St. Petersburg, FL

The Tampa Bay Rays once again exceeded expectations and despite a disappointingly short run in the playoffs, they look primed to be a contender for seasons to come.

The Rays had their season ended by the Texas Rangers in Game 4 of their American League Division Series Tuesday with a 4-3 loss.

Tampa Bay fought to the end, earning the American League wild card on the final day of the regular season and scoring a run in the ninth Tuesday before falling short.

"We were in it to the last out," Rays first baseman Casey Kotchman said. "We were one swing away, right to the end. That's how it was down the stretch, and it's something I feel privileged to be part of this year."

The year was expected to go much different for Tampa Bay. After all-stars Carl Crawford and Carlos Peña moved on the Rays looked like a team that would watch the Yankees and Red Sox battle for the playoffs.

Instead the Rays - who cut payroll to $42 million after spending about $75 million in 2010 - made the playoffs for the third time in four seasons. By comparison, the New York Yankees had a $207 million payroll this season and the Red Sox spent $163.8 million.

"It's tough to talk about positives at a time like this," Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria said. "But at the end of the day, we did a lot of things that weren't expected of us - with a lot less."

Now all the Rays have to do is find a way to get past the Rangers, especially at home. Texas is now 5-0 in the last two playoffs in St. Petersburg.

Twitter: @ihavenet

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