Rays Have Reason To Be Optimistic Despite Losing Series to Cardinals

Should the Tampa Bay Rays be optimistic despite losing their opening series?

Mar 29, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Chandler Simpson (14) slides head first in to home and scores against the St. Louis Cardinals during the second inning at Busch Stadium. | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Rays have finished up their series against the St. Louis Cardinals, and while they might not have won the three-game set, there were some positive takeaways for the team moving forward. 

It was certainly not an ideal start to the campaign for the Rays against the Cardinals to begin the season. St. Louis is a team that is regarded as a rebuilder and likely to have one of the worst records in baseball. The Cardinals spent most of the offseason unloading talent while they try to build for the future. However, that didn’t stop them from winning this series, which included a thrilling come-from-behind win in the opener and a walk-off hit in the second game. 

For the Rays, the bullpen was the unit to blame for the series loss. Blowing leads, both big and small, was not ideal to see from a group that figured to be a strength of the team. However, while they might not have been able to win the series, they did see their offense perform quite well. 

Offense Exceeds Expectations

Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Yandy Díaz | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Coming into the season, offensive production was certainly an area of concern for Tampa Bay. Over the winter, this was a team that traded away its All-Star slugger, Brandon Lowe, and replacing that type of production was not going to be easy. Furthermore, the team is also without their projected starters in the middle of the infield, with both Taylor Walls and Gavin Lux injured. 

Against the Cardinals, the team looked strong in the offensive department, scoring at least five runs in each of the three games. With the caliber of pitching that Tampa Bay has on paper, scoring five runs a game should result in a lot of wins for the team. Unfortunately, losing this series against the Cardinals stings a bit more because of how well the unit did, but there is reason to be encouraged going forward. 

Furthermore, it was also good to see that it was a fairly well-balanced attack for the unit. Production from the top of the order to the bottom will be key for the team, and the unit got off to a nice start in that regard. 

Next up on the long road trip will be a matchup on Monday against the Milwaukee Brewers. Nick Martinez is scheduled to take the mound for the team, and he will be hoping to have a better season debut than he did in spring training.