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By Andrew Armida, 13 year old Staff Writer

I know I’m not the first one to say it but what an amazing year the Rays are having.  We’re at the All-Star break and they are in the race for a playoff spot.  Yes, they did close out the first half with a seven game funk but you still can’t take anything away from these Rays. Not many people could’ve predicted it.  I think I predicted them finishing third in the AL East and that was the highest I saw them being predicted to finish. Many saw the Tampa Bay Rays as a young, talented team that would probably improve from past failure, but, wow, not by this much.  But yes, there is still A LOT of season to be played.  Here are some key factors that I think could hurt or help the Rays down the stretch as they try for a playoff spot.

 Stay strong against the East

The Rays, this year, have a very impressive record against the AL east.  In fact, they have a better record against the East than any other team in the division (seven games over .500; the Yankees and Red Sox are next closest with both being one game over .500).  They will need to keep beating tough division opponents in the Yankees and Red Sox if they want to play in October.  In September the Rays will have four very important series against AL east opponents.  They will be playing two, three game sets at home against the Red Sox and Yankees and two, three game sets on the road against the Yankees and Sox.  Those are 12 crucial games the Rays have to play in the beginning of September.  Games that if the Rays choke, they may be out of the race.  And if they persevere, they could be playing in October.  There are also many games to be played against the Blue Jays and the Orioles.  They have played well against both teams (combined 13-4 record), but they can’t take the two opponents for granted.  The Orioles and Jays might play the role of spoilers so they should not treat those games like a cake walk.  In the second half, the Rays have 24 games against the AL east, sixteen of which are at home.  Having two thirds of their games at the Trop really gives them an advantage with their stellar home record.  These games against the east could stop the Rays chances at a playoff run if played poorly.  They could also lift them to a division crown or wild card berth if they come through.  Playing well against the AL east will be a key for success for the Rays.

 Stay Healthy

Now this is a problem for every team but the Rays cannot afford many injuries to their staff and starting lineup.  One of the most important players who needs to stay healthy is of course, Scott Kazmir.  Kazmir is no doubt the ace of this rotation.  He has had health issues in the past and did need to be shut down last year with arm troubles but that is something that can’t happen to the Rays in the second half.  He is too important to this team.  The Rays should carefully monitor the health of Kazmir.  I’m not saying to put an innings limit on him but they should go easy with him at the first sign of trouble.  They Rays also will hope their starting shortstop, Jason Bartlett, can get back soon after the All-star break as they had hoped.  Bartlett is not a superstar player on this team, but a very solid player he is.  The shortstop was doing well until a knee sprain landed him on the DL a little while ago.  Speed is a big part of Bartlett’s game so they should make sure he is 100% before bringing him back and also should make sure during the season that there were no long term affects.  The health of their closer, Troy Percival, is another issue with these Rays.  Percival is not exactly a young gun, as he has been on the DL twice this year.  The Rays do have a couple options for a closer with Dan Wheeler, Grant Balfour, and J.P. Howell, but Percival is, of course, the most experienced player in that role.  They should not count on Percival too much to help this squad but he is a definite asset to this ball club.  There is also the oft injured Cliff Floyd.  There is some depth at their DH position and he is not all that productive, but he is a leader of this team and I don’t think seeing him go down would be good for the leadership and emotional state of this team. Tampa Bay will need to stay healthy in the second half.

 Make Additions

This team will definitely need to acquire some players before the trade deadline this summer.  Many are saying the Rays could use an everyday, right handed hitting, right fielder.  I think Xavier Nady would be a perfect fit for Tampa Bay.  He would provide a little more pop to balance out this lineup giving it a lot of speed and power.  The Rays have the prospects to make this deal and I think it would be a smart move.   It would also be a good move for the Pirates letting them give prospect Steven Pearce some significant playing time and hey, it would also take Nady away from their division rival Yankees if they were ever interested.  If they are willing to give up a little more and possibly shift around their outfield they Rays could also try and go for Nady’s teammate, Jason Bay.  I don’t know if they would be willing to give up that much though so I think Nady would be the better deal.  In my opinion, I think they could also use a back of the bullpen reliever.  Like I said before they should not rely too much on Percival with his health and age.  I haven’t heard it too much but I think the Rays could maybe use a Brian Fuentes in their pen.  They haven’t been one of the teams to express much interest in him but he could definitely help this ball club.  For the first time ever the Tampa Bay Rays will need to be buyers at this year’s trade deadline.

 Don’t Let the Youth Get Caught Up in All the Hype

There is no doubt that this is a very youthful team.  Manager Joe Maddon will have to make sure this team plays loosely and relaxed down the stretch.  I think so far he has done a good job of that.  But the last thing you want is for all of these young players to be playing tense and trying too hard to over perform.  You would also expect veteran leaders in Floyd and Percival will help these young players stay calm as they have been in this situation before.  Also, you don’t want this team to be too relaxed to the point that they are playing lethargically.   Besides playing tense the last thing you want is a lazy ball club.  Like I said before Maddon has been doing a good job with the intensity level and this team has a great clubhouse morale.  I think though the last thing you want is a bunch of young ball players who have never been in this situation before trying to hit a homerun every time they get up or trying to blow a 100 mph heater by a guy.  The last thing you want is for this team to try too hard.  And again you also don’t want a lazy team.  This balance of being relaxed but strict will be a crucial factor in the Rays playoff run.  In addition, I also think this team should brush their close to the first half off of their shoulders and look forward to winning in the second half.  It is tough going through a seven game slide but you can’t let that loom over you throughout the rest of the season.

 Conclusion

In closing, there are a few critical factors that could make or break the playoff run of the amazing Tampa Bay Rays during the second half.  Division rivals, health struggles, acquisitions, and game play intensity are in my opinion huge keys to the success or downfall of Tampa’s season.  After all they’ve been through throughout their history, along with this year, one would hate to see all of this blow up in the face of this franchise.  Even though I am a Yankee fan and all, I would hate to see the Rays season crumble like that.