Tampa Bay Devil Rays back on track
Having lost five in a row and dropping out of the lead in the American League East, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays badly needed a win against the slumping Detroit Tigers. Starting pitcher, David Price was also motivated by the fact that if he pulled out his 15th win of the year, the sophomore pitcher would hold the record for the most wins by any pitcher in Devil Ray history.
Although he only lasted five innings, he pitched around the Tigers’ line-up pretty well, allowing only two runs on five hits (but four walks) and got the win to go 15-5. More importantly, he got Tampa Bay back on track. The Devil Rays started off the season red hot, tearing up the standings for a comfortable lead in the AL East over the powerhouse Yankees and Red Sox., but lost form and supremacy in the middle of the season.
Last week they pulled it together long enough to take first place back from the Yanks, but after losing five in a row, they started tonight two and a half games back. No need for panic stations though since they still had a healthy lead in the Wild Card standings of four and a half games over the Red Sox.
“It’s a great honor to set a record like that—that’s an awesome feeling,” Price said. “I just have to make sure I don’t leave it stuck on 15. I kept getting ahead of guys and then letting them crawl back into the count. This was a night where I should have gone seven or eight innings, and I only gave us five.”
The Devil Rays have relied heavily on their bullpen the past few games, and could have done with some respite to give their arms a rest. They better take it against the Detroit Tigers, who are 2-8 in their last 10 games, because after that, things are going to get a little tougher. Next up is a series against the Baltimore Orioles who, despite their Major League worst record this season, are red hot since Buck Showalter took over as manager seven games ago.
After that, the Rays will face the Texas Rangers, who have a wealth of bats in their line-up and can knock any starting pitcher out of the game. The Rangers were big players leading up to the trade deadline and have made no secret that they are going for it all this year.
With the Red Sox just a few games back, the next eight games could have a lot to say about the Devil Rays’ playoff chances.
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