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Red Sox try to regroup against Rays

Sep 10, 2011 - 3:10 PM (Sports Network) - In the heat of a playoff push the Boston Red Sox will rest their hopes on youngster Kyle Weiland tonight in the second installment of a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.

The Red Sox are now 5 1/2 games ahead of the Rays for the lead in the American League Wild Card standings after Friday's 7-2 loss and 2 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees for AL East bragging rights. New York lost at Anaheim.

Weiland will get a taste of the fever Saturday and made his major league debut in an 8-6 home win versus Baltimore on July 10, when he was tagged for six runs and eight hits in four innings. He then faced the Orioles nine days later in a 6-2 loss at Camden Yards, where he surrendered just three runs this time in a career-high six innings.

"I thought that was more of a look than the last time," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "I thought that last outing was a little crazy with all the things that happened. It's not an easy thing to do, to come up and pitch in the big leagues, first of all, and right in the middle of a pennant race. I think it's exciting what he can do."

He then tossed two scoreless innings of relief in Tuesday's 14-0 pounding of the Blue Jays and relieved Jon Lester, who hurled seven scoreless frames and struck out 11 batters to set the stage for Weiland, a right-handed product out of Notre Dame.

Tampa Bay will counter with Jeremy Hellickson, who's 12-10 with a 2.90 earned run average in 25 starts this season. Hellickson went the distance for the second time this season and his career in Sunday's 8-1 win over Baltimore in which he allowed one run and four hits.

Hellickson, a righty, ended a personal two-start losing streak and improved to 5-3 in his last eight decisions. He 1-1 in two starts against the Red Sox this season and 1-1 with a 5.14 ERA in three career meetings, two of which have been starts, in this series.

The Rays are counting on Hellickson to keep the winning ways intact Saturday and received an excellent outing from Wade Davis last night. Davis went the distance and allowed two runs and six hits with eight strikeouts and no walks.

"I saw a lot of strike ones. He was getting ahead in the counts, throwing his breaking ball for a strike," Rays manager Joe Maddon said of Davis' second career complete game. "His fastball, he located it well. He was very committed to what he was doing today."

Rays starters have tossed a club-record 15 complete games, most in the American League. John Jaso belted a three-run homer in the second inning for the Rays, who won for the fifth time in six tries and are 5-2 on a nine-game homestand.

Boston is just 2-7 in September and has dropped three in a row. In Friday's loss at the Trop, starting pitcher John Lackey left after three innings because of a left calf bruise and suffered the loss for allowing five runs and five hits with two K's and three walks. Lackey is one of several Boston starters injured at the moment, with Josh Beckett (ankle), Clay Buchholz (back), Daisuke Matsuzaka (elbow) and Erik Bedard (lat) all ailing.

Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis is suffering from a case of bursitis in his left hip.

AL MVP candidate Jacoby Ellsbury and Marco Scutaro were each credited with an RBI on Friday for the Red Sox, who are 1-4 on a seven-game trek through Toronto and Tampa Bay.

"We can't take that team for granted," BoSox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said. "They're a good hitting ball club and they were patient, waiting for their pitches and were able to do something with it."

Tampa Bay has won seven of 12 meetings with Boston this season.