Tampa Bay Rays prepare for the stretch run

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla – There is no greater “sense of urgency” than this moment.

For the Tampa Bay Rays, and 17 other teams, whether leading their division or within 5.5 games of a wild card spot, it’s “crunch time.” The trading deadline, always a time for hope and prayer, will pass early this week and already, the Dodgers, Yankees and Rays wrote headlines.

With the acquisition of right-hander Freddy Peralta in a deal with the New York Mets, the Rays hope to add cohesion to a depleted rotation. From the start of the season, Tampa Bay is now down to two starters. With lefty Shane McClanahan now on the IR with back issues, the need for help, now in the presence of Peralta, has become paramount.

Peralta arrives in central Florida with less-than impressive recent credentials. Nonetheless, there is a sense of excitement swirling around Tropicana Field.

“I’m very excited, certainly given that (McClanahan) is down,” manager Kevin Cash told reporters after the news broke on Aug. 2. “At this point, we will be able to slot [Peralta] in the rotation.”

With eight weeks remaining in the season and starters expected to get the ball about eight to nine more times, that means Peralta, if he is productive, could be dependable five to seven wins. In a larger sense, the Rays (at 65-49 after 112 games) and beginning with a three-game set with the Rockies in Coors Field on Aug. 3, have 50 games remaining.

Ditto for the New York Yankees, at 63-49, have also played 112 games. Coming into the Colorado series, the Rays hold a 2.5 game advantage over the Bombers. Lurking just behind are the Boston Red Sox, and 5.5 games behind the Rays.

Though a two-time All-Star with Milwaukee, Peralta, at 30-years-old out of the Dominican Republic, has fallen on difficult times.

Dealt from the Brewers to the Mets in the recent off-season, Peralta failed to deliver on his past. When dealt to the Rays, Peralta remained in the Mets rotation but winless in his last seven New York starts. Here, he was 0-4 with three no-decisions. His last win was an 8-1 victory over the Braves on June 14. Overall, with the Mets in 2026, he went 5-9, and a 4.99 ERA in 113.1 innings for 22 starts.

The issue now is for Kyle Synder, the Rays’ pitching coach, to work his magic and get Peralta on the path to success. That said, Synder and Cash must devise a rotation capable of keeping the Rays in contention for any post-season opportunity.

In addition to solving the Peralta dilemma, Cash and Erik Neuander, the club’s president of baseball operation face these challenges –

Yandy Diaz – slumping over the past several weeks, Diaz’s early season production largely disappeared. As late as June 28, he was hitting .336 and now at the start of the Rockies series, he is down to .304. Since July 11, he has only hit three extra base hits. That includes one double against Seattle on July 11 and two homers. One hit against the Jays on July 21 and the other against the Rangers on July 29. Diaz must continue to be productive out of the lead-off hole.

Bryan Baker – emerged as the Rays’ closer early in the season, Baker’s production earned a slot on the American League All-Star squad. At the start of the Rockies series, he recorded a league-leading 31 saves and that’s one more than Cade Smith of Cleveland. Baker mixes a crackling fast ball, location and emotion to bottle success. For the Rays to remain competitive, Baker must continue to slam the door and give his team a viable opportunity to win.

Junior Caminero – the AL All-Star third baseman needs to continue his long-range bombing. Among AL league leaders in home runs, the 23-year-old has cooled dramatically. Since July 17, he has hit one homer and that was July 31 in a 6-1 loss to the White Sox. Coming into the Rockies series, he’s hit 30 round-trippers and that’s third best in the league. He’s behind Yordan Alvarez of Houston, the league leader with 35 homers.

Earlier this season, he slammed homers in six straight games in late June, including three home runs at home against Kansas City in June 26.

Despite lack of recent home run production, Caminero continues to hit for average. A career .266 hitter, he is hitting .280 coming into the Rockeis series, and the Rays need his power to help remain in contention.

Finding ways – Despite the Rays leading the division, they still need “to learn how to win.” The bullpen has been outstanding but now, the rotation, of whatever is left of this, remains a key element to success.

The recent series against the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox could be a case in point. The Rays lost two of three to a potential post-season opponent and in the two losses, they managed to get only two runs. The lone victory in that series was behind a brilliant effort from Drew Rasmussen and a 1-0 win.

The psychology of winning, the need for greater execution, to play “small ball” with the speed of outfielder Chandler Simpson as a catalyst and the bullpen to continue to perform at an especially high level, all must interact to identify reasons for the Rays to be relevant, diligent, meticulous and industrious.

Next  … That series against the Rockies commences on Aug 3 at Coors Field. In the opener, lefty Ian Seymour (7-3, 4.37) opposes veteran righty Michael Lorenzen (3-9, 6.54). In the middle game, Rays’ manager Kevin Cash is undecided, but a likely starter could be Freddy Peralta. He would draw righty Gabriel Hughes (0-3, 3.33). In the afternoon finale, it’s righty Nick Martinez (10-3, 2.77) going against right-hander Tommy Sugano (11-4, 4.47). Then, it’s three in Seattle and three against the A’s in Sacramento. The Rays return to Tropicana Field for a seven-game home stand and that begins Aug. 14. This includes four with Baltimore and three with Toronto.

The post Tampa Bay Rays prepare for the stretch run first appeared on Through The Fence Baseball.

Source: https://throughthefencebaseball.com/tampa-bay-rays-prepare-for-the-stretch-run/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tampa-bay-rays-prepare-for-the-stretch-run