After a first month to the season with many doubters wondering if the Tampa Bay Rays were just built for a 60 game season, they have come out and stomped all over that narrative. The main trouble at some points through the very start of the season was the offense and sometimes a fatigued bullpen getting overworked. The Rays have always been known to have lots of trouble with runners in scoring position, most notably the woes extending to the World Series where they would leave so many runners behind, and it looked like that early on. In the words of the inimitable Dave Wills, “they left a lot of chicken on the bone.”

Prior to their 11-game win streak, the Rays struck out an unprecedented rate that was on pace to crush the 2019 Tigers season record; not a team you want to be mentioned in the same sentence with. They were much more of a three true outcome hitting squad, meaning they would lean heavily on getting either a home run, walk, or strikeout, and they definitely were not putting the ball in play much, leading to bad situational hitting. And then it seemed like after that horribly frustrating 1-0, Gerrit Cole shutout, the Rays had enough. Over the next 11 games, the offense was blistering, averaging slightly over seven runs per game with the help of a finally stable rotation of very good arms in Tyler Glasnow, Rich Hill, and Shane McClanahan.

I think what makes the Rays so dangerous right now is that they’ve figured out how good their team is and how they can win games. They’re top 10 in team pitching ERA and are now approaching the top five for starter ERA, so they know the pitching staff is starting to find themselves and get more comfortable in their roles. This paired with an offense that’s getting help from each and every one of its starters is going to be a force.

It’s not just the offense and pitching though, the defense is fantastic as well. The Rays have defensive threats everywhere in the field with some going above and beyond so far. While you might think Platinum Glover, Kevin Kiermaier would be the best so far, that instead has been Manuel Margot who has been elite defensively this season, ranking among some of the best outfielders in baseball right now.

To that end, the catching platoon has also been great. They have seriously gone from worst to first in the catching department by again betting on Mike Zunino, who ranks in the top five per StatCast, and acquiring Francisco Mejía from San Diego to pair with him. Zunino is crushing balls like his heralded prospect report always said he would, along with great defensive work behind the plate, and Mejia has been an incredibly pleasant surprise, hitting .271 with great clutch moments.

This team is heating up and running like a well-oiled machine at the perfect time. They’ve grabbed the lead on one of the toughest divisions in baseball and are playing too well to let go of it now. We heard all the doubters throughout the offseason say that the World Series run was flukey, or that trading away Blake Snell and letting Charlie Morton walk would be their downfall, yet this team is disregarding all of that.

In all my years as a Rays fan, I can honestly say this looks like one of the most well-balanced squads I’ve seen in some time. The pitching has a bunch of names to eat up quality innings, Tyler frickin’ Glasnow, as well as solid bullpen pieces that will surely make them a top-five pitching staff. The defense is one of the most elite assortments of guys in the game with Margot, Kiermaier, Brett Phillips, Joey Wendle, Taylor Walls, and Zunino all giving the team that extra edge over every team that doesn’t value defense as highly as the Rays. And though it’s not the strength, the offense still boasts rookie sensation, Randy Arozarena, and other studs like Austin Meadows, on-base machine Yandy Díaz, and B. Lowe.

The Rays enter play Tuesday 15-games above .500.

The league officially took notice of Tampa Bay after the streak and seeing them soar to the top of the American League, but now is not time to let off the gas. They’ve found their grooves and a winning formula to top even the best in the game, so the hunt for another pennant is on.

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