ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- With their loss Wednesday night, the Red Sox have lost 14 of their last 16 games in the cowbell-banging din of the Rays' domed home, Tropicana Field.

But is this building a house of horrors for the Sox, or is it that the Rays are simply a good team that's tough at home and Boston isn't a great road team?

Opinions are mixed. Mike Lowell is sure that playing here is just like playing anywhere else -- except that the team that occupies the building has improved by leaps and bounds.

"I don't think it's tough to play here, it's just that their team's gotten a lot better," he said. "It's actually a pretty good atmosphere for a game compared to what it used to be. But I don't think guys are uncomfortable playing here, we've come here enough."

Rocco Baldelli isn't so sure. The former Tampa Bay Ray thinks 'The Trop' is a particularly tough place to play for opponents, whether it's because of the turf, the white roof of the dome, or the jangling bells of the fans.

"I don't think any team likes coming in here, to be honest with you," said Baldelli. "I kind of got that sense throughout my career here. I haven't talked to too many guys in the league that like playing in Tropicana Field. They all say they don't like it. Maybe it's an uncomfortable place to play."

The Red Sox have shown this season that they are a great home team, one that presses its home field advantage to the fullest. They are a perfectly average road team, however: 27-27 when away. When they face another great home team, they'll need to play their best to win.

Tampa is one of those excellent home teams. The Sox and the Rays are in a virtual tie for the best home record in the American League, with both teams owning home winning percentages around .670. Both teams are good, and both clearly boast a significant home-field edge in distinctive, idiosyncratic ballparks with loud fan bases. If they played in Fenway Park, Boston would probably come away with most of the wins. When they play at Tropicana, the Rays have the edge.

Manager Terry Francona was squarely in Lowell's camp.

"I don't think it's this place. It's this club. They're good. They've played us very well," Francona said.

Boston is 3-3 at home against Tampa this season, and now 1-5 on the road. Each team will have one more home series to exploit before the season is through.

There's no question that the Rays' winning ways have helped to kill off what used to be a special road edge in Tampa for Boston. When Tampa was a lousy team, a trip to The Trop was a de facto home game -- the stands filled with Red Sox fans, much like Baltimore is now.

"It used to be all red in the stands," Baldelli said. "You'd come out here when Tampa would play the Sox, the streets would be flooded with Red Sox people, and the other people wouldn't even have Rays or Devil Rays stuff on, they were just normal people," Baldelli said.

That may have skewed things in Boston's favor. No longer.

"You really wouldn't see any fans for Tampa. But it didn't seem like there were as many Red Sox fans out there tonight. I guess when you win, that happens," Baldelli said.

-- DANIEL BARBARISI