Rays proving the critics wrong with an 'A+' grade to start the season

Rays proving the critics wrong with an 'A+' grade to start the season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Playing in arguably the most competitive division in all of baseball, the AL East, the Tampa Bay Rays are often questioned about whether they have enough to keep up. They lack the star power other teams have in the division, but they don't let that stop them.

Manager Kevin Cash always gets the most out of his team, and that is no different this season. They have come out on fire, holding together an 11-7 record, one game ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the division.

And a big reason for them being ahead of the Yanks is their three-game sweep over them last weekend.

MORE:Rays might finally be ready to break their Buster Posey curse

Rays proving the critics wrong with an 'A+' grade to start the season

After sweeping the Yankees, the Rays went out and swept the Chicago White Sox earlier this week. So, they are on a six-game winning streak going into their weekend series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have also gotten off to a solid start.

We have gotten to a point in the season where we can start evaluating these teams a bit better. That's exactly what Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller did, giving the Rays an A+ grade at this point in the season.