Jon Lester and James Shields will take the hill in the opener, with first pitch expected just after 1 p.m. ET. David Ortiz, was supposed to be batting fifth on Tuesday, has had much success against Shields in his career, sporting a .333 batting average with three homers, eight doubles and 13 RBIs in 29 at-bats. Big Papi, however, was a late scratch due to illness.

Dustin Pedroia, batting second and playing second, has a .351 average in 37 career at-bats against Shields. In seven at-bats against Shields this season, leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury has a .429 BA (3-for-7) and a solo shot against the righty.

Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
Jed Lowrie, DH
Carl Crawford, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Josh Reddick, RF
Mike Aviles, SS

Rays
Desmond Jennings, LF
Sam Fuld, RF
Evan Longoria 3B
Ben Zobrist DH
B.J. Upton, CF
Casey Kotchman, 1B
Sean Rodriguez, 2B
Kelly Shoppach, C
Elliot Johnson, SS

Carl Crawford

The All-Star left fielder will have the chance to reconnect with old friends when he leads the Red Sox into a matchup with the Rays on Thursday afternoon.

"It's gonna be weird just standing on the other side, facing one of the guys you got ready before games with all the time and just being in a Red Sox uniform," Crawford said. "I've got to get used to it. I'm glad I'm getting used to it in spring training."

Crawford is Tampa Bay's all-time leader in games played, runs, hits, total bases, doubles, triples, RBIs and stolen bases. He is also the franchise leader in batting average with a .296 career mark with the Rays.

Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon is looking forward to seeing his former left fielder and thanking him for his service.

"I have not had the chance to congratulate him in person on his new contract," Maddon told MLB.com. "We did the texting thing a little bit and he responded. [But] I have not had the chance to in person tell him how much I appreciate what he had done for us."

When and where

Red Sox vs. Rays
1:05 p.m.
Charlotte Sports Park, Port Charlotte, Fla.

Pitching matchup

RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (0-1, 10.80 ERA) vs. RHP Andy Sonnanstine (0-2, 20.25)

The two righties have combined to give up 18 runs on 17 hits (seven home runs) in nine innings so far this spring.

Lineups

Did you know?

The Rays outscored the Red Sox 50-31 in going 5-0-1 against during spring training last year.

Boston has won six of its last seven after taking the series opener Monday by a 6-1 margin. Clay Buchholz allowed a run in six innings and Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz both stayed hot with home runs.

Cameron is expected to be activated from the disabled list prior to the game. He was put on the DL on April 20. The club will hold its breath on starting catcher Victor Martinez, who left Monday's game after taking a foul ball off his left foot.

Lester will be looking to win his fifth straight opposite Rays righty James Shields.

WHEN AND WHERE

Red Sox (25-21) vs. Rays (32-13)
Tuesday, May 25, 7:10 p.m.
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida

HEAD TO HEAD

Since suffering through a 2-12 stretch at the Trop, Boston has won three of its last four at Tampa Bay.

PITCHING MATCHUP

LHP Jon Lester (4-2, 3.47 ERA) vs. RHP James Shields (5-1, 3.08 ERA)

In a series featuring some nice pitching matchups, this is the most appealing.

Lester is flashing the Cy Young form many predicted for him when the season began, going 4-0 with a 1.65 ERA in his last six starts.

In his 100th career start Thursday at home, he recorded his fifth career complete game to defeat the Minnesota Twins. At 46-18 (.719) in his career, Lester has the ninth-highest winning percentage ever through a pitcher's first 100 starts.

Lester is 6-3 with a 4.50 ERA against Tampa Bay.

Shields got the win against Boston at Fenway Park back on April 17, giving up four runs in 6 2/3 innings. The 28-year-old righty has a remarkable 66-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio, fanning 45 men in just 36 1/3 innings over his last five starts.

LINEUPS

STAT SHEET

Red Sox

• First baseman Kevin Youkilis leads the majors with 36 walks.
• The Sox are 15-4 in the last 19 starts made by Clay Buchholz.
• Third baseman Adrian Beltre has multiple hits in five of his last six games.

