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After a slow start to the season, the Tampa Bay Rays record sat at 20-14 Monday May 9, tied with the New York Yankees atop the AL East. The Rays odds of winning the 2011 World Series were at 27/1 at SBG Global and likely to be slashed further if not locked in now.
Tampa Bay has won 7 of its last 10 games and four straight. Only two teams in the league, Philadelphia and Cleveland, enjoy better records than the Rays. Both those teams have won 22 games.
The Rays team that opened the season with six consecutive defeats is long forgotten.
Not only did the Rays set a single-season franchise record with their eighth consecutive road win, but they avenged a three-game sweep by the Orioles in Tampa Bay to open the season.
"We won three against them, they won three against us. That's about all the payback you can get," Rays designated hitter Johnny Damon said. "They caught us at the right time at our place and we caught them at the right time here."
Since that 0-6 start, the Rays have now gone 20-8.
"We're playing good baseball right now," said Ben Zobrist, who had two hits and is riding a 14-game hitting streak. "We're hitting the ball really well, scoring some runs, which is nice. It keeps things going, everybody gets excited when you're scoring a lot of runs."
Evan Longoria has also returned to the lineup and Gambling911.com does believe Tampa’s odds of winning the 2011 World Series will be reduced to around 25/1 by week’s end.
- Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com
