Cinderella's Glass Slipper Just Broke

Even though a lot of people would agree that the Tampa Bay Rays are very good, there have still been a lot of doubters out there who don't think they'll be able to hold off the Boston Red Sox all season. Those doubters have gotten a lot louder in the last few days with things starting to fall apart in Tampa.

First the Rays were dealt the blow that they'd likely be without Carl Crawford for six to eight weeks (also called the season), and things didn't get much better yesterday afternoon. That's when the team found out they were going to be without probable Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria for a while as well, as Longoria was placed on the disabled list with a fractured wrist.

That's 30 home runs and 128 RBI that has vanished from their lineup -- not the kind of production you can just replace easily. Their four-game lead over the Red Sox in the AL East seems a lot smaller this morning.

People were already wondering how the young Rays would deal with a pennant race late in the season without having any real experience, and now the pressure is going intensify that much more. The Rays play 26 of their final 45 games away from Tropicana Field (including the last eight games of the season). They're 45-17 at home, and also have six more games against the Red Sox . Boston on the other hand gets to play 25 of their final 43 games at home where they're 40-16.

The good news for Tampa is that the strength of its team this season has been its pitching staff. The Rays have a staff ERA of 3.77, good enough for third in the American League, and as long as Scott Kazmir, James Shields and company keep pitching like they have been, the team may be able to absorb the losses of Crawford and Longoria.

That being said, the Red Sox team ERA also checks in at 3.77 right now, and their offense is a bit more intimidating than Tampa's at the moment, even without Manny Ramirez in left field.

Besides, even if the Rays do lose their division lead to the Red Sox, they still hold a six game lead over the Chicago White Sox for the wild card. So though these aren't the greatest of times for the Rays or their fans, I wouldn't abandon all hope of making the playoffs this season just yet.

Now if Scott Kazmir goes down...