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Rays continue playoff charge in Baltimore

Sep 12, 2011 - 2:38 PM (Sports Network) - The Tampa Bay Rays hope to keep their dwindling playoff hopes alive when they begin a 10-game road trip tonight with the first of three straight games against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.

The Rays will visit the Orioles, Red Sox and Yankees on the upcoming trip and just swept Wild Card-leading Boston in three games over the weekend at Tropicana Field. They trimmed the deficit in the Wild Card standings to 3 1/2 games and posted the sweep with Sunday's 9-1 drubbing of the BoSox.

B.J. Upton finished with four hits and belted a grand slam for Tampa Bay, which has won four in a row and went 7-2 on a nine-game homestand. Ben Zobrist and Sean Rodriguez each drove in two runs in the win.

Rays starting pitcher James Shields posted his fourth victory in a row, scattering seven hits and one run, fanning five with three walks over 8 1/3 innings.

"It's one game at a time, absolutely, but at this time of year, with the circumstances and what we're playing for right now, we needed to do what we just did," said Rays manager Joe Maddon. "Confidence should be derived from that, it was a message sent."

Jeff Niemann looks to keep the momentum going when he makes his 21st start of the season tonight for Tampa Bay. Niemann has lost two straight and three of four starts and was beaten by Texas the last time out in an 8-0 loss on Tuesday at the Trop. Niemann allowed seven runs and nine hits in 4 2/3 frames.

The right-hander is 6-2 in 10 starts on the road this season and 4-3 with a 4.96 earned run average in 10 career matchups (9 starts) with Baltimore.

Baltimore will return to Camden Yards tonight for a six-game residency versus the Rays and Angels. It has lost two straight and six of nine games, including Sunday's 6-5 loss to Toronto in the finale of a three-game series at Rogers Centre.

Tommy Hunter suffered the loss for the Orioles and gave up six runs -- four earned -- and nine hits in 6 1/3 frames. Nick Markakis had two hits and two RBI for Baltimore.

"I've got to figure out a way to finish a ballgame," Hunter said. "I've got to be smarter about situations."

The Orioles will send rookie Zach Britton to the bump Monday and is 3-0 in his last four starts. He did not record a decision in Wednesday's 5-4 victory at Yankee Stadium, as he allowed four runs and five hits in five innings. In 24 starts this season, Britton is 9-9 with a 4.33 earned run average.

Britton, a left-hander, defeated Tampa Bay on Sept. 2 with six innings of two- run ball and is 2-1 with a 3.12 ERA in three starts against the Rays. In 11 home starts Britton owns a 5-3 record to go along with a 2.54 ERA.

The Rays are 8-7 against the Orioles this season and have won four of the last five meetings between the two clubs.