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Rays, Red Sox conclude set in Boston

Sep 25, 2014 - 2:54 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - It's not the way the season series was supposed to end.

Instead of a playoff rematch, the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox will wrap up their 2014 matchup with the finale of an otherwise meaningless three-game series on Thursday night at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox forged a split of the first two games of the series on Wednesday, when they scored 11 runs with seven rookies in the lineup for the first time in 43 years.

"Youth is served," manager John Farrell said. "This is a talented group. We've got the opportunity to give them experience."

Will Middlebrooks, David Ortiz and Mike Napoli were among the missing Boston regulars, though Daniel Nava did play and pushed his hitting streak to nine games.

Meanwhile, for the Rays, Desmond Jennings and Yunel Escobar are gone for the season, and Ryan Hanigan did not play Wednesday either.

The loss assured Tampa Bay a sub-.500 record.

"It's no fun to be in this position," manager Joe Maddon said. "For us, it's not acceptable. We expect to be in the playoffs on an annual basis."

Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson takes the mound Thursday with a chance to end a drought that's seen him go seven starts without a victory while compiling a 0-3 record and a 5.45 earned run average.

He pitched 4 1/3 innings in his last start, a 4-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox in which he allowed seven hits and four runs -- all in the fifth inning.

He's 4-2 with a 3.69 ERA in 13 meetings with the Red Sox and threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings against them on July 26.

Boston starts Allen Webster, who allowed a run and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision on Friday against Baltimore, the first time he's given up fewer than two earned runs in a start that lasted more than three innings.

"I wasn't really locating my offspeed stuff as well as I would have liked," Webster said.

He debuted for 2014 against Tampa Bay in July and met them again in late August, two outings that yielded a 1-1 record and 7.71 ERA in 9 1/3 innings..

On Wednesday, Xander Bogaerts drove in three runs to lead the Red Sox to an 11-3 victory over Tampa Bay.

Nava hit a two-run double and Garin Cecchini homered for Boston.

Anthony Ranaudo (4-3) allowed just two runs on six hits and a walk with two strikeouts over seven innings to earn the win.

Wil Myers and Ben Zobrist each hit RBI doubles and Nick Franklin brought in a run for Tampa Bay, which had starter Jake Odorizzi (11-13) give up five runs on seven hits and three walks over three-plus frames.

Tampa Bay has a slight 10-8 edge against Boston this season.