Tampa Bay Looks to close the gap in the A.L. East

The New York Yankees have the best record in baseball at 57-33. However, the team with the second best record is in their division. The Tampa Bay Rays have transformed themselves into a perennial powerhouse that has the capability to compete with New York and Boston for the American League East title year after year.

After losing the first game of this 3 game series to the Yankees on a bottom of the ninth single by Nick Swisher, the Rays got even Saturday as they hammered the New York pitching staff in a 10-5 rout. Despite not having the payroll of Boston and New York, the Rays get plenty of “bang for the buck” offensively as they currently rank 4th in all of MLB in runs scored. They have been doing it with timely hitting, as they are the poster boys for manufacturing runs.

Perhaps the biggest surprise for Tampa Bay has been the emergence of their young and talented pitching staff. Jeff Niemann is a home grown prospect that has come into his own this season as he is currently 8-2 with a 2.92 earned run average. He got the win against New York Saturday as he pitched 6.1 innings allowing 4 runs on only 6 hits. Matt Garza has been a work-horse for the Rays since he arrived in 2008. He has pitched in over 30 games in each of his first 2 seasons and is on pace to surpass his high of 32 games pitched this year. Garza has good command and the ability to get strikeouts.

The clear cut “Ace” of the staff is 24 year old David Price. Price has a blazing fastball and a wicked curve. He is having his best year by far in 2010 as he is 12-4 with a 2.42 earned run average and 100 strikeouts. He will take the mound Sunday in the rubber match against the Yankees veteran Andy Pettitte. Price started his season with a win over the Yankees back on April 9th. In that game he threw 7.2 innings allowing just 3 earned runs and 7 scattered hits. The most impressive part of Price’s game is his stamina. He has thrown over 100 pitches in 14 of his 17 starts this year. He has the ability to find his control and settle in even after slow starts. Going against Pettitte and the Yankees on the road may seem like a huge task, but Price is more than up to it.

Many baseball picks had the Rays finishing 3rd in the A.L. East behind New York and Boston, but they have proven thus far that they are good enough to compete and are not going anywhere. There is still plenty of season left, but with Boston suffering a multitude of injuries, and the Tampa pitching staff performing at a high level night in and night out, it is very possible that they could win the division outright or a least hold on the a wildcard spot. Tune in Sunday as Tampa sends their best pitcher to the hill against the Yankees as they try to get the division lead down to 1 game.

Related posts:

1. Tampa Bay will need to make some moves to hang in the A.L. East
2. Tampa Bay Rays are Slipping in the American League East
3. Tampa Keep the Pressure on in the A.L. East
4. Sabathia seeks 20th Win against Tampa Wednesday
5. Rays and Yankees in A.L. East Showdown

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