Tampa Bay Rays' August schedule is make or break for their postseason hopes

As Tampa Bay enters the month of August, the MLB season will begin to heat up with just a couple months let before the postseason arrives. The Rays stand 4.5 games back from a Wild Card spot with a record of 55-53.

With two whole months of baseball left, reaching a postseason spot is very doable based on how far back Tampa Bay is. However, their slate of August games has many challenging opponents along the way. This is especially true considering the 2024 trade deadline gave the team a very different look after they sold many big name players. The Rays' run differential (-48, 49-59 expected record) won't encourage you, but this team always defies expectations. Why stop now?

The Rays have just one opponent under .500 during this month, and that is the Oakland Athletics in a four-game series from August 19-22. Of course, even Oakland sported a 15-10 record in July, the AL's best mark.

That series is also across the country inside of the Oakland Coliseum, and is the first part of a big west coast swing where Tampa Bay will follow the Oakland series with a weekend at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles against a Dodger team that is fighting on Philadelphia's tail to be the best team in the National League.

Following that series, they will go to T-Mobile Park in Seattle to play the Mariners and see their former star, Randy Arozarena, for the first time since he was traded. The Mariners currently sit right ahead of the Rays and are in a dogfight themselves for a Wild Card spot in the postseason.

Rays' tough August schedule will make or break playoff chances

Tampa Bay also has some tough opponents at Tropicana Field this month. They will end the month in a two-game series against the San Diego Padres, a team that is holding a Wild Card spot. They play another NL West opponent earlier in the month in the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are holding onto the final NL Wild Card spot currently.

The Rays face their only AL East opponent of the month inside of Tropicana Field as well. That team would be the Baltimore Orioles, who have the lead in the division. They also play the AL West-leading Houston Astros twice. One series will be at Tropicana Field, and one will be at Minute Maid Park. Tampa Bay will actually start the month in Houston, which intiates two series on the road for the team.

The series after playing three in Houston, they will travel to St. Louis to play the Cardinals inside of Busch Stadium. The Cardinals are in a near-identical spot as Tampa Bay, being right on the fringe of a Wild Card spot.

This month is a crazy good gauntlet for the Rays. Their remaining strength of schedule has an average opposing winning percentage of .533, which gives them the hardest month of August out of any team in baseball. If Tampa Bay wants a postseason spot, they will have to earn it in August.