Tampa Bay @ Boston preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 18, 2010 ) Tampa Bay 7, Boston 1

Talk about early wake-up calls. The Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox will both get one Monday for their Patriots' Day game at Fenway Park. With a first pitch time of 11:05 a.m., don't look for much pregame activity in the Red Sox's annual early start on the day of the Boston Marathon. Of course, the way the Rays are playing, they'll be happy to take the field any time, day or night. Tampa Bay (9-3) goes for a sweep of the four-game series against Boston (4-8). The Rays took a pitcher's duel in the opener, 3-1, when Pat Burrell hit a two-run homer in the 12th inning on Saturday to win Friday's game, which was suspended by rain in the bottom of the ninth. Tampa Bay hung on for a 6-5 win in Saturday's scheduled game. The Rays left no doubt on Sunday as Matt Garza pitched eight shutout innings and Carlos Pena and B.J. Upton hit two-run homers in a 7-1 win. Tampa Bay is 6-0 on the road while Boston is just 1-5 at Fenway. The Red Sox lost two of three against the New York Yankees in the first series of the season and have dropped all three games in this series with the Rays. Right-hander Jeff Nieman (0-0) will be making his first career appearance at Fenway. He didn't fare well in his only start against the Sox last season. Nieman was roughed up for seven hits and six runs in only three innings in a 10-7 loss at Tropicana Field on May 2. Nieman's physical well-being was a cause for concern going into his last start. The 6-foot-9 right-hander was drilled in the shoulder by a line drive in his first start against the Baltimore Orioles. Nieman showed no signs of any injury against the Orioles on Tuesday after he gave up three runs in seven innings. Tampa Bay's hitters will have their hands full with right-hander John Lackey (1-0), Boston's best pitcher so far this season. Lackey has been outstanding in both starts of 2010, but the bullpen blew a possible win in his first start before he held the Minnesota Twins to two runs in 6 2/3 innings at Target Field on Wednesday. Lackey dominated the Rays while he pitched for the Angels. He's 9-2 with a 3.07 ERA in his career against Tampa Bay. The Rays beat the Red Sox, 4-1 on Patriots' Day in 1999.