People don't highlight the above point often enough. They will say it is an "excuse" but to me it just seems like a fact of life. I have watched a few full Tampa Bay games over the past few days and the difference between the atmospheres is literally obvious. There is no pressure, no expectation on the TB players. They are always the underdog, always have very little to lose.
This doesn't change the reality on a pitch-by-pitch basis, but over the course of the season I think it makes a big difference. At the very least, it can explain why TB is seemingly able to find guys who seem to play well there.
I suspect if the Sox were suddenly able to trade bullpens with TB we would be complaining about the TB bullpen within a few weeks.