Looking Backward While Moving Forward: From Last to First

Think back to the middle of June. The Rays were a part of an ultra-competitive AL East which found the Red Sox, Orioles, and Yankees in first, second, and third. Sitting in last place, most knew that Tampa Bay would eventually move up in the standings. Fast forward to last night, the Rays were finally able to claim sole possession of first place following a 10-6 win over CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: All Hail Kings David, Escobar, and Zobrist

It was a hallmark type game that you’ve come to expect out of the Rays, a game that had everything: excellent pitching, outstanding defense, and a scrappy offense that was able to push across five runs — all on base hits. Tampa Bay again moved a game closer to owning sole possession of first place Wednesday night, with a 5-1 win against its AL East rivals Boston. Handcuffing the Red Sox, the Rays made a four run deficit feel like a wide chasm that was impossible to cross. And to be fair, it was an impossible chasm to cross when you consider that nothing was getting by the Gold Glove caliber infield of Longoria/Escobar/Zobrist/Loney. I’ll highlight (below) a few things that I may have neglected to talk about in our live blogged coverage of last night’s game, on our Tumblr page.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Matt Moore, Rays Shutout Red Sox 3-0

Sure, the outcome of last night’s 3-0 shutout of the Red Sox is great. Better yet, the Rays now sit a half game out of first place and that’s a beautiful thing. But I’d argue the narrative coming out of Fenway has more to do with how the Rays defeated a team notorious for walk-offs. Matt Moore tossed a shutout for the first complete game of his major league career, surgically slicing and dicing the Sox while allowing total of three batters to reach base. Simply put, Moore was insanely good.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: It Wasn’t Pretty, But A Win Is A Win (Updated)

It wasn’t particularly the prettiest of victories, especially late in the game, however we can walk away knowing that the Rays achieved the preferred outcome Saturday, in a 4-3 victory against the Blue Jays. The hottest team in baseball (Fox said so, so it must be true) did just enough to keep the wolves at bay, taking the second game of their three game set as they prepare for a sweep against a somewhat erratic RA Dickey, Sunday. Jeremy Hellickson walked away with his fifth consecutive win, while Fernando Rodney racked up his 23rd save of the year — a save that almost wasn’t.