Boston @ Tampa Bay preview
Tropicana Field
Last Meeting ( Aug 27, 2010 ) Boston 3, Tampa Bay 1
Clay Buchholz brings a 23-inning scoreless streak into Saturday's game as the Boston Red Sox try to climb back into the American League playoff picture.
The Red Sox, who won the first contest of the crucial three-game series on Friday, meet the Tampa Bay Rays at St. Petersburg, Fla.
Buchholz, who has won his last four starts, leads the American League in ERA at 2.26. The hurler is making a bid for the Cy Young Award in his first complete major league season.
Jon Lester did the job on Friday night. Lester (14-8) allowed two hits and an unearned run over seven innings to notch the victory. He walked five but struck out 10 and bounced back from the worst outings of his career when he yielded nine earned runs in just two innings in a 16-2 loss against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth inning for the save. He walked two batters in the frame but struck out three for his 33rd save of the season.
Victor Martinez was the offensive star by homering twice as the Red Sox crept a bit closer in the AL East standings. Boston trails Tampa Bay in the AL East by 4 1/2 games.
Martinez hit solo homers in the first and the seventh innings on Friday. The first gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead they never relinquished.
The Red Sox made it 2-0 in the fourth inning on a two-out single by Jed Lowrie. The base hit plated David Ortiz, who had doubled to open the inning.
The Rays trimmed the deficit in the bottom of the fourth as Lester walked one batter and threw back-to-back wild pitches, the second of which scored Jason Bartlett from third base.
Tampa Bay nearly tied the game in the sixth inning, but B.J. Upton was thrown out at the plate trying to score from second by center fielder Darnell McDonald. It was the seventh outfield assist by McDonald, the team leader in that category.
Martinez then cracked his 12th homer of the season in the seventh to cap the scoring.
Rays ace David Price (15-6) took the loss on Friday. He scattered 10 hits over seven innings and struck out eight.
Lester is second in the league in road ERA. Saturday's starter, Buchholz is the league leader.
Buchholz is 1-1 on the season against the Rays. After losing to Tampa Bay, 6-5, in his second start of the season, he posted a 6-1 victory over the Rays in May. Buchholz fanned eight in six innings in that contest.
Matt Garza starts for the Rays. Garza is 7-3 in his career against Boston and is 7-2 at home this season. Garza no-hit the Detroit Tigers in late July, but then lost his next two starts. He has since won two straight outings.
The Rays hope to have Carl Crawford back in the lineup. Crawford was scratched from Friday night's game due to a stomach virus. He has stolen 33 consecutive bases against Boston without being thrown out.