Quarter Pole Report Card: Doling Out Grades For Rays One-Quarter Through the Season

The Tampa Bay Rays hit the quarter pole to their 2022 season, and through Sunday they were 24-17 and in second place in the American League East behind the New York Yankees. There's been plenty to like so far, and some concerns as well. Here's our first quarter report card.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A quarter of the way through the 2022 baseball season, the Tampa Bay Rays are in fairly good shape so far, especially considering the amount of injuries they've been dealing with, mostly among their pitching staff.

Through 41 games and seven weeks of baseball, the Rays were 24-17 through Sunday. There's been a few ugly losses in there, but there also has been a lot of good baseball. They are even two games ahead of their pace from last year, when they won 100 games and the American League East title. 

Here's what I've liked so far:

1. What’s been great 

What's great? Well, it starts at the top — of the rotation. Last Friday I wrote that starters Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen were the best 1-2 punch in the American League, and the numbers do not lie. Tampa Bay has won 10 of the past 11 games they've started, and they have four wins on the season and minuscule ERAs, with McClanahan at 2.06 and Rasmussen at 2.33.

We expected some nice growth from McClanahan, who did some good things as a rookie starter last year, but he's been downright filthy this year. His changeup has turned into a real out pitch, and marries well with his high-90s fastball and two breaking pitches.

The pleasant surprise has been Rasmussen, who was transitioned into a starter. He's 4-1 on the year and the Rays have won his last five starts. He's allowed only three runs in those five starts in 26 2/3 innnings, a tidy 1.01 ERA over that stretch.

Great is a big word, and it applies for these day. They're the best 1-2 punch for sure.

2. What’s been good 

Even though there's been a few hiccups lately, the Rays' bullpen has been really good most of the year. They've had to cover a ton of innings with the Rays having only three viable starters most of the year. Between openers and injuries, the Rays' bullpen has had to cover six innings or more in 14 games already. 

Eight Tampa Bay relievers have ERAs under 2.25 and some have been exceptional. J.P. Feyereisen has pitched 20 innings without allowing an earned run. Jason Adam (1.02), Colin Poche (1.38) and Jalen Beeks (1.45) have been solid all year, and even though Ryan Thompson and Andrew Kittredge have been hit lately, they both had long stretches of shut-down relief, too. 

Manuel Margot, who's coming off the injured list on Wednesday after a mild hamstring injury, has been very good at the plate, hitting .348. Kevin Kiermaier, a great defensive center fielder, has been red hot at the plate too, raising his average from .174 to .255 in the past eight days. 

3. What needs to get better

Two things really stand out as areas of improvement that need to happen quickly. First off is base-running. It's been sloppy and overly aggressive at times. They have made 21 outs on the bases, most in the majors. 

They've also been error-prone at times, which is surprising for a team that prides itself on playing defense and limiting extra outs. That's led to 29 unearned runs, tied for most in the majors (Pittsburgh Pirates). That, too, needs to get fixed quickly.

And there are a few hitters who need to finally get untracked seven weeks in. Catcher Mike Zunino, though he's had a few big homers, is hitting just .165. And star shortstop Wander Franco, who's dealing with hamstring and quad issues, is batting just .189 in May and really needs to get untracked.

4. What to look forward to in 2nd quarter

We're probably just a few weeks away from the return of pitcher Shane Baz, who's recovering from an elbow injury. He's made two rehab starts  and has looked great. The reports are off the charts, and when he comes back, he's sure to provided a huge lift.

I'm also looking forward to some matchups in the second quarter, most notably some games — finally — with the division-leading New York Yankees. They haven't met yet this season, but that changes on Thursday, when the two teams meet for four games at Tropicana Field. They also play June 14-16 in New York, and then right back at the Trop on June 20-22. There will also be fun series at the Trop with the Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox

5. Playoff prognosis

With the playoffs expanded to six teams this year, there is a little more wiggle room, and so far the Rays would be in. They are in second place in the AL East right now, 4.5 games behind the Yankees. They'd be grabbing a wild card spot at the moment.

They are on pace to win 96 games after beating Miami on Tuesday night to start the second quarter of the season. And despite some hiccups, they sure look like a playoff team. They have solid pitching with more arms on the way. They are hitting the ball fairly well and have some guys getting hot in Kiermaier and Randy Arozarena. Getting Margot back is big, and Brandon Lowe is probably a few weeks of coming back, too.

Related stories on Rays baseball

• RAYS BLANK MARLINS: Kevin Kiermaier opened the game with an inside-the-park homer and Shane McClanahan threw six scoreless innings as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Miami Marlins 4-0 on Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. The Rays also got homers from Harold Ramirez and Ji-Man Choi. CLICK HERE
• BEST 1-2 PUNCH: Tampa Bay aces Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen just might be the best one-two punch in the American League, and they've got the numbers to prove it, even against the best pitchers on several other AL teams. Here's the full breakdown. CLICK HERE
• JUST FOR STARTERS: Here's the breakdown on Shane McClanahan's start, including his complete postgame press conference. CLICK HERE
• KIERMAIER'S HOMER: Here's the video of Kevin Kiermaier's inside-the-park home run, and his full postgame press conference. CLICK HERE
• RAYS 2022 SCHEDULE: Here is the complete 2022 schedule for the Tampa Bay Rays, with results and stats from every game far, and dates, locations and gametimes for the rest of the season. CLICK HERE