The Rays get their first look at Koji Uehara tonight. The right-handed Orioles rookie has made five starts so far this season, going 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA and 1.13 WHIP.
He is decidedly worse on the road than at home. He has made two starts on the road, posting an ERA of 6.75, compared to an ERA of 3.00 at home. Right-handed batters have been slightly more successful against Uehara, batting .254 compared to .228 by lefties.
On the mound for the Rays will be Matt Garza, who is coming off his bid for a perfect game against the Red Sox. This will be Matt’s first start of the season against Baltimore, sixth overall. In those starts, Matt is an impressive 5-0 with a 2.80 ERA and 1.27 WHIP.
Judging by the stat sheet, very few Orioles hitters do well against Garza. The best is notorious Rays-killer Aubrey Huff, who is 3-10 with one HR. Adam Jones has also homered and is 3-6 lifetime. Among those who struggle, Melvin Mora is 1-15, and Brian Robers and Nick Markakis are both 3-17 against Garza.
After this, the Rays have key series’ against on the road against the Yankees and Red Sox. It would be nice to leave town with a victory.
