One year ago yesterday, the Baltimore Orioles parted ways with manager Brandon Hyde after a measly 15-28 start to the 2025 season. Today, the two parties are set to reunite as the O’s head to St. Petersburg, Florida to take on the 30-win Tampa Bay Rays.

Hyde, now a senior advisor in Tampa Bay, is joined by longtime Baltimore outfielder Cedric Mullins and relief pitcher Bryan Baker as members of the organization preparing to face their former squad.

Many are asking themselves: Is the team much different than Hyde left it on May 17, 2025?

The O’s only have six more wins than they did at this point in the season last year. They are still battling consistency the same way they were under Hyde.

But, a series win against the team with the best record in the American League? Now, that would be formidable.

Defeating a team with a 16-5 record in home games is no easy task. Saturday marked Tampa Bay’s first home loss of May after the team fell to the Miami Marlins 10-5.

But, reinforcements are on the way!

The team is reinstating former first-overall infielder Jackson Holliday from the 10-day injured list after a successful rehab assignment. Baltimore is optioning third string catcher Maverick Handley back to the Norfolk Tides in a corresponding move.

Holliday was amid a four-game hit streak with Norfolk, batting 4-for-13 (.308) in that span, before being removed from Sunday’s game and traveling with the team to Tropicana Field.

Will the young lefty be enough to spark life into an inconsistent O’s offense? Baltimore will be faced with one of the toughest opponents in baseball as they look to answer that question.

Trevor Rogers will lead off Baltimore’s rotation against the fearsome Rays. Last year’s Most Valuable Oriole Award recipient has failed to match his dominance from a season ago, allowing 15 combined runs across his last three starts. His last outing, which totaled six runs on six hits, lasted four innings against the New York Yankees and he allowed. The former All-Star is looking for better results as he makes his third consecutive divisional start.

Rogers will be matched with Rays superstar left-hander Shane McClanahan on Monday. A two-time All-Star, McClanahan is healthy for the first time since the 2023 season and has made opponents pay for it. The 29-year-old owns a 2.27 ERA in eight starts this season with just 24 hits allowed across 39 ⅔ innings. Baltimore earned its first win this season against a left-handed starter in the series opener against Ryan Weathers and the Yankees. Can they grab another one?

Kyle Bradish is looking to stay hot after tossing a scoreless six-inning gem against the Yankees on Wednesday. Bradish has collected a combined 17 strikeouts across his last two outings while allowing just six hits. The 29-year-old has historically struggled against Tampa Bay with a 5.94 ERA against them in seven career games. Time for a turnaround?

Griffin Jax is set to take the mound for the Rays in the middle game of the series. Jax, 31, began the season as a relief arm but has started in each of his past four appearances after some injuries called for maneuverability. The right-hander has a 3.91 ERA on the season and has allowed just three runs across his last four starts. Jax, however, has only exceeded four innings in an outing once, which could suggest the possibility of an opener on Tuesday.

Shane Baz will seek revenge against his former squad to close out the series for Baltimore. After his longest start of the season against the Washington Nationals (seven innings), Baz’s season ERA sits at 5.26 with 30 earned runs allowed in 51 ⅓ innings. The 26-year-old right-hander has held his opponent to under three runs just twice in his nine starts this year.

Tampa Bay has yet to announce its starter for the series finale. With Jax likely not expected to have a long outing on Tuesday, the bullpen may not be fresh enough to cover an entire game.

Birds to Watch

Gunnar Henderson, SS

Things are looking bright for Gunnar Henderson, who scorched a season-high six hits last series against Washington.

The former All-Star has a .333 batting average in 39 games against Tampa Bay with nine home runs and 22 RBIs. Against the Rays’ current pitching staff, Henderson is a combined 10-for-26 (.385) with four walks.

History suggests even more heat could be coming from the 24-year-old’s bat.

In addition to blistering hits, Henderson is also looking to reduce his strikeout tendencies, which have plagued the early stages of his 2026 campaign. He has struck out just twice in the last five games, potentially suggesting a change in his hitting approach.

Could this be the series Henderson bursts things open this year?

Coby Mayo, 3B

Baltimore third baseman Coby Mayo only has a batting average above .250 against four AL teams in his career. The Rays are one of them.

With a .280 average and .917 OPS against Tampa Bay in his young big league career, Mayo looks poised to extend his recent hot streak as the road trip continues.

The 24-year-old is currently on a four-game hit streak with a hit in five of his last six games. Since May 7, Mayo is hitting 8-for-27 (.296) with two home runs and six RBIs.

In divisional games this season, the third baseman is 7-for-28 (.250) with 15 total bases.

Inconsistency has been his biggest thing and Tampa Bay offers Mayo a, historically based, prime opportunity to make waves on the year.

Trevor Rogers, LHP

At some point, Trevor Rogers will return to his 2025 form, right? Right?

The Rays pose a difficult task for a struggling pitcher like Rogers, who has allowed six or more hits in five of his seven starts this year.

But, the 28-year-old lefty has never lost a start in four career games against Tampa Bay. In fact, Rogers owns a career 3.98 ERA with 22 strikeouts against the team.

His performance will offer a crucial storyline in this series as Birdland desperately awaits for the former All-Star to shove teams like he did just a season ago.

Keys to the Series

 

Limit Tampa Bay’s base traffic

Ahead of Monday’s contest, Tampa Bay ranks third in team batting average (.260) and team batting average with runners in scoring position (.286). Additionally, they are tied for second in combined stolen bases (51). When they generate base runners, they know exactly how to translate them into runs. That’s why they have 30 wins this season. So, the biggest key is keeping them off those base paths.

Take advantage of those hard hit balls

One of the most significant storylines this season has been their ability to smack hard-hit balls, but inability to produce runs with them. Well, they may be in luck as the Rays allow a great deal of contact. Tampa Bay ranks 27th in team strikeouts (350) and sixth in team walks (142). Should Baltimore be able to make contact with the Rays’ sixth-ranked pitching staff (according to team ERA), it would be a perfect time to scorch some hard-hitters.

Strong top-of-the-order performance

Rays’ ace McClanahan has allowed hits to three O’s batters in his career: Henderson, Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward. Tampa Bay as a unit allows three of its four highest batting averages to the first, second and third spots in the lineup. So, much of the offensive success will be measured by the efficiency of Baltimore’s top hitters.