Can the Rays stop their current ‘free-fall?’

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – With apologies to poet Ernest Thayer and after much excitement, mighty Casey did, indeed, strike out. In a similar vein, the much-celebrated weeks in which the Tampa Bay Rays surged to the top of the American League East division, they, too, seem to have struck out.

Certainly not in the metaphorical experience of Casey. Yet, the similarity seems quite frightening.

Here was a team in which all cylinders meshed in a near-perfect unison. The bullpen proved the catalyst to an astonishing streak and manager Kevin Cash’s version of ‘small ball” manufactured runs at a surprising rate.

With a record of 34-15 on May 24 and a 5 ½ game lead in the AL East race, there has been a dramatic fall from grace.

Between May 24 and June 24, the Rays went 9-17 and dropped from a mark of 34-15 to just 10 games above .500. That put the team three games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East and a difference of 8 1/2 games in the standings.

Representative of this skid is lefty Shane McClanahan, who surrendered a three-home effort to the Kansas City Royals on June 23 and suffered a 12-5 defeat before 11,171 in Tropicana Field.

“Sometimes it’s going to go your way and sometimes, it doesn’t,” he told reporters after his latest loss to the Royals. “This game is very challenging and humbling at times. As much as you want stuff to go right for you, it’s just not always going to pan out.”

At the start of the season, McClanahan was hailed for his spirited comeback and triumphant return from the past two season on the disabled list. Through nearly the first half of the season, the results have bene marginal and his mark of 6-5, through June 23, is just above 500. If the Rays are to be extracted from the depths of mediocrity, McClanahan must right his ship.

Part of the Rays dilemma is the nature of their starting rotation. One third is now positioned by pitchers who might be considered as “openers.” This includes righties Griffin Jax, who seems to have found a spot in the rotation, lefty Ian Seymour and righty Casey Legumina, who was scheduled to start the series finale on June 25 against Kansas City.

With the All-Star break directly ahead, only righties Drew Rasmussen and Nick Martinez, along with lefty McClanahan, appears fixtures in the Tampa Ray rotation.

Which brings up a new dilemma for Erik Neunader, the club’s president of baseball operation. If he believes that Rays are legitimate playoff contenders, there is every reason to accept he will be “a buyer” and not a seller in the upcoming trade deadline period.

That direction could constitute the Rays’ approach over the final months of the season and their position relative to any post-season aspirations.

While the bullpen has been inconsistent over the recent drop in the AL East standings, Neander has every reason to believe the recent weeks have been an aberration. The slotting of Bryan Baker into the closer role appears to be a gift of timing and the reliable efforts of Kevin Kelly, Garrett Clevanger and Cole Sulser have yielded benefits.

Given the peaks and valleys and ebb and flow of a protracted major league season, the Rays retain significant optimism. The final months of the season will demonstrate if optimism is genuine or fiction.

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