By The Tampa Bay Rays June swoon continued this week as they finished up a six-game road trip by getting swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The entire road trip was a debacle, as the city of Los Angeles was none too kind to the Rays, as Tampa went just 1-5 in Los Angeles. The Rays also lost two of three to the crosstown Angels.
Tampa lost all three games to the Dodgers by one run, as the bullpen could not hold down the LA offense in two of the losses.
The Rays have gone 7-15 in their last 22 games, and the June swoon is upon us.
Let’s go back to 2025. On June 30th of 2025, the Rays were 48-38, coming off a 19-10 June, their best month of the season.
Then, the mid-summer collapse set in as the Rays underperformed in the second half, going 30-47 over the final three months to finish 77-85.
The collapse has started a bit earlier this season, as we have not even reached the midway point.
The Rays today are 41-30, second in the AL East, but have lost eight games in the standings to the first-place New York Yankees.
Tampa once had a four-and-a-half-game lead on the Yankees; now they trail the Yankees by four and a half games.
What has gone wrong? Why are we seeing this collapse by the Rays as we enter the midway point of the season?
The June slide has not been caused by one issue. It has been a combination of offensive inconsistency, poor situational hitting, a rough road trip, injuries, and a bullpen that is not as dominant as it was earlier in the season.
The Rays Offense Has Gone Quiet
The biggest reason for the losing streak has been a lack of timely hitting.
During their recent West Coast trip, the Rays struggled to consistently generate runs. Before their 5-4 loss to the Dodgers, Tampa Bay was held scoreless in 24 of its final 25 innings on the trip before briefly breaking through.
Even when opportunities presented themselves, the Rays repeatedly stranded runners and failed to deliver key hits.
A perfect example came against the Angels when Tampa Bay loaded the bases in the ninth inning but failed to complete the comeback. Cedric Mullins struck out to end the game in a 4-3 loss.
The Rays have received solid seasons so far from Yandy Diaz, Junior Camienero, and Jonathan Aranda. But baseball offenses are built on depth. During the skid, too many innings have ended with runners on base.
Road Trip Exposes Problems
The Rays finished 1-5 on the road trip and lost four one-run games.
One-run losses usually come down to a lack of execution at critical moments in the game, and that is what we have seen from the Rays this trip.
**The bullpen is not able to hold a lead.**
-Defensive miscues
-Striking out with runners in scoring position.
When a team loses several one-run games in a short period, it usually means the margin for error has disappeared. And the style of baseball that the Rays play lends itself to a small margin for error.
Starting pitching Has Regressed
Earlier this season, the Rays’ rotation was among the best in baseball.
At one point, Rays starters owned the best ERA in Major League Baseball, and the club enjoyed a franchise-record streak of starters allowing three runs or fewer.
How times have changed.
Shane McClanahan has struggled of late. McClanahan allowed four runs in four innings against the Angels.
Steven Matz was sent to the bullpen.
No one is expecting the starters to throw shutouts every time out; they need the rotation to provide six quality innings consistently, something that has become less frequent during this slide.
The Bullpen Has Not Been As Dominant
During Tampa Bay’s hot start, the bullpen consistently protected leads.
During the recent slump, however, the relief corps has been forced into high-pressure situations almost every night because the offense has struggled to build cushions.
Even a quality bullpen eventually cracks under that kind of pressure.
The Rays’ formula has always been built around strong starting pitching, solid defense, bullpen dominance, and timely hitting.
Young Players Are Experiencing Growing Pains.
The Rays depend heavily on young talent such as Junior Caminero, Chandler Simpson, and Jonathan Aranda.
However, Simpson has struggled this month, and Camienero’s defense has been suspect at times.
For the Rays to remain a legitimate contender and right the ship, they must start hitting with runners in scoring position.
The Rays also need more support around Junior Caminero and more production from the bottom half of the lineup.
If those areas improve, the Rays have enough talent to quickly transform this offensive slump into a strength heading into the heart of the season.
What makes it more frustrating is that the Rays are not getting blown out. The offense needs to start cashing in on the opportunities in the game, and the bullpen needs to be counted on to hold a lead.
The good news is the Rays are about to embark on one of their longest homestands of the season.
The Rays are 24-9 at home this season, and will play Washington this weekend, followed by visits from Kansas City and Arizona next week.
