Series 6 Pack: Tampa Bay Rays
Here we go! A four game homestand against the suddenly pesky and annoyingly good Tampa Bay Rays gets underway Thursday at Fenway Park. It’s a series that will have huge playoff implications and if the Red Sox can find a way to solve the Rays fantastic starting pitching, they just might be able to inch closer to a playoff spot. It will help having Josh Beckett, the sudden saving grace return to the mound this series.
But a slight stumble that allows the Rays to take three of four and we’ve got a fight to the finish. Entering play on Thursday, the Red Sox lead the Rays be four games for the Wild Card. It’s a race that has suddenly tightened and revenge will be on the Sox minds after being swept away in south Florida last weekend.
This is what September baseball is all about, it’s just unfortunate it had to happen this way for Boston. For those that wanted a good playoff race, well you’ve got one. You can feel the tension in the air and read the intensity on the player’s faces. Get ready, this one is going to get nasty.
As always, a big thanks to Jamie from Rays Colored Glasses for answering the Series 6 Pack. This time we’re talking about AL Manager of the Year, the Rays starting rotation, predictions for the series and much more. Enjoy!
1. What level of hype did the Rays create with their fan base after the series sweep of Boston on the weekend?
Everybody was pretty jacked up after the sweep. It made a statement that they are definitely in the race and they can beat any team in a given series. With that being said, losing two out of three to the Orioles brings everybody down a few notches. Now, the Rays have to go out there and prove themselves all over again.
2. How confident are you that the Rays can roll into Boston, continue their success against the Red Sox and get to within a game or two or even take over the wild card?
The way their staff has performed this year, especially against the Red Sox, I like their chances. Can they sweep? That would be an enormous task, but I do think they can take three of four. That would get them to two games back which may not be close enough, the way the schedule breaks out. It feels like they need a sweep and their pitching would have to get the job done to make that happen.
3. The starting rotation for Tampa is looking like one of the best in the majors right now. Pitching wins championships, so what was the main reason that Tampa didn’t make more of a move in the standings sooner this year?
Pitching wins championships but hitting carries you for the long haul. The Rays’ offense just has not performed well enough or consistent enough for them to win at a higher rate. The bullpen also has held them back. Overcoming the losses of Rafael Soriano, Joaquin Benoit, Grant Balfour and Dan Wheeler has been tougher than I think anyone thought. Or maybe they knew it would be this tough and just didn’t have the capability to do anything about it. The starters have been outstanding and the six man rotation has kept everybody fresh, allowing them to go deeper into games, but that alone isn’t enough in the brutal AL East.
4. In your opinion, is Joe Maddon the AL manager of the year?
That’s a tough one. He has done an incredible job. It’s one of those questions of going with the guy who does more with less or the guy who does a lot with a lot. The separation the Yankees have created lately (with the help of the Red Sox) makes Girardi a candidate, but they would have to keep up that margin in winning the division. I think the Rays would have to make the playoffs for Maddon to get real consideration. When you look at what they lost and the pieces he has to work with, though, I know he would get my vote.
5. Where does Sam Fuld fit into the future of the Rays outfield?
I think a lot of that depends on what the Rays do with B.J. Upton. Maddon has shown he loves what Fuld brings to the park, but the outfield as it is presently constituted is pretty crowded. He hasn’t played much lately with the call ups of Desmond Jennings in July and Brandon Guyer last month. If Upton is moved in the offseason it opens a spot where Fuld could garner some playing time depending on the combination Maddon wanted to put out there. It would be hard for Fuld to play much in an outfield that has Upton and Jennings locked in to positions.
6. What’s your prediction for the four game series and why?
I think the Rays split the series. It’s not what I want, but I think the Rays have Boston’s attention after the last couple weeks. I also didn’t like what I saw out of the Rays’ offense against Baltimore. There is no reason for them to have lost two games to the O’s right now. I think Beckett coming back will give them a lift to take game one and I think the Rays’ bullpen coughs up one on the weekend. They will need lights out performances from the starters, probably to win two and definitely, if they hope to win more than that.
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