Tampa Bay Rays Coach Kevin Cash (Rock Riley) ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - It's early. The Tampa Bay Rays are in last place in the best division in base
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – It’s early. The Tampa Bay Rays are in last place in the best division in baseball, the American League East, and his two stars, Randy Arozarena and Yandy Diaz, are struggling at the plate. Rays skipper Kevin Cash says it’s simple.
“They (Arozarena Diaz) gotta get timed up,” Cash said. They’re both really good hitters. They’ve obviously gotten off to slow starts but not being timed up at the plate, if you’re not timed up this game is really difficult. Hitting’s real difficult and we’re seeing the side effects from that.”
Of several question marks coming into this season. Diaz and Arozarena were not. Diaz, the reigning AL batting champ, was dropped from his leadoff spot to second in the order, and Cash put Arozarena in the cleanup before Monday night’s game to try to shake up the lineup.
Read: Rays Newcomers Pulling The Weight At The Plate While Others Struggle
After striking out three times in two consecutive games against the Yankees, Arozarena went 0-4 against Tigers pitchers, dropping his batting average to .149. Diaz went 1-4 and is hitting .222 on the season.
“I tried to act like it’s the same thing,” Diaz said through interpreter Manny Navarro. “Everyone knows I’m struggling a little bit, but I’ve just got to go up there and think the same mentally.”
After losing to the Tigers 7-1 Monday night, Tampa Bay dropped to .500 overall in a really strong AL East. The last time the Rays were .500 was April 9 when they were 6-6. It’s certainly not time to panic.
“We’re going to do everything we’ve got to do to win,” Diaz said. “We’ve got to make the adjustments. That has to happen.”
After this four-game set at the Trop against the Tigers, the Rays will travel to Chicago for three games against the White Sox and then to Milwaukee.
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