ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Rays are the hottest team in baseball right now, and skipper Kevin Cash really believes it’s about how the players are going about their preparation, especially the hitters.
“The more of our guys knowing what they’re doing, preparation and working in the cage this year has been more focused on challenging themselves,” Cash said. “From flips to those machines that are throwing 95 miles per hour, foam balls, They’re trying to recognize pitches and we are seeing it translate to the game.”
Tampa Bay is the first MLB club to win its first nine games since the 2003 Kansas City Royals. They’re not just winning; the Rays are crushing, having outscored their opponents 75-18. The Rays have always been on the cutting edge, looking for new ways to get a step ahead of the competition.
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Remember when the Rays started with using the opener? That was revolutionary at the time. Many teams have gone that route over the course of the long season. Cash also feels the Rays hitters like Isaac Paredes and those that were playing in the World Baseball Classic have also gotten a head start on the regular season.
“That ramped up intensity, you don’t have time to say, hey, I wanna see some pitches,” Cash said. “You get to the WBC every at bat matters a lot. Naturally, you’ve got to amp it up, and I think those guys are better for it.”
Brandon Lowe who hit a grand slam on Sunday in an 11-0 rout over the Oakland A’s knows it won’t be like this all season but Lowe feels he and his teammates are just enjoying this ride.
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“Essentially, just everything going exactly the way we want it to, Lowe said. “This is incredible baseball that we’re playing.”
Doubters bring up the early competition the Rays have faced in the Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, and Oakland A’s, but it’s who the Rays have on their schedule, and they’re simply dominating. The Rays have hit 24 home runs to start the season, which is the most through nine games since the 2000 St. Louis Cardinals. Tampa Bay outscored the A’s 31-5 in this past weekend’s sweep.
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