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Rays-Red Sox Preview

Apr 15, 2010 - 10:46 PM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

Tampa Bay (6-3) at Boston (4-4), 7:10 p.m. EDT

Big efforts by Carlos Pena and B.J. Upton to start the Tampa Bay Rays' 10-game road trip have them excited heading to Boston. That's where neither player fared well in 2009, and where Josh Beckett has enjoyed nothing but success in April.

The Rays will try to hand Beckett his first career April loss at Fenway Park on Friday night in the opener of a four-game series against the Red Sox.

Tampa Bay (6-3) is off to the best start in franchise history, going 3-0 on the road for the first time after sweeping Baltimore to start this trip. Pena was 6 for 13 with two homers and seven RBIs in the series and Upton 5 for 13 with two homers and five RBIs.

"We know that we have Boston on Friday, and we have to bring our best that day," Pena told the Rays' official Web site. "And we know that's all that matters."

The sluggers would like to perform better at Fenway than they did last season as Tampa Bay went 3-6. Pena, who played collegiately at Northeastern in Boston, was 3 for 20 with 10 strikeouts while Upton went 3 for 17 to drop his career average at Fenway to .190 in 25 games.

Upton is one of the few Rays to enjoy some success when facing Beckett (1-0, 6.17 ERA), going 6 for 20. Pena is 3 for 25 with 16 strikeouts against him.

The Red Sox (4-5) have won all 10 of Beckett's home starts in April, with the right-hander going 8-0 with a 4.00 ERA. He's 5-0 with a 2.86 ERA in his last seven starts at Fenway against Tampa Bay.

The right-hander allowed three runs over seven innings in an 8-3 victory at Kansas City on Saturday, bouncing back after giving up five runs over 4 2-3 innings April 4 in a 9-7 home win over the Yankees.

"Sometimes it's a struggle for me in April to remember that it's April," Beckett told MLB's official Web site. "I feel like the results should be there every start. It's just a work in progress for me."

He'll be trying to slow down a lineup that produced 22 runs and 34 hits in Baltimore. Upton homered twice in Wednesday's 9-1 win.

"I think we're going to see a lot of B.J. Upton in the coming weeks and the rest of the year," Pena said. "It's going to be a fun year."

The Red Sox head home with concerns in their outfield after losing two of three at Minnesota, falling 8-0 on Thursday.

Mike Cameron was scratched from the starting lineup Thursday with a lower abdominal strain while fellow outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury missed the entire series due to bruised ribs. It's unclear when either will return.

Manager Terry Francona gave David Ortiz the day off. The slugger is 4 for 26 with 13 strikeouts.

Ortiz should be back in the lineup against Tampa Bay right-hander Wade Davis (0-1, 6.00), who allowed four runs in six innings Saturday in a 10-0 loss to the Yankees.

Davis made his first career road start at Fenway on Sept. 12 and surrendered a career-high eight runs over 2 2-3 innings in a 9-1 loss.