Out of all the Tampa Bay Rays the best player missing from their lineup on any given night is Evan Longoria, who remains sidelined with an injury. Not only having to bear his absence, but the club also will be without Carl Crawford for the rest of the season. The center fielder will undergo surgery to his injured right hand. His production is the lineup will missed too. His numbers so far: 8 homeruns, 57 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases. Tampa Bay now must look elsewhere for their main source in offense. Not to be discarded, Eric Hinske and Carlos Pena are having a good year. They've combined for 114 RBIs. With the Red Sox reeling in Paul Byrd in a trade the Rays will have to counter somehow. Simply keeping the lineup they have won't cut it.
The standings still favor the Rays, who hold a 71-47 record with a 3-game lead over the Red Sox. It's going to be tough for the Rays to match their scoring or stay ahead in the AL East. Yet as unexpected they have took the division by storm. Aiming for a playoff will take at least another good bat in the lineup. Instead of letting the D-backs snatch up Adam Dunn they should've got him. What a difference his power could have made for them as far as clutch hitting and average runs per game goes.
Finding a way to win to hold on to first place is the biggest challenge for the Rays now. Their loss of production will put more pressure on the rotation. Scott Kazmir (8-6) and Andy Sonnanstine (11-6) are their top pitchers who will try to keep the team afloat until Longoria returns from the 15-day DL. I'd like to see the Rays continue to suprise critics and survive the test with injuries and outplaying their opponents. They've gotten this far already, it would be a shame for them to fall off pace. With all of the young players and exuberance I still believe they're better than the Yankees. Don't count on Tampa Bay withering away yet because they've got too much spirit and fight left.
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