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Rays head home to face Orioles

May 23, 2008 - 1:52 PM Baltimore (24-22) at Tampa Bay (27-20) 7:10 pm EDT

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) - After playing .500 baseball on a six-game road trip, the Tampa Bay Rays will head home to open a three-game series against the division rival Baltimore Orioles on Friday.

Just 11-12 on the road this season, the Rays have had much more success at Tropicana Field, compiling a 16-8 mark that includes a franchise record 11-game winning streak from April 22 to May 13.

Overall, Tampa Bay has won 10 of its last 14 games and is coming off a series against the Oakland Athletics in which it took two of three games.

The Orioles dropped two in a row to the New York Yankees on Wednesday and Thursday but have won eight of 12 overall.

Brian Burres allowed one run in 7 2/3 innings on Thursday against the Yankees but Jim Johnson allowed an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth and Baltimore fell, 2-1.

Righthander Jeremy Guthrie (2-4, 3.86 ERA) will attempt to get the Orioles back on the winning track. He allowed just one run and five hits in seven innings while walking three but suffered a loss during Sunday's 2-1 setback to the Washington Nationals.

Guthrie pitched well at Tampa Bay on April 11, allowing two runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 frames, but did not factor in the decision as Baltimore went on to lose, 10-5.

Tampa Bay will counter with righthander Matt Garza (2-1, 4.86), who is coming off his worst outing of the season. The 24-year-old gave up seven runs - six earned - and 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings, walking two while striking out one, but did not factor in the decision during Saturday's 9-8 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

He has faced the Orioles twice already this season, allowing five runs in 5 1/3 innings on April 2 and picking up a win while yielding two runs in six frames on May 1 - both at Camden Yards.

The teams have split eight meetings so far this season.