The Red Sox struck first in the revenge series against the Tampa Bay Rays. The two teams last met during last season's playoffs where the Red Sox took care of the Rays in route to winning the World Series. Tampa Bay was hoping to get a little pay back for the early postseason departure but that failed to go as planned as they fell 7-4 in Game 1. Now back for Game 2 following a rain out, can Tampa Bay at least get one past Boston?
Boston rode high on the arm of John Lackey. The pitcher put together eight solid innings despite the temperatures sitting in the low 40s at Fenway Park. He gave up just six hits and two runs while striking out five in the win. He also had the run support behind him to help. Shane Victorino drove in two runs during a 4 for 4 night. He is currently batting .316 thanks to the quality outing after missing a stretch of games to a hamstring injury.
The Rays continue their slump. Erik Bedard pitched a solid game through five innings, giving up just one run, but the bullpen fell apart in the sixth as the Red Sox got things moving. The Rays are desperate for a win as they take the mound on Thursday afternoon. Cesar Ramos will get the start. He was only brought up due to the injuries hitting the Rays starting lineup. His first game was five innings in a 4-0 win.
The Boston Red Sox will bring in Jake Peavy to get the start. The pitcher is 1-0 on the season with a 2.87 ERA. He was bumped up in the rotation after giving up five hits while recording seven strikeouts in seven innings against Toronto. It was his longest outing of the season and the team is hopeful he can have another deep game in order to rest the bullpen for the double-header.