In the beginning of the season, a large question mark hovered over the bullpen of the Tampa Bay Rays.
More and more, it looks like an exclamation point.
Through 21 games, the bullpen for the Tampa Bay Rays has been excellent. Consider their seven wins. Consider their five saves. Consider the life in the arms.
This was supposed to be a weak position, remember? Jake McGee was traded, and Brad Boxberger was hurt, and no one was quite sure how the bullpen would cope.
But the guys who have gotten most of the important work: Enny Romero, Erasmo Ramirez, Xavier Cedeno and Alex Colome, have been superb. Consider this: Cedeno has an ERA of 1.50. Ramirez has one of 1.40. Colome is at 1.08. Romero is at 1.04. Ramirez has four wins. Colome is a perfect five-for-five in saves.
Cedeno has a WHIP (walks and hits to innings pitched) of 1.17, and that’s the high mark. The other three are all under 1.00. In 42.1 innings this year, the quartet has given up only 25 hits and only six earned runs. They have combined for 36 strikeouts and only seven walks.
That kind of performance will pay off for the Rays once the hitting gets more timely and the starts get more efficient. So far, however, it’s a success.
