(My Sportsbook) - The Tampa Bay Devil Rays will not have to make any plans for the postseason. Once again, the worst franchise in baseball will finish out the final weeks of the season in hopes of building momentum towards next year. The Devil Rays are a pitiful 46-74 on the year, making them the worst team in baseball for the second straight season. If Tampa Bay is serious about turning its misfortunes around, it must start building for the present instead of planning for the future.

The Devil Rays have lost seven of their last 10 games overall, including two out of three to the Boston Red Sox earlier this week. Tampa Bay struggled at the plate, throughout the three-game set, generating just seven total runs. The D'Rays lone highlight came on Wednesday, as the D'Rays upended the Red Sox 6-5 in the series finale. Starter Andy Sonnanstine showed signs of promise, holding the Red Sox to just three runs on four hits through 6 2/3 innings. Carlos Pena paced the D'Rays, going 1-for-3 with a double and three RBI.

ZOBRIST PROVING HE BELONGS

Shortstop Ben Zobrist has gone through quite a transformation over the past year. At this point last season, Zobrist was an everyday starter for Tampa Bay at shortstop. However, after a slow start to the 07' season, Zobrist began sharing time with Brendan Harris, before eventually losing his starting job altogether. The emergence of Harris left Zobrist on the outside looking in, which eventually led to his demotion to Triple-A Durham.

However, the former starting shortstop has been given a second chance, as Tampa Bay is experimenting with using Harris at second base. The decision to move Harris resulted in the recall of Zobrist, who is now sharing time with infielder Josh Wilson. Zobrist is excited about his second chance and seems to be more focused this time around.

"In my life, I've been the most competitive person to myself -- against myself," Zobrist said. "And that's been my worst enemy at times. So I can't really look around at other people and make my comparison based on what other people are doing. I've got to know inside that I'm giving it everything I can, and that I can be satisfied at the end of the day because of that. People can say what they want, and they can have their opinions and they're certainly entitled to that, but that should not affect what I do."

Zobrist's more relaxed approach has caught the attention of manager Joe Maddon.

"I think at the plate, he looks better," Maddon said. "On the field, he looks more comfortable. You watch him in batting practice, there's more force in his swing. I mean, so far, so good."

While Zobrist has had success in the field, he has not been able to solve his problems at the plate. He has gone just 5-for-32 since his return, including five strike outs.

FOSSUM OUT...SWITZER IN

Southpaw Casey Fossum was released on Friday after a fairly unsuccessful season. Fossum never really got on track, posting a 5-8 record with a 7.70 ERA in 40 appearance (10 starts). The left-hander began the season as a starter, but was moved into the bullpen after accumulating a disappointing 3-5 record. The move was supposed to give the D'Rays a consistent arm in the bullpen. However, Fossum never regained his confidence and became a liability in relief.

Tampa then designated him for assignment, but he opted to become a free agent rather than pitch at Triple-A Durham.

The release of Fossum led to the recall of rookie left-hander Jon Switzer. Switzer is making his second appearance in the big leagues after spending 15- days with the Devil Rays in July. The southpaw has had success in Triple-A, posting a 0.82 ERA in 23 appearances. Switzer is currently the only lefty in the D'Rays bullpen, but will be given the opportunity to serve as both a middle-reliever and a late inning specialist.

"He's gone as many as three innings pitched in an outing this year, so I would not be afraid to go up to two innings probably; depends on the situation," Maddon said. "I'd prefer he not just be a one batter [specialist], but he could be in the right situation. If it's left-right-left, he might have to pitch to that tough righty to get to the lefty."

INJURY NEWS

Outfielder Rocco Baldelli continues to recover from a hamstring sprain that has kept him sidelined for the better part of three months. Baldelli has been inactive since May 17th, but is very close to being cleared for a rehabilitation assignment.

Although a timeline has not been announced, Maddon is optimistic about Baldelli's return.

"He's running well," Maddon said. "The times to first base are good. ... And [his legs are] the biggest concern. His bat's going to be fine, his arm's going to be fine."

WHO'S HOT

Left fielder Carl Crawford continues to shine at the plate, going 19-for-44 at over his last 10 games. He has hit safely in nine of his last 10 contest, while scoring 10 runs in the process. Crawford has been one of the few bright spots for the Devil Rays this season, batting .315 with 62 RBI and 39 stolen bases.

WHO'S NOT

Pena has leveled off after an outstanding month of July. The first baseman has fallen into a slump, going 4-for-35 with 12 strikeouts over his last 10 games. On the year, Pena is batting .263 with 77 RBI and 103 strikeouts.

ON DECK

The Devil Rays will welcome the Cleveland Indians to town for a three-game set from Tropicana Field. Edwin Jackson (3-11, 5.84) will face off against Paul Byrd (10-5, 4.53) in Friday night's opener. Saturday's contest will feature Jason Hammel (1-2, 6.63) and Jake Westbrook (3-7, 5.01), before James Shields (9-8, 4.22) squares off with C.C. Sabathia (14-6, 3.48) in Sunday's series finale.