Boston @ Tampa Bay preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 20, 2019 ) Boston 4, Tampa Bay 5

The Tampa Bay Rays opened their final homestand of the season with a dramatic win to boost their wild-card chances, and they'll aim for a third straight victory Saturday in the second of four straight meetings with the visiting Boston Red Sox. An RBI single by Willy Adames in the bottom of the 11th gave the Rays a 5-4 win in a seesaw affair Friday night.

Tampa Bay's fifth straight win over the Red Sox pulled the Rays back into a tie with Cleveland for the second wild card with eight games remaining. The Rays also ended the reign of the Red Sox, who were officially eliminated from postseason contention Friday a year after winning the World Series. Mitch Moreland provided Boston with all of its offense in the series opener with a pair of two-run homers while his teammates combined to go 5-for-35 with 14 strikeouts. Moreland has a home run and a double in seven career at-bats against Tyler Glasnow, who starts Saturday opposite Travis Lakins for the Red Sox.

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

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH Travis Lakins (0-1, 4.58 ERA) vs. Rays RH Tyler Glasnow (6-1, 2.03)

Lakins will be making his second start of the season as he operates as the team's opener for Saturday's contest. The 25-year-old struck out three in two perfect innings against the New York Yankees in his first start Sept. 7. The Red Sox used seven different relievers Friday but none threw more than an inning, so there should be plenty of options after Lakins is done.

Glasnow will be making his third start since returning from a forearm strain that robbed him of nearly four months. He has 10 strikeouts in five innings over the first two outings this month, increasing his workload to 51 pitches last Saturday at the Los Angeles Angels. The 26-year-old faced the Red Sox in back-to-back April starts and gave up four runs in 12 innings with 14 strikeouts.

WALK-OFFS

1. Red Sox RF Mookie Betts (foot) returned from a five-game layoff Friday night and went 0-for-5.

2. Adames is 4-for-9 with two doubles, two RBIs, two runs scored and a walk in the last two games.

3. The road team won 13 of the first 15 games of the season series prior to Tampa Bay's win Friday.

PREDICTION: Rays 6, Red Sox 4