Pirates vs. Rays: The series we all predicted could be a World Series preview

It’s the interleague showdown everyone around Major League Baseball has been eagerly anticipating since … well … maybe the third week of April.

Sure, Pittsburgh Pirates versus Tampa Bay Rays in Florida starting Tuesday probably wasn’t circled on a lot of calendars to start the season. It’s getting lots of attention league-wide now, though.

The 20-9 Pirates have the best record in the National League. Tampa is 23-6 — the best record in the American League.

A World Series preview, perhaps?

It’s more than a little bit too early for that, especially for a Pirates team that lost 100 games in each of the past two seasons and hasn’t finished above a last-place tie in the NL Central since 2018.

Early season success in 2023 is less stunning for the Rays. They’ve been a playoff team for four years in a row. But winning 79% of their games has to be impressive, even to themselves.

“We are preparing right. We are pitching, hitting, (the) defense. Everything we are doing, we are working hard. And we are going to continue to work hard,” left fielder Randy Arozarena said on Bally’s after the team’s win over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday.

He is right. It’s tough to find something the Rays aren’t doing well. Entering MLB action Monday night, they have 61 home runs to lead MLB. They are also tops in OPS (.879), runs 195, hits (282) and team batting average (.281).

On the mound, the Rays have allowed just 92 runs, the fewest in the majors. They have only allowed 19 home runs, also the fewest in the league. They have a MLB-best 3.10 team ERA and a team batting average against of .209.

Knowing all that, being 17 games over .500 makes a little bit more sense.

For the Pirates, the balance between hitting and pitching has been similar to that of Tampa’s. Again, entering MLB play Monday night, Pittsburgh’s 19 quality starts are the most in baseball. Their 3.55 team ERA is sixth, and their 23 home runs allowed are the fourth fewest in MLB.

Hitting-wise, Derek Shelton’s Bucs have a team batting average of .264, fifth in MLB. Their OPS is third at .792, and they are fifth in runs at 156 .

Both teams have gotten solid bullpen work too. The Pirates are tops in MLB with 13 saves in 16 opportunities. The Rays have only needed seven save attempts, finishing five and doing so with a bullpen-wide ERA of just 2.97, tied for third in the AL. The Pirates’ bullpen ERA of 3.10 is second-best in the NL.

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Both teams are running the bases well. The Pirates are atop the MLB heap in stolen bases at 41. Tampa is fourth in the AL with 25.

So it’s tough to find a soft spot in the Pirates’ performance thus far, either. However, they could be cleaner in the field. They’ve made 18 errors so far. Only the Giants (20), the Rockies (21) and the A’s (21) have more.

And if you really want to get picky, neither the Pirates nor Rays have played a very good schedule. Tampa Bay’s opposing winning percentage is .482 (19th in MLB). The Pirates opposing strength of schedule is .476 (21st in MLB).

But some of the veterans on the Pirates, such as 43-year-old pitcher Rich Hill, insist the relatively young roster has an intangible sense of purpose that’s aiding the cause as well.

“It’s the work every single day, coming to the field, putting in the time and the effort — understanding that whatever time we have today, we have to make the most of it,” Hill said during the Pirates’ recent homestand when they won six of seven games.

For his part, 37-year-old first baseman Carlos Satana says that kind of enthusiasm is infectious for the older players.

“A lot of the younger players play hard. The energy, attitude. If you have that combination, everything is positive. That’s why we are playing very well now,” Santana said.

Maybe few on the outside of both locker rooms are thinking this is legitimately a matchup of two teams who could be staring each other down in the World Series. Or even a matchup of two teams who will both definitely be in the playoffs.

But it’s May now. And it’s starting to get a little bit late to say, “Eh, it’s early.”

A big baseball series in May has been rare in recent years for Pittsburgh. Enjoy it for what it is.

With no playoff hockey and the draft in the rearview mirror, that should be easy to do.

Jay Recher of 95.3 WDAE in Tampa joins Tim Benz to preview the Pirates vs. Rays series, the Lightning NHL playoff loss and the Buccaneer drafts of two Pitt players.

Listen: Tim Benz and Jay Recher talk Pirates, Rays, NHL, NFL