Rays

• First baseman Carlos Pena homered Monday while starting in the seventh spot in the lineup for the first time since 2007.
• Tampa Bay did not have a stolen base against Boston on Monday. It entered with 43 steals in the last 23 meetings between the teams.
• Rays reliever Joaquin Benoit has struck out the last nine batters he has faced over the course of three appearances. Former Red Sox reliever Eric Gagne holds the record over multiple games with 10, accomplished in four games in May 2003.

BLACK AND BLUE

Red Sox

• Cameron is expected to be activated from the disabled list Tuesday. He has not played since April 18 due to an abdominal strain.
• Victor Martinez suffered a contusion on his left big toe in the second inning Tuesday. He was replaced by Jason Varitek. X-rays were negative.
• Right-hander Josh Beckett, on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back strain, threw lightly Friday and was expected to throw from 120 feet Sunday. He is expected to throw a side session soon.
• Righty Boof Bonser had a start Saturday night suspended after one inning due to rain.
• Infielder Jed Lowrie, out since mid-March with mono, may meet up with the team in Tampa this week and discuss his recovery with the medical staff.

Rays

• Lefty reliever J.P. Howell had season-ending surgery on his left shoulder last week.
• Catcher Kelly Shoppach remains on the DL following surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.
• Outfielder Matt Joyce recently began a minor league rehab assignment as he works his way back from a right elbow strain.

OUTLOOK

The Sox have to be feeling good about themselves. Not only have they been winning the bulk of their games against very good competition, but they are slowly returning to health (provided the Martinez injury is not serious) and continue to get quality starting pitching.

The last six starts have resulted in a 5-1 record and a 1.64 ERA for the rotation. With Lester on the mound Tuesday, the club can continue that streak and perhaps crawl a bit closer in a tightening American League East race.

If the Red Sox are ever going to have anything to say about it, this series in Florida is a good place to start.

The Sox, fresh off another series win in Philadelphia, throw Clay Buchholz at the Rays in the opener of three straight at Tropicana Field on Monday.

Tampa Bay owns an 8 1/2-game lead on the fourth-place Sox and already took four straight from the Sox in Fenway Park over Patriots’ Day weekend.

But Boston has gone 20-12 since then to at least stay afloat in the division race, and may finally be getting its rotation to perform on a consistent basis.

Daisuke Matsuzaka and Tim Wakefield both threw eight scoreless innings in wins over the Phillies this weekend.

WHEN AND WHERE

Red Sox (24-21) vs. Rays (32-12)
Monday, May 24, 7:10 p.m. (NESN)
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.

HEAD TO HEAD

The Rays swept four straight from the Sox in their first meeting this season at Fenway Park.

PITCHING MATCHUP

RHP Clay Buchholz (5-3, 3.26 ERA) vs. RHP Wade Davis (4-3, 3.35 ERA)

Buchholz has won four of his last five starts and is coming off perhaps his best start of the season. In a 3-2 win over Minnesota last Wednesday, he allowed two runs in eight-plus innings, striking out seven and walking one.

The Sox are 14-4 in Buchholz’s last 18 starts. He is 3-0 on the road this year and 2-2 with a 2.01 ERA in his career against Tampa Bay.

Davis is beginning to fulfill the potential the Rays saw in him when they took him in the third round of the 2004 draft, although he has been slightly more hittable of late. After opening the season 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA, the 24-year-old is 1-2 with a 4.32 mark in the span of three starts.

Davis has been reached for nine runs on eight hits and eight walks in 7 2/3 innings against Boston.

LINEUPS

STAT SHEET

Red Sox

• Second baseman Dustin Pedroia is hitless in his last 20 at-bats.
• Wakefield had gone 13 appearances (nine starts) between wins before Sunday’s victory, his first since July 8, 2009.
• First baseman Kevin Youkilis has reached safely in 22 games in which he has had a plate appearance. He is hitting .358 (24-for-67) with five home runs and 14 RBIs in that span.

