Rays Find Their Groove at Steinbrenner Field With 9-3 Hot Streak

At Steinbrenner Field, the Tampa Bay Rays have turned the tide. They've won nine of twelve games at their temporary home. This marks a stark shift from their early struggles, when they lost 14 of 19.

"I hope that (narrative) goes away," said Rays manager Kevin Cash to the Tampa Bay Times. "You want to create some home-field advantage."

Stats tell the story of their improvement. Runs jumped from 3.92 to 4.67 per game. Home runs shot up from 0.96 to 1.25. The team's on-base plus slugging went from .700 to .744.

Twins starter Joe Ryan pulled no punches about the field conditions. "It's a joke," he said, citing issues with glare, wind, and tight foul lines.

The switch to Steinbrenner Field came after Hurricane Milton struck Tropicana Field. Playing outdoors brings fresh tests: baking heat and thick humidity shape each inning.

"Today for the first time, kind of halfway through the game, is when the environment kind of creeps into your head a little bit," Blue Jays manager John Schneider admitted after a 13-0 defeat. "It's tough. It's really hot. The environment is just different."

The weather might work in Tampa Bay's favor. Players have adapted by keeping innings brief to dodge the sun's worst. "Whoever's not on the field the longest is probably going to win the game," outfielder Josh Lowe pointed out.

Brandon Lowe credits wind patterns for their wins. "The biggest thing is you look at the flags. The wind's shifted to our favor, and we've been able to take advantage of it."

Pitcher Ryan Pepiot stressed how visitors struggle with conditions. "They come down here, it's 100 degrees, it feels like 105 ... They have to deal with it, for sure."

Baseball operations chief Erik Neander sees a pattern. "The comments kind of remind me of the Trop a little bit. When we were winning a bunch of games at the Trop, those are the kind of things you'd read over time."