Red Sox travel to Tampa for pivotal series against AL-leading Rays
The Boston Red Sox open a three-game road series against the Tampa Bay Rays, who have already clinched a playoff berth and are riding a six-game winning streak, while Boston tries to protect its wild-card position with nine games left in the regular season.
Setting the stage
The Boston Red Sox (83-70) begin a three-game series at Tropicana Field against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, in what shapes up as one of the biggest tests of their final stretch. Boston avoided being swept in Texas by beating the Rangers 4-3 on Thursday, with Trevor Story hitting a three-run home run off closer Jacob Latz in the eighth inning to erase a 3-1 deficit. In the game before that, according to Yahoo/AP, the Rangers had beaten the Red Sox 7-3 behind a tiebreaking double from Brandon Nimmo and a two-run single from Ezequiel Duran. During Thursday's win, Red Sox catcher Willson Contreras was hit on the right hand by a pitch from Jakob Junis and left the game with a bruise.
Rays peaking at the right time
Tampa Bay enters the weekend at 93-59, having already clinched a postseason spot and holding the best record in the American League. The Rays have won six straight games, including a 10-1 rout of the Athletics on Thursday. At home, Tampa Bay is 53-25 at Tropicana Field this season and has outscored opponents by 80 runs overall. Boston, by contrast, is 45-33 on the road, meaning the home-field edge belongs to the Rays this weekend.
What's at stake for Boston
The Red Sox hold a five-game lead in the wild-card standings with nine regular-season games remaining. Boston has gone just 5-5 over its last 10 games, a reminder of how quickly things can tighten in September. This series is no longer about catching Tampa Bay in the AL East — it's about Boston securing its own place in October.
Pitching matchups
Friday's opener is an all-lefty duel: Ranger Suárez (7-4, 3.33 ERA, 130 strikeouts) starts for Boston against Ian Seymour (9-6, 4.27 ERA, 150 strikeouts) for Tampa Bay, first pitch at 7:10 p.m. ET. Saturday features Rays starter Freddy Peralta (9-11, 4.67 ERA, 146 strikeouts); Boston has not yet named a starter, with first pitch at 4:10 p.m. ET. Sunday's finale has Tampa Bay's Griffin Jax (7-10, 3.80 ERA, 110 strikeouts) on the mound; Boston's starter also remains unannounced, with first pitch at 1:40 p.m. ET.
