Los Angeles @ Tampa Bay preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 25, 2010 ) Tampa Bay 3, LA Angels 12

The Tampa Bay Rays head into the third-last weekend of Major League Baseball's regular season poised to return to the playoffs.

Their opponents only wish they could say the same.

Wade Davis looks for his 13th victory of the season as the Rays open a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels at Tropicana Field on Friday night. The Rays own a 4-2 edge in the season series, though the Angels earned a 12-3 victory in their last meeting Aug. 25 in Anaheim.

A home set against the Angels should provide welcome relief for Tampa Bay, with the series situated between meetings with the New York Yankees. The Rays took two out of three games from the Bronx Bombers earlier in the week, and will travel to Yankee Stadium for a four-game set beginning Monday.

That series could very well decide the American League East race. Tampa enters the weekend with a half-game lead over the Yankees, even in victories but with a game in hand. New York plays just seven of its final 16 games at home, while the Rays will enjoy nine home dates over their final 17 contests.

Whichever team finishes second in the East will likely earn a berth in the post-season as the wild-card entry. The Yankees own a six-game bulge over the Boston Red Sox in the wild-card race, with the Chicago White Sox (8.5 games back) the only other team within 15 games of New York.

While the Rays are all but assured their second trip to the post-season in the past three years, the Angels will likely miss the playoffs for the first time since 2006. They find themselves facing a double-digit deficit in their quest to catch the division-leading Texas Rangers in the American League West.

The Angels look to keep their playoff chances alive against Davis (12-9), who has been sensational since the All-Star break. Since struggling through an 0-5 June, the 25-year-old has won his last seven decisions, and is 6-0 with a 3.44 ERA in the second half.

Davis last faced the Angels on Aug. 24, allowing two runs over 5 1/3 innings in a game the Rays won 10-3. It was his only career start against Los Angeles, and just his second victory of the season against an AL West opponent.

The Angels counter with veteran right-hander Dan Haren (10-12), who has had plenty of success against the Rays in his career. Haren, pitching on his 30th birthday, is 5-2 all-time against Tampa Bay with a 2.60 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 55 innings.

In his first start against the Rays since joining Los Angeles in a trade, Haren tossed six innings of one-run ball as the Angels earned a 12-3 victory. It was his first meeting with Tampa since Aug. 26, 2007, when he was a member of the Oakland Athletics.