Tampa Bay @ Boston preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 12, 2013 ) Boston 3, Tampa Bay 4

The Tampa Bay Rays have been in playoff mode for the last few weeks while battling for the wild card, winning a one-game tiebreaker in Texas on Monday and taking the one-game wild card playoff in Cleveland on Wednesday. Their reward is a trip to face the well-rested and top-seeded Boston Red Sox on Friday in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. The Red Sox will be playing for the first time since ending the regular season on Sunday.

Boston played an intrasquad game on Wednesday to keep everybody fresh but will need to get into playoff mode quickly after spending the bulk of September comfortably ahead of the rest of the AL East. The Red Sox took 12 of the 19 meetings against Tampa Bay during the regular season, including two of three on the road from Sept. 10-12 to help put the division out of reach. The Rays won 10 of their last 12 going back to the regular season, with the pitching holding opponents to 2.83 runs in that span.

TV: 3:07 p.m. ET, TBS

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays LH Matt Moore (17-4, 3.29 ERA) vs. Red Sox LH Jon Lester (15-8, 3.75)

Moore finished out the regular season with wins in each of his last two starts but struggled with his command in September, issuing 20 walks in 29 total innings over six starts. The 24-year-old had one of his best starts at Boston on July 22, allowing just two hits and walking one in a shutout. Moore is making his third career postseason appearance - second start - and yielded a total of one run on three hits in 10 innings during the 2011 ALDS.

Lester had a string of nine straight quality starts come to an end at Baltimore last Saturday, when he was reached for four runs on nine hits in five innings. The 29-year-old faced Tampa Bay four times in the regular season and went 2-1 with a 4.32 ERA, including a win in the most recent meeting on July 23. Lester is 2-3 with a 2.57 ERA in eight career postseason games - six starts - but went 0-2 against the Rays in the 2008 ALCS.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Red Sox are expected to go with Jonny Gomes in left field against the left-handed Moore over Daniel Nava and Mike Carp.

2. The Rays beat Boston in seven games in the 2008 ALCS - the only postseason meeting between the teams.

3. Tampa Bay 3B Evan Longoria is batting just .196 with 34 strikeouts in 26 postseason games.

PREDICTION: Rays 6, Red Sox 2