Prior to the 2008 season, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays were the laughing stock of baseball. When 2008 rolled around, the team changed their name to the Rays, which resulted in the emergence of an almost new organization. Ever since then, the team that plays their home games in St. Petersburg, Florida has been one of the most consistent teams in the league. Players like Evan Longoria, David Price and Ben Zobrist have been the backbone of this team for years and still continue to do so.
The Rays have not had a great 2014 season by any means. But, they are currently on a seven-game winning streak and have won eight of their last ten games. As of today, they sit in fourth place in the American League East, one of the weakest divisions in all of baseball. The Baltimore Orioles are currently in first place in this division, but their starting pitching is a bit weak and does not appear to be capable of being consistently good throughout the rest of the season. The same can be said for the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees, who are tied for second place in the AL East. The Blue Jays started off the season on fire, but they have come down to earth over the past month due to some injuries to star players. The Yankees have a solid team, but they have been decimated by injuries, most notably to their pitching staff. All the Rays have to do to make a run is overtake the Blue Jays and Yankees in the division, which does not seem hard to do as of now.
There were many trade rumors swirling around prior to the All-Star break about the Rays trading their number one starting pitcher, David Price. The Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers were two teams apparently in the running for the 28-year-old ace. However, Price is still on the Rays, so it does not seem like he will be traded this season. The team will definitely want to have him on the mound every fifth day if they want to make a run for the division, so there is no reason for him to be traded. Other starting pitchers, such as Alex Cobb and Jake Odorizzi have also pitched effectively for the Rays as of late. Chris Archer, who had a great 2013 season, has been inconsistent this season, but he has the talent to pitch well when needed.
Although the Rays have always had good players, their manager, Joe Maddon, is the one who fuels this team’s fire and gets them to play to their best abilities. One of the best managers in the game, Maddon seems to always be doing something to get his players in a relaxed mood. Having the team dress as 1960s hippies on a road trip in May to bringing in a medicine man from a Seminole tribe to help the team start hitting better are a few examples of this. Expect him to come up with some more unorthodox ideas to get his players to keep up their good play as the season goes along.
The Rays surely have what it takes to make a run for the division and the postseason. They are currently seven games out of the division lead, but there’s plenty of time to gain some ground. Price, Archer and Cobb need to pitch consistently from here on out if the team wants to stand any chance of making the postseason. Evan Longoria and Ben Zobrist also need to hit the ball better and produce some runs. The AL East is up for grabs as of now and the Rays still have a chance to take it. As noted, they have the talent to do it, but they may need a little bit of luck along the way.
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