The Tampa Bay Rays have made an impressive start to the season. They hold the best record in the American League at 27-13 after their 8-5 victory over the Blue Jays.
This start matches the 2020 club for the third-best 40-game start in franchise history. Only the 2023 (30-10) and 2010 (29-11) teams had better records at this point. The Braves (28-13) are the only team in the Majors with a better record than Tampa Bay.
“I’d like to keep this pace going,” said starter Drew Rasmussen. “Think we’re gonna be in a really good spot if we can do that.”
The Rays have won nine of their last 10 games. They have also won an MLB-best 25 of 33 since April 4, and are 19-3 against American League competition.
The Rays are the first AL East team to win nine of their first 10 games against divisional opponents since the 1992 Blue Jays.
Rasmussen’s Solid Start and Pitching Confidence
Drew Rasmussen held Toronto to three runs over six innings. All three runs came on a second-inning swing by Andrés Giménez. He gave up four hits and a walk while striking out six.
It marked Rasmussen’s 46th consecutive start allowing four runs or fewer, a franchise record.
Giménez’s two-run homer off Ian Seymour in the seventh inning marked the first time since April 21 that the Rays allowed more than three earned runs in a game. This snapped their franchise-record streak at 16 straight games, the longest in the Majors since the Giants’ 18-game run in September 2010.
The Rays have yielded only 29 total runs over their last 17 games.
“They certainly are pitching with a lot of confidence right now,” manager Kevin Cash said. “What they’re doing as kind of a unit is really, really impressive.”
Depth and Versatility in the Lineup
The lineup’s depth and versatility are key traits for the Rays. They also have an eagerness to put the ball in play.
They entered Monday with the Majors’ best contact rate (82.8%) and second-lowest strikeout rate (18.6%).
“A lot of good things can happen when you move the ball,” said center fielder Cedric Mullins.
Jake Fraley and Richie Palacios exemplified playing a role during a three-run rally in the first inning.
Neither left-handed hitter had recorded an at-bat since last Tuesday. They were back in the lineup against right-hander Kevin Gausman and immediately did what they were put in there to do.
The Rays were widely projected to finish last in the AL East when the season began only 6 1/2 weeks ago.