Throughout the course of Spring Training, Joe Maddon harped on the virtues of getting off to a good start. The Rays manager noted that the previous year's April had been disastrous and that a poor start could sink a team playing in the American League East. So what did the Rays do? They went 17-6 in April and by May 23 the Rays were 32-12 with a six-game lead on the Yankees. Included in that burst from the starting gate was a 19-5 road record. The Rays were the darlings of baseball, complete with a highly touted starting staff, Gold Glove-caliber defense and truckloads of athleticism. Alas, the Rays have not played as well since, especially during an 11-14 stretch in June, as the team fell from first place and the defending champion Yankees ascended to the top of the AL East. http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/news/a...nt_id=12217456&vkey=news_tb&fext=.jsp&c_id=tb
