News
Red Sox set for Game 7 rematch with Rays
Boston (62-42) at Tampa Bay (58-48), 7:08 p.m. ET
By Ian Browne / MLB.com
08/02/09 8:57 PM ET
BALTIMORE -- Remember Game 7 of last October's American League Championship Series? The Rays love to cherish that memory. The Red Sox are trying to forget about it.It will be hard not to have flashbacks on Tuesday night under the roof of Tropicana Field, where Jon Lester and Matt Garza will face off in the opener of a two-game series between AL East rivals.
Yes, that was the matchup in Game 7, when Garza pitched one of the best games of his life to stun Lester and the Red Sox.
But this is a new season, as evidenced by the fact that the Red Sox are a half-game behind the Yankees in the division and 5 1/2 games ahead of the Rays.
The Red Sox don't want to give the Rays an opportunity to worm their way back into the thick of the race.
"I think we're going to Tampa on a good note, and I think we deserve to enjoy a nice day off [on Monday], and we have two big series coming up," said third baseman Mike Lowell after his team swept a three-game series in Baltimore.
Not only are the Red Sox winning, they are hitting. The same team that was recently in a slump has scored six runs or more in seven of the past nine games.
And now they've added Victor Martinez to the mix.
"It's good to hit and get back on track," said corner infielder Kevin Youkilis. "I think sometimes [the public] just panics after the All-Star break. This team is going to hit. You're going to go through times when you're not going to hit. It just so happens it was right after the break, and the Yankees were going good. Everything gets weighed by how the Yankees do. The magnification of the Yankees in Red Sox Nation."
Now, though, the focus will be on the Rays. And the Red Sox will try to ride all their momentum into a solid performance against Garza, a man who has baffled them numerous times over the past couple of years.
"I think when guys are hitting better, everyone is happier," said Youkilis.
Though the Sox are a stunning 8-0 against the Yankees this season, they are just 4-6 against the Rays.
"They're a team that doesn't get a lot of credit, still, even after what they did last year," said left fielder Jason Bay. "People keep waiting for them to falter. I think they're a team that, if you take them lightly, they'll definitely bite you, especially them playing at home in that dome. They play very, very well there, especially against us. Good for us that it's just a two-game series, but that's definitely a team that can't be taken lightly."
Pitching matchup
BOS: LHP Jon Lester (9-7, 3.90 ERA)
In his last start, on Thursday against the A's at Fenway, Lester was strong until the sixth inning, when he allowed four runs. He wasn't involved in the decision, as the Sox came back to win, 8-5, led by David Ortiz's three-run homer in the seventh. Lester went 5 2/3 innings, giving up four runs (all earned) on seven hits and three walks, with two strikeouts. The outing snapped a 10-start streak of allowing three earned runs or fewer dating back to May 31. That stretch included eight games of two earned runs or fewer, in which he went 6-2 with a 1.83 ERA. TB: RHP Matt Garza (7-8, 3.69 ERA)
Garza wasn't bad in his last start, against the Yankees on Wednesday, but the pitcher he faced -- Joba Chamberlain -- was just better. Garza allowed three runs on eight hits in seven innings but took the loss and was victimized by zero offensive support, a recurring issue for him this season. To start the series against the Red Sox, though, the Rays would want nobody else: He's already 2-0 with a 1.66 ERA in three starts against them this season. Tidbits
Center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury is working on a stretch of seven multihit games in his past nine contests. ... Lowell has an 11-game hitting streak. ... The Red Sox hope to get right fielder J.D. Drew (left groin strain) back in the lineup. Tickets
Buy tickets now to catch the game in person.
On the Internet
MLB.TV
Gameday Audio• Gameday
• Official game notes On television
• NESN On radio
• WRKO 680, SBN 1150 (Español) Up next
• Wednesday: Red Sox (Brad Penny, 7-5, 5.07) at Rays (David Price, 4-4, 5.10), 7:08 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Red Sox (John Smoltz, 2-4, 7.12) at Yankees (Joba Chamberlain, 7-2, 3.58), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Friday: Red Sox (Josh Beckett, 13-4, 3.27 ERA) at Yankees (TBD), 7:05 p.m. ET
Ian Browne is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
