(My Sportsbook) - The Boston Red Sox will try to send the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to their eighth straight loss tonight, as the two teams resume a three- game series at Tropicana Field.

On Friday, Tim Wakefield allowed one run over six innings and Kevin Youkilis hit a three-run homer as Boston picked up a 7-1 win. Coco Crisp drove in two runs and Manny Ramirez had two hits for the Red Sox, who have won seven of eight.

Wakefield (12-9) surrendered six hits and three walks with seven strikeouts.

Tampa Bay starter Jason Hammel (1-1) went 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on just one hit and two walks while striking out four.

Akinori Iwamura and BJ Upton had two hits apiece and Dioner Navarro also had two hits with an RBI for the Devil Rays, who have lost seven in a row and 24 of 29.

Tampa Bay will try to end their losing ways by sending James Shields to the hill tonight. The right-hander, however, has struggled greatly of late, going 2-6 with a 7.26 ERA in eight outings since June 15th. On Sunday, Shields put forth the worst effort of his career, yielding 10 earned runs and 10 hits in just 3 1/3 innings of a 21-4 loss to the New York Yankees.

In two career starts versus Boston, Shields is 0-1 with a 6.10 ERA.

Getting the call for the Red Sox will be Jon Lester, who is set to make his second start since returning from a fight with cancer. In his debut on Monday, the young left-hander allowed just two earned runs and five hits over six strong innings of a 6-2 win over the Cleveland Indians. He struck out six and walked three in the triumph.

Lester, who went 7-2 with a 4.76 ERA in 15 starts for the Red Sox last season, has never faced Tampa Bay in his brief career.

While Boston has dominated Tampa Bay at home in the series, going 27-5 against them at Fenway since the start of the 2004 season, the club is just 14-15 in St. Petersburg over that same span.

True to form, the Red Sox swept a three-game set against the Devil Rays at home from July 3-5.