Boston @ Tampa Bay preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 24, 2018 ) Boston 3, Tampa Bay 10

Willy Adames has settled comfortably into the starting shortstop role for Tampa Bay this month and looks to continue his hot hitting when the Rays host the major league-best Boston Red Sox on Saturday night. Adames launched a two-run homer and scored three times as Tampa Bay took the series opener 10-3 on Friday, lifting the 22-year-old's batting average in August to .362 to go along with five blasts and 13 RBIs in 21 games.

The Rays have won six straight contests and are 39-24 at home overall but will be without leading hitter Mallex Smith (.307 batting average) after he was placed on the 10-day disabled list Friday with a viral infection that forced him to be hospitalized. Former Cy Young winner Rick Porcello owns a personal-best 14 wins in his career against the Rays and will get a chance to add to that total Saturday when he opposes left-hander Ryan Yarbrough, who boasts 12 victories - second-most on the club. The Red Sox saw their lead over the New York Yankees in the American League East shrink to 8 1/2 games after losing for the fourth time in six contests. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts registered three hits and knocked in a pair of runs in Friday’s loss for Boston and is 24-for-58 with 16 RBIs and 15 extra-base hits against Tampa Bay this season.

TV: 6:10 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), FSN Sun (Tampa Bay)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH Rick Porcello (15-6, 4.14 ERA) vs. Rays LH Ryan Yarbrough (12-5, 3.84)

Porcello was knocked around for five runs on six hits and a walk over seven innings in a loss to Cleveland on Monday after winning four of his previous five starts. The 29-year-old New Jersey native is 2-2 with a 4.67 ERA in four August starts after posting a 5.74 ERA in July, but he can get to 16 wins for the second time in his career Saturday. Matt Duffy is 7-for-18 versus Porcello, who is 2-1 with a 4.13 ERA in four starts against the Rays in 2018.

Yarbrough is slated to make his first start since July 3 (Miami) and sixth during his rookie season - in which he has earned 10 victories in 26 relief appearances, including one in each of his last two outings. The 26-year-old Old Dominion product is 2-2 with a 5.32 ERA in the first five starts of his major-league career, striking out 20 in 23 2/3 innings. J.D. Martinez is 2-for-5 with a double against Yarbrough, who is 1-0 while giving up four runs over 12 innings in four relief outings versus the Red Sox this year.

WALK-OFFS

1. Bogaerts has hit safely in six straight games (10-for-26), while Martinez is 9-for-21 during a five-game hitting streak.

2. Tampa Bay 2B/OF Brandon Lowe is 7-for-20 in his last six games with an at-bat after going 0-for-19 in the first six of his major-league career.

3. Former Red Sox and Rays Hall of Famer Wade Boggs will throw out the first pitch before Saturday’s contest.

PREDICTION: Rays 6, Red Sox 4