An arbitrary tipping point for the Rays, plus other thoughts

Just, please, Rays, don't drop down to my arbitrary tipping point of 10 games sub-.500.

• The Rays have lost five series in a row, and have not looked good doing so. Offensively, their trend has been to have a feast game, followed by at least two famine games. So you could argue that the Rays wouldn't want to see the Red Sox — who are 12-6 and have won 10 in a row — when they return to Tropicana Field on Thursday.

But that's exactly what they should want. The Rays need a shock to the system, and playing the Red Sox always seems to bring the best, or at least the most competitive, in them. Beyond that, Tampa Bay does not want to return to the Trop as an echoing cavern. With such a disappointing start, what would attendance be like if the Rays hosted, say, the Kansas City Royals? I'm thinking not so good.

At least with the Sox in town, the joint will be jumpin', although the legions in red might have more an impact had the Rays kicked some butt out on the road.

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• Last year, starting pitcher Andy Sonnanstine won 13 games and earned praise as a guy who could perform effectively without anything approaching great velocity or an arsenal of wicked pitches. He was a master of the intangibles, a great competitor, one of those players of whom a hitter would say, "How did I go 0 for 4 against that guy?"

I was never convinced, and I don't think a lot of other fans were either. This year, Sonnanstine has started 0-3 with a 7.78 ERA. He's not as bad as those stats would indicate, but it does appear as if he's come down to earth. Sonnanstine always looked, well, hittable, and now appearances have become reality.

Now is when I might start squawking about bringing up phenom David Price — but he's 1-2 at Triple-A Durham and struggling.

Here's to better days...