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Red Sox host Rays in potential pitcher's duel

Apr 12, 2011 - 3:06 PM (Sports Network) - A terrific pitching matchup will be on tap at Fenway Park this evening when Jon Lester and the Boston Red Sox continue their three-game series against David Price and the Tampa Bay Rays.

After an ineffective outing on Opening Day, Lester was brilliant against the Cleveland Indians on Thursday, as he scattered three hits and struck out nine over seven scoreless innings. However, he didn't get a decision in his team's 1-0 loss that day.

Lester, who gave up five runs in 5 1/3 innings and received a no-decision in his first start, has pitched pretty well against the Rays in his career, going 9-3 with a 3.80 ERA in 16 starts.

Price, meanwhile, is also looking for his first win after dropping starts to Baltimore and Chicago to open the year. A 19-game winner a year ago, Price was defeated by the White Sox on Thursday, as he allowed three runs and nine hits in six innings.

"I haven't thrown that bad. There could have been some stuff that went my way. And I had a lot better outings," Price said. "But that's part of baseball. That's part of life. That's something you have to roll with. But I feel good with where I'm at right now with all my pitches. Hopefully we can get some good momentum on our side and get going."

Dating back to the 2010 postseason, the 25-year-old left-hander has gone four starts without a win

"Yeah, that does bother me," Price said of the four-game losing streak. "You never want to lose. Especially four starts in a row. I've had four straight starts when I got a decision and it was a loss. That's where I feel like I've just got beat. It's on me and it's something you never want to lose two in a row. ... I want to stop it at four."

While the starting pitching will take center stage this evening, that certainly wasn't the case in Monday's opener, especially in the case of Red Sox right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Tampa hammered the Japanese hurler, as Sam Fuld was a single shy of the cycle and knocked in three runs on four hits, helping the Rays crush Boston, 16-5.

Johnny Damon, Ben Zobrist and B.J. Upton all had three hits for Tampa Bay, which banged out a season-high 20 hits and snapped a two-game losing streak. Damon, John Jaso and Reid Brignac finished with three RBI apiece.

Rays starter Jeremy Hellickson (1-1) did a solid job in 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and five walks.

Adrian Gonzalez and David Ortiz each had a rare triple while Jacoby Ellsbury belted a solo shot for the Red Sox, who were coming off a series win over the rival Yankees.

Matsuzaka (0-2) allowed seven runs on eight hits in just two innings. The Red Sox then used three more pitchers, who combined to allow nine more runs, to finish out the game.

Carl Crawford went 2-for-5 with ground-rule double in his first game against his former team. The outfielder left the Rays as a free agent this offseason, signing a seven-year, $142 million deal with the Red Sox.

Needing just a single in the ninth to complete the cycle, Fuld hit a line shot down the left-field line for a standup double instead of pulling up for the rare feat.

"I don't get too many chances to get extra-base hits so I'm going to take them when I can," Fuld said of his final double. "It was a sure double and there's no chance I was going to stop."

Tampa won 11 of 18 from the Red Sox last season, including six of the nine matchups at Fenway.