Red Sox at Rays
Boston Red Sox right-hander Rick Porcello already has seen more of the Tampa Bay Rays in less than two months than most pitchers do of one opponent in a season. Porcello will make his 11th start of the year -- and fourth against the Rays -- when the American League East-leading Red Sox go for a three-game sweep at Tampa Bay on Thursday.
Porcello is 2-0 with a 3.10 ERA this year versus the Rays after making six starts against them in each of the past two seasons, going 2-4 last campaign while posting a 5-0 record during his Cy Young Award-winning campaign in 2016. Xander Bogaerts doubled in the go-ahead run during a three-run ninth inning on Wednesday as Boston ran its winning streak to four games and improved to a major league-best 34-15. After capturing six in a row to climb back to the .500 mark, Tampa Bay has scored a total of five runs while dropping three straight. Blake Snell will make his third start against Boston in 2018 for the Rays, who have lost nine of 12 in the season series and five of six at Tropicana Park.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, NESN (Boston), FS Sun (Tampa Bay)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH Rick Porcello (6-1, 3.39 ERA) vs. Rays LH Blake Snell (5-3, 3.07)
Porcello opened the season with back-to-back wins over Tampa Bay, allowing one run over 5 1/3 innings at Tropicana Park on March 31 and yielding three in 7 1/3 frames at home on April 7. The 29-year-old sinkerballer worked a season-high 7 2/3 innings against the Rays on April 29, giving up three runs in a no-decision. Denard Span is 17-for-46 and Brad Miller 13-for-46 with five homers and six doubles versus Porcello.
Snell rebounded from his worst start of the season with a strong effort at the Los Angeles Angels on Friday, striking out eight in 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball. It marked the seventh time in eight turns he has permitted fewer than three runs, including a 7 1/3-inning outing at Boston on April 27 in which he gave up two. Snell is 2-1 with a 1.07 ERA in four home starts, one of which was a 5 2/3 scoreless-inning performance against the Red Sox on March 30.
WALK-OFFS
1. Red Sox RHP Craig Kimbrel has notched a save in each of the first two games of the series to boost his season total to 15.
2. Rays 1B C.J. Cron recorded an RBI double Wednesday but is 2-for-20 with 10 strikeouts in his last five contests.
3. Boston had its streak of 13 straight games with at least one homer snapped in Wednesday's win.