Despite plenty of early obstacles, Rays sitting pretty in first place
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Across the bay, away from the pucks and the sticks and a chase for Lord Stanley's prize, another team has created thunder.
Far from that ice in downtown Tampa, where the Tampa Bay Lightning have captured the region's focus with their first appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals since 2011, the Tampa Bay Rays have struck with an electric surge of their own.
No Joe Maddon? No Andrew Friedman? No Matt Joyce or Ben Zobrist, Wil Myers or Jeremy Hellickson?
No sweat.
No Alex Cobb? No Matt Moore? No more than a blink with Drew Smyly?
No surrender.
The Rays sit in first place in the American League East with a 24-20 record, good enough for a 1 1/2-game lead over the New York Yankees. Some critics never expected that sentence to be written after the season's first week. But here we are 44 games into the Kevin Cash/Matt Silverman Era, and Tampa Bay has planted its presence atop the division.
That's a development that deserves more than a passing glance.
"I think we try constantly to put the guys in positions to succeed," Cash said Saturday at Tropicana Field. "And to their credit -- and it's all about them -- they've done that. And first place, second place, it's (about) keep playing consistent, good baseball. And they continue to do that."
Yes it's early, but the Rays have faced a greater number of hurdles than Lolo Jones to reach this point. Entering Saturday, they had sent 14 players to the disabled list for a total of 15 stints. They had received three total starts from Cobb, Moore and Smyly, who were all expected to be major factors within the rotation. They had used four rookie pitchers for 17 starts. They had seen five players make their major-league debut. They had witnessed 17 wear a Rays uniform for the first time.
From the beginning, this spring and summer figured to be a season-long feeling-out process under Cash and Silverman. The departures of Maddon and Friedman not only meant a new start, but a fresh culture had to be learned as well. Big brains left. Different thoughts and rhythms were introduced.
Work remains, but it's safe to say Tampa Bay is beating the curve.
How has this happened?
Well, the Rays' rotation has held up even with key absences. Chris Archer (5-4, 2.40 ERA, 70 strikeouts) and Jake Odorizzi (3-4, 2.43 ERA, 46 strikeouts) anchored the group early, plus Nathan Karns (3-2, 3.71 ERA, 46 strikeouts) has been solid despite walking into spring training not knowing if he'd earn a rotation spot. The bullpen, led by stalwarts such as Kevin Jepsen (1.86 ERA), Brad Boxberger (1.10 ERA) and now a healthy Jake McGee (0.00 ERA in three appearances) began Saturday ranked ninth in the majors with a 3.07 ERA and third with 145 strikeouts; since April 19, though, the Rays' bullpen stands second in the majors with a 1.86 ERA. And before Saturday, the bench had hit a combined .372 with six home runs, 22 RBI and 16 runs, all major-league highs.
"This is a good ball club," Karns said. "We have a strong bullpen, a strong defense, a strong starting rotation. So those are a lot of good things to have on a team. And then we have timely hitting. We've got a lot of velocity on the base pads. So it's just a ball club that's desire to win is really good."
There are still questions, of course. Logic suggests the Rays will wish they had Cobb in the rotation at some point after he elected to have season-ending Tommy John surgery. Then there's the uncertainty concerning Smyly's future, after the left-hander announced his decision to rehab the torn labrum in his throwing shoulder with hopes of returning in late July. The bullpen has been stellar, but the summer's dog days are brutal, and fatigue can become a strain. Then there's the division, which features no teams with winning records outside the Rays and Yankees.
What if the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays rise from the mat and swing back?
The what-ifs can wait, though. Credit the Rays for making casual observers rub their eyes and pay attention, even if there's a bit of an under-the-radar feel to their rise in the standings. It was hard to find any national voices that gave Tampa Bay the benefit of the doubt when spring camps opened in February.
But if the Rays maintain this pace in the months ahead, they'll raise the volume around them.
There's already intrigue in their journey. Truthfully, the departures of Maddon and Friedman feel like old news. The Rays have become something different since Cash's hire, from the offseason roster turnover to his acclimation as a first-time manager to the personnel juggling that was required after all the early injuries. Many steps have been taken, and many more will come.
Still, you're excused if the progress forces you to say, "How about that?" The Rays' 1 1/2-game division lead stands as their largest since the end of play May 4, 2012. They haven't held sole possession of first place this late in a season since the end of play July 30, 2013. They entered Saturday not far off the Kansas City Royals' major-league-best 27-14 record.
Cash deserves credit for handling adversity as a first-time manager. The coaching staff deserves credit for instilling Cash's vision. The newcomers deserve credit for their part in creating a different organizational identity. The veterans deserve credit for helping the franchise evolve.
Work remains, but after all the upheaval and ad-libbing, the Rays' revolution stands on point.
"We have had some power," Archer said. "We have guys with four to five home runs. It's not like one guy has 12. Every night, it's someone new. That's what championship teams do."
Championships?
It's too early to dream of pennants and playoff pushes. But so far, the Rays have produced welcome electricity.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
