NESN

Red Sox Open Road Trip With Three-Game Series Against Rays

The Red Sox start their final road trip before the All-Star break as they head to Tampa Bay to open a three-game series with the division-rival Rays.

The Sox are looking to rebound from Sunday's 6-1 loss to the Orioles. O's lefty Brian Matusz shut down the Red Sox bats that have been so successful all year long, so they'll be looking to bounce back.

The Red Sox and Rays split a short two-game series last week in Boston.

Daisuke Matsuzaka looks to get revenge after losing his last start to the Rays on June 30.

WHEN AND WHERE

Red Sox(49-33) at Rays (48-33)
Monday, July 5, 7:10 p.m.
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.

HEAD TO HEAD

The Rays hold a 5-4 advantage in the nine meetings between the two clubs this year.

PITCHING MATCHUP

RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (5-3 4.50 ERA) vs. RHP Matt Garza (9-5, 4.08 ERA)

Matsuzaka turned in the type of game you've come to expect from him in his last outing against the Rays. The righty battled some control problems, walking four over six innings of work in that start, and took the loss despite only giving up three earned runs in six innings of work. He's 1-1 in his last three starts, posting a 2.37 ERA in that span.

Garza has won his last two starts, bouncing back nicely from a horrendous start on June 18, when he gave up seven runs without making it out of the second inning against the Marlins. He picked up the win against the Red Sox on June 30, going seven innings and giving up three earned runs.

LINEUPS

STAT SHEET

Red Sox

• Red Sox manager Terry Francona is one win shy of 900 for his career, a mark that only eight active managers have reached.
• The Red Sox have a 13-4 record in games in which Daniel Nava has appeared.
• The Sox have won or split six of their last seven series.

Rays

• The Rays are 16-21 since May 23.
• Jason Bartlett is hitting .186 (26-for-140) since May 30.
• James Shields picked up the win on Sunday, but he has allowed 13 earned runs in his last three starts.

BLACK AND BLUE

Red Sox

• Jason Varitek (foot) and Manny Delcarmen (forearm) were placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday.
• Second baseman Dustin Pedroia was placed on the 15-day
  disabled list last Saturday with a fracture in his left foot. He
  suffered the injury when he fouled a ball off his foot the day before.
  He will not put any weight on the foot for 2-3 weeks before being
  re-examined.
• Catcher Victor Martinez was put on the DL on Tuesday with a
  minimally displaced fracture on the tip of his left thumb, suffered
  after taking two foul balls off the thumb during last Sunday's game in
  San Francisco.
• Clay Buchholz suffered a left hamstring strain running the
  bases last Saturday in San Francisco. Manager Terry Francona announced on Sunday that Buchholz will probably have to make a trip to the DL, despite earlier optimism that he wouldn't have to.
• Outfielder Jeremy Hermida was placed on the DL on June 11 after an MRI revealed five fractured ribs, the result of a collision with third baseman Adrian Beltre one week earlier. Hermida is swinging and doing outfield and base running drills.
• An MRI conducted June 9 revealed a new fracture in outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury's
  ribs. Ellsbury, who was placed on the DL on May 28 for the second time
  this year, has been at the Athletes' Performance center in Arizona for
  three weeks but has yet to resume baseball activities.
• Josh Beckett is expected to begin a rehab assignment soon as he works his way back from a lower back strain.
• Infielder Jed Lowrie remains on the DL after coming down
  with mononucleosis during spring training. He is playing in extended
  spring training games.
• Righty Junichi Tazawa underwent Tommy John surgery in March. He is out for the year.

Rays

• Reliever J.P. Howell is out for the season after left shoulder surgery.

OUTLOOK

The Red Sox head into St. Pete looking to distance themselves from the Rays who are currently a half-game behind the Red Sox. After three with the Rays, the Sox will head to Toronto to finish out the first half of the season.

Boston will be looking to get the offense going again after being held down by Matusz and the Orioles on Sunday. The Sox will look to have the same kind of success they had last time in Tampa Bay when they swept the Rays in a three-game series May 24-26.