The Tampa Bay Rays are fighting to hold onto one of the three American League wild card spots as the 2022 MLB regular season draws to a close. Getting swept by the Houston Astros certainly won’t help their cause, though, and their manager Kevin Cash had a strong message for his team after their lifeless showing against Houston.
The Rays lost their three most recent games against the Astros by a combined score of 14-2, highlighting how that they weren’t really competitive at any point in this series. Considering how they could run into the Astros again in the postseason if they intend on winning the Workd Series, this isn’t a great sign, and Kevin Cash knows this. Here’s what he had to say in the aftermath of getting swept by the ‘Stros:
“We (the Rays) have got to play better. I try not to focus on the Astros. If we do that, we’re going to not focus on some other people. We can play better than what we showed. You have to give them credit. There’s a reason why they’re pushing 100 wins and clinched the division. But they’re a very talented team. I feel like that we’re a talented team, but we do need to do some things a little bit better.” – Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay Times
It’s safe to say that this series did not go the way Kevin Cash and the Rays had hoped it would, as it proved they aren’t nearly as ready for the postseason as they would have liked to be. The good news (or bad news, depending on how you look at it) is that the Rays still have another series against the Astros on the schedule before the season ends, so they will have a shot to avenge their losses in this series one more time before the playoffs roll around.
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