The Rays rolled into Monday’s off-day and a three-game trip to Baltimore by sweeping the Mets at Tropicana Field, winning four straight games and moving a season-high four games above .500 after taking 10 of their last 14 games.

“I feel like we've got some different attitude right now,” shortstop Willy Adames said Sunday. “I don't know, something clicked in the dugout, in the clubhouse, and I feel like we're having more fun now than we were the first month or whatever.”

Whether the fun led to better play or vice versa, the Rays have plenty to feel good about at the quarter mark of the season. Here are nine things going right for the defending American League champions.

1) Cy-ler Glasnow
The Rays needed someone to step up atop their rotation with Charlie Morton and Blake Snell gone, and Tyler Glasnow is taking that step. Nine starts in, he has a 2.35 ERA with 85 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings. He’s pitching deep into games, most recently completing eight innings for the first time in his career. His new slider has helped him pitch through tough sequences that might have derailed him in the past, and he’s striking out everyone, as per usual. He looks like an ace.

2) Rotation replacements
Rich Hill has allowed two runs while striking out 27 over 21 2/3 innings in his last four outings. Josh Fleming has a 2.34 ERA while averaging fewer than 15 pitches per inning. You won’t find many left-handers with better stuff than Shane McClanahan. Luis Patiño is as electric as advertised and he's throwing strikes. Combine them with Glasnow and Ryan Yarbrough, who’s allowed two runs in 18 innings while pitching after an opener, and you’ve got a deep and effective rotation.

3) The arms are all right
Tampa Bay spent most of the first month with an entire bullpen’s worth of injuries/absences. Into that void stepped relievers like Andrew Kittredge (1.50 ERA, 0.89 WHIP), Ryan Thompson (2.41 ERA, 1.02 WHIP) and Jeffrey Springs (2.55 ERA, 0.91 WHIP), whose excellent work has significantly deepened a bullpen that now boasts a healthy Diego Castillo and Pete Fairbanks. Collin McHugh has been excellent since coming off the 10-day IL, too, serving as an effective opener or a swingman out of the 'pen.

4) Help is on the way
Michael Wacha (right hamstring) is about to face hitters. Chris Archer (right forearm) is back with the team and beginning to build up his arm. Chris Mazza (right shoulder) is nearly ready to face hitters. Chaz Roe (right shoulder) and Oliver Drake (right flexor tendon) have begun their buildup. Ryan Sherriff is pitching in Triple-A after taking some time away from the team. Also a call away in Triple-A? Pitching prospects like Brent Honeywell Jr., Joe Ryan, Drew Strotman and two-way player Brendan McKay.

5) An improving offense
Look, they have issues on offense. They’ve struck out more than any other team. They went through a horrid stretch with runners in scoring position. Their OPS is in the bottom half of the American League. But it’s fair to note that offense is down across the Majors, and it’s not all doom and gloom. Tampa Bay showed signs of improvement heading into the off-day, it just got back Ji-Man Choi (after trading the struggling Yoshi Tsutsugo to the Dodgers) and still entered Monday ranked 10th in the Majors in runs scored. The Rays have recorded 11 come-from-behind wins in their first 42 games, and five of those wins came after trailing by at least three runs. Those wins matter, as does the confidence they create.

6) Production behind the plate
This qualifies as the Rays’ most pleasant surprise so far: Mike Zunino and Francisco Mejía have been reliable behind the plate and, perhaps unexpectedly, productive at the dish. Zunino has eight homers, tied with Austin Meadows for the team lead, including five with exit velocities of at least 110 mph -- only Giancarlo Stanton has more. Mejía has split starting duties while slashing .290/.348/.435. As a group, Tampa Bay’s catchers have produced an .800 OPS.

7) Shutdown defense
The Rays finished the weekend ranked second in the Majors with 23 defensive runs saved, according to Sports Info Solutions. Manuel Margot (six), Randy Arozarena (five), Willy Adames (three) and Mike Brosseau (three) have provided the most value on that front, and Brett Phillips’ presence has helped make up for the absence of center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, who’s expected back soon. Good defense is part of the Rays’ DNA, and it stands out given some of the sloppy fielding from the opposition that they’ve been able to capitalize on this season.

8) Perhaps you’ve heard of him ...
The Rays probably won’t call on top prospect Wander Franco for a little while, giving the 20-year-old switch-hitter time to settle in with Triple-A Durham after bypassing Double-A entirely. But wherever he plays, Franco leaves little doubt about his ability to hit. While working at shortstop, second and third base, Franco is hitting .348/.404/.652 with three homers and only five strikeouts in 52 plate appearances. When he takes the field Tuesday, it will have been a full week since his last strikeout. The hype is real.

9) Flourishing on the farm
It’s not just Franco, of course. After a year without Minor League games, the Rays have seen encouraging performances up and down the organization every night. Second baseman/outfielder Vidal Bruján, the club's No. 2 prospect, has five homers and a 1.088 OPS and could be called up before Franco. Shortstop Taylor Walls, the best defensive prospect in the system, has gotten on base in nearly half of his plate appearances. Outfielder Josh Lowe is crushing the ball. And that’s skimming the surface just in Durham.

Further down the ladder, Double-A starter Shane Baz (Tampa Bay's No. 6 prospect) has 17 strikeouts and one walk in 12 2/3 innings. High-A shortstop Greg Jones is showing the power the Rays expected, clubbing two homers -- including a walk-off grand slam -- in his first three games. And Low-A slugger Heriberto Hernandez is raking, batting .333/.488/.727 in his first 43 plate appearances. This is the top-ranked farm system in baseball for a reason.