Rays Putting Impressive Streak on the Line Against Yankees

Apr 12, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Chandler Simpson (14) runs to third base against the New York Yankees in the first inning at Tropicana Field. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Rays Putting Impressive Streak on the Line Against Yankees

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Rays on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated May 22, 2026 6:00 PM ET

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There isn’t a team in the MLB that has exceeded expectations more than the Tampa Bay Rays thus far this season.

Coming into the year, they were not viewed as a competitive team by many people. Most analysts believed they would be in the cellar of the American League East; that could not have been further from the actual outcome.

Entering play on May 22, the Rays had the best record in the AL at 33-15. They are four games ahead of the New York Yankees in the AL East as they prepare for a weekend series at Yankee Stadium.

This is the second time the two teams have faced off this year, with Tampa Bay securing a sweep at Tropicana Field from April 10-12 in the second series back at their home stadium. The Rays will be looking to replicate that success while continuing an impressive streak.

Rays putting series winning streak on line against Yankees

Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Tampa Bay has built this lead in the AL East on the back of a winning streak that has lasted for eight series and counting. The last time they lost a series was April 20-22, when they lost two out of three games to the Cincinnati Reds.

Since losing the first two games in that series to drop their record to 12-11, the Rays have been scorching hot. They have gone 21-4 since, which includes sweeps of the Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles.

The Cleveland Guardians, Boston Red Sox, Miami Marlins and Blue Jays, in a second series, are the only teams to have taken a game from Tampa Bay in a month.

Let's step inside the mind of Junior Caminero in the batter's box!

The @RaysBaseball slugger joined us in-studio on #MLBCentral to break down his hitting mindset and how he prepares for each game. pic.twitter.com/IBOJKbyazt
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) May 22, 2026

Despite their success, there are still some people who are not sold on the Rays as a legitimate contender. Concerns about the starting pitching depth have some validity, and success in one-run games can be fluky sometimes.

But the formula that manager Kevin Cash has built is working. There aren’t a ton of household names on the roster, but people need to learn about them soon because this is a team that will have multiple representatives at the 2026 MLB All-Star Game.

Beating the Yankees for a second time this year and extending their streak to nine consecutive series won would certainly help quiet any doubters that remain. Tampa Bay has turned Tropicana Field into a house of horrors for visiting teams, but they are more than holding their own on the road with a 14-10 record away from home.

This article first appeared on Tampa Bay Rays on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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