Can the Tampa Bay Rays continue their first half magic?
No question in my mind the Rays have been the first half story of the season in Major League Baseball as they still stand in first place in the rugged American League East by a game and a half. Especially when you consider they’re fighting the big market titans of baseball in the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
The road certainly won’t be easy as they’ve sizzled at home with a 39-15 record, but own a less convincing 19-25 record on the highway. In fact, after their series finale against the Oakland A’s on Wednesday, the Rays will play 37 of their final 62 games on the road, or a -12 schedule. There will be a tough stretch from September 2nd through September 21st where they’ll play a string of games against the Yankees, at Toronto, at Boston, at New York, Boston and Minnesota with one day off in the mix.
The good news is they recently activated closer Troy Percival in the bullpen, which brings them leadership and all important depth. In addition, they hope to activate shortstop Jason Bartlett as soon as Thursday from the disabled list. Both players have quietly helped lead this team in 2008 as key cogs to reinforce the ship. That leads to the rock solid team chemistry the Rays have shown all season. In the off-season the Rays were able to deal Elijah Dukes and Delmon Young, as they Rays talked privately about no one having their own agenda.
Meanwhile, for a stark contrast from recent seasons the starting pitching looks strong with Scott Kazmir leading the way. He’s yet to pitch his best baseball of the season in my opinion. James Shields and Matt Garza can settle in right after Kazmir to give the Rays three difference-making hurlers. The crapshoot just might come down to Andrew Sonnanstine and Edwin Jackson rounding out the rotation.
Importantly, the Rays losing streak right before the All-Star break just might have been the best thing to happen to this team. Yes, they lost seven games in a row, but it was vital they showed an ability to take a knockout punch and get back on their feet. If this streak didn’t take place until August or September, the Rays perhaps would find it much tougher to get back on their feet.
Finally, their war of words on the field and off with the Yankees was a clear sign this team wasn’t going to back down. Further, they went through a similar situation with the Red Sox earlier in the campaign. All of this has helped seasoned the youthful Rays for what looks like a storybook season.
Obviously, with the trade deadline looming and many more resourceful teams in the mix, the next few weeks will paint a clearer picture. However, I believe the Rays will make the playoffs and bring some refreshing new blood into the postseason.
For more baseball betting analysis by Erin Rynning, go to www.sportsmemo.com.
