Tampa Bay @ Boston preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 30, 2016 ) Tampa Bay 4, Boston 3

The Boston Red Sox are locked in a battle for the American League East and the AL wild card spots and can’t afford to drop a series at home to a last-place team. The Red Sox will try to avoid that fate and earn a 3-3 homestand when they host the Tampa Bay Rays in the rubber match on Wednesday.

Boston only has 10 home games left after Wednesday’s series finale and kicks off a nine-game road trip on Friday that starts on the west coast and finishes up with a showdown at Toronto, which owns a two-game lead in the AL East. The Red Sox are trying to sort out the roles in the bullpen in advance of that trip and were let down on Tuesday when Clay Buchholz, who is trying to take over the eighth-inning role, gave up a tie-breaking solo home run to Evan Longoria in the 4-3 loss. Longoria has eight home runs and 25 RBIs this month, with three of those blasts coming against Boston. The Rays will help decide the division when they return home this weekend and welcome Toronto and Baltimore, which trails the Red Sox by one game, in a six-game homestand.

TV: 1:35 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FSN Sun (Tampa Bay), NESN (Boston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays LH Drew Smyly (6-11, 4.80 ERA) vs. Red Sox RH Steven Wright (13-6, 3.18)

Smyly has not lost since July 18 but did not factor in the decision at Houston on Friday, when he was reached for three runs – two earned – on three hits and two walks in six frames. The 27-year-old yielded two or fewer earned runs in six of his last seven starts. Smyly turned in his best start of the season at Boston on April 19, when he surrendered one hit and struck out 11 in eight scoreless frames.

Wright (shoulder) came off the 15-day disabled list on Friday against Kansas City and allowed five runs in the first inning before settling in with five straight scoreless frames. The knuckleballer ended up with a loss in that outing – his first since June 25. Wright is seeing Tampa Bay for the first time in his career and is 7-2 with a 4.30 ERA at Fenway Park this season.

WALK-OFFS

1. Red Sox RHP Brad Ziegler (flu) was unavailable on Tuesday and is day-to-day.

2. Tampa Bay SS Tim Beckham has hit safely in nine straight games and is 6-for-12 in his last three contests.

3. Boston CF Jackie Bradley Jr. is 5-for-37 with 20 strikeouts in the last 11 games.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 5, Rays 3