ST. PETERSBURG -- If you want a sense of how the Rays’ season has gone, just go back and watch their 7-5 win over the Orioles on Sunday afternoon at Tropicana Field. In two hours and 58 minutes, the first-half finale covered just about everything that has gotten them to this point.

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There was a devastating injury to one of their top players, with Harold Ramírez suffering a right thumb fracture when he was hit by a pitch in the first inning. There was a lineup you probably wouldn’t have written out back in Spring Training. There was enough solid pitching, including Corey Kluber’s third straight six-inning start and more big outs from Jason Adam.

And at the end of it all, there was another win to keep the Rays atop the American League Wild Card standings.

Tampa Bay headed into the All-Star break Sunday with a 51-41 record, third best in the AL behind the Yankees and Astros. It’s the sixth time in franchise history the Rays have reached the Midsummer Classic sitting 10 games above .500 or better, and they made the playoffs each of the previous five times.

For all that went wrong in the first half -- an overwhelming number of injuries, inconsistent offensive production, uncharacteristic mistakes in the field and on the bases -- the Rays have once again put themselves in position to get back to the postseason.

“To win as many games as we have, as many guys as we have on the IL, it's been really impressive,” said second baseman Brandon Lowe, who went 4-for-4 on Sunday. “Hopefully, as crunch time kind of comes along, we start rolling out a fully healthy team and show everybody our real Rays baseball team.”

They’ve taken steps in both directions recently. The Rays won 11 of their last 16 games before the break, with some young players who struggled early (namely rookie outfielder Josh Lowe) showing clear signs of improvement. And this weekend saw the return of Brandon Lowe, high-leverage reliever Pete Fairbanks and starter Luis Patiño from the injured list.

“Shoutout to the Rays’ front office and their scouting department, because when you talk about depth, we're winning big league ballgames with our whole 40-man roster,” said Brett Phillips, whose three-run blast Sunday was his first homer since May 17. “It's unbelievable. It's awesome.”

Yet the Rays remain beset by a list of injuries that never seems to get any shorter. When they activated Fairbanks, who allowed a first-pitch homer but struck out two in his season debut, lefty reliever Jalen Beeks went on the 15-day injured list. A day after Lowe’s return bolstered their lineup, they lost Ramírez -- one of their best hitters this season -- when he took a Jordan Lyles fastball to his right thumb.

They’re still without star shortstop Wander Franco, catcher Mike Zunino and outfielders Kevin Kiermaier and Manuel Margot, and they will be for a while longer. They could nearly build a full pitching staff with their injured arms, a group that on Thursday added young starter Shane Baz. As a result of all their injuries, plus their typical roster maneuvering, the Rays have made 150 roster moves this season, including 56 this month alone.

Ramírez is bound to hit the IL after the break, which will give the Rays 16 players on the shelf, second most in the Majors behind the Reds. At that point, only seven players from their 28-man Opening Day roster will have remained active all season: Adam, Kluber, Randy Arozarena, Phillips, Taylor Walls, Matt Wisler and Shane McClanahan.

“I think every team goes through injuries,” starter Drew Rasmussen said. “I don't think every team has quite gone through it like we have.”

“It doesn't feel good. Today, Ramirez, it's almost like head-scratching,” added manager Kevin Cash. “But we do feel good about the way this team has competed. Dealt with some adversity, and feel like we're still learning a lot and getting better.”

And here they are, as ever, getting enough production from new faces and unexpected places to hold a half-game lead in the AL Wild Card standings after 92 games.

“Sounds like what the Rays usually do,” Beeks said.

After four days of rest for everyone but the All-Star McClanahan, the Rays will get back to work Friday night in Kansas City. They’ll hope for better health, more of the same pitching and more consistent offense in the second half. And they’ll believe that overcoming all this adversity now will make them better when it matters most.

“Hey, you never know,” infielder Yandy Díaz said through interpreter Manny Navarro. “We might just be the team to go to the World Series because of it.”