Boston @ Tampa Bay preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 19, 2012 ) Boston 3, Tampa Bay 13

The Tampa Bay Rays need to use a little hustle - and some hustler - to have any hope of reaching the postseason. Despite snapping a four-game losing streak Wednesday night, the Rays are 5 1/2 games behind Oakland for the second wild card slot, causing manager Joe Maddon to invoke the name of a famous pool player to accentuate his team's plight with only 13 games left in the regular season. "We want to do a little bit of Minnesota Fats. ... We've got to run the table, man," Maddon said.

Tampa Bay will send ace left-hander and 18-game winner David Price to the mound Thursday and attempt to salvage a split of the four-game series with the Boston Red Sox. The Rays, who have won only six of 15 meetings with Boston this season, broke out of an offensive funk and matched their highest run total of the year in Wednesday's 13-3 romp. The loss was the 82nd of the year for the Red Sox, halting a string of 14 consecutive winning seasons.

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

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH Clay Buchholz (11-6, 4.33 ERA) vs. Rays LH David Price (18-5, 2.54)

Buchholz is 0-3 in his last five starts and has not won since Aug. 16. He has not pitched that poorly, getting hurt by one big inning in back-to-back losses to Seattle and Toronto in his first two starts this month. He did not factor in the decision last time out against the Blue Jays, allowing two runs - one earned - in seven innings. He has pitched at least seven innings in 10 of his last 11 outings.

Price can take over the American League lead in victories and join Washington's Gio Gonzalez as the only 19-game winners in the majors. He was outstanding his last time out, limiting the Yankees to two runs on seven hits after skipping a turn due to shoulder soreness. Price was given an extra day of rest to face Boston and will make his first home start since Aug. 21. He is 7-2 with a stellar 1,66 ERA at Tropicana Park.

WALK-OFFS

1. Price is 10-1 in his last 15 starts. Two of his no-decisions during that span were a pair of 1-0 losses in which he allowed a combined five hits.

2. Buchholz is 5-4 with a 2.76 ERA in 12 career starts against the Rays, including a 5-3 loss in Tampa Bay on July 14.

3. The Red Sox set a dubious club record Wednesday when Guillermo Quiroz became the 56th player to appear in a game for them this season.