AP Photo/Mike Carlson

The Rays keep on winning, riding a five-game win streak into the regular season's final month.

NOT GOING ANYWHERE

By John Kruk, ESPN

I've been hearing a lot of questions and comments about the Tampa Bay Rays the past few weeks as people await the demise of this young team. Most believe they will falter because Evan Longoria, Troy Percival and Carl Crawford all are on the disabled list, while others believe they simply are too young to sustain this high level of play.

First off, this team has the talent level to absorb the short-term losses of those players -- and they have, entering the final month of the regular season on a five-game winning streak and owning a 5½-game lead in the American League East. They are also thriving because they are one of the few teams in baseball that actually has five good starters. I know he catches some flak because of his past inconsistency, but if Edwin Jackson is a team's worst starter, then they are in excellent shape.

People may talk about how teams need their bats to stay alive during the dog days of summer and how a team must have a good or great bullpen, as well as avoid the injury bug, but having a starting pitcher who can go seven-plus quality innings is the true key to winning down the stretch. This team has that with a young guy in David Price, someone ready to come up to the majors.

As for the youth question, that's just people wondering if these guys have the gravitas to hold onto a lead and fend off the Red Sox and Yankees. Normally, I'd lean toward agreeing with that logic, because it is tough when you have two teams like the Sox and the Yankees in your division to not get intimidated, even if you are a veteran team.

But this Rays team has had physical altercations with both teams during the course of spring training and this season, and each time it was the Rays' dugout that got onto the field first, ready to scrap. That may not sound like a big thing, but it is, because if a team is scared to be on that field or doesn't think it deserves to be on the field with the opposing team, then you'll see some hesitation. There has been no hesitation from the Rays at any point during this season. I know that feels great, to be in that clubhouse with the lead knowing that nobody believes you have the ability to win and yet you keep doing it over and over again.

The Rays have punched the bullies in the mouth and taken the block over.

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FORWARD THINKING: MONDAY

• Mets at Brewers, 2:05 p.m. ET: The Brewers closed August with eight wins in nine games. Ben Sheets (12-7, 3.05 ERA) had a 2.67 ERA in August, but went just 2-3. Johan Santana (12-7, 2.70 ERA) starts September after not losing in July or August. He went 5-0, though it could have been better if not for six no-decisions.

• White Sox at Indians, 7:05 p.m. ET: Cliff Lee (19-2, 2.43 ERA) heads to the mound in search of win No. 20. Lee is 8-0 over his past nine starts. Clayton Richard (2-2, 6.33 ERA) is not on that kind of streak, but he has strung together a pair of wins, going 2-0 over his past three outings.

• Padres at Dodgers, 8:10 p.m. ET: Greg Maddux (6-11, 4.22 ERA) faces his former team. Maddux is 0-2 with a 7.36 ERA since joining the Dodgers. Chris Young (4-4, 4.74 ERA), out since July 10 with a strained forearm, is expected to be activated from the disabled list. Young has been hit hard in his two starts this season against the Dodgers, giving up 12 hits, nine runs and seven walks in 10 innings.

• Complete list of pitching probables for Monday

TOUCH 'EM ALL

Who went deep? Keep track of all the home runs hit each day on "Baseball Tonight" and on the Baseball Tonight Clubhouse page.

Click here to find out who hit the longest home run. For more, check out the Home Run Tracker page.

NAME	HR	OPP	PITCHER	SITUATION
A. Beltre, Sea	22	Cle	Jackson	Top 2: 3-1, 0 Outs. None on.
C. Beltran, NYM	21	Fla	Olsen	Top 2: 1-0, 0 Outs. None on.
S. Choo, Cle	9	Sea	Rowland-Smith	Bot 2: 0-0, 1 Outs. None on.
S. Rolen, Tor	8	NYY	Pettitte	Top 2: 1-2, 0 Outs. None on.
R. Weeks, Mil	11	Pit	Karstens	Top 1: 3-2, 0 Outs. None on.
J. Thome, CWS	29	Bos	Wakefield	Top 1: 1-1, 2 Outs. 1 on.
E. Burriss, SF	1	Cin	Arroyo	Top 4: 0-1, 1 Outs. None on.
N. Evans, NYM	1	Fla	Olsen	Top 3: 3-2, 2 Outs. None on.
D. Wright, NYM	27	Fla	Olsen	Top 3: 1-0, 2 Outs. None on.
A. Rodriguez, NYY	29	Tor	Halladay	Bot 4: 3-1, 0 Outs. None on.
A. Beltre, Sea	23	Cle	Jackson	Top 5: 0-0, 2 Outs. 1 on.
Y. Escobar, Atl	8	Was	Balester	Top 4: 1-0, 0 Outs. 2 on.
J. Guillen, KC	18	Det	Galarraga	Top 6: 0-0, 0 Outs. None on.
M. Cabrera, Det	29	KC	Meche	Bot 6: 0-0, 2 Outs. 1 on.
J. Giambi, NYY	28	Tor	Halladay	Bot 6: 2-2, 0 Outs. None on.
J. Hamilton, Tex	30	LAA	Lackey	Top 1: 1-1, 2 Outs. None on.
M. Byrd, Tex	10	LAA	Lackey	Top 2: 1-1, 0 Outs. 1 on.
A. Boone, Was	6	Atl	Dessens	Bot 8: 0-1, 0 Outs. 2 on.
J. Werth, Phi	21	ChC	Marshall	Top 5: 1-2, 2 Outs. None on.
J. Rivera, LAA	10	Tex	Millwood	Bot 2: 0-1, 0 Outs. 1 on.
J. Bartlett, TB	1	Bal	Walker	Bot 7: 1-0, 1 Outs. None on.
T. Wigginton, Hou	21	StL	Franklin	Bot 8: 1-2, 1 Outs. 1 on.
A. Casilla, Min	6	Oak	Smith	Top 2: 1-0, 2 Outs. 1 on.
J. Morneau, Min	21	Oak	Smith	Top 6: 0-0, 0 Outs. 2 on.
A. Ethier, LAD	18	Ari	Webb	Top 1: 0-2, 1 Outs. None on.
C. Blake, LAD	6	Ari	Webb	Top 1: 2-0, 2 Outs. 2 on.