THE GOOD: The Rays have been better. Prior to the All-Star break, the Rays ranked 26th in MLB with a -74 run differential. That is, they gave up 74 more runs than they scored, a sure-fire way to lose a lot of ballgames. Since the All-Star break, the Rays have a +56 run differential, best in the American League and second only to the Chicago Cubs. That’s good.
THE BAD: Unfortunately, the Rays ran into David Price and some kid named Andrew Benintendi. Price gave up just 2 hits in 8 shutout innings and he did it with a masterful changeup and by pitching low in the zone.