Rays loss to Angels highlights early team struggles

Tampa Bay in desperate need of contribution from top of the lineup.

Last night’s game in Tropicana field was... ugly

The 7-3 loss certainly wasn’t all gloomy, with ace Zack Eflin going six and a third scoreless innings allowing just six hits, however a late game meltdown saw the angels run away with the game at the end leading to a final score that made the game look noncompetitive.

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The game did however shed light on the two major issues the Rays have faced in the early parts of the 2024 season, those being the lack of contribution from the top of the order, as well as the frustratingly inconsistent bullpen performances.

While it still may be early, perhaps its time to take a dive into these two weaknesses and be aware of what could potentially be a concern as we creep closer to the heart of the season.

Lack of contribution from the top of the order

Below is a list of the top 10 Rays in wRC+ so far in 2024.

1. Isaac Paredes: 156
2. Ben Rortvedt: 150
3. Richie Palacios: 135
4. Rene Pinto: 134
5. Amed Rosario: 131
6. Jose Siri: 125
7. Jose Caballero: 110
8. Austin Shenton: 97
9. Curtis Mead: 84
10. Brandon Lowe: 81

Do you notice a couple players missing from this list? Perhaps the one with part of the outfield crowd named after him? Perhaps the defending AL Batting Champion?

Yandy Diaz has been the leadoff hitter in all 17 games so far this season, and his .209 batting average and 66 wRC+ to start the season has hurt numerous game changing opportunities.

Randy Arozarena has also had a disappointing start to the season, batting .183 with just 11 hits (eight of which are singles). The star outfielder has also had a plethora of opportunities to break games open but has rarely come through in the early parts of this 2024 campaign, where has a 63 wRC+ thus far.

Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images

Take last night as a prime example. In the bottom of the fifth, with the score still knotted at 0-0, Tampa Bay had a golden opportunity to break the game open with the bases loaded and nobody out with the one two and three hitters set to come up to the plate.

How did the inning play out?

Diaz grounded into a 6-2 fielders choice, changing the situation to bases loaded with one out and still a scoreless game. Second spot hitter Harold Ramirez (who hasn’t been great so far but certainly hasn’t been bad) grounds out to the pitcher, driving Siri in from third. And star slugger Arozarena grounds out to third, getting just one run out of a golden opportunity to steal the game in that moment.

With your pitcher (Eflin) having an incredible day on the mound, it is crucial to give him some run support in this moment, as to take advantage of a phenomenal pitching night and walk out of Tropicana Field with a W.

This situation was a perfect representation of the frustrations Rays fans have been dealing with from the top of the order so far this season. While it’s still early and these players are bound to bounce back up and begin contributing, this is still certainly something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

Inconsistent bullpen performances

Watching the Rays hold onto leads late in ballgames can probably best be compared to (for all you long time Bucs fans) watching a Jameis Winston deep ball. It gets your heart pumping, it freaks you out, and you just know there’s no predicting how it’s going to go.

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It could be like April 10th against the Los Angeles Angels, where Pete Fairbanks recorded three strikeouts allowing just one hit, earning a save in a 4-2 Rays win.

It could also be what we saw last night, with Phil Maton (granted he was probably left out too long) giving up five earned runs in five innings as the Rays blow (an admittedly slim) lead in the eighth inning, putting the game out of reach as the Angels beat the Rays 7-3.

Fairbanks has been the embodiment of this ‘all or nothing’ play recently out of the bullpen, with his performances so far ranging from stellar (no hit ninth inning to protect one run game and earn the save) to hard to watch (blowing late game comeback with walk off grand slam).

Conclusion

It certainly hasn’t been all doom and gloom for the Rays so far this season. After all they are still a game above .500 and have three more games against the Angels, so there’s an opportunity to take the four game series.

You can even take an optimistic look and be excited for the potential this team has once their top performers begin hitting well or their bullpen starts becoming more consistent.

But right now, 17 games into the season, this team is frustratingly inconsistent and missing some key contributors, either through injury or poor performance.