What will it take to lure the Houston Astros to the American League East?
Let's mess with geography, shall we? Perhaps change the boundaries for Eastern Standard Time? What about calling southeast Texas part of the Deep South? How about leaping over Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama for the purpose of tinkering with the nation's grand old game?
Whatever it takes, the Tampa Bay Rays would benefit from some creative edits to the map. They wrapped up their breakneck seven-game season series against the Houston Astros on Sunday, and they came out winners five times.
If only the rest of the league were as kind.
Alas, for just the fourth time since June 13, the Rays must play someone other than the Astros. That means it's back to the tricky life of figuring out how to climb from the AL cellar. The good news: Tampa Bay (31-46) woke up Monday morning now tied with the Chicago Cubs for fewest victories in the majors.
You must crawl before you can walk, then you can try to climb.
There are hints of progress. The Rays did some good things the past four days, particularly on offense. They hit .429 (9 for 21) the past two games with runners in scoring position. They scored 19 runs. There seems to be a pulse. Now they must turn the life into more action.
"We won. That's the bottom line, and that's really at this point all I care about," third baseman Evan Longoria said Sunday. "We did some good things today and against a tough pitcher. (Dallas) Keuchel's been throwing the ball really well, and I think we proved something to ourselves as a team. We've kind of been getting it put to us against good lefties, so with this lineup today, we took good at-bats and got hits when we needed them."
Doing it again ... and again ... and again ... is something the Rays have yet to prove this season. That's the task ahead against an unfamiliar foe, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the next three days at Tropicana Field.
If only the Astros could stick around a little while longer.
Here's a look at the upcoming Rays-Pirates series ...
SCHEDULE AND PROBABLE PITCHERS
WHO'S HOT
Josh Harrison (Pirates): He hit .320 (8 for 25) with one home run and six RBI in six games from June 17-22. He had two multi-hit games in the stretch, including a 4-for-5 day with two RBI in a loss to the Cincinnati Reds on June 17. He has hit .306 with five home runs and 22 RBI this season.
Evan Longoria (Rays): He hit .296 (8 for 27) with one home run and two RBI in seven games from June 16-22. He hit safely in all but one game in the stretch, and he went 3 for 4 with one RBI in a victory over the Astros on June 22. He has hit .268 with nine home runs and 34 RBI this season.
WHO'S NOT
Andrew McCutchen (Pirates): He hit .167 (4 for 24) with eight strikeouts in six games from June 17-22. He was held hitless two times in the span. He has hit .312 with 11 home runs and 43 RBI this season.
Ben Zobrist (Rays): He hit .143 (3 for 21) with six strikeouts in seven games from June 16-22. He was held hitless four times in the span. He has hit .250 with five home runs and 15 RBI this season.
STORYLINES
1,009: Career strikeouts for left-hander David Price, a total earned after fanning 12 in a 3-1 loss to the Astros on Friday. He became the second Rays pitcher to reach the 1,000-strikeout mark for his career, behind right-hander James Shields (1,250).
1: Hit allowed by right-hander Jake Odorizzi in the Rays' 8-0 victory over the Astros on Saturday. The lone hit against him was Jose Altuve's infield single in the top of the fourth inning.
7: Victories for the Rays in their past 11 games, the latest a 5-2 win over the Astros on Sunday. Five of the victories in the span came against Houston.
QUOTE BOARD
"It is cool, can't deny that. But it stinks. You want to win out there, and we're not doing that right now so it's frustrating." -- Price, when speaking about passing the 1,000-career-strikeout barrier after the Rays' loss Friday. He has four consecutive starts with at least 10 strikeouts (seven overall this season).
"A lot of things went right today. A lot of things went right for us as a team, in general. Offense was awesome, they played good defense. (From a) team standpoint, this was something we needed, and hopefully it just keeps rolling for everybody." -- Odorizzi, after the Rays' victory Saturday. He tied a career-high by going 7 1/3 innings, matching the length of an appearance against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 10.
"I'd like to see it become a trend." -- Manager Joe Maddon, when speaking about the Rays' offense after the Rays' victory Sunday. Tampa Bay outscored Houston 19-5 in winning three of four games in the series.
PROMOTIONS AND GIVEAWAYS
June 25 -- Rays Flex Packs
LOOKING AHEAD
June 27-29 -- Rays at Orioles
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
