AL East Round Up: Everybody Hurts Edition

Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Tampa Bay Rays

Aside from Alex Cobb and Matt Moore and their injuries, the Rays suffered another blow this week. Former “Super-Utility Man, turned everyday player, turned key piece- Ben Zobrist has landed himself on the DL after dislocating his thumb sliding into second base on Wednesday.

As if the Rays needed more injuries to deal with. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen the Rays in last place and not really showing signs of getting out of it. Perhaps they can take some solace in what they do have.

David Price looked like David Price this week. On Tuesday night he went a complete game and struck out 12 against the Seattle Mariners. If the Rays are even going to think about staying in the hunt, they need Price to be his dominant self. No compromise. They need him to be the stabilizing force for this team. He needs to be the true definition of an “Ace”.

Jake Odirizzi chipped in 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball against the Mariners as well. The Rays also need him to be effective.

If they can hold on, the Rays may have some hope. Bill Chastain of MLB.com tells us that Alex Cobb may be back very soon after a successful bullpen session. In fact, he threw a rehab start on Saturday and was able to throw all his pitches with no pain. He says he’s ready to get into a big league game. That could come as early as Thursday.  That would be a huge boost to this team.

Yet, even with the ‘positives’ I don’t really see much changing for the Rays in this division. Ryan Hanigan had to leave a game Friday with hamstring issues. He hasn’t hit the disabled list, but is not in the lineup. HE’s been a bit of a surprise thus far. They’ll miss him driving in runs. They are getting surprise production out of David DeJesus, as Bill Chastain tells us. But with Wil Myers going through a bit of a sophomore slump and an offense that was questionable anyway, can the Rays actually compete?