I have never been much of a believer that you can predict pivotal points in any season or in any sport. You can always look back and decide that a certain event or a certain game changed the whole complex of a season or the whole attitude of a team. But predicting a turning point in the middle of the season has no more credibility than buying a lottery ticket because you have a good feeling about it. However the Tampa Bay Rays begin a nine game road trip that could possibly be the pivotal point in their season. 

The Rays enter the friendly confines of Fenway Park tonight to begin the road trip that has them playing three games in Fenway, three games against the Rangers and three games against the Angels. That is three different time zones in nine days against teams that have something to hang on to and something to prove. It seems that the Rays are always playing somebody who is in or around first place in their division.

Tonight the Rays throw Matt Garza against the Sox and Justin Masterson, who is being called up from Pawtucket for the third time this year to make a spot start; in this case to fill in for Dice-K. Garza has a 2-0 record at Fenway with 2.53 ERA and will be going against a Sox team without David Ortiz in the line up. Wednesday has Edwin Jackson going against the Red Sox ace, Josh Beckett and James Shields goes against Jon Lester on Thursday. Scott Kazmir will not pitch in Boston and will open the series in Texas on Friday.

The Red Sox are 21-5 at home this year and they are coming off a strenuous road trip that saw Manny hit his 500-career home run and saw the loss of Big Papi for what may be a month or more.  An interesting match up to watch in this series is Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton on the bases. Ellsbury currently leads the Majors in steals; an accomplishment usually reserved for Crawford. The difference in this series may be the sea of red shirts in the stands that act as a tenth man for the Red Sox. You can never underestimate the power of the Red Sox Nation.

The Texas Rangers have one of the best line-ups in baseball and I don't have to recount the accomplishments of Josh Hamilton this year. Fortunately for the Rays, the Rangers also have the worst pitching and worst fielding in the American league. If the axiom is true that good pitching beats good hitting then the Rays should be all right. But then again, I saw Hamilton's grand slam at the Trop last week and still can't believe how hard he hit that ball.

The Angels series is an interesting one. The Angels were swept by the Rays at the Trop a couple of weeks ago and will be looking for some revenge. They feature good pitching, great defense and, to this point in the season, underachieving hitting. Cripes, that sounds just like the Rays.

This road trip may be a defining test for the upstart Rays. If they can get past the sweep they took in Boston in April and can control the bats of the Rangers they should arrive in LA mentally fit. But if they have troubles in the first two series, the Angels might have an easy time with them because of their youth and inexperience. This will be a true test of the effectiveness of Joe Maddon as a field manager.  

It is my opinion that if the Rays can win 4 or 5 games in this road trip, they will be a factor for the rest of the season. If they lose as many as 6 they will only be the spoilers in the American League for the rest of the way. This may be the pivotal point in the season for the Tampa Bay Rays and although I don't believe you can predict pivotal points, I am predicting this one and predicting a positive outcome.