The Rays have spent this season proving they can beat you a lot of different ways, and they’ve done it often enough to make the point impossible to ignore. Including the postseason, Tampa Bay has piled up 101 wins, with a mix of pitching, defense and an offense that doesn’t live and die by one trick.
If there’s one formula that stands out for the American League Championship Series, which opens Monday night at Tropicana Field, it’s simple: get to four runs. The Rays went 75-17 (.815) in the regular season when they scored more than three, the best mark in the AL, and that kind of output has been a playoff sweet spot, too. Teams that have scored at least four runs in the postseason are 18-1 this year and 51-10 (.836) over the last two postseasons.
Tampa Bay already showed that range in the AL Division Series. Game 1 was a 1-0 win, the kind of night Drew Rasmussen can give them.
Game 2 turned into a 5-2 victory. Game 3 brought a 4-3 sweep-clinching win.
Across those three games, the Rays kept flashing the same identity: they can scratch out a run, they can cash in when it matters, and they can leave the yard when the moment calls for it.
“I think that's who we are,” manager Kevin Cash said. “There are some nights that we're going to need to go out and slug with the opponent, but there are some nights that we're going to do everything we can to just scratch and claw to get a run across the board.”
That balance starts with the contact game. Tampa Bay’s lineup led the Majors with an 18.8% strikeout rate and a 79.3% contact rate.
It also led the AL in stolen bases with 164 for the third straight year, and topped the Majors in sacrifice hits (45), bunt hits (49) and singles (984). The Rays finished first in the AL with 143 infield hits, too.
In an era built around launch angle and exit velocity, they’ve leaned hard into what fits their roster. Speed, bat control and bunt ability have become real weapons, with players like Chandler Simpson bringing contact-hitting speed and Taylor Walls and Cedric Mullins adding value with the bunt.
The Rays also did a better job than anyone in the league of turning traffic into production. They led the AL in batting average at .258 and on-base percentage at .326, then went on to post the Majors’ best average with runners in scoring position at .284.
“Moving the ball forward is a little easier when your swings are smaller, and that's kind of in our DNA,” hitting coach Chad Mottola said. “More of the team baseball has led to more contact, so [that’s] more situational hitting or just a willingness to pass the baton and not try to do everything yourself.”
And then there’s the power. The Rays don’t pretend this is their loudest trait - they ranked 22nd in MLB with 169 homers - but they’ve still become dangerous enough to punish any mistake. Junior Caminero led the club with 42, while Jonathan Aranda and Yandy Díaz each hit 22.
The numbers tell the story of how that power grew. Tampa Bay had only 58 homers in its first 71 games through June 18, the fewest in the Majors over that stretch. In the next 91 games, the Rays hit 111, tied for seventh-most in baseball.
Part of that came from Victor Mesa Jr.’s promotion and the addition of Liam Hicks. Part of it came from production farther down the lineup, where Mullins hit 15 homers, Jonny DeLuca and Ryan Vilade each hit 11, and Richie Palacios showed more pop over the final two months than he did in the first four.
That depth made the offense harder to pitch around. The Rays weren’t just poking singles around anymore. They were winning with pressure, with patience and, when needed, with power.
“When you play selfishly and you try to create things that are not there, you're not going to be in a good spot,” Palacios said. “But when you play unselfishly, it's amazing how you get a lot of opportunities to help the team win.”
In Other News...
Rays Suddenly Have A Playoff Edge Worth Watching This Weekend
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For the Rays, the timing matters as much as the matchup. They have the benefit of extra recovery time while the Guardians and White Sox head to Progressive Field for an 8 p.m. Eastern first pitch, and the added rest could be a quiet advantage in a short postseason window. Whoever survives Saturday night will have to turn around quickly, while Tampa Bay gets to prepare with the field still undecided. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Sweep By Rays Put Aaron Boone Drama Back Front And Center
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Even with the criticism building, there is still support inside the clubhouse for Boones approach, a sign that not everyone sees the manager as the central issue. The Yankees now have bigger decisions ahead as they sort through what went wrong and what needs to change, with the Boone question only one part of a much larger offseason reckoning. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Are Keeping One Crucial ALCS Decision Under Wraps
The Rays spent part of their ALCS buildup in familiar fashion, staging a simulated game to keep their arms and hitters sharp while waiting on the final piece of the bracket to fall into place. Manager Kevin Cash made it clear the club is comfortable holding back on the finer details for now, choosing preparation over public declarations as Tampa Bay readies for a series that could swing quickly once the opponent is known.
For the Rays, the biggest piece of the pitching puzzle is still tucked away, even though the shape of the plan is coming into focus. The expectation is that Drew Rasmussen will handle Game 1, with the club likely leaning on four starters across the series, but Cash is keeping the full alignment quiet until the matchup is set and the path through the ALCS becomes clearer. [Read more 🡒]