The Tampa Bay Rays are surprising fans with a strong 16-11 record, the second-best in the American League. Their offense is performing well with a .258 batting average, and key pitchers are off to solid starts.
Everything is clicking for the Rays after another series sweep originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Tampa Bay Rays have come out as one of the biggest surprise teams so far this season. They have gotten off to a red-hot start, which has the fanbase fired up.
The Rays hold a 16-11 record going into Monday's matchups. That is the second-best record in the American League, but can they keep this up?
Offensively, the club is getting production from a number of guys. They hold a .258 batting average. which is the fifth-best across MLB, and the pitching staff is looking the part with Steven Matz, Drew Rasmussen, and Nick MartĂnez getting off to good starts and Bryan Baker emerging as the team's closer with six saves.
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The Rays are coming off a week where they were tested, but bounced back. They had trouble getting much going against the Cincinnati Reds, losing the series 1-2, but responded with a series shutout over the Minnesota Twins over the weekend.
The Tampa Bay Rays currently hold a 16-11 record.
Key pitchers for the Rays include Steven Matz, Drew Rasmussen, and Nick MartĂnez.
The Rays have a .258 batting average, ranking fifth in MLB.
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Last week, the team was ranked No. 13, but this week, they have cracked the top 10, now being ranked at No. 7, per Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller.
"Following their sweep of the fading fast Twins, the Rays enter Monday tied with [the Seattle Mariners] for the longest active winning streak at four games, allowing two or fewer runs in each of those wins."
They will have to keep this up in their series against the Cleveland Guardians this week, who have also gotten off to a solid start. Then, the Rays could capitalize on some series against struggling clubs like the San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, and Boston Red Sox.
If they can continue to stay hot and take advantage of a weaker schedule in May, the Rays could continue to trend up and continue to surprise many over the course of this season.