Nine wins, zero losses: this is the record of the Tampa Bay Rays since the start of the season. An impressive record and which is a pleasure to see at the start of the season.
However, many gossips have fun pointing out that the menu the Rays had to deal with was very light. It’s true that the Tigers, Nationals and A’s aren’t among the toughest teams in the league, but early in the season, when bodies and eyes adjust, arms aren’t yet fully point and that the workforce is still adjusting, the Rays have indeed stored nine wins in nine games. All that could make the difference when it comes to the accounts at the end of the season.
Nine victories, period!
There is no quibbling. The Rays have won nine real baseball games, there have been no giveaways from their opponents. In true Rays tradition, the batters all hit and the pitchers shone (three shutouts).
The team leads the league with 24 home runs, 74 RBIs, a +54 run differential, and is having fun in many statistical categories on the pitching side (ERA, ER, WHIP And .AVG opponent).
Wander Franco is fire and coal, Randy Arozarena plays like the true team leader he should be. Harold Ramirez, Yandy Diaz and Isaac Paredes, to name a few, unpretentiously offer a game and a mentality that correspond to the expectations of their conductor Kevin Cash. No more is needed.
Why question this record and not do it for other teams? I am thinking here of the Blue Jays, winners in pain of the Angels last Sunday in an extra inning. A victory obtained against a team just as crooked and in the enclosure as ghostly as that of the Tigers or the A’s, but by allowing 11 points while Tampa blanked their opponent for the second time in a row.
A beautiful victory on paper, but which masks many shortcomings among Torontonians.
Unreliable starters (except Kevin Gausman) and even less reliable relievers. It won’t happen every time, especially since opposite there will also be bullpens tougher to deal with.
First Test: Boston
This Monday and for the next four days, it is the Boston Red Sox and their 5-3 record that show up at Too Much to rub shoulders with the Rays. The two teams know each other well and it is never easy to face the Red Sox who are doing quite well at the start of the season.
Rafael Devers and Adam Duvall (his health is to be watched) are on fire, as is Alex Verdugo. Even if it’s not the Boston of previous years, this is a good test for the Rays and a golden opportunity to prove to their critics that they can also win against teams better off than those of the nine previous matches.
The Rays will not finish the season with a 162-0 record. Defeats, there will be some, perhaps even long series, but I remain convinced that this team is one of the best equipped, with the Astros and the Yankees, to make people talk about it throughout the demanding season. and when doing the accounts at the end of September.
