Tampa Bay Rays more battle-tested than Cleveland Indians
Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria throws out Los Angeles Dodgers' Mark Ellis at first during the first inning. (Aug. 9, 2013) Credit: AP
Both the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians have seemingly been playing elimination games for the past month, so when they meet Wednesday night for a winner-take-all Wild Card showdown it may seem like "another day, another game."
But despite similar team statistics, the Rays have faced a much tougher road to the playoffs. The Rays played not only in the tough AL East but faced opponents with a winning percentage of .500 or better in 97 games. Tampa Bay went 48-49 (including a 4-2 record against the Indians), a .494 winning percentage, in those contests. Against sub-.500 teams, the Rays were 44-22 (.666).
The Indians, meanwhile, played in the easier AL Central and faced teams with a winning percentage of at least .500 in just 69 games. They went 32-37, a .463 winning percentage. Against teams with a below-.500 record, the Indians were 60-33 (.645).
Here's how the two teams stacked up overall during the regular season:
| Rays | Indians | |
| Home runs | 165 | 171 |
| Runs | 700 | 745 |
| Stolen bases | 73 | 117 |
| Average | .257 | .255 |
| On-base percentage | .329 | .327 |
| Slugging percentage | .408 | .410 |
| Wins | 92 | 92 |
| Losses | 71 | 70 |
| Saves | 42 | 38 |
| ERA | 3.74 | 3.82 |
| Strikeouts per nine innings (pitching) | 8.05 | 8.61 |
| Walks per nine innings (pitching) | 2.96 | 3.46 |
| Home runs per nine innings (pitching) | 0.94 | 0.92 |
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