ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays are where they are for many reasons.
• A pitching staff that has been consistently plagued by inconsistency throughout the rotation and bullpen crew.
• A defense that has been disappointing, unable to regularly complete the routine and rangy plays that have been the franchise standard while messing up others.
• A roster that has been reshaped repeatedly by a series of injuries and often hasn’t quite fit together properly.
But what seems to be the biggest shortcoming, one that when right can swat away all the other inefficiencies, has been a lack of consistent offense.
In returning the core…
