Rays looking more like a pretender each day

When the All-Star break arrived on July 9, the Tampa Bay Rays were legitimate contenders for a playoff berth. They were 47-43 and tied for second place with the New York Yankees in the American League East. They were three and one-half games behind the division-leading Boston Red Sox thanks to taking three of four games at home heading into the break. This space said “one month from now it should be clear whether they can actually contend for a…