Are the Tampa Bay Rays cheating? MLB Fans struggling to wrap heads around mind-boggling streak

The Tampa Bay Rays are off to their best start in years. The team's unparrelled results in the early goings of the season have more than a few fans asking questions.

The Rays currently place first in the MLB in both home runs and RBIs, and second in batting average. Their pitching has been equally stellar, and lays claim to the lowest ERA of any team in the league.

As such, the Tampa Bay Rays have become the first team to open up to a 12-0 start to an MLB season since the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers. The historic feat has fans wondering if all this success is legit.

"The Rays are the third team in MLB history to begin a season 12-0! One more win and they are tied for the best start in MLB history" - Talkin Baseball

The 2017 Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal represented a rude awakening for fans. It was the first time that a team has successfully been able to employ a large-scale, organized cheating operation.

There is currently no evidence of the Tampa Bay Rays employing any sort of malpractice to achieve the strong record. The answer, perhaps, may be the result of some shrewd maneuvering by their manager, Kevin Cash.

Following the Rays' 9-7 victory over the Boston Red Sox on April 12, a Red Sox-oriented Twitter account shared that all nine of the Rays batters were right-handed. Red Sox starter Chris Sale's career numbers against right-handed batters are worse than his record against lefties.

"The Rays are starting 9 RHH tonight, here's where RHH hit grounder against Sale" - Red Sox Stats

Although proper matchups are an important part of the game, scouting reports do not usually enable a team to go 12-0.

Anyone who has seen Moneyball knows that the key to winning games is getting on base, driving in runs, and having the ability to keep opposing bats at bay. Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen, both Tampa Bay Rays pitchers, sit atop the MLB standings with a 0.00 ERA, while outfielder Randy Arozarena finds himself fourth in the league in RBIs, having hit 15 so far this season.

The Tampa Bay Rays are bound to lose at some point

Although the 162-0 record is a fun thing for fans to think about, no team will ever hit that target. With less than 10% of the season completed, it remains far too early to be accusing the Rays of employing dishonest practices to come out of the gates with such fervency.