(My Sportsbook) - Jon Lester pitched the Boston Red Sox to a much-needed victory on Monday. Daisuke Matsuzaka will try to give the defending world champions a similar effort on the mound in tonight's second test of a three- game series with the host Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.

Matsuzaka has usually been successful when toeing the rubber this season, as the Japanese superstar owns a 10-1 record and an excellent 2.65 earned run average in his 16 starts. He's been particularly dominant over his last four outings, having yielded just a single run and 14 hits in 23 1/3-innings during that stretch. Matsuzaka has recorded two wins and a pair of no-decisions over the course of that impressive run.

The 27-year-old has not pitched since firing six shutout frames to defeat Baltimore on July 13. He issued five walks during that game, but struck out seven Orioles and gave up only four hits.

Matsuzaka faced the Mariners in Seattle on May 27 but lasted only four innings before exiting with a sore shoulder that caused him to spend nearly a month on the disabled list. The second-year major leaguer gave up three runs (2 earned) prior to being removed.

In five career starts against Seattle, Matsuzaka is 1-1 with a 4.35 ERA.

He'll be attempting to duplicate Lester's excellent effort in last night's series opener. The young lefty worked 7 1/3 scoreless innings as the Red Sox halted a three-game losing streak with a 4-0 triumph.

Lester (8-3) scattered eight hits and struck out six while not issuing a walk before giving way to Jonathan Papelbon, who got the final five outs to earn his 29th save of the year.

Jason Varitek provided Lester some offense with a two-run homer in the fifth inning, while Jed Lowrie finished 2-for-3 and knocked in a pair of runs with a single in the eighth.

Jarrod Washburn (4-9) was hung with the loss after the Seattle veteran allowed two runs on seven hits through 5 2/3 innings.

Boston ended a string of five straight road losses last night and remained 1 1/2 games of first-place Tampa Bay in the American League East standings. The Red Sox are just 22-32 away from home this season.

Seattle, which has dropped three in a row and nine of its last 12, will hand the ball tonight to R.A. Dickey. The journeyman has shuttled between the rotation and the bullpen this season and has compiled a 2-4 record with a 3.73 ERA in 16 appearances, including seven starts, for the year.

Dickey had one of his best performances of the season in his last start, as he delivered seven shutout innings in a no-decision against Oakland on July 10. The right-hander has a 1.27 ERA over his last five games, which includes a stint of two scoreless innings in relief this past Saturday against Cleveland.

The 33-year-old is 2-0 with a 3.97 ERA in six career games (2 starts) against Boston and allowed one run over 2 2/3 innings versus the Red Sox coming out of the pen on June 7.

Boston holds a 4-3 edge on Seattle in this year's season series, but the Mariners are 11-5 against Boston at home dating back to the start of the 2006 campaign.