Boston @ Tampa Bay preview
Tropicana Field
Last Meeting ( Sep 9, 2011 ) Boston 2, Tampa Bay 7
THE STORY: Boston fans are no longer wondering if the Red Sox can catch the New York Yankees for the American League East title. They are too busy watching the wild card lead slip away. The Red Sox saw their advantage trimmed to 5 1/2 games over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday when they lost the opener of a three-game set in Florida. The two teams meet again Saturday, and things don’t get any easier for the slumping Red Sox when they send rookie Kyle Weiland to the mound opposite the Rays’ Jeremy Hellickson in what appears to be a mismatch.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), SunSports (Tampa Bay)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH Kyle Weiland (0-1, 6.75 ERA) vs. Rays RH Jeremy Hellickson (12-10, 2.90).
Weiland is starting for the injured Erik Bedard. Boston is also without Josh Beckett after losing Clay Buchholz and Daisuke Matsuzaka earlier in the season. Weiland has made three nondescript major league appearances. He has started two games - both against Baltimore - and lost one, and was bailed out by the Boston bats in the other. He threw two scoreless innings at Toronto earlier in the week, the highlight of his major league career. Aside from some control issues, Hellickson is having an outstanding season. Opponents are hitting .213 against the second-year man who has consistently gone deep in games. Tampa Bay has scored few runs for Hellickson or he would have several more victories. He is 1-1 against Boston with a 5.14 ERA in three appearances. This season, Hellickson beat Boston 16-5 and lost 3-0 on a three-run homer to Kevin Youkilis in the seventh inning.
ABOUT THE RAYS (79-64): Tampa Bay is 7-5 against Boston this season and its staff had held the Red Sox to a paltry .168 average heading into Friday. The Rays made quick work out of John Lackey and the Red Sox on Friday as light-hitting catcher John Jaso cracked a three-run homer in the second inning to give the Rays a 3-0 lead. Tampa Bay put the game away with two more runs in the third. Wade Davis limited Boston to six hits in his complete game. He fanned eight. The Rays moved B.J. Upton to the No. 2 hole in the lineup and batted Johnny Damon fifth.
ABOUT THE RED SOX (85-59): The Red Sox, who have lost seven of their last nine games, are beginning to look like a team that is truly at the end of the line. The majority of its starting rotation is injured and the lineup is battered and tired. Kevin Youkilis missed Friday’s game with a left hip injury and one team source said he may have another injury, possibly a sports hernia. Dustin Pedroia entered the contest 1 for his last 23 with six strikeouts. Add in Carl Crawford, who has been a bust in his first year with the club, and Adrian Gonzalez, who looks drained by the long season, and this former powerhouse lineup is in ruins. Boston has shown little life at the plate or on the bases in the past few weeks and there is no doubt it is looking over their shoulders at the hard-charging Rays.
FINAL PITCH: Jacoby Ellsbury is about the only Boston player on a roll. Ellsbury has hit safely in his last 14 games (21-for-59) with 10 doubles, a triple, two homers, eight RBIs, 10 runs scored, seven walks and a steal.