Rays

• Catcher John Jaso is 6-for-10 with a home run and six RBIs in his last three games.
• Closer Rafael Soriano is 1-0 with eight saves and has not allowed a run in 10 1/3 innings this month.
• Tampa Bay had 15 hits and struck out 12 times in Sunday’s 10-6 win over Houston.

BLACK AND BLUE

Red Sox

• Right-hander Josh Beckett, on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back strain, threw lightly Friday and was expected to throw from 120 feet Sunday. He is expected to throw a side session soon.
• Center fielder Mike Cameron, out since April 18 with an abdominal strain, hit a walk-off home run Sunday for Portland. There is a chance he could join the team in Tampa.
• Righty Boof Bonser had a start Saturday night suspended after one inning due to rain.
• Infielder Jed Lowrie, out since mid-March with mono, may meet up with the team in Tampa this week and discuss his recovery with the medical staff.

Rays

• Lefty reliever J.P. Howell had season-ending surgery on his left shoulder last week.
• Catcher Kelly Shoppach remains on the DL following surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.
• Outfielder Matt Joyce recently began a minor league rehab assignment as he works his way back from a right elbow strain.

OUTLOOK

Dustin Pedroia hinted after Sunday’s win in Philadelphia that this is a different Red Sox team than the one that looked completely overmatched against the Rays last month.

Tampa Bay outscored Boston 24-9 in a four-game sweep in Fenway. Now is time for payback and, perhaps, a last-ditch chance to crawl back into the division race.

Losers of four straight and eight of 11, the Red Sox will host the Rays in the finale of a four-game set on Marathon Monday.

Tampa Bay’s 7-1 win Sunday gave Boston four straight losses by a combined score of 24-7. The Sox have committed seven errors in that span.

One of the few constants on the season for the Sox has been right-hander John Lackey. He will be opposite Jeff Niemann in the holiday tilt.

WHEN AND WHERE

Rays (9-3) vs. Red Sox (4-8)
Monday, April 18, 11 a.m. (NESN)
Fenway Park, Boston, Mass.

HEAD TO HEAD

Including the 2008 postseason, the Rays are 19-11 against the Sox since June 30, 2008.

PITCHING MATCHUP

RHP Jeff Niemann (0-0, 3.24 ERA) vs. RHP John Lackey (1-0, 1.42 ERA)

Lackey has been the Red Sox’ best pitcher since the start of spring training. They may need him now more than ever.

The burly right-hander has owned the Rays, going 9-2 with a 3.07 ERA in 12 career starts.

Niemann saw his 2010 debut cut short when he was struck by a line drive. He rebounded to allow just three runs in seven innings of an 8-6 win over Baltimore five days later.

LINEUPS

STAT SHEET

Red Sox

• Boston is off to its worst 12-game start since it went 2-10 in 1996.
• Jon Lester recorded his 500th strikeout Sunday, becoming the fastest left-hander ever to reach the milestone for the Sox.
• Adrian Beltre doubled Sunday to join Vladimir Guerrero as the only active players with at least 175 doubles and 100 home runs in both leagues.

Rays

• Carl Crawford has stolen 30 straight bases against Boston without being caught.
• Including the 2008 postseason, Matt Garza is 8-2 with a 2.71 ERA in 15 career starts against the Sox.
• Carlos Pena has five home runs against Lester, the most he has against any pitcher.

BLACK AND BLUE

Red Sox

• Jacoby Ellsbury took some swings and threw the ball Saturday afternoon. Both he and manager Terry Francona said he could return from a bruised rib by the middle of the week.
• Boof Bonser‘s shoulder stiffness was nothing more than that. He will be sent back to Pawtucket once the stiffness subsides.
• As of Friday there had been no progress made by Jed Lowrie, on the 60-day disabled list with mononucleosis.

