Imagine that comment: The Tampa Bay Rays are too good.
Well, finally, as get closer to late September, that is the case. The Rays never wilted.
You can pray and hope all you want. They are not going down.
I was terribly impressed with these guys when they came to Boston a week ago. That was when they were supposed to wilt. And the opportunities were there, facing Jonathan Papelbon while one inning away from losing their seventh time in eight games.
Instead, they pounded Papelbon. The next night they outlasted Josh Beckett – you can’t beat Beckett, you can only hope to outlast — and won in 14 innings.
Don’t discount the Rays in the playoffs either. While they don’t have the one-two punch the Red Sox obviously have at the top of their rotation, they are playing better than your Red Sox are when it really counts.
Here are five keys to the Rays success of late:
1. Manager Joe Maddon.
I only got to really know him this past week at Fenway. I hate to admit this, but I love the guy. His positive demeanor, even when it seemed dark recently, has permeated everywhere in the Rays club house. Unlike Terry Francona, who looks like he is on the verge of a nervous breakdown (Boston can do that to you), Maddon is unwavering. A big reason the Rays have never flustered is because their manager hasn’t.
2. Carlos Pena.
Hooray for Haverhill’s semi-native son (He was born in the Dominican Republic). He has taken over the role as power hitter in the clutch. While he still strikes out too much (he’s got a career high 153, second highest in baseball), his walks are nearly at an all-time high. He has accepted the role as David Oritz on the Rays. It is a great thing to see this 30-year-old finally get his due as a team player on a very good team.
3. Youth.
They don’t know any better. They really don’t. Go through their clubhouse and shake your head. Where’s the big-time talent? Other than Pena right now and Evan Longoria, it is a bunch of dirt-dogs (or carpet-dogs). Pena is the only starter who has reached 30. The comparison to the 1967 Red Sox is legitimate, sans Yaz’s MVP performance.
4. Pitching.
Where do you want me to go: starters, middle relief, end of the bullpen? Everywhere you go there is a guy who is doing their job. True, there is no real ace on this team — Scott Kazmir hasn’t been able to grab it yet — but everybody is good. From Matt Garza, to Edwin Jackson, to Andy Sonnanstine, to Troy Percival, it seems all have done their job. Heck, the move by Maddon in spring training, moving J.P. Howell from the rotation to the bullpen, might be the best decision made by a manager in the American League in 2008.
5. Defense.
Defense? Really? Yes, really. The Jays make plays. While they may not be loaded with Gold Glovers, they have players, like shortstop Jason Bartlett (14 errors) who over the last month has been involved in several great plays to save a game. Pena’s defense has also improved (only 2 errors) and Longoria is a potential Gold Glove third baseman.
Bottom line: The Rays are for real. And right now they are every bit of a threat to win the AL pennant as your Red Sox. As for the division, kiss it good-bye Sox fans. The Rays are in and the Red Sox are bound for Anaheim.
