Tampa Bay Rays Slide in MLB Power Rankings After Post-All-Star Collapse

It's been a terrible start for the Tampa Bay Rays after the All-Star break, as their division rivals swept the team, the Boston Red Sox, on the road to begin the second half of the season.

Despite the slump, the Tampa Bay Rays are 56- 42 and still hold a 1.5-game lead on the New York Yankees for the division lead. However the big question is, can they bounce back and keep this lead alive? 

Due to the recent losing streak this week, Bleacher Report dropped its latest power rankings, and the Rays moved down for the first time in a month. Tampa Bay fell three spots, all the way to seventh, in the latest polls, and B/R writer Joel Reuter is very pessimistic about the future of this team. 

"Is this the beginning of the end for the Rays? They have lost five straight after getting swept in a four-game series at Fenway Park, and their lead in the AL East has now shrunk to 1.5 games. The offense has relied heavily on the production of Yandy Díaz, Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero, and that trio went 7-for-45 against the Red Sox."

Although it's great to see Caminero not miss any time after leaving the All-Star Game early last Tuesday due to being hit by a pitch, the trio of stars of the Rays offense just haven't lived up to expectations heading into the second half of the year. If the bats fail to wake up and other players don't step up, this could be one of the worst fallouts the franchise has ever seen. 

The most frustrating part of this recent five-game losing streak might actually be the starting rotation. After being the most consistent group for the Rays this season and showing they can be one of the best starting pitching rotations in all of baseball, since the All-Star break they have been non-existent. 

Griffin Jax, Ian Seymour, and Shane McClanahan have not lived up to expectations in their last few starts, and it is starting to grow as a potential concern that this rotation doesn't have what it takes to make a deep postseason run. 

If somehow they can figure this losing streak out and bounce back on the road against the Toronto Blue Jays for a four-game midweek series, Eric Neander and the race front office have to still act fast with the MLB trade deadline fastly approaching on August 3rd, the Rays need multiple improvements to the roster to continue to fend off not only the New York Yankees but the Boston Red Sox, who are currently on a 12-game winning streak.

An extra arm for the starting rotation to help bolster that staff would be ideal. Reports have indicated that the Rays front office has made inquiries regarding Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal. If they can land the hottest trade target on the market, that would certainly change the momentum of this franchise. 

Regardless, although the last few games for the Tampa Bay Rays have been extremely concerning, it's not time to panic. They still lead the division, and there still is a ton of baseball left to play before the playoffs.