Tampa Bay Rays Have Plenty of Reasons to Ignore Recent Three-Game Skid

In the eyes of some, the Tampa Bay Rays are a very polarizing team.  After winning nine straight games down the road, the team lost 3 of 4 as soon as they returned to Tropicana Field. Because of that, some have their doubts about crowning them as one of the best teams in baseball.  On Monday, Bleacher Report released its latest MLB power rankings, and despite the flawless road trip, the team still sat at fourth among all teams in the league. B/R writer Joel Reuter immediately put the blame on the three-game losing streak against the Orioles at Tropicana Field.  "The Rays went 9-0 on their latest road trip with sweeps of the Rockies, Mariners and Athletics, then returned home where they were promptly swept by the Orioles. Despite that stumble, they still hold a 5.5-game lead in the AL East race, and Drew Rasmussen (5 GS, 5-0, 1.20 ERA, 35 K, 30.0 IP) is pitching like a bona fide ace since the All-Star break." There is plenty more than just Rasmussen to be excited about for the Rays right now, following the flawless trip on the road, despite losing 3 of 4 to Baltimore as soon as they returned home to Tampa Bay. The team's bats are hot. They're hitting it out of the park, and they're finding base traffic on a consistent basis.  Liam Hicks, who was acquired by the Rays from the Miami Marlins at the MLB trade deadline, has been a perfect addition and has truly changed the identity of the Tampa Bay offense since he arrived.  Role players like Chandler Simpson, Ryan Vilade, and Cedric Mullins have also stepped up in their own right, giving the team a solid batting order one through nine as they move towards the second half of the summer and closer to the MLB postseason.  The pitching staff has continued to succeed despite the injuries as well.  Yes, Rasmussen has definitely pitched like a bona fide ace since the All-Star break, but so has Nick Martinez, and Ian Seymour has also stepped up in the absence of some of his injured teammates.  Each start by Freddy Peralta, since he arrived from the New York Mets, has also improved, giving a lot of hope about what's to come towards the second half of the season. With the return of Shane McClanahan, who had a short start on Monday night, and hopefully Griffin Jax in the near future, Tampa Bay is set up for a strong pitching staff to compete against the American League and hopefully find themselves fighting for their first World Series title.