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Lester tries to stretch BoSox' wild card lead over Rays

Sep 17, 2011 - 3:13 PM (Sports Network) - Josh Beckett eased a lot of minds in Boston on Friday. Jon Lester will try to do the same this afternoon when the Boston Red Sox continue a crucial four-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park.

Boston stretched its wild card lead over the Rays to four games on Friday, as Mike Aviles' solo homer over the Green Monster in the fourth inning proved to be the difference in the Red Sox' much-needed 4-3 win.

David Ortiz knocked in two runs for Boston, which now trails the Yankees by 3 1/2 games for first place in the AL East.

Beckett (13-5), making his first start since September 5th due to an ankle injury, gave up three runs -- two earned -- on seven hits over six innings. He struck out seven and walked one while improving to 9-4 lifetime against Tampa Bay.

Evan Longoria hit a homer and drove in three runs for the Rays, who failed to build off a 9-2 victory in the opener of this series on Thursday.

James Shields (15-11) allowed four runs on seven hits over seven-plus innings to take the loss, his first since August 16th. He struck out four and walked three.

"The guys got me a couple of runs early and I gave it up in the first inning," Shields said. "My off-speed pitches weren't doing too well."

Today, for the Red Sox it will be Lester, who struggled mightily against the Rays on Sunday, as he lasted just four innings and allowed four runs and eight hits. He fell to 15-7 on the year with the loss and saw his earned run average jump to 3.07.

"I didn't have anything today," Lester said. "It's just one of those days. I had no command of one pitch. I didn't have a pitch that could get me back in the count. I picked the wrong time to have one of these."

Lester is 10-5 lifetime against the Rays with a 3.83 ERA in 19 starts.

Tampa will counter with righty Jeff Niemann, who is 10-7 with a 3.97 ERA. Niemann beat the Baltimore Orioles on Monday, holding them to a pair of runs and six hits in 7 2/3 innings.

"I was able to make that adjustment out there," said Niemann. "That was the biggest thing I was lacking in the previous few games. I'm pretty excited about that and happy the way things turned out."

Niemann beat the Red Sox with a complete-game effort back on August 16 and is 3-2 in six starts against them with a 3.89 ERA.

Tampa has won 10 of its 16 matchups with the Red Sox this season and is 5-2 at Fenway, where it won six of nine a year ago.