A once seemingly lost season in April has turned a drastic corner in May.
April 17, 2018 was a dark day for the Tampa Bay Rays. They were in the midst of the worst start in franchise history with a 4-13 record. Fans were doing their annual calling for the manager and front office’s heads. CF Kevin Kiermaier was back on the DL. The four-man rotation they’d talked about in the spring was kaput thanks to an injury to RHP Nathan Eovaldi right before Opening Day. There just wasn’t a lot going in the Rays favor.
Then something glorious happened.
Just a short week and a half later the same Rays team had won eight in a row and were on the verge of .500 at 12-13. They were hitting. Pitching was doing just enough to keep them in games for the bats to win it late. CL Alex Colome, who couldn’t be trusted with one out let alone three was finding his stride. During that streak they jumped out of the basement in the AL East and, despite losing three of four in Baltimore shortly after, pulled away from the Orioles.
The numbers don’t lie.
Some hate the idea of the long season that MLB endures every year. But the old adage holds true in baseball more than anything else – “That’s why they play the games.” One month into a six month marathon is too small a sample size to judge any team’s start no matter how good or bad. In April, the Rays couldn’t hit a beach ball thrown towards the plate underhand. In May…well…the numbers don’t lie.
Through 45 games the Rays offense ranks among the best in all of baseball as they now sit just a game below .500 and in third place in the East. That’s without all those key names let go or traded in the off-season. That’s with bench players hitting .280 on a consistent basis. That’s with the ageless OF Denard Span leading the team in RBI for most of the season. That’s also with 1B C.J. Cron mashing 11 home runs already. That’s with…well…see for yourself:
MLB RANKS
Batting avg: .264 (3rd)
Batting avg RISP: .251 (9th)
SB: 28 (5th)
OB %: .333 (4th)
OPS: .739 (10th)
They’re also the 5th best fielding team in baseball with a .989 fielding percentage having committed just 18 errors in 45 games. While the pitching hasn’t been as consistent as they’d like, help is on the way. Eovaldi is due back in the next week or two and that four-man rotation will be in tact. LHP Blake Snell has been a pleasant surprise save for a couple forgettable starts. RHP Jake Faria has had some really good moments. RHP Chris Archer has been up and down but one has to believe he’ll start putting together a string of quality starts here soon. The spot starts by the young bucks, LHP Ryan Yarbrough and even RHP Yonny Chirinos before he hit the DL have been huge for those “bullpen days.”
Let’s not forget RHP Sergio Romo‘s two “starts” over the weekend. The Rays are doing things differently than most and it’s working.
Speaking of that bullpen, they’ve proven to be pretty reliable lately. The 4.55 ERA as a group is inflated by the slow start Colome and Co got off to in April. That ERA is just over four in May and their batting avg against drop from .255 in April to .219 this month.
It all seems to be coming together at the perfect time.
“D-Rob” is opening a lot of eyes.
Is it safe to say INF Daniel Robertson is having a break out season, already? In 37 games, the 24-year old utility infielder has a .897 OPS, five home runs, seven doubles, and an on-base percentage of .424 which is among the best in baseball.
Rookie OF Johnny Field is also proving to be a spark in the lineup. In just 22 games, he’s hitting to a .902 OPS with four home runs and a .308 batting avg.
Upcoming home stand could further prove they’ve turned a corner.
The Red Sox (32-15) come to town beginning Tuesday for three games. Last time these two teams met, the Rays took two of three in Boston back on April 27-29. The Rays have a chance gain ground on the second place Sox and would also continue to prove they are far removed from that 4-13 team from mid-April.
