January 1, Why Tampa Bay Keeps DOMINATING Baltimore In This Rivalry

Wyatt’s Take

• Tampa Bay’s pitching factory keeps churning out winners — Shane McClanahan bouncing back strong after injury struggles
• Baltimore made all the right moves in the offseason but they’re still 12 games back and fourth in the division
• Rays find ways to win year after year no matter who’s on the roster — that’s what smart baseball looks like

Happy Memorial Day to everyone out there. Hope your beers are cold, your grills are working, and most of all that you have a happy and safe day. Take a moment to remember why we have this day, as well. Many brave men and women gave their lives for us to enjoy days like this, and we should be thinking about them a bit today.

The Tampa Bay Rays are one of the best teams in baseball. That shouldn’t come as much of a shock because the team has been one of the better franchises in the sport for many years. They somehow find a way to win no matter what team they have on the field.

More than almost any franchise, they make diamonds out of starting pitchers, and their team plays good, fundamental ball. This year, they are almost 20 games over .500 and lead the American League East. They have, however, not been great on the road.

With a 15-11 road record, it isn’t like they are terrible, but they definitely have room for improvement. Today’s starter, Shane McClanahan, is one of the better pitchers in baseball, but injuries have kept him down for a couple of years.

This season, he is throwing very well to a 5-2 record with a 2.82 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. His numbers are worse on the road, but they really aren’t that much different than his home starts. He faced the Orioles last week and allowed four earned runs on six hits over five innings.

The Baltimore Orioles were supposed to be improved this year. They made a lot of additions in the offseason and looked to try to get back into the playoffs.

The team is 23-29 for the year, and in fourth place of the AL East. The team was 18-34 last year on Memorial Day, so there is at least progress. But, they are already 12 games back of the Rays, which means they will need quite a bit of help if they want to make a run for the postseason.

Looking to try to give them a bit of that help is today’s starter Kyle Bradish. Before the season started, sportsbook operators had their biggest liability on Bradish to win the Cy Young.

The books don’t have to worry about that. Bradish is 2-6 with a 4.13 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. He has good stuff, but injuries hurt him too.

He’s made 10 starts this year, which is more than he made in either of the past two seasons. In fairness, most of his outings haven’t been bad, but the Orioles aren’t giving him much support. He faced the Rays in his last game and allowed two earned runs on four hits over 5.1 innings.

This should be a pretty good matchup. Looking across the board, this is likely the best pitching matchup of the day.

That doesn’t mean it will definitely be a pitcher’s duel, but on paper the signs point to that.

Tampa Bay swept Baltimore, so the Orioles are looking for some revenge. Unfortunately, they probably won’t get that against McClanahan.

The Tampa pitcher didn’t have a great game last time, but he rarely has two bad performances in a row. Bradish has been decent this year, but he is also allowing a lot of traffic on the basepaths which are converting into crooked numbers.

Wyatt Matters

There’s something to be said for teams that just know how to win. Tampa Bay doesn’t have the biggest budget or the flashiest names, but they play smart, fundamental baseball. That’s what builds champions — not billion-dollar payrolls or fancy front offices. Just good old-fashioned American grit and knowing how to get the job done.