(My Sportsbook) - The Baltimore Orioles and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays will conclude their three-game weekend series today as the AL East foes meet at Tropicana Field.

Orioles' ace Erik Bedard will take the ball this afternoon, hoping to improve his already impressive 11-4 record and 3.05 ERA. Bedard hopes August will yield similar results to July, as he went 5-0 last month with a 2.21 ERA. The lefty has won seven consecutive decisions and can't be counted out in the AL Cy Young race, although the lack of overall team success hurts the cause.

Bedard, who leads the majors with 181 strikeouts, is 2-0 with a 2.41 ERA against Tampa this season and 9-3 lifetime against the Devil Rays with a 2.87 ERA.

Tampa Bay's Andy Sonnanstine is expected to start today, and the right-handed hurler is just 1-6 with a 5.55 ERA. Sonnanstine has failed to pick up a win in nine straight starts, and while he has only yielded 13 walks in 71 1/3 innings, the 80 hits have hurt.

Earlier this season, Sonnanstine was handed the loss after not pitching well in his only career meeting with the Orioles.

Carlos Pena belted a two-run homer and Scott Kazmir threw seven strong innings as the Devil Rays crushed the Orioles, 9-2, in the second game of the series yesterday.

Kazmir (8-7) yielded just one run on seven hits, while walking two and striking out nine. He has allowed one run or less in each of his past four starts at home. Prior to his last four starts, he hadn't won at home since July 3, 2006, a span of 14 starts.

Delmon Young drove in three runs and Carl Crawford had three hits with two RBI and three runs scored for the Devil Rays, who have won four of six.

Baltimore starter Brian Burres (5-5) was tagged for seven runs -- six earned -- on eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts in just 3 1/3 innings.

Aubrey Huff had two hits and scored a run and Corey Patterson and Jay Payton knocked in a run apiece for the Orioles, who have lost three of four.

Baltimore has won nine of 11 from the Devil Rays this year and is 15-3 in the last 18 matchups. Since the start of the 2004 campaign, the Orioles are 39-16 in the series, including a 20-14 mark at the Trop.