Tampa Bay Rays close in on franchise-best road record

Manager Joe Maddon entered this season saying the Rays, at the very least, needed to be a .500 road team if they wanted to return to the playoffs.

He challenged his team, which went 32-49 on the road last season, to elevate its game mentally away from Tropicana Field.

The Rays have heeded Maddon's advice and can make history on their nine-game road trip, which starts tonight in Baltimore. Boasting the majors' best road record (39-25), they are one win shy of matching the franchise mark for most in a season, which, by no coincidence, came during their 2008 World Series run.

There are several explanations for why Tampa Bay is having a record road season. One is its road ERA (3.88), which is second in the American League (behind the Yankees' 3.71) and much better than the number it posted last season (5.04). The Rays also average about a run more per game on the road than they did in 2009, and 2008, and are better defensively.

But Maddon says one big factor goes beyond the numbers.

"I think part of it is the fact that we're a more mature, experienced group," he said. "I also think the fact we talked about it has something to do with it. I think our guys knew, and now know, we had to do a better job on the road in order to be the team we wanted to be. We just can't rely on this incredible record at home when you're playing against the Red Sox and the Yankees."

In polling players and coaches, here are some other reasons they gave for their road renaissance:

Fast start

One of the Rays' main goals out of spring training was getting off to a fast start, noting how they never really recovered from a disappointing April in 2009 (9-14). Mission accomplished. They carried momentum from spring training and built baseball's best record by mid May, including going 9-1 on their first trip to Baltimore, Boston and Chicago in April. Then they won six of nine on their May trip, sweeping a two-game set at Yankee Stadium.

While the Rays were 19-6 on the road in April and May, they're just 20-19 since. "In the beginning of the year, we were numb," pitcher James Shields said. "It was almost like it was too good to be true. We just kept grinding it out. … I think that has a lot to do with why we have a good road record, is we really focused on getting off to a hot start and not digging ourselves a hole."

Focus

Shields said it's easier to focus while playing at home because you have a more regular routine, partly thanks to clubhouse training accommodations. He believes that players learned from the highs of 2008 and disappointment in 2009, and "a lot of us individually focused a lot more on a better routine on the road to prepare ourselves to win." That means staying on top of conditioning, with pitchers trying to beat each other to the park, and having more accountability to teammates.

As a result, bench coach Dave Martinez said he doesn't see a difference in the way they play at home vs. on the road, unlike before.

"It doesn't matter what stadium we're in, what atmosphere we're in, time zone," Martinez said. "It seems like we keep carrying out day-to-day business and do the things we know how to be successful."

Third baseman Evan Longoria said, "We've really just beared down," allowing the Rays to come-from-behind and win close games they might have lost before.

Said Maddon: "We're not intimidated by loud ballparks or whatever you want to throw at us. I go out to the mound in very crazy moments and these guys are having a good old time."

Finishing games

Having a strong bullpen, especially reliever Joaquin Benoit and closer Rafael Soriano, has made for less stressful, and more successful, road trips. With Soriano, the majors' saves leader (40 in 42 chances), and Benoit, who has a 1.49 ERA, Tampa Bay has just seven blown saves on the road (compared to 13 in 2009, and 10 in 2008).

"You get a lead in the game and the other team has that seventh, eighth, ninth when their fans are getting into it, wanting to get them back," infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist said, "and our bullpen just shuts them down. It makes us a lot more confident that, if you get the lead early, you're going to hold onto it."

Said Maddon: "The bullpen always makes everybody smarter. It makes pitching coaches smarter, managers smarter. It makes franchises better. It's incredible what a good bullpen can do for everybody's well-being."

And the Rays' road record.