Sunday at Fenway Park the Tampa Bay Rays (4-4) send youngster Matt Moore to the hill, hoping to stop the red-hot bats of the Boston Red Sox (3-5). Boston has outscored Tampa Bay 25-7 in the first two games of the series, including Saturday's 13-5 bludgeoning that saw the Rays surrender 15 hits, including five home runs.
The 22-year-old Moore pitched 6 2/3 innings in his season debut against the Detroit Tigers, allowing four hits and two runs. The bullpen did him no favors though, as the Rays lost 5-2. Called up in September of last year, Moore was stellar down the stretch for Tampa Bay, striking out 15 in 9 1/3 September innings.
He will be opposed on the mound by a fellow young lefthander, Felix Doubront of the Red Sox. On Monday, Dubront held the Toronto Blue Jays to two runs in five innings, striking out six, as Boston earned their first win of the season.
The Rays are attempting to avoid their first four-game losing streak since starting the 2011 campaign 0-6.
For more news and updates from around the league, be sure to drop by Baseball Nation or the Rays blog DRaysBay. For more on the Red Sox visit SB Nation's Red Sox blog Over The Monster. And for a peak at the analysis behind the numbers, head over to Beyond the Box Score.