As good as the Tampa Bay Rays have looked this year, fans have to be a little concerned with what they have seen recently.
The Rays are 60-38 on the season, which is second in the MLB and first in the American League. That being said, they have lost three games in a row, the most recent a 5-3 loss to the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night and are also just 3-7 in their last 10 games.
Their lead in the American League East was once healthy, but their recent struggles now have them clinging to just a one game lead over the Baltimore Orioles.
Struggling offense
Part of their recent slide has come from the fact that their offense has struggled to score runs consistently.
Over their three-game losing streak, the Rays' offense has scored a total of nine runs and is averaging just three runs per game.
In addition to their offense, their pitching has allowed 16 total runs over this stretch, an average of 5.33 runs per game. This is a much different picture from what we have come to expect from the Rays, and they will certainly need to perform better if they want to fight off the chasing Orioles.
The Rays are still projected to go deep into the playoffs and are +500 to win the World Series, +210 to win the American League, odds of -225 to win the American League East division, and odds of -10000 to make the playoffs.
Cincinnati Reds are Reeling
Much like the Tampa Bay Rays, the Cincinnati Reds are also going through a rough patch at the moment. The Reds have lost six games in a row, and have dropped to 50-46 on the season and now trail the Milwaukee Brewers by 2.5 games in the National League Central division.
As it stands, the Reds have even fallen behind in the Wild-Card race, now trailing the Philadelphia Phillies by three games for the third and final Wild-Card spot.
The Reds lost two games on Tuesday to the San Francisco Giants, one being a continuation of a game from Monday and the other being the scheduled game for Tuesday. The scores of these games were 4-2 and 11-10.
During their six-game losing streak, the Reds' bats have gone cold, scoring a total of 15 runs and they were shut out in three of these games.
They are averaging 2.5 runs per game during this stretch, which is slightly skewed by the fact that they scored 10 runs in the game on Tuesday night. Over the same stretch, the Reds have allowed a total of 24 runs, an average of four runs per game.
The Reds will look to turn this rough stretch around quickly and are +5000 to win the World Series, odds of +2500 to win the National League, odds of +200 to win the National League Central division, and odds of +200 to make the playoffs.
San Francisco Giants are Surging
Opposite of the Tampa Bay Rays and Cincinnati Reds, the San Francisco Giants are playing some of their best baseball at the moment.
The Giants have won seven games in a row, most recently the two wins over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday. As previously mentioned, one of these games was a continuation of the suspended game from Monday, which the Giants won 4-2, and then the regularly scheduled game on Tuesday they won by a score of 11-10.
They are 8-2 in their last 10, and now trail the Los Angeles Dodgers by just 1.5 games in the National League West division.
With this winning streak, the Giants have taken control of the Wild-Card race and are currently the number one Wild-Card, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks by 1.5 games.
During their winning streak, the Giants' offense has been solid, scoring a total of 38 runs, an average of 5.4 runs per game. As for their pitching, that has been consistent too, allowing a total of 24 runs, an average of 3.4 runs per game.
With this surge in form, the San Francisco Giants are odds of +2500 to win the World Series, odds of +1300 to win the National League, odds of +500 to win the National League West division, and odds of -280 to make the playoffs.
