After matching the modern record for a winning streak to begin the season, the Tampa Bay Rays missed their chance to break it. Was this all a mirage caused by the schedule? ByMcCullough, Britt_Ghiroli and stephenjnesbitt weight in.
I saw someone point out on Twitter that the Rays led the majors in OPS on first-pitch contact. Which, taken on its own, would suggest a replicable strategy: hunt the first pitch. But, really, the Rays led in almost every situation:Full count: 1.255
The only scenario in which they were middle of the pack was when behind in the count . So, there you go. Pump strikes. Get ahead. Unless they crush that first pitch!Sure, it’s over. Sure, they played a couple bad teams. But, boy, that was a sight to behold. They clobbered big league clubs day in and day out. A +71 run differential in 13 games. A franchise-record winning streak. Shades of the 1884 St. Louis Maroons.
No team survives the AL East unscathed, and the road ahead for the Rays will be difficult, particularly because of their rash of early injuries. But they have depth behind the dominant front line of the rotation. They have the bullpen arms to lock down the late innings. And they have a lineup that’s still mostly anonymous to the average fan but includes a mix of hitting profiles that, pieced together, will pick apart pitching staffs and do damage in big games.
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