 2 - 0 record against Baltimore into this start.

Baltimore Orioles Betting Trends

Baltimore Orioles are 61-74-3 against the Over/Under

Run Differential for Baltimore Orioles is 0.6

Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

Tampa Bay Rays are 63-70-7 against the Over/Under

Run differential for Tampa Bay Rays is 0

Injuries to Watch

Baltimore Orioles

08/31/14 1B Steve Pearce Abdominal out indefinitely
08/22/14 3B Manny Machado Knee 60-day DL (8/12); out for season
06/17/14 C Matt Wieters Elbow 60-day DL (5/11), out for season
06/03/14 P Johan Santana Shoulder 60-day DL (6/2), out for season
04/03/14 P Edgmer Escalo Shoulder 60-day DL (3/30)
03/31/14 LF Francisco Peguero Wrist 15-day DL (3/21)

Tampa Bay Rays

09/04/14 CF Desmond Jennings Knee out indefinitely
06/24/14 LF Jerry Sands Wrist 60-day DL (6/22), out for season
04/08/14 P Matt Moore Elbow 60-day DL (4/8), out for season
03/30/14 2B Tim Beckham Knee 60-day DL (3/30)

Josh's Pick: Take Baltimore

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Josh Schonwald