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Orioles, Rays continue set at Camden Yards

Jun 11, 2011 - 3:14 PM (Sports Network) - Two of the clubs bringing up the rear in the American League East get together for the second of a three-game set tonight at Camden Yards as the Baltimore Orioles entertain the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rays, in the midst of a lengthy 11-game road trip, were coming off a three-game sweep of the LA Angels and had won four of the last five contests before kicking off the series with the O's in Baltimore. Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, the team suffered its second 7-0 road loss within a span of a week as Baltimore got the upper hand in the opener.

Nick Markakis hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high six runs for the hosts as they picked up their fourth straight win and their sixth in the last eight outings, yet the club is still six games out of first and last in the AL East despite the recent run of success. J.J. Hardy added a solo home run for the Orioles, who picked up a huge effort from starting pitcher Jake Arrieta.

Arrieta logged his eighth win of the campaign and is now tied with Boston's Jon Lester for the most victories in the American League.

Arrieta, who posted a record of 6-6 last year in his first season in the majors, allowed just two hits and walked three, while striking out four over the course of seven innings. The last Orioles pitcher to record his eighth win this early in the season was Sidney Ponson back in 2003.

Rays starter Jeremy Hellickson, who boasted an ERA of just 2.64 heading into last night's bout, was touched for a season-high five runs in 5 2/3 innings of action.

"[Hellickson] wasn't sharp, but he got through it," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "Overall, I like the way he fought through the whole night."

With the loss Tampa Bay dropped to 5-5 over the last 10 games and is now four games off the pace in the division, although the squad still has the most road wins of any team in the league with 19.

Eager to work his way back into the win column this evening is Baltimore hurler Jeremy Guthrie, who is currently sporting a disappointing 2-8 record.

The right-hander, who is already just 1-2 versus Tampa Bay this season and is 6-9 with a 4.17 ERA in his career against tonight's opponent, won his opening game of the season versus the Rays back on April 1, but since then has just one more victory to show for his efforts.

Last weekend Guthrie was tagged with his eighth loss of the campaign in a 7-4 defeat at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays. Guthrie managed to last five innings as he allowed six runs on nine hits, two of those home runs, while walking three and striking out a trio of batters. Now with eight defeats, the 32-year-old has one of the highest loss totals in the majors at this stage.

Meanwhile, countering for Tampa Bay will be David Price, who already has a loss against the O's on his record this season, the only one of his career in five all-time decisions versus Baltimore.

Price, who is one of the league leaders in strikeouts with 83 over the course of 91 1/3 innings of work, made his way through seven innings on Monday as he picked up the win against the Angels on the road. The lefty permitted just a single run on five hits, striking out seven without a single walk in the outing.

Even though the Orioles currently enjoy a 5-4 advantage in the season series against Tampa Bay, it is the Rays who have dominated the relationship the past three seasons, combining for a record of 36-18 during that stretch.