'A strange feeling': Rays eliminated from postseason contention

DETROIT -- What had felt inevitable for weeks became official on Wednesday night.

With a 7-1 loss to the Tigers at Comerica Park, the Rays were officially eliminated from the postseason race. For the first time since 2018, the playoffs will go on without Tampa Bay.

The Rays’ second straight defeat against Detroit dropped their record to 78-80 with four games to play. They managed to technically remain in the mix until the final week of the season, but it is now mathematically impossible for them to catch the Tigers or Royals, who are both 84-74 and tied for the second and third American League Wild Card spots.

“Unfortunate. Not how we wanted it at the start of the season, but we are where we kind of played and how we performed,” manager Kevin Cash said. “But I think there's certainly optimism finishing strong and going into next year, for sure.”

This outcome seemed likely for some time, at least since an up-and-down first half led the Rays to emerge as sellers at the Trade Deadline. They have spent the entire season hovering around .500, going 48-48 before the All-Star break and 30-32 since.

“It's strange,” infielder Brandon Lowe said. “The six years I've been here, we've never had that happen. We've always been fighting for a spot in the postseason. So it's a strange feeling to say that. It's a strange feeling to look at four more games and them not be crucial games for position in the postseason. I don't think it's going to sit well with anybody in here.”

The Rays haven’t played a “meaningless” game, in the context of contending for the postseason, since the end of the 2018 season. But there is still something on the line as they wrap up their series in Detroit and then head to Boston: They must win out to secure a seventh consecutive winning season, or take at least three of their final four games to avoid their first losing season since going 80-82 in 2017.

“Nobody in here is thrilled about it, but I think it's really important to show up and continue to play,” starter Zack Littell said. “These games still matter, so I have no doubt these guys are going to come in and go to work still and finish the best we can.”

The game that eliminated the Rays was a fitting representation of why they won’t be playing in October. With their lineup quiet once again, their pitching and defense had to be practically perfect to win.

The Rays rank 29th in the Majors in runs scored this season, ahead of only the White Sox, with 591. They have put together a 3.19 team ERA since the All-Star break, better than everyone but the Tigers’ 3.07 mark, yet they’ve averaged only 3.47 runs per game in the second half.

On Wednesday, Tampa Bay made enough mistakes on the mound for the scorching-hot Tigers -- who have won 13 of their past 16 games -- to take advantage. Finishing his first full season as a Major League starter, Littell said he was “grinding through some stuff” as he allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings, snapping his 20-inning scoreless streak.

But Littell will have plenty of reasons to be proud about what he accomplished this season.

After joining the Rays’ bullpen off waivers on May 12, 2023, he became a critical starter down the stretch last season and returned to the rotation from start to finish this year. In the end, Littell posted a 3.63 ERA with 141 strikeouts in a team-high 156 1/3 innings over a team-leading 29 starts.

“I obviously haven't reflected much on it yet. There will be a time for it. But pretty incredible,” Littell said. “To do this in my first year, and to have this as hopefully the floor moving forward, is pretty cool. And I look forward to building on it next year.”

Detroit’s biggest blows came against Tampa Bay’s bullpen. Right-hander Manuel Rodríguez served up a 415-foot, two-run homer to Spencer Torkelson in the sixth inning. Torkelson did more damage against Drew Rasmussen, ripping an RBI double to left in a two-run eighth.

That made it a six-run game, and the Rays simply couldn’t hit their way out of that hole.

Rookie third baseman Junior Caminero was responsible for Tampa Bay’s lone run, as he launched his fifth home run out to left-center field off starter Keider Montero in the third inning. Otherwise, the Tigers threw six arms at the Rays and held them to seven hits, three walks and another hitless night with runners in scoring position.

“Just getting the guys in, obviously we've struggled with that pretty much all year,” Lowe said. “And tonight was another one of those nights.”