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Rays-Red Sox Preview

Apr 18, 2010 - 5:52 AM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

Tampa Bay (7-3) at Boston (4-6), 1:35 p.m. EDT

With back-to-back dominating performances against one AL East opponent, Matt Garza is ready to show that kind of effort extends to other teams in the division.

Coming off two wins in one night, the Tampa Bay Rays turn to Garza when they continue a four-game series against the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.

The streaking Rays (8-3) recorded two victories against the Red Sox on Saturday, finishing Friday's suspended game with a 3-1 win in 12 innings, then holding on for a 6-5 win in the originally scheduled contest.

Pat Burrell hit a two-run homer in 12th in the first game, which had been halted with the score tied after 8 1/2 innings because of rain.

In the second game, Tampa Bay led 6-1 before James Shields ran into trouble in the seventh. After serving up a two-run homer to Dustin Pedroia, Shields was pulled when Victor Martinez singled. Andy Sonnanstine gave up another two-run homer as Boston drew within one, but managed only one hit the next two innings.

Burrell, who drove in three runs with a double in that game, is hitting only .212.

"It's great. It's going to mean a lot for his confidence," Rays manager Joe Maddon said.

Tampa Bay will try to win six straight for the first time since a seven-game winning streak June 24-30 when they hand the ball to Garza (2-0, 1.13 ERA).

The right-hander is coming off two dominating performances against the Orioles to start the season in which he pitched a combined 16 innings while giving up two earned runs and striking out 14. Garza allowed six hits in a 5-1 win on Monday.

"I think if you ask any hitter, he's one of the best pitchers in the league," Baltimore's Ty Wigginton told the Rays' official website. "He's got a lot of movement, he throws hard and he's got good off-speed stuff."

Garza said the key to keeping up his good start will be reducing the number of walks. He has five over the first two starts after finishing 14th in the majors last season with 3.50 walks per nine innings.

Garza is 5-2 with a 3.23 ERA in 12 career starts against the Red Sox. He was 2-1 with a 2.74 ERA in six starts versus them last season, totaling 11 walks in 42 2-3 innings.

Boston (4-7) is off to its worst 11-game start since going 2-9 in 1996, and will try to snap its three-game losing streak when it goes with Jon Lester (0-1, 7.20), who is struggling early again.

Lester has lasted five innings in each of his first two starts. He gave up four runs and nine hits in a 5-2 loss to Minnesota on Monday.

Over his career, Lester is 2-4 with a 4.88 ERA in 13 April starts.

"I sat here last year and said it's going to get better eventually and I still believe that," he said. "I don't think it has anything to do with the month, or the time of the year or anything. It's about executing pitches, and I wasn't able to do that today."

Lester has pitched well against the Rays, going 6-2 with a 4.00 ERA over 12 career outings.