If the Rays are going to maintain the attack on the jugular of their opponents, they will have to brush off their shoulders and move on. I know, that’s easier said than done.
It’s now up to Alex Cobb, Ben Zobrist, and Evan Longoria to step up to the metaphorical plate, and fill the chasm left in Price’s wake.
Going into last night’s contest, I thought if the Rays were going to drop any game in the series, it would be the one with Jon Lester on the mound. After all — prior to the first pitch — Lester put up insanely good numbers, to the tune of 0.23 ERA over the last 30-days. He also hadn’t lost a game to Tampa Bay in his last three starts. “As long as the Rays could walk away with the series,” I thought to myself, “they will still be in good shape.” Much to my surprise — and Boston’s chagrin — Tampa Bay was able to tag Lester, Miller, and Tazawa for six runs en route to a big 6-4 win. The Rays start the day 7.5 games out of first in the East, 3.5 games behind the third place Blue Jays, and 4.5 out in the Wildcard race (just 1.0 behind the Indians). Per Fangraphs, they were also able to increase their playoff odds to 13.4%, decreasing Boston’s odds to 3.4% in the process. One game down, two more to go.
The Tampa Bay Rays will welcome the Boston Red Sox into The Trop for a three-game series, Friday night. (Editor’s note: I’m not sure if welcome is the right word)
The Rays put the icing on the cake Sunday afternoon, finishing off the Twins in grand sweeping fashion. Chris Archer put together strong outing, and the offense was able to put together another good performance.
Amidst the trade speculation and rumors, the Tampa Bay Rays have quietly put together a run. Winners of their last four, including a 5-1 victory last night against the Minnesota Twins, the Rays have gone 23-12 since June 11. David Price put together another excellent bid to keep Tampa Bay in the thick of things, tossing an eight-plus inning gem for his fifth consecutive victory.
