ST. PETERSBURG, FL — You know that it’s a season of mediocrity for the Tampa Bay Rays when their battle in the American League East goes from winning it, or at least contending, in each of the recent years, to seeing if they can stay out of the cellar. Though presently they can still finish as high as third.
As the Rays head into the year’s second-to-last homestand, just two and a half games separate them from the third place Boston Red Sox—who have not had a fun August, either—and they are just a game and a half above the recently rejuvenated, but still in fifth place, Toronto Blue Jays.
Image Credit: MLB
Most importantly for this season’s standings, Tampa Bay has not been eliminated in the AL Wild Card race. But they will have to finish stronger than how they’ve played in this season of dancing around .500 ball. They go above .500, but then lose two to return to it. They fall below it, and win enough to get back to it. 32 times this year they have been at that benchmark of being exactly average…
Currently one game under, with a 66-67 win-loss record, they’re hoping to make that a franchise-record 33 times tonight.
Randy Arozarena’s visible joy as a major leaguer took a nice turn in the series this week against his former teammates. His home runs in both of the Seattle Mariners’ wins, a three-run opposite field shot in the opener, and a solo blast on Wednesday, were among five hits overall, and brightened his career-low .218 batting average. And getting to see and talk with his Rays friends and ex-mates made his smile even wider than usual.
RANDY.
NO.
DOUBTER. pic.twitter.com/tvoX28QkPF
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 28, 2024
Jose Siri has moved into the position that Arozarena vacated as being the Rays outfielder who can electrify the crowd with a big hit. He provided the late-inning go-ahead home run in three-of-the-four wins on the road trip.
But he’s a free swinger and strikes out more than one-third of his at-bats, often swinging at pitches outside of the zone.
HIM⚡️⚡️⚡️ pic.twitter.com/vaCmuuwo27
— Tampa Bay Devil Rays (@RaysBaseball) August 28, 2024
Big cheers and chest-pounding… or big groans.
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