Tampa Bay @ Boston preview
Fenway Park
Last Meeting ( Sep 15, 2011 ) Tampa Bay 9, Boston 2
THE STORY: The Boston Red Sox bring out the best in the Tampa Bay Rays, who have won the last six meetings between the teams and look to make it seven in a row in the second of a four-game series Friday night. Tampa Bay bludgeoned the host Red Sox 9-2 in the series opener to slice Boston’s American League wild card lead to three games with 13 left to play in the season. The Rays have outscored the Red Sox 41-12 in their last six matchups and hold a 10-5 edge in the season series.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, SunSports (Tampa Bay), NESN (Boston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH James Shields (15-10, 2.70 ERA) vs. Red Sox RH Josh Beckett (12-5, 2.49).
Shields has won four straight starts and is coming off a dominant performance against the Red Sox, holding them to one run in 8 1/3 innings Sunday for his career-high 15th win. He is 2-2 against Boston this season, although he has turned in three superb starts including one of his major league-leading 11 complete games. Jacoby Ellsbury is 5-for-14 with two homers against Shields this season, but Dustin Pedroia is 0-for-13. Under normal circumstances, Boston might like its chances with Beckett on the mound. However, he hasn’t pitched since walking off the mound in Toronto on Sept. 5 with a sprained right ankle. He had won his three previous starts. Beckett has been brilliant in two starts against the Rays this season. He limited them to an infield hit in eight scoreless innings July 17 and beat them with a complete-game one-hitter June 15.
ABOUT THE RED SOX (86-63): Boston absorbed its seventh loss in eight games and fell to 3-11 in September to allow the Rays to climb back in the race. Handing rookie Kyle Weiland the ball for his fourth major league start Thursday was a recipe for disaster for the Red Sox. He lasted three innings and has allowed 16 runs in 17 innings over his four starts. David Ortiz returned to the lineup after missing two games with back spasms and had two of Boston’s six hits. Jacoby Ellsbury went hitless in four at-bats to snap his 18-game hitting streak.
ABOUT THE RAYS (83-66): Tampa Bay may start believing it is destined to capture the wild card after a fortuitous break in Thursday’s opener. B.J. Upton’s bat splintered on a routine grounder and almost hit Boston shortstop Marco Scutaro, who leaped to dodge the bat and let the ball by him for a run. Evan Longoria followed with a three-run homer and the rout was on. Casey Kotchman and Upton also unloaded with two-run homers. Upton has mauled Boston’s pitching in the last nine days, going 9-for-18 with two homers and seven RBIs. Kotchman has seven multi-hit games against the Red Sox this season.
FINAL PITCH: With Boston trying to hold off Tampa Bay for the wild card slot, it’s worth recalling that the Red Sox opened the season 2-10 and the Rays started 1-8. Both teams lost their first six games.