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Kazmir, Matsuzaka square off in Red Sox-Rays finale

Jul 2, 2008 - 1:28 PM Boston () at Tampa Bay () 7:10 p.m. EDT

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) -- The Tampa Bay Rays will send ace Scott Kazmir to the mound Wednesday in search of a sweep of a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox.

The Rays are proving a little bit more each day that they are no fluke, especially when it comes to pitching. James Shields dominated the Red Sox in the series opener on Monday and Matt Garza proved even better on Tuesday.

Garza yielded just an unearned run in seven inning and Dioner Navarro drove in two for Tampa bay, which beat Boston for the fifth straight time at Tropicana Field to open up a 2 1/2 game lead in the American League East.

After finishing with the worst record in the majors in each of the past two seasons and never topping 70 victories in any of the franchise's first 10 campaigns, the Rays are finally a legitimate contender.

Kazmir (7-3, 2.28 ERA) will try to make it a clean sweep on Wednesday. The 24-year-old lefthander has dominated Boston in the past and is in top form this season, having yet to allow more than three earned runs or six hits in a start.

He faced the Red Sox on May 4 in his first game off the disabled list with elbow trouble and lasted just four innings in a loss, but owns a career 6-6 mark with a 2.82 ERA and 123 strikeouts in 18 starts against the division rivals.

Boston will counter with righthander Daisuke Matsuzaka (9-1, 3.21). The Japanese hurler bounced back nicely from an outing on June 21 in which he was charged with seven runs in one-plus innings, tossing five scoreless frames to pick up a win Friday at Houston.

Matsuzaka has yet to face the Rays this season but made five starts against them in his 2007 rookie campaign, going 1-3 with a 4.09 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 33 total frames.