The New What Next: Rays Head to the Bronx For Three — A Series Preview of Sorts

The end is nigh. The Tampa Bay Rays will follow their recent 4-6 home stand with their penultimate road trip of the season. First stop New York, where the Rays are set to start a three game series against the Bronx Bummers.

Tampa Bay has been relegated to two roles for the remainder of the 2014 season:

1. Spoilers
2. A team that can finish the final month of play strongly

As it relates to task number one, the Rays took two-of-three from the Orioles this weekend past. However, at 3-4 with a -10 run differential, the Rays haven’t really played that well in September. To be fair, at 3-3 over their last six games, neither have the Yankees — a team who is struggling to stay relevant down the final stretch.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: A “Pictures Are Worth 1,000 Words” Recap

In other words, the game was par for the course for Joel Peralta and the Tampa bay Rays. And in light of the handling of the Rays by the Orioles, urm…Nelson Cruz, something popped in my head:

If you’re looking at the end of this season as a testing ground for the 2015 season — like I am — a picture of who is expendable emerges. I wouldn’t be surprised if a trade involving Matt Joyce and SeanRod comes to pass. Also expendable are Cesar Ramos, Jose Molina (no brainer), and Joel Peralta — which is sad since he’s played an integral role in the bullpen and the clubhouse for the last few years. When Matt Moore comes back, I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Hellickson moved into the long reliever role.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Smyly Solid, Rays Win in Walk-Off Fashion 3-2

Drew Smyly: 3-1 with a 1.70 ERA and 41 strikeouts in seven starts since joining the Rays; Smyly’s ERA is the lowest for any pitcher in their first seven starts in Tampa Bay Rays history.
David Price: 2-3 with a 4.96 ERA and 53 strikeouts in seven starts since the trade.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Post 19th Shutout of the Season

At this point in the season, when it – as a whole — has been largely conceived as a waste, the best a fan can do is look for the little things to celebrate; a good pitching performance, setting a franchise record, watching a team shutout one of the best teams in baseball. As a fan, I’ve resolved myself to do just that, while also look at the Rays in the future context with the simple question in mind: What are the Rays doing in the present tense, that may carry over into Spring Training and the 2015 season? If the last two games are indicative of anything, the pitching staff looks like it will be solid once more, while the offense is going to need some offseason work on situational hitting.

The New What Next: Baltimore Vs. Tampa Bay Part Six — A Series Preview of Sorts

The Rays welcome the Orioles for the sixth and final series of the season. For Tampa Bay, the wanton desire to finish off the season on a high note hasn’t translated to tallies in the win column. Rather, it feels like a slow dragging grind to game 162 — akin to a funeral procession. The Rays, coming off their 17th shutout of the year, have fallen short in 13 of their last 19.