The Tampa Bay Rays definitely proved this year that they are for real. After being doubted for months, they have made it deep into August and still maintained a 4 game lead over the Red Sox, and 9 games over the Yankees. But injuries to Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford, their 2 best offensive players, may slow them down as the season winds down.

Fortunately for the Rays, their pitching, not their offense, is what has gotten them to where they are today. Despite an offense that ranks 10th out of 14 in the AL in runs scored, the Rays have the 2nd best record in baseball behind a pitching staff that is 4th in baseball in ERA, tied for 3rd in shutouts, 3rd in fewest hits allowed, 4th in batting average against.

It looks like Crawford may require surgery and could be out for the rest of the season, while Longoria will be on the shelf for about 3 weeks. Longoria is in the middle of a amazing rookie season, and has a great chance to win the AL Rookie of the Year award. Crawford has been a team leader for years, and although his averaged was a little lower this year than normal, he was still making strong contributions to the team with 25 stolen bases, and 10 triples.

While the injuries to Longoria and Crawford will have a profound impact on the team, strong pitching and team defense is still a recipe for success. The Rays have no shortage of both of those. Scott Kazmir, James Shields and Matt Garza all have sub-4.00 ERA's, and their team WHIP is a spectacular 1.27. As long as the Rays can maintain their superb pitching, they have an excellent chance to at least preserve a Wild Card berth, and maybe even stave off the Red Sox and win their first AL East division title.

The Red Sox were the favorites from the beginning, but this may be their chance to catch up to the Rays. But with the way this team is playing, no one will catch the Rays, so if the Red Sox want to beat them, they better do it in the postseason.