Expect The Unexpected

Prior to the Rays season kicking off, many Rays fans looked at the opening month of the season as a difficult test. With a plethora of top teams in MLB on the schedule, and most of the games on the road, the task certainly appeared daunting. The consensus was a .500 month would suffice, and there would be little complaint.

Fast forward a month, and even the most optimistic Rays fan had to be surprised with the Rays 15-8 record in the month of April. But the final game of April proved to be costly as Evan Longoria partially tore his hamstring, and appears to be out of the Rays lineup for approximately six weeks. So now the question turns to, what record would you be happy with in the month of May without one of the best players in baseball, and what are your expectations?

The Rays opened up May with a win, albeit a snoozer. Matt Joyce remembered what month it was, and MOM accounted for just about all of the Rays offense as they tallied only three hits. While the win is what matters, it didn't diminish the fact that it will be a struggle to score runs with a bottom third of the order that is an embarrassment.

Looking forward, the schedule is kind to the Rays, as they have 16 more home games this month. While the Rays play the Red Sox five times and the Yankees three times, there are a number of "winnable" games left on the schedule. The Rays have five games against the Mariners and Athletics, along with a three game series in Baltimore before wrapping up the month with a three game series against the White Sox at home.

The Rays probably won't go out and acquire a bat for the lineup, so considering what is on the roster now, what are your expectations and what would you be happy with record-wise? With 28 games this month, and with a win already under their belt, is a .500 record good enough? By the way, wouldn't Wilson Betemit look nice coming off the bench now for the Rays? (h/t Cason)