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ST. PETERSBURG — Eighty-one games ago, before Shane McClanahan threw the first pitch to Tigers rightfielder Matt Vierling, there were a lot of questions about what the season would bring. The Rays had not gone out and signed a big left-handed bat like almost everyone with a column, radio show or Twitter account thought they should have done. Would their stockpile of arms be enough to keep them ...
The Rays have boasted the best record in the majors all season long and currently sit at 56-23 with a …
ST. PETERSBURG — As usual, the Rays will spend the weeks leading up to the Aug. 1 trade deadline discussing myriad deals that could add to, take from or reshape their squad. But there are a couple of differences this year as they reach the halfway point of the schedule Sunday with the majors’ best record: • Despite their performance thus far, they have clearly defined needs — a proven reliever ...
ST. PETERSBURG — When the Rays acquired Christian Bethancourt from the A’s just less than a year ago, they weren’t sure exactly what they were getting. He was 30 years old, was playing in the majors for the first time since 2017 and had only made a dozen starts behind the plate for Oakland, getting most of his at-bats while playing first. But the Rays needed some help behind the plate with ...
ST. PETERSBURG — So Tampa Bay’s offense is not crushing the ball at the same ridiculous pace it was in April. That’s okay, the falloff was inevitable. Through the first month, the Rays were scoring 6.7 runs per game which put them on a pace not seen across a full season since Joe DiMaggio’s rookie year with the Yankees in 1936. The Rangers are now scoring more runs per game than Tampa Bay, and ...