The Tampa Bay Rays the surprise team in baseball
We knew the Tampa Bay Rays would field a competitive team. What we we didn’t know was that the rotation of Blake Snell, Charlie Morton and Tyler Glasnow would be this good.
We are just a little of over two weeks into the baseball season. About one tenth of the season is complete, but I like what we have seen from the Rays so far.
Last year the Rays started 4-13 and really dug themselves a whole that they tried to get out of, but that start cost them some wins and left them a bit short in their quest for a wildcard spot.
This year the Rays are 12-4 and tied for the best start in Rays history. The Rays have also won every single series that they have played so far winning the series against Houston, San Francisco, Colorado, Chicago, and Toronto.
Before the season started the Rays had a 31% chance to make the playoffs and as of today that has increased to 65%.
For the first time in a long tIme its nice to look at the American League East standings and see the Rays on top.
After todays games the Rays have a five and half game on the Yankees, and a six game lead on the Red Sox.
it seems that this year is a big reverse from last year as the Red Sox and the Yankees are the ones digging themselves a big hole early while the Rays are piling up wins.
The Rays have the best pitching in all of baseball right now with a 2.28 ERA. The next closest team to them is Pittsburgh with a 2.67 ERA, and the closest team to them in the American League is Detroit with a 2.74 ERA.
Blake Snell has picked up right where he left off last season with a 2-1 record with a 2.16 ERA. Charlie Morton is 2-0 with a 2.34 ERA, and Tyler Glasnow is 3-0 with .53 ERA.
Austin Meadows has been better than anticipated and right now has to be considered an early odds-on favorite for Rookie Of The Year along with his teammate Tyler Glasnow. Meadows is hitting .357 with six home runs and 17 runs batted in.
I am a bit concerned about some of the guys in the bullpen especially Chaz Roe and Wilmer Font.
In Saturday’s game Kevin Cash removed Blake Snell after six innings. Snell had allowed one hit through the six innings with nine strikeouts.
Chaz Roe allowed two runs in two thirds of an inning and then Jalen Beeks allowed one run in one inning of work.
Sunday the Rays had an 8-2 lead going into the ninth inning and Wilmer Font allowed a two run homer to Justin Smoak to make it 8-4.
Thankfully, outside of Saturdays game, the Rays have had a comfortable lead so the bullpen has not hurt them to much this season. But is a trend that bears watching as the season goes along.
It’s early in the season and there is a lot of baseball yet to be played, but the season could not have started any better for the Rays.