Rays

• Catcher Kelly Shoppach is on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 11 with a sprained right knee. He was sent to Florida for more tests and manager Joe Maddon said there is a chance he could be on the shelf a little longer.
• Outfielder Matt Joyce had a setback on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Durham. He is on the DL with a right elbow strain but is also heading to Florida to seek treatment.

OUTLOOK

The weather should be better and a festive atmosphere will envelop Fenway, as it always does on Patriots’ Day. Another showing like the one the Sox have put forth the past few days would put a big damper on things.

The pressure falls on Lackey, who is no stranger to pitching in big games. Then again, just the fact that this can be called a big game says something about the state of the Sox.

Josh Beckett

Beckett suffered through an illness earlier this spring, but he was dominant in his last outing. He may get scaled back just a tad on his pitch count.

The Sox are coming off an 11-4 win over Minnesota. The victory, Boston's fourth in five games, clinched the Mayor's Cup for the fourth straight season.

WHEN AND WHERE

7:05 p.m. ET, March 29, 2010
City of Palms Park, Fort Myers, Fla.

RECORDS

Rays (16-8)
Red Sox (13-13)

HEAD TO HEAD

Let's hope this is not a precursor of things to come. The Rays have dominated the Sox this spring, winning all four meetings while scoring an average of eight runs per game.

The clubs have a sixth and final meeting Tuesday in Port Charlotte.

LINEUPS

Red Sox
Marco Scutaro, SS
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
J.D. Drew, RF
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Lowell, 3B
Jason Varitek, C
Mike Cameron, CF
Bill Hall, LF

Rays
Jason Bartlett, SS
Carl Crawford, LF
Evan Longoria, 3B
B.J. Upton, CF
Willy Aybar, DH
Pat Burrell, RF
Hank Blalock, 1B
Sean Rodriguez, 2B
Nevin Ashley, C

PITCHING MATCHUP

RHP Jeff Niemann (2-0, 3.26 ERA) vs. RHP Josh Beckett (1-0, 4.05 ERA)

Beckett looked as if he was in regular-season form in his last outing, a 6-4 win over Pittsburgh. He allowed just one run on three hits in five innings while striking out nine.

Niemann, coming off a breakout 13-6 season, has struck out 18 and walked just two in 19 1/3 innings this spring.

STAT SHEET

Red Sox
Tug Hulett's three-run homer Sunday gives him a team-high 13 RBIs.

Jonathan Papelbon has allowed seven runs — five earned — in 9 2/3 innings.

Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez and Kevin Youkilis combined to go 11-for-13 on Sunday.

Rays
Second baseman Sean Rodriguez is batting .420 with six home runs and 15 RBI.

Carlos Pena is just 5-for-39 (.128) with 12 strikeouts.

Heralded lefty David Price has allowed 22 hits in just 12 2/3 innings.

BLACK AND BLUE

Red Sox
Mike Lowell took infield practice Sunday and could return to action either Monday or Tuesday.

Jeremy Hermida remains at least a day away from returning from a tight right hamstring.

Rays
Catcher Dioner Navarro is due to return soon from a bruised left shin.

Reliever J.P. Howell has yet to resume throwing. He is dealing with shoulder weakness.

OVERHEARD

"The Mayor's Cup will do funny things to you."
–Red Sox manager Terry Francona on Papelbon, who threw a pickoff attempt down the right-field line Sunday when nobody was covering first base.

PRESS BOX

Red Sox
How will Doug Mientkiewicz be remembered?

Lowell wanted to challenge Adrian Beltre.

Rays
The Rays shuffle around heart of their order.

Will a high-tech approach lift the Rays back to the top of the AL East?

MLB
Proposed "Cubs tax" is a dead issue.

Some Phillies fans are catching Sox supporters in terms of enthusiasm.

OUTLOOK

The Rays have crushed Red Sox pitching this spring, and much of it has happened with regulars facing regulars. Beckett would love to put an end to that, but at the same time will not want to show Tampa Bay too much; the teams meet for four games in just three weeks.