Today at 3:10 p.m. ET the defending American League East champion Baltimore Orioles will head down south to face the Tampa Bay Rays on Opening Day. Live stream the game by clicking this link. Orioles fans can listen to the action on 1090 WBAL, while Rays fans may do likewise on WDAE 620 AM. The Orioles will send Chris Tillman to the mound for the second straight season, while the Rays will turn to Chris Archer.
The Orioles enter 2015 with a different look. They will not have last year's home run king, Nelson Cruz in the lineup after he jumped to the Seattle Mariners in free agency. They will also be without longtime corner outfielder Nick Markakis, who has taken his services to the Atlanta Braves. With those bats missing, they'll need increased output from Chris Davis, who hit .196 last year following a 50-plus home run campaign in 2013. They will also require a healthy season from young third baseman Manny Machado.
The Rays' lineup is shaky; they were built to be pitching heavy but have several key hurlers starting 2015 on the disabled list. That makes Archer incredibly important to the Rays' fortunes this season.
"I'm excited for sure," Archer said. "Not excited that Cobb and Smyly and Colome are all out. I know that Cobb was ready to take the ball, and this is just a temporary thing."
Archer, 26, was 10-9 last season with a 3.33 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 32 starts. He struck out 173 hitters in 194.2 innings of work.
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