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The Orioles home away from home Friday night game thread

The Orioles' away/home series against the Rays gets underway on Friday night. It's going to be weird. Chris Tillman is the O's starter, with Alex Colome pitching for Tampa.

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

It's still going to be weird as all get out here this weekend, with the Orioles being in the Trop but also being the home team. Back home in Baltimore, things have been calm for several days and will hopefully remain so. If not for the enduring curfew, perhaps the team could have even been able to play the series at home this weekend. Of course, there was no way for them to know back on Tuesday how things in a volatile situation would look on Friday.

As for the Orioles themselves, yes, that's for real, Steve Pearce is your second baseman tonight. Wait, what? That doesn't even make sense. I'm sure that the Orioles are aware of what they're doing, but I'm certainly not aware of what they're doing. Maybe they figure, what the heck, Chris Tillman isn't a ground ball pitcher anyway so what's it matter who is the second baseman? That sounds like a terrible idea. Buck Showalter is one who is known to say that the ball will find you. I don't doubt it will find Pearce tonight.

What makes it even stranger is that it's not like Pearce is so hot that you've got to get his bat in the lineup. Since the season opening series against the Rays, Pearce does not have any extra-base hits, like, at all. That was by now nearly a month ago. Maybe facing Alex Colome is what he needs to get hot. Actually, I have no idea about that either. I hope they win tonight all the same.

Today's Lineups

TAMPA BAY RAYS BALTIMORE ORIOLES
David DeJesus - DH Alejandro De Aza - LF
Steven Souza - RF Jimmy Paredes - DH
Asdrubal Cabrera - SS Delmon Young - RF
Evan Longoria - 3B Adam Jones - CF
James Loney - 1B Chris Davis - 1B
Logan Forsythe - 2B Steve Pearce - 2B
Kevin Kiermaier - CF Manny Machado - 3B
Brandon Guyer - LF Everth Cabrera - SS
Rene Rivera - C Caleb Joseph - C
Alex Colome - RHP Chris Tillman - RHP