The AL East has undergone a huge shift in productivity with four of the five top teams. One team that has been surprising in the last few weeks is the Tampa Bay Rays.
After Mondayâs dominant 7-1Â win over the Baltimore Orioles, the Rays have won 10 of their 14 games in June. They have propelled themselves into second place in the AL East and are a serious playoff contender when not many expected them to be before the season.
Raysâ Offense Is on Fire
Monday was just another example of the Tampa Bay Raysâ great production on both sides of the field. Most of the attention will be given to the great pitching performance of pitcher Ryan Pepiot. What Tampa Bay is producing at the plate is an indication of their underrated and strategic batters.
The Rays accounted for 14 hits, including four double-base hits and one home run each from second baseman Brandon Lowe and right fielder Josh Lowe. This is a team that is finding a solid rhythm at the plate this season, especially in June.Â
The Rays have scored 66 runs in the 14 games played in June. They are currently on a four-game win streak as they’ve scored 31 runs in those four games. Tampa Bay outscored the New York Mets 24-9 in the three-game weekend sweep before Monday’s game against Baltimore.
Rays Feel Like They Have a Complete Offense
Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash talked about the Rays’ impressive batting they’ve established over the last few games after the win over the Orioles.
“It feels like a pretty complete offense right now. The home runs have been coming. The base hits have been good, decisions on the base paths, getting bunts down when we needed. We’re doing a lot of things really well to put up runs early.”
Cash isn’t the only one who believes the Rays have established a complete and efficient offense. Star second baseman Brandon Lowe talked about the offense not only being complete but also finding multiple ways to get on base and score.
“Complete, in a sense. You’re not dependent on one way to score. You’re not living and dying by the home run ball. You’re not living and dying by having four hits in an inning. We can hit the home run. We can have four hits in an inning. We can bunt a guy in, can have good baserunning that scores runs. It’s a dangerous thing to have as an offense when you have so many ways that you can score.”
The Rays (40-32) are currently a dangerous team with 72 games into the season. The team is ranked ninth in the league in runs scored (332), 13th in batting average (.251), and 15th in on-base percentage (.317). Three players have accounted for 10 or more home runs, including 14 from Brandon Lowe and 17 from third baseman Junior Caminero.
This team hasn’t always been hot to start the season. As the season progresses, they could be even more dangerous at the plate. Add some of their stellar pitchers to the mix, and this team is going to be a dangerous team to face once the grind for the playoffs starts.
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