The Tampa Bay Rays have the best record in the American League entering play on Tuesday, just as they did at the trade deadline.
The Rays went and got some pieces they thought could help them lock up the American League East and make a deep run, but not all the moves have paid off. One of the big moves the Rays made was adding Freddy Peralta.
Peralta is a two-time All-Star and was traded to the New York Mets before the season. However, he is having a down year. In 22 games with the Mets, he had a 4.99 ERA, but the Rays lijkely thought they could fix him. They have made some adjustments to his delivery, but the results are not great.
In four starts, he has a 7.17 ERA with the Rays. However, it is worth noting that one of those starts came in Colorado, and his most recent start came against the Baltimore Orioles, who were seeing him four the second time in less than seven days.
That's not to make excuses for him, but to say that perhaps things can still change for him.
Peralta has never been known to go deep into games, but he has managed to throw up zeros for most of his career. That is clearly not the case this year, and the Rays need him to figure things out fast. The New York Yankees have closed the Rays' division lead to 3 1/2 games and are on the cusp of getting Aaron Judge back. They are also going to have their four best starting pitchers healthy and together for the first time all season when Max Fried returns.