Tampa Bay Rays Final Four Games Don't Matter in the Standings. These 5 Questions Do

The Tampa Bay Rays lost a baseball game 9-2 on Wednesday night.

And it really didn't matter.

That's a strange thing to say about a game against the New York Yankees, but everything changed for Tampa Bay when it clinched the American League East and the No. 1 seed in the American League on Tuesday.

The objective is different now. Of course, the team still wants to win, but now they can focus on other major priorities heading into the postseason.

Kevin Cash rested several regulars Wednesday, pushed his starting rotation back a day, and allowed Mason Englert to absorb 3.2 innings despite giving up eight runs.

Winning would have been nice, but making sure the Rays are ready for October is way more important.

Tampa Bay has four games remaining in the regular season, and there are still some important questions that need to be answered before the postseason begins.

This might be the most interesting battle remaining.

Brody Hopkins and Ty Johnson have spent the last few weeks auditioning for potential postseason roles, and Hopkins continues making his case.

The young right-hander has now gone three consecutive appearances without allowing a run, and his stuff has never really been the question.

We already know Hopkins can throw over 100 mph.

Now he's showing he can get major league hitters out consistently.

That doesn't guarantee him a postseason roster spot, but these final four games provide Cash another opportunity to see exactly what Hopkins and Johnson can provide before making a decision.

Seymour will start Thursday against the Yankees.

But will he start again this season?

That's considerably less clear. And I don't know if it's a good decision if he does.

The Rays suddenly have a deep postseason rotation with Drew Rasmussen, Freddy Peralta, Nick Martinez, and Griffin Jax all providing legitimate options.

Seymour has shown plenty of strikeout ability this season, but his home run problems have also become difficult to ignore.

That could make him an interesting bullpen option. If he makes the playoff roster itself

Thursday gives Tampa Bay another opportunity to evaluate him, but this time the question isn't simply whether Seymour can deliver a quality start.

It's how his stuff might translate into October.

This one became even more interesting Wednesday.

DeLuca went 3-for-4 with an RBI while Mullins hit his 15th home run of the season.

That's a pretty good problem for Cash to have.

Both provide strong defense in center field, and both can help this lineup in different ways.

There might not even be one permanent answer. Matchups could determine who plays on a given night.

But DeLuca's performance Wednesday makes these final four games considerably more important for determining how those opportunities are divided. It might just come down to who has the hotter hand at the moment.

Yandy Díaz received Wednesday off. Junior Caminero started but was removed after the game got out of hand.

And I expect we'll see more decisions like that this weekend.

The Rays need their best players healthy when the ALDS begins, but they also don't want hitters sitting around for several days before suddenly facing elite postseason pitching.

Cash has to find that balance. It's already been reported that minor leaguers from Durham are staying fresh, and they are likely to scrimmage against the Rays while they wait for their opponent, but it's still not exactly the same as in-game energy.

That balance has to give players enough at-bats to stay sharp without creating unnecessary risk in games that no longer have much impact on Tampa Bay's postseason positioning.

This might be the easiest question.

It has to be carefully.

Tampa Bay pushed its starters back a day after clinching the division, and I think that tells us exactly where the priorities are.

Rasmussen just threw a career-high 114 pitches Tuesday. There's absolutely no reason to unnecessarily push him again before October.

The same goes for Peralta, Martinez, and Tampa Bay's most important relievers.

Get them whatever work they need.

Then get them ready for the ALDS.