Tampa Bay @ Boston preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 28, 2015 ) Boston 5, Tampa Bay 3

The Tampa Bay Rays dropped a game below .500 with a loss on Thursday and are watching the teams around them in the standings make big moves in front of Friday’s 4 p.m. ET trade deadline. The Rays will try to put some momentum together and rejoin the race when they visit the Boston Red Sox for the start of a three-game series on Friday.

The Red Sox have spent the two weeks since the All-Star break helping teams stay in contention with 12 losses in their last 15 games. Boston avoided a four-game home sweep against the Chicago White Sox with an 8-2 win on Thursday but owns the worst record in the American League and sits six games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East. The Rays could be sellers in front of the deadline due to a 5-7 record since the All-Star break, and the team is reportedly taking offers for starter Nathan Karns. Tampa Bay will send Erasmo Ramirez to the mound opposite Boston rookie Eduardo Rodriguez on Friday.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, Sun Sports (Tampa Bay), NESN (Boston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Erasmo Ramirez (8-4, 3.74 ERA) vs. Red Sox LH Eduardo Rodriguez (6-3, 4.26)

Ramirez had a run of nine straight starts allowing two or fewer earned runs come to an end when he was reached for five runs and seven hits in 7 1/3 innings against Baltimore on Saturday. The Nicaragua native yielded a grand slam in that start and has surrendered at least one homer in four of his last five turns. Ramirez worked a scoreless inning of relief at Boston on May 4 and owns a 6.39 ERA in four career games – three starts – against the Red Sox.

Rodriguez bounced back from a terrible outing by limiting the Detroit Tigers to one run and three hits in seven innings. The 22-year-old has allowed 22 runs over 10 innings in his three losses and seven runs in 51 1/3 innings over his other eight turns. Rodriguez is making his first start against Tampa Bay and is 3-2 with a 5.35 ERA in six home starts.

WALK-OFFS

1. Red Sox 3B Pablo Sandoval (left wrist) left Thursday’s game after being hit by a pitch and is day-to-day.

2. Tampa Bay SS Asdrubal Cabrera is 5-for-8 with five runs scored in his last three contests.

3. Boston SS Xander Bogaerts is 9-for-22 with seven runs scored in the last five games.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 5, Rays 2