On the strength of a 24-11 surge since April 22, the Tampa Bay Rays find themselves 10 games above .500 with a one-game lead over the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox in the tough American League East.

The strong 2008 start marks only the second time in 11 seasons that the franchise has been better than .500 as late as May. The one other time the Rays had a winning record in the season’s second month was 1999, the franchise’s second year, when the team was 22-21 on May 22, but a 2-16 skid at that point ended any hope for 1999.

Six times in 11 years the Rays have failed to be above .500 beyond the first 10 days of the season. Three times -- 2000, 2001 and 2003 -- the Rays won on Opening Day and never had a winning record again.

In six of 11 seasons, Tampa Bay has failed to go more than one game above .500 at any point in the season. Three of those times are 2000, 2001 and 2003, of course, and the other three instances are the last three seasons. In the last three Aprils, respectively, the Rays were above .500 for the last time on the 9th, 16th and 6th of the month.

What a turnaround for the Rays, who moved to 11 games above .500 on Wednesday before losing to the White Sox yesterday.

Prior to 2008, the team had never been more than four games above the .500 mark. The Rays had gone four games up twice in their history. Both times in the second half of April, during the franchise’s first two seasons in 1998 and 1999.

In 2002, the Rays won their first three games of the season to move three games over .500 on April 4, but six days later was the last time they were better than .500 all season.