Red Sox Try to Gain Ground in East against Rays

The Boston Red Sox have won 6 out of 7 and are gaining momentum in the American League East. They currently are in 4th place as they are now just 2 games behind the defending World Champion New York Yankees and 7.5 behind the Tampa Bay Rays.

Early baseball predictions had the Sox as the second favorite to win the American League title behind the Bombers, but the red hot start of the Rays has change many expert handicapper’s perspectives.

Boston’s pitching had been nothing short of horrible through the first month of the season, but they have come on strong over the last week and a half. The starting rotation is light due to Josh Beckett’s injury. This may be a blessing in disguise for the Sox as Beckett was off to his worst start of his career. Beckett’s 1-1 record isn’t that bad, but his over 7.00 ERA tells the true story.

John Lester takes the ball Tuesday night as the Sox take on the Rays for the 2nd game in a 3 game set. Lester allowed just 1 run in his previous outing to the Minnesota Twins. He looks to be on his game as he takes on the offensively talented Rays. His counterpart Jake Shields holds a 5-1 record with a 3.08 ERA thus far this season. His last 2 outings were impressive as well as he allowed just 3 runs to the Yankees over 7.1 innings, and 2 earned runs to Seattle over 8. He will need to bring his “A” game if he has any chance of taking down the Rays on their home field Tuesday night.

Related posts:

1. Red Sox and Rays Fight in A.L. East Showdown
2. Red Sox & Rays in A.L. East Cellar
3. Rays and Red Sox fight for A.L. Wildcard
4. Red Sox are still alive in A.L. East
5. Lester looks to get Red Sox back on Track

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