(My Sportsbook) - Scott Kazmir takes aim at his third straight win this evening when the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays resume their three-game series against the
Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field.
Kazmir improved to 11-8 on the year on Thursday against the Orioles, as he surrendered five runs (four earned) and seven hits in five innings. He is 6-2 since the All-Star break, while pitching to a 2.56 earned run average.
The 23-year-old lefty is 4-3 lifetime against the Orioles with a 4.65 ERA in 11 starts.
Baltimore will pin its hopes on right-hander Jeremy Guthrie, who was on the losing end to Kazmir and the Devil Rays on Thursday. He gave up six runs (five earned) and eight hits in six innings of that one, as he fell to 7-5 on the season and raised his ERA to 3.62.
Guthrie has faced the Devil Rays four times (two starts) and is 2-1 against them with a 4.87 ERA.
In the opener of this set on Monday, Carlos Pena's home run in the seventh inning gave Tampa Bay the lead and set a new-franchise record for home runs in a season, as the Devil Rays picked up a 9-7 victory.
Pena's towering two-run shot off Baltimore reliever Jim Hoey (1-4) gave him 35 for the season, breaking the mark initially set by Jose Canseco in 1999 and matched by current Oriole Aubrey Huff four years later.
Akinori Iwamura added a two-run shot of his own an inning later for the surging Devil Rays, who have won nine of 11.
Ramon Hernandez's three-run homer off Al Reyes in the ninth brought Baltimore within two runs, but Reyes retired the next three batters in order to seal the win.
Devil Rays starter James Shields (11-8) pitched seven innings to pick up the win. The right-hander struck out six and walked one, yielding seven hits and four runs -- only one of which was earned.
Corey Patterson knocked in a pair of runs and Melvin Mora scored twice for the slumping Orioles, who have lost 12 of 13.
Baltimore is 10-6 against the Devil Rays this season and has taken four of the seven meetings between the teams at Tropicana Field. The Orioles have won 16 of their last 23 overall encounters with Tampa Bay as well.
