ST. PETERSBURG, Fla — The Tampa Bay Rays continue their push for the playoffs. They begin the first of their final seven regular-season home games Monday night at Tropicana Field.
The Rays begin a three-game series against the Houston Astors, who have the American League’s best record. Then later in the week, it’s a four-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays, who lead Tampa Bay by a half-game for the top wild-card spot.
“We knew what September looked like,” Rays pitcher Jeffrey Springs said. “We saw the schedule early on, and those teams always play well. Kind of one game at a time. We got Houston coming in here (today). It’s going to be good baseball, but it’s what you want to play for in September. You want to play the best, and the Astros are good every year. Toronto is doing it. It should be pretty fun."
“That’s something I have never experienced before,” catcher Christian Bethancourt added. “It’s amazing to be on the field with every pitch, every game, every pitch matters from now on to hopefully the World Series.”
Bethancourt and outfielder Jose Siri each hit home runs in Sunday’s win over the Texas Rangers. Both players have proven to be key additions to the playoff push since being acquired in midseason trades.
“Give our front office some credit for recognizing little things to allow us to get those guys,” manager Kevin Cash said. “You don’t see many guys like Jose that you can put in the same category as ‘KK’ (Kevin Kiermaier). I think it’s fair defensively he’s done a lot of special things.”
The Rays are riding the momentum of a series win against the struggling Rangers, but now the competition level is rising.
“There is no doubt it is a challenge. The Astros, we haven’t seen them at all this year other than highlights,” Cash said. “They are a very talented team offensively. They can really do special things with a bat. They can do a lot of things from the mound. It will be a lot of work to get through this homestand.”
Tampa Bay will send right-hander Drew Rasmussen to the mound against Houston. The first pitch is set for 6:40 p.m.
