D-Rays @ Red Sox (7/3, 7/4, 7/5)

[The Rondo Show]

Daisuke Matsuzaka vs. Scott Kazmir @ 7:05 PM EST tonight. I expect the trend of no run support for Dice-K to continue yet again. You need to shut out the Rays or we will likely lose, Mr. Matsuzaka. Kazmir is the Red Sox daddy.

Tim Wakefield vs. Edwin Jackson @ 1:05 PM EST tomorrow. Let's **** this complete bust up.

Josh Beckett vs. JP Howell @ 7:05 PM EST on Thursday. I expect total domination and nothing less.

[Boston's Future]

Daisuke vs. Kazmir is a very intruging matchup. Daisuke better pitch well, because the Sox never score any runs against Kazmir. I'm hoping the Sox can get back on track agains the D-Rays

[Boston's Future]

www.mlb.com- Alex Phillips

Boston (50-31) vs. Tampa Bay (33-48)
Tuesday, 7:05 p.m. ET


Hidden amid the myriad July 3 storylines in Boston is this possibility: that Red Sox fans might be seeing the real Daisuke Matsuzaka come to life.
In eight seasons in Japan's professional baseball league, where he broke in at the age of 18, Matsuzaka registered eight ERAs below 4.00. Before twirling his fifth spectacular start in a row on June 27, Matsuzaka hadn't inhabited such rarified air in the big leagues since April 17.

On Tuesday, when he will face Scott Kazmir's Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Fenway Park, Matsuzaka will boast a 3.80 ERA, 18th-best in the American League. On top of that, he leads the Red Sox in strikeouts and innings.

"I will say that things seem to be getting a little bit better," said Matsuzaka after his last start, which capped a 1.59 month. "My ERA was a concern, and I wanted to make an effort to bring it back into the threes."

Matsuzaka pitched so effectively in June, in fact, that the one limiting factor on his All-Star resume might have been a corresponding freefall in his run support. The Red Sox backed him with exactly five runs in five June starts, two of them Matsuzaka wins.

Nevertheless, he said, "I feel like I pitch better when it's a tighter game, so I can't complain about that."

If history is any indication, Matsuzaka might find himself a bit too comfortable against the Devil Rays.

Tuesday marks the one-year anniversary -- to the day -- that Kazmir, a proven Red Sox killer, last dominated the Boston bats. On July 3, 2006, then 22 years old, the Devil Rays left-hander completed a nine-inning shutout against the Red Sox, allowing two hits and striking out 10.

Kazmir boasts a 2.60 ERA in 65 2/3 innings against Boston.

"He's pitched real well at different times against us," Jason Varitek said. "You've got to have a good approach ready."

Complete coverage >Other wrinkles abound in a matchup between divisional opponents who, incredibly, have not played this year.

Fans will remember Matsuzaka's celebrated first matchup at Fenway Park on April 11, against the Seattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki. On Tuesday, Matsuzaka will deliver his first pitch to the other Japanese leadoff hitter in the big leagues, fellow rookie Akinori Iwamura of Tampa Bay.

Boston's Julio Lugo, on the other hand, will be reprising a role of a different sort: taking the field against the Devil Rays for the first time since he wore their uniform for four months in 2006.

Lugo's contributions for Tampa Bay, and not for the Los Angeles Dodgers, for whom he played sporadically after the 2006 trade deadline, convinced Boston's management to invest $36 million in the shortstop, who has struggled so far this season.

In 289 at-bats for the Devil Rays last year, Lugo batted .308, with a .373 on-base percentage, a .498 slugging percentage and 18 stolen bases. After starting in the leadoff spot on Monday, Lugo might hope he can get back on track against his former team, and Kazmir, his former teammate.

"He's good," Lugo said. "He's going to go out there and bring it."

Pitching matchup

BOS: RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (9-5, 3.80 ERA)
Things are shaping up nicely for Matsuzaka, who dominated the San Francisco Giants in his last start at Fenway Park, allowing just three hits and striking out eight through seven scoreless innings. He has allowed two runs in 14 shutout innings since then. The secret to his success: finding his arm slot on breaking pitches, dialing up his velocity consistently in the 93-94-mph range, and eliminating big innings.

TB: LHP Scott Kazmir (5-4, 4.26 ERA)
In the first half of 2007, Kazmir lost the prestigious title of "Devil Rays ace" to teammate James Shields. But that might not matter against the Red Sox, against whom he has traditionally fired his hardest fastballs and cracked his deadliest sliders. Kazmir started against the Sox four times last year, allowing a total of seven earned runs in 27 innings and striking out 33.

Players to watch
No member of the Red Sox has a record of sustained success against Kazmir. Boston mainstays Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Jason Varitek and Kevin Youkilis, though, are a combined 13-for-83 (.156) against the 23-year-old left-hander with 28 strikeouts. Maybe one of them will break through at Fenway, where Kazmir has had less success than at home.

[craig01]

Boston is seeing the Rays at a bad time for Tampa.

It's been 3 weeks of hell for a team that has lacked either pitching, hitting, and/or defense at the most inopportune times.

8 L's in a row, 18 of the last 22, and lately are finding every which way to lose.

The Rays are at the season's brink, and "if" they are to have a turnaround it would have to begin now. It will be interesting to see how the Rays face up against the "big boys".

Here's hoping for a good series (for the Rays, lol).

[Celtics_Champs]

Good game. Daiske pitched like an ace. Lugo got a big hit.

Man, has Carlos pena really done well in tampa bay. Good for him.

[The Rondo Show]

Nice to see Daisuke no longer having those 1 inning meltdowns in the past month and a half (save the 1st inning vs. SD, in which he limited the damage). I am little upset that the Red Sox babied him and only let him throw about 125 pitches instead of 140, though.

Daisuke's season to date:
10-5
3.53 ERA
1.19 WHIP
9.34 K/9
3.22 K/BB (119 to 37)
.71 HR/9
.233 BAA
.308 BAPIP

I'd also like to congratulate Julio Lugo (2-3, 2 RBI's) for finally hitting something other than his wife. Way to go, Julio.

[Boston's Future]

Well, we should be able to get some wins, because we play something like 20% of our last 81 games against the D-Rays. The offense has woken up, and by suprising people. Its good to see Mirabelli come up clutch for once and drive in runs with two outs. Lowell appears to be back after blasting that two run homer.

[Boston's Future]

Please just give us the link from now on. We don't need the whole thing.

[The Rondo Show]

Nice start to the game for Beckett. K's the side in order; all swinging. I'm still waiting for his first 10 strikeout game as a Red Sox. Pretty sure he doesn't have one.

[GregB]

Coco is the man.

[craig01]

As a DRay's fan.......uh, isn't there a "mercy" rule?

Damn.