The Tampa Bay Rays were the best team in Major League Baseball over the first three months of the season.
With 16 losses in 24 games, it was their worst month since 2007, the year before they dropped the “Devil” from their moniker.
During this monthlong about-face, they went from leading the American League East by 6.5 games to trailing the upstart Baltimore Orioles by a game and a half.
The Rays understood they were never going to keep up the fast pace they carried through April, just as they recognized they would not continue to play as poorly as they did in July.
The Rays had just withstood the nadir of their season, and they still had the third best record in the majors and held a four-game lead over the Houston Astros for the top spot in the A.L.
Organizations:
Tampa Bay Rays, Major League Baseball, American League East, Baltimore Orioles, Yankee, Tampa Bay, Yankees, Rays, Houston Astros
Locations:
Tampa