Rays Need To Address Key Issues During All Star Break

BY LILY BELCHER

Sunday afternoon's 7-5 victory over the O's left the first half of the Rays' season on a high note heading into the All-Star Break.

Tampa Bay is second in the AL East standings, ten games over 500 with a game and a half lead over the third place Toronto Blue Jays. Their starting pitcher and ace is preparing to (hopefully) start in the All-Star game and their offense scored five runs of more in five of their last eight games. It looks great on paper.

But, during this week, the Rays need to address key issues if they want to secure a playoff spot in just 80 days.

1: Communication

Taking a close look at the past few games has revealed a growing issue for Rays defense: communication, or the lack thereof. An increasing number of fly balls in the outfield have fallen between the centerfielder and corner infielder. There have also been a number of collisions or almost collisions as both players are running straight at each other.

I know players around the league have had similar issues and claimed the crowd was "just too loud," but I have a hard time accepting that answer when the Rays are hosting around 13,000 per game.

It's an issue that's understandable with a team that changes so often. The lack of a dependable lineup with the same group players each day may be the culprit, but its a problem that will get worse if there's no improvement after the break.

2: Consistency

The Rays as a team have been very hot and cold this year. They recently lost three games to the Reds in an embarrassing sweep, but turned around to take four against the Red Sox. This pattern is highlighted by the Yankees being consistently good and making the rest of their division look like laughing stock.

But, aside from teamwide consistency, the Rays lack reliable hitters and have no "clutch guy," who we know can pinch hit and get a key single in the ninth. Fans are noticing it too. One week, they call for Taylor Walls to get sent back down for his pathetic defense and mediocre batting, and the next they're claiming he's rounded the corner to become the star infielder the Rays needed without Wander Franco.

Josh Lowe is another hitter who has shown he's capable of hitting doubles with RISP, but his average still stays well below .200. He's a fine addition to the lineup, but not someone I would have enough confidence in to pinch hit in a high leverage situation.

3: Contracts

It's no secret that the Rays have been subject to a painful number of injuries and, unfortunately, there is nothing they can do to speed up the recovering process for the 17 injured men. If the Rays want to make a serious playoff push, they need to find a way to put skilled big leaguers on the field and the upcoming trade deadline puts them in a great position to do so. Adding a few veterans or proven hitters to the roster may be the best way to address the injury problem plaguing the Rays.

The pill that's going to be tough to swallow is who has to leave. Am I proposing trading KK? As much as I hate to admit it, yes. Am I suggesting looking for a new catcher while ours recovers from surgery? Possibly.

All this said to remind Rays fans that the deadline is fast approaching and they need to come to terms with losing some fan favorites if they have hopes of winning the World Series despite the injuries.

Let me know if you agree here!