Baltimore Orioles Daily: Birds ready for AL East clash with Rays

After a decent performance in Chicago, the Baltimore Orioles will finish their road trip with a three-game slate against the Tampa Bay Rays.

After taking two out of four games in the Windy City, the Baltimore Orioles are headed south for a divisional showdown with the Tampa Bay Rays. Birds fans don’t have much to smile about these days, but with a 3-3 record and a solid 44-35 run differential against the Rays in 2018, this matchup is about as favorable as it gets.

Still, with the Rays in the midst of a 7-3 stretch, it won’t be an easy series for the Orioles. The first game is set for Friday at 7:10 p.m. Until then, here’s what you might have missed yesterday.

Best of Birds Watcher from 5/24/2018

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Best of Orioles news and analysis across the web from 5/24/2018

Rays to again start relievers in series vs. Orioles: The Rays’ “opener” strategy, in which they start reliever Sergio Romo in an effort to shut down lineups that skew right-handed at the top, has been the talk of baseball. With Trey Mancini, Adam Jones, Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop leading things off for the Birds, Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash will use the tactic twice more this weekend.

Orioles’ Chris Tillman on DL stint: ‘I think it is a blessing in disguise’: With the pain in his back nearly gone, Tillman has resumed throwing at the Orioles’ spring training facility in Florida. The righty talked to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun about his recovery and his determination to lower his unfathomable10.46 ERA.

Calls coming for Manny Machado but trade doubts persist: The Orioles have begun to listen to offers for Machado, but with a number of interested teams, the market is still developing. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports has the full report.

Chance Sisco’s had a weird year thus far: The Birds’ rookie catcher has been struggling behind the plate, and he takes a ton of swings and misses — yet he’s been one of the most valuable players on the roster. Nick Cicere of Camden Chat dives deep into the stats to paint a better picture of Sisco’s game.

Next: The top 5 strikeout pitchers in Orioles history

How many games will the Orioles take from the Rays this weekend? Let us know on social media, and keep it here at Birds Watcher for more updates on the Baltimore Orioles.