The Rays hit the all-star break with a 7-game losing streak.

   So?!!

   Let's not forget this 7-game losing streak followed a 7-game winning streak. 

   Last I checked, teams can't win division titles or earn playoff spots in mid-July.  And despite what many believe, you can't lose division titles or playoff spot at that time either.

  This is what baseball is.  One 162-game chase.  The playoffs and World Series follow.  The best team in October wins. 

  Let's not forget that last season Boston opened the second half losing 5 of 8.  Let's not forget Boston had  4-game losing streaks in late-August and mid-September. Yet Boston won enough to get in and won when it counted.

  If somebody had told the Rays before the season, they'd be one-half game off the pace in the American East at the all-star break...they'd take it in a heart beat..any year!!

  Championship teams struggle every year.  Championship teams figure out their problems and win.  If the Rays can do that, they can still win the division or earn a playoff spot.  Once that happens, who knows what happens?

  The Rays simply have not been hitting.  Everybody is struggling.  I find it hard to believe that Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, BJ Upton, Eric Hinske, Aki Iwamura are all going to continue their skid at the sametime. 

  And in reality, we have yet to see this lineup hit on all cylinders.

  The key will be September.  The Rays play 17 of their last 24 on the road.  The Rays play their final 8 games away from the Trop.  Until this 7-game losing streak, the Rays had shown they could win on the road.  But what they have to do is learn how to win at Boston.  They have to learn how to win in Anaheim. They have to learn how to win at Chicago. 

  Pro sports is all about getting to postseason.  We saw the NFC Champion Buccaneers open the playoffs at home against the wildcard New York Giants.  The Bucs were favorites.  We all saw what happened. 

  Enough said.

  Al Keck