The set-up: The Red Sox and Yankees are in a see-saw battle for the AL East lead, as the two teams own MLB's top-two records. 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 with a 4-1 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field. The victory gave them a major league-best 34-15 record and with the Yankees falling 12-10 at Texas, a 1 1/2-game lead in the AL East over 31-15 New York. Tampa Bay had won six in a row to climb back to the .500 mark but the Rays have scored a total of just five runs in losing their last three. The last two have come against the Red Sox, as Tampa will attempt to avoid a three-game home sweep in tonight's contest.

The pitching matchup: Rick Porcello (6-1, 3.39 ERA) will be on the mound for Boston, opposed by Tampa lefty Blake Snell (5-3, 3.07 ERA). Porcello won the AL's 2017 Cy Young (21-4, 3.15 ERA) but then fell to 11-17, 4.65 last season. However, at 6-1, Porcello has returned to his 2016 form so far in 2018. 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 but his fourth against the Rays. Porcello opened the season with back-to-back wins over Tampa Bay, allowing one run over 5 1/3 innings at Tropicana Field on March 31 and then allowed three runs in 7 1/3 innings at home on April 7. He also worked a season-high 7 2/3 innings against the Rays on April 29, giving up three runs in a no-decision that Boston won 4-3. Snell rebounded from his worst start of the season (allowed five ERs in just 3 1/3 inning vs. Baltimore on May 13) 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 starts 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.

The pick: Porcello is14-8 in his career against Tampa Bay with a solid 3.23 ERA, although four of those losses came last season. However, a noted already, 2018 is shaping up much more like 2016 for Porcello, than 2017. Back in his Cy Young season of 2016, he posted a 5-0 record against the Rays. Getting back to Snell, he is 2-3 with a 4.13 ERA against the Red Sox in his career, including an 0-2 mark with a 5.97 ERA last season. Getting back to just the team vs. team matchup, Boston has already won nine of 12 in the season series, including five of six at Tropicana Field. Make Boston an 8* play.