Skidding Red Sox Turn to John Lackey in Opener With Mariners

Oakland didn’t go so well. Maybe a visit to lowly Seattle will provide the Red Sox the opportunity they need to get things going.

Coming off their 10th loss in 14 games, the Sox open a four-game series in Safeco Field on Thursday night.

The slide has dropped Boston seven games behind the first-place New York Yankees in the American League East and 4 1/2 behind the wild card-leading Tampa Bay Rays.

In order to stem the tide, the Sox will turn to John Lackey, who is coming off a strong start in Fenway Park over the weekend.

WHEN AND WHERE

HEAD TO HEAD

PITCHING MATCHUP

Lackey insisted he was looking forward to the second half of the season after limping into the All-Star break with a rough start in Toronto. His excitement showed in an excellent outing vs. Texas on Saturday. The righty allowed two runs on seven hits in seven innings to match Rangers ace Cliff Lee. Boston rallied late against Lee and won in extra innings.

Lackey is 12-9 with a 3.89 ERA lifetime vs. Seattle.

Rowland-Smith is one of several Mariners who have disappointed this year. Expected to be a critical component to a quality rotation, he has struggled mightily.

A native of Australia, Rowland-Smith has walked 37 while striking out 34 this year. He has a 2.70 ERA in seven relief outings against Boston.

LINEUPS

STAT SHEET

• Third baseman Adrian Beltre was 8-for-13 with two home runs in the Oakland series.
• Designated hitter David Ortiz is 3-for-25 (.120) with 10 strikeouts since the All-Star break.
• The Sox have scored four runs or less in eight straight games.

Mariners

• Ichiro Suzuki leads the M’s with a .314 batting average and 122 hits — good for third most in the MLB.
• Franklin Gutierrez and Milton Bradley are tied for the team lead in homers with eight each.
• Jose Lopez leads the club with 39 RBIs.

BLACK AND BLUE

• Second baseman Dustin Pedroia had a CT scan Friday that showed his broken left foot healing well. He was able to get rid of his crutches and put weight on the foot but has to keep a boot on it through the road trip, at least.
• Right-hander Josh Beckett (back) threw an extended side session Tuesday. He will return to the rotation and start Friday.
• Catcher Jason Varitek also had a CT scan on his broken left foot Friday. He is a couple of weeks behind Pedroia in terms of his recovery and remains on crutches.
• Catcher Victor Martinez played catch Sunday for the first time since breaking his left thumb last month, but still felt pain. He is hitting from both sides of the plate. There is no specific timetable for his return.
• Outfielder Jeremy Hermida (broken rib) is expected to be activated Thursday.
• Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury is in Florida continuing to rehab from a broken rib with the club’s Gulf Coast League affiliate.
• Mike Lowell got a cortisone shot in his right hip Monday and is expected to begin a rehab assignment at Pawtucket on Thursday.
• Righty Junichi Tazawa underwent Tommy John surgery in March. He is out for the year.

Mariners

• First baseman Russell Branyan has been bothered by a sore left foot and a stiff back.
• Left-hander Erik Bedard remains sidelined following shoulder surgery last August. He was slated to return in early July but has still felt some discomfort and may not return until next month.
• Designated hitter Mike Sweeney is on the DL with back spasms. He may return soon.

OUTLOOK

The Sox sure could use it.

As for Rowland-Smith, he is the easiest target of the series for Boston. This is the one the Red Sox need.