Tampa Bay Rays need Brandon Lowe to step up in ALCS
Tampa Bay Rays slugger Brandon Lowe’s .077 AVG isn’t cutting it this postseason.
The whole league knows about the Tampa Bay Rays outstanding pitching, but you also need to score runs in order to win. The Rays have relied on Brandon Lowe to perform and he has done the exact opposite in the 2020 postseason.
The 2019 All-Star second baseman hit .262, with a .916 OPS, 14 home runs, and 37 RBIs during the 60-game regular season. Lowe has been the reliable two-hitter in the Rays lineup and they need him now more than ever.
The 26-year-old, third-round draft pick, has only gotten two hits out of 26 at-bats in the seven games played. To make matters worse, the Rays lineup as a whole has been relatively cold.
Austin Meadows is hitting .154, Kevin Kiermaier is hitting .208, Willy Adames is hitting .143, and Yandy Diaz is hitting .091 in the postseason. These are just some of the everyday starters the Rays rely on to produce alongside Lowe.
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The lone bright spot in the offense has been the 25-year-old rookie, Randy Arozarena. He is hitting a smoking .444, slugging .926, and has hit three key home runs.
Arozarena and the outstanding Rays pitching staff is the only reason why the Rays managed to make it to the ALCS.
The ALCS against the Astros will be a major test for the Rays because the stars on the Astros are red hot. Carlos Correa is hitting .500, George Springer is hitting .296, Michael Brantley is hitting .346, Alex Bregman is hitting .318 and Jose Altuve is hitting .273.
The Astros hitters have figured out White Sox and Athletics pitchers and will test the Rays pitching staff. I do not see the Rays being able to hold the Astros to two runs a game so the Rays offense will need to score plenty of runs.
That being said, the Rays offense as a whole needs to wake up from their nap, but it starts with Brandon Lowe. He is capable of sparking the Rays lineup and they need him before it is too late.
Lowe broke out in 2019 and the Rays fanbase is praying that he can come up in the clutch against the Astros with a few dingers and clutch hits.
dark. Next. Rays Mount Rushmore
The Tampa Bay Rays have a great opportunity to figure out it’s hitting in the ALCS against an Astros starting rotation that has been subpar besides Framber Valdez.