After a 14-game winning streak to open the season, a crisis hit the American League East-leading Tampa Bay Rays late last month. Their winning percentage has plummeted.토토사이트

Through seven games, Tampa Bay is 57-33 on the season for a .633 winning percentage. They’re still in first place in the American League East.

But they’ve already lost three games to the Atlanta Braves in the National League East for the overall lead in the majors.

They’ve also lost five in a row and are 4-6 in their last 10 games. Extend that to 17 games and they’re 6-11. The early season momentum is long gone.

They even lost all three games of a home three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies from May 5-7. They open a three-game series against first-place Atlanta.

They’re now four games behind the second-place Baltimore Orioles. There’s still some breathing room. But given their recent slide, it’s not a comfortable gap.

Add to that the loss of ace Shane McClanahan to a sore back, and it’s certainly not good news. He’ll be back after the All-Star break, but there are no guarantees.

Tampa Bay could slip away from its dominant form that saw it open the season on a 14-game winning streak. The season is still nearly half over.

Especially in the American League East, where even the last-place Boston Red Sox have more than a five-game lead. The Rays can’t afford to let their guard down.

After opening the season with 14 straight wins, Tampa Bay’s chances of winning the division seemed like a foregone conclusion.

However, Tampa Bay has been on a steep downhill slide lately, and the gap between them and the second-place team has shrunk. It will be interesting to see how they compete early in the second half.