Rays Stars Can't Do It Alone as Tampa Bay's Slump Continues Ahead of Trade Deadline
· Yahoo Sports
The Tampa Bay Rays have struggled as a whole as of late, but some of their stars are still fighting to keep this team afloat.
Entering Wednesday, the Rays are slumping in a big way. They are 9-18 since May 24th, and have lost their lead for the American League East to the New York Yankees. Most of the concerns are about the run support and the team's lack of batting depth.
Visit asg-reflektory.pl for more information.
3 of the Rays stars are doing what needs to be done, but the rest are leaving the team in limbo. The trio of Yandy Diaz, Jonathan Aranda, and Junior Caminero is playing exactly how a playoff caliber team should be played. If Kevin Cash had a few more doing the same things, they would still hold an 8-game lead for the division.
Since May 24th, Diaz has slashed .347/.437/.525 and recorded a 168 wRC+, proving to be one of the best bats in all the majors heading into the All Star Break. Both Jonathan Aranda, who has a .306/.405/.449 and 140 wRC+,, and Caminero,, .307/.398/.465, 137 wRC+ are also doing everything they can to keep this team afloat.
The problem is not them, but they can't do it alone.
When the pitching staff gives up a few runs, which is happening more often over this stretch of games, the offense needs to be able to fight back. This has not been the case, and when they do get some momentum, like multiple runners in scoring position, they fall flat.
This says two things in one picture. Both should light a fire under Eric Neander heading into the August 3rd MLB Trade Deadline. It says your team is not good enough to make a deep run as it is, but the foundational pieces are set; all that's missing is some solid additions that could be added in the next month to restart the team's surge back to the top of the American League.
The front office needs to make some fixes to this roster that will immediately impact the success in the batter's box if they want to make a deep run. Rentals will be fine because the organization is loaded with talent. But one thing is for sure, they proved they can be one of the best teams in baseball earlier this season, and with a little more help, they can right back in the same spot, fighting for their first World Series title.