The Tampa Bay Rays lost to the Texas Rangers in fairly dramatic fashion 4-3 on Monday, and are now trailing 2-1 in their 2011 American League Division Series. They have another game in Tampa tonight before the series (hopefully) moves back to Texas for a series settling fifth game. It's not the best spot to be in for sure, but as Martin Fennelley of the Tampa Tribune points out, comebacks aren't anything new for these Rays.
"We're fine. Nobody is going to panic in this clubhouse," Rays Game 3 starter David Price said. "We were down nine games in September. We were down 7-0 in the game I pitched against the Yankees. We're fine."
The Rays certainly have a history of comebacks, but it's important not to just trust that ability. The Rays need to keep that comeback mentality they had when they competed those remarkable comebacks, and not just expect it to happen because of their history. But something tells me that Joe Maddon has this team in the right mindset, and they won't just lie down to these Rangers.