With their 11-2 loss against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim has brought the Tampa Bay Rays losing streak to 5.
Losing 8 of their last 9 games played, the Rays have slowly but surely watched as their lead over Baltimore in the Wild Card race shrunk to just two games.
Yesterday’s definitive loss all began with a bad start by pitcher Chris Archer, and ended with a similar performance by the bullpen. Archer would only last 3 and 2/3 innings before being pulled from the mound. This is his shortest non-injury related performance of the season. In that time, he allowed 5 runs on 9 hits.
The Rays were already down 10-2 before the 7th inning stretch.
There is no doubt that the Rays have had issues in the bullpen this season, but if the Rays can’t get those issues under wraps, they may find themselves out of contention for a Wild Card spot faster than you can say “Play Ball!”
Throw in the fact that their hitting game hasn’t exactly been on par as of late, this could pose trouble for Tampa Bay.
Rays Head Coach Joe Maddon continues to inspire his team to move forward despite their seemingly endless opposition.
It was while managing the London Fog in the British Rounders League that Winston Churchill said "If you're going through hell, keep going."
— Joe Maddon (@MaddHalos) September 3, 2013
In an interview with the Tampa Tribune, Ben Zobrist expressed some concern amongst those in the clubhouse.
"Of course, it’s September. You have to win games in September. There’s still a lot of time left. We’re still in a good spot. We just have to turn it around (tonight). That’s the number one goal, focus on (tonight) and get a win and get back on the right track.”"
Zobrist was responsible for both runs the Rays scored during the game; a home run in first inning, and a single in the 6th inning allowing Jose Lobaton to make it home.
Always on to call it like it is, Maddon addressed the fact that the Rays have also been experiencing some rather substantial issues at bat as well.
"You can look at the final score and all that stuff,” Maddon said, “but we saw 103 pitches when he was in there and only had two hits. That’s out biggest problem.” ~ TBO.com"
The Rays have the perfect opportunity to address the issue tonight as they hit the field in Anaheim once again tonight.
Tampa Bay may just get the jolt they need to turn their game around as the head into Angels Stadium. Lefty Matt Moore will be returning to the Rays’ starting lineup tonight.
Moore, who has been out since July 29th with elbow soreness, told MLB.com that he was happy to get back out there.
"I’m very eager to get back out there. I think a month-plus is a lot longer than I initially thought it was going to be,” Moore said. “So I’m just excited to get back out there and give us a shot to win a game.”"
The Rays have overcome obstacles like this in the past, and they are only 5 ½ games back from the Boston Red Sox. There is still a lot of baseball to be played, and with the right inspiration, there is a good possibility that the Rays can get back on top.