BOSTON — The Rays have a lot going for them.

Heading into play Tuesday night with a four-game lead over the Red Sox, their pitching staff — despite a plethora of injuries — was leading the American League in ERA. Their offense ranked second in the AL and fourth in the majors in runs scored. Their defense, as usual, was among the game’s flashiest and tidiest. Their roster is athletic, flexible and versatile. Their clubhouse is a happy place.

And, as they seek a franchise-record third straight playoff appearance and a return trip to the World Series, they seem to have something else going for them.

“I’ve been a part of a lot of good teams before, I’ve seen kind of what it takes, and consistency is a really big, important part of it,” veteran reliever Collin McHugh said.

“And for me, what I’ve seen from this club, we’ve got that thing. Whatever that thing is, whatever that intangible is, I feel like we’ve got it. And it’s our responsibility now to go out and complete the job. Finish the job that we’ve worked on all year for, and these guys have been working for the last multiple years to get to, and to hopefully get over that final hump.”

Kevin Kiermaier, the Rays’ veteran centerfielder, is sure of it, even if he admittedly isn’t sure what it is.

“We definitely have the ‘it’ factor,” Kiermaier said. “I think the funny thing about that question is, ‘What is the ‘it’ factor?’ No one knows. You can’t put a word on it. We have what it takes to hoist the trophy at the end of the year. That’s the ‘it’ factor to me. I know we can do it.

“We’ve got to the biggest stage with a lot of the same guys, came up a little short. And here we are, again in a great position. Hopefully we can play as many games as we’re able to down the stretch to back up what I’m saying, but we have all the pieces to make this a very special year. It’s up to us to go out there and be about it. But whatever the ‘it’ factor is, we have it. It’s not even a question. We have it.”

Collin McHugh, here with Mike Zunino, on the Rays’ chances to go far this year: “The great thing about baseball is that the best teams are usually there in the end. And I feel like we’re one of those teams this year.” [ WILL NEWTON | Associated Press ]

It’s easy for a team holding first place with 50 games left, sitting a season-best 24 games over .500 at an AL-best 68-44, on pace for a franchise-record 98 wins, with an 84 percent chance of making the playoffs and 49 percent chance of winning the division per fangraphs.com, to feel good about itself.

But it takes more than talented players to win.

McHugh said his 2014-19 stint with the Astros, which included a 2017 World Series championship, taught him that what matters most is the consistency in approach, from players and staff.

“Everybody, every day, you come in with the same idea,” McHugh said. “You hear (outfielder) Brett Phillips talk about it all the time: ‘I want to be the same guy. I want to be the same guy every day, whether I do great, whether I do poorly, whether I’m somewhere in the middle.’

“I think that approach, both from a personal standpoint and from a professional standpoint, is kind of the secret sauce when it comes to baseball because it is such a long season. To be able to smooth out the mountains and the valleys a little bit and keep everything kind of between the margins makes for a good season. It makes for a competitive team day in and day out.

“At the end of the day, the end of the year, the talent and the way you’ve played is going to play itself out over 162 (games). And the great thing about baseball is that the best teams are usually there in the end. And I feel like we’re one of those teams this year.”

The path to this point has not been easy. The Rays have constantly shuffled their roster, between bringing up young players (Wander Franco), replacing key injured ones (Tyler Glasnow, Nick Anderson), bringing in new faces (Nelson Cruz) and trading some mainstays, such as shortstop and team leader Willy Adames and reliever Diego Castillo. They already have used 51 total players.

“We’ve been pretty consistent this year, even with different personnel coming in and out,” McHugh said. “We traded Willy early in the year, and unsure what that was going to look like both in a clubhouse atmosphere and on the field. And these guys who have come in and stepped up have picked up the reins both behind the scenes in the clubhouse and on the field, where it matters between the lines.”

The Rays haven’t been afraid to shuffle their roster this season, including trading away popular shortstop Willy Adames, right. [ DIRK SHADD | Times ]

Hitting coach Chad Mottola said that is by design, as the staff recognizes the clubhouse chemistry needs some time to re-formulate after big changes. And is another reason for their relaxed and positive approach no matter the results.

“We take pride in being consistent, from the coaching staff from the front office, and they know what they’re going to get out of us despite the outcome of the game,” Mottola said. “So that’s part of it, then they take it from there. But it’s definitely the players’ clubhouse, and they’ve done an unbelievable job despite some of the losses. We’ve added in some other personalities in there as well. But it’s not as easy as they make it look, for sure.”

Manager Kevin Cash claimed he didn’t know what to make of the “it” factor talk.

“I think it really boils down to that we’re a good team and we’ve got good players and we’ve got a lot of depth that has been tested this year. They have really come through for us,” he said. “And I think with some of our experiences the last two seasons, highly tense moments, high-anxiety, pressure-filled moments, guys found ways to come through. And all that does is kind of give you confidence going forward. And I think we’re seeing that throughout the course of the season.”

That seems to sum “it” up.

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