ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays cooled off considerably before this week's All-Star break. They lost seven of their last eight games and saw their lead in the division over Baltimore shrink to two games. Rays analyst and former MLB pitcher Brian Anderson said opposing pitchers started doing a deeper dives into how they should attack Rays hitters.
"The art of pitching is to screw up the timing of the hitter. And the way that you do that is you change speeds, you change locations," he explained on Thursday. "I thought teams did a better job of that as the season moved into June and obviously that early part of July."
One thing that's been a constant for the Rays is the play of Randy Arozarena. He became a star during the World Baseball Classic, carried that momentum into the regular season, earned a spot on the American League All-Star team, and made it to the finals of the Home Run Derby. He's hitting .279 with 16 home runs (tied for the team lead) and a team-high 58 RBIs.
"He likes to be out center stage. In the middle of it, with the bright lights, it seems to bring out the best in him," Anderson said. "He’s a guy that just doesn’t shy away from the moment, and he’s always out there to entertain. Not only that, he’s a really good baseball player. You put that whole package together, and he becomes must-see TV."
When the Rays traded for Yandy Diaz in 2018, they acquired a player who wasn't known for elite offensive output. Since he arrived in Tampa Bay, he's become one of the best lead-off hitters in the American League. This season, he's on pace to have a career year. Diaz leads the AL with a .323 batting average and a .408 on-base percentage.
Anderson pitched in the Major Leagues from 1993 to 2005, so he knows what's going through a pitcher's mind when he sees a player like Diaz step into the batter's box to lead off a game.
"When you hit him in the lead-off spot, a pitcher coming into a game realizes, 'Hey, I can’t come into a game and try to ease my way in,'" Brian said. "'I’ve gotta come in sharp, or this guy’s gonna bang one. And I’m gonna be all of sudden out of the stretch or asking for a new baseball.'"
The Rays open the second half of the season with three games in Kansas City. Then they head to Texas before hosting the Orioles next week.
"They really have to have a good series against the Royals. You don’t want to stumble into Texas, into that buzz saw where they’re going to score a ton of runs," Anderson added. "That’s where the offense is going to have to come alive for the Rays. And then come home and face a very determined Orioles team for four games here at the Trop. So I think that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Kansas City is huge.
Game one of the Rays series in Kansas City gets underway Friday night at 8:10 p.m.
