Do the Rays Still Have Life?

For most of the season Joe Maddon’s Tampa Bay Rays looked like barely better than a .500 team. Strong performances from starters James Shields, David Price, and Jeremy Hellickson have been offset by a mediocre offense that ranks just seventh in the American League in runs and 13th in batting average. To the dismay of many baseball fans, the AL East race is once again all about the Red Sox and Yankees – Tampa hasn’t been closer than eight games out since July 17. With the Rays trailing wild card leader Boston by eight games Wednesday morning, Baseball Prospectus’s Postseason Odds Report pegged their playoff chances at a flat 0.0 percent.

The teams’ fortunes changed ever so slightly Wednesday night. In Toronto, the Blue Jays scored five times in the eighth inning, then held on to win 11-10 as potential tying run Mike Aviles was caught stealing for the final out. Meanwhile at Tropicana Field, Kyle Farnsworth blew the save but Desmond Jennings hit a walk-off home run in the ninth to beat the Rangers 5-4. With 20 games to play, the Rays had crept within seven games of the playoffs.

With their playoffs lives still hanging by a thread, Tampa entertains the Red Sox for a three game series starting Friday. A Rays sweep would make this race uncomfortably close for Boston, especially with the teams set to do battle again in a four game set the following weekend. Can the Rays make an improbable comeback?

Jennings has jolted life into the Rays’ offense and is already the best hitter on the team at a cool .302/.392/.544 in his rookie season, with nine homers and 15 steals. He’s the main reason Tampa quietly has gone 25-14 since July 28. Despite a low batting average and a month lost to injury, Evan Longoria already has 25 homers and 80 RBI. Ben Zobrist has come close to duplicating his 2009 career year, and Matt Joyce (18 homers) and Casey Kotchman (.382 OBP) are also having good years. It’s not the Red Sox lineup but it’s definitely a dangerous one. Moreover, the Rays are healthy while the Red Sox just lost ace starter Josh Beckett to a sprained ankle.

The Rays are off Thursday, while the Sox will throw rookie Andrew Miller (6-2, 5.27) against Jays ace Ricky Romero (13-10, 2.97) at Rogers Centre. The Sox will then head to Tropicana Field for a series where the Rays own the decided advantage in the pitching matchups. Friday, the Red Sox give the ball to one of baseball’s worst starters this year, John Lackey (12-11, 6.11). Boston’s $18 million dollar starter has allowed four or more runs in 16 of 24 starts. Tampa Bay goes with their serviceable fourth starter Wade Davis (9-8, 4.50). Saturday, the Rays will use Hellickson (12-10, 2.90) against Boston rookie Kyle Weiland (0-1, 6.75), who takes Beckett’s usual rotation spot. And Sunday, in a game that the Sox could enter with only a 4.5 game cushion, the Rays have ace Shields (14-10, 2.77) ready for a duel with Boston’s Jon Lester (15-6, 2.93). The pressure would certainly be on Lester if Boston’s overmatched starters get lit up in the first two games.

To be sure, the Red Sox have the decided advantage here. But with seven games remaining between the teams and Boston’s rotation now featuring Lester and a bunch of question marks, a collapse isn’t impossible. The offseason is long and barren and playoff races are rare, so Rays fans should take note and pack Tropicana Field this weekend.


People also view

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *