The biggest story in Major League Baseball at the moment has been the remarkable start for the Tampa Bay Rays. At the moment, they have a perfect record of 11 wins and zero losses. The Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers hold the record for most straight wins to start the year with 13. The Braves did it in 1982 and the Brewers did it in 1987. Here are 11 reasons why the Rays are 11-0.
11) Great pitching. Great hitting.
This is an old, general cliche. But it is true. In 11 games, the Rays have outscored their opponents 83-20. Their 83 runs leads Major League Baseball, and their 20 runs against are the fewest surrendered in the game.
10) Four shutouts.
Four times this season, the Rays have blanked their opponent. They beat the Detroit Tigers 4-0 on March 30, the Oakland Athletics 11-0 on April 8 and again on April 9, and the Boston Red Sox 1-0 on April 10. The Rays have had 32 consecutive innings during the streak without giving up a run.
9) Four double-digit run performances
Four times, the Rays reached double digits in total runs. In addition to the two 11-0 shutout wins over the Athletics, the Rays beat the Detroit Tigers 12-2 on April 1, and the Washington Nationals 10-6 on April 4.
8) Easy Schedule
The Athletics have beaten up on the Boston Red Sox, Nationals, Athletics and Tigers to date. Last year they had a combined record of 259 wins and 389 losses. That is 130 games below .500 for an awful combined winning percentage of .400.
7) Sweep on the road
The Rays are 8-0 at home, but are also 3-0 on the road. Their sweep away from the Trop came in Washington, where they beat the Nationals 6-2, 10-6, and 7-2 from April 3-5.
6) One one-run win
The Rays have clobbered their opponents. However, in one of their 11 wins, they squeaked out a 1-0 win over the Boston Red Sox in a game where the Rays got a solo home run from second baseman Brandon Lowe for the game’s only run.
5) Stability from Kevin Cash
The Rays have had great stability from manager Kevin Cash, who has emerged as one of the game’s most successful managers. In nine seasons managing Tampa, the Rays have an impressive record of 651 wins and 554 losses.
4) Rays can communicate well.
In having the fourth worst attendance in Major League Baseball (averaging 16, 724 fans), the Rays are able to communicate effectively on the field and not worry about crowd noise. The Rays are getting home field advantage because their fans are not showing up.
3) Shane McClanhan is a perfect 3-0.
In three starts, McClanahan of Baltimore, Maryland is 3-0 with an earned run average of 1.59 and a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.18. In 17 innings pitched, he has given up only 11 hits and three earned runs to go along with 21 strikeouts.
2) The Lowes are on a High.
Rightfielder Josh Lowe of Chesapeake, Virginia, and second baseman Brandon Lowe of Suffolk, Virginia, have been smoking hot to start the season. They have 19 hits in 54 at bats for a combined batting average of .352. The Lowes have also combined to score 15 runs, and have a combined total of five doubles, six home runs, 16 runs batted in, one stolen base, 10 walks, and 42 total bases. It should be noted that even though Josh and Brandon Lowe share the same last name and are born in the same state, they are not related.
1) Zero earned run average from starters Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen.
Springs of Belmont, North Carolina and Rasmussen of Puyallup, Washington have been miraculous on the mound. They are a combined 4-0 in 26 innings of work with an earned run average of 0.00. They have 34 strikeouts, compared to four walks, and have only given up six hits among the 87 batters they have faced.
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