Series preview: Sox @ Seattle

Red Sox (66-42) @ Mariners (59-47)

Probable Pitching Matchups:
GM1 Fri 10EST Lester (1-0, 4.26) vs. Ramirez (6-3, 6.52)
Lester makes his first start in his home state and will have plenty of friends & family on hand to watch. Horacio Ramirez blew a 5-0 lead against the Sox in May and then went on the DL for a over a month shortly thereafter. MY PICK: Sox do it for Jonny

GM2 Sat 10EST Matsuzaka (12-8) vs. Washburn (8-7)
Dice -K vs. Ichiro again, blah blah blah. Let's just hope the Sox finally score some friggin runs for the guy so he can bump that win total up to where it should be. Washburn? Washed up. MY PICK: Sox 2-1

GM3 Sun 4EST Beckett (13-5) vs. Batista (11-7)
Beckett needs a win after losing his last two starts, but he'll be facing Seattle's hottest pitcher, Miguel Batista, who has won 4 of his last 5 decisions and has hit a career high in wins. Still, Becks needs this game, and the Sox will make sure he gets it. MY PICK: Sox sweep

Season Series: Seattle leads, 4-2

Keep an eye on: OF Adam Jones .314/25/84(AAA)--The Mariners hottest minor league prospect was just called up to help recharge an offense that has been shut out three times in its last 12 games and give the team, which is just 10-11 since the break, a much needed lift.

Preview:
The Sox begin a 9-game roadie against the team that caused much heartache and distress for the club when it last visited the Pacific Northwest in late June in a stadium that has become its personal house of horrors.


In that three game set Boston dropped all three games, the last two in excruciating fashion when reliever Javier Lopez and Joel Pineiro blew late leads/ties and handed the Ms victories in games they should have lost. Boston has now dropped 8 in a row at SafeCo Field.

But this time around the Sox staff is rock solid, with its new, healthy five-man rotation set up and a new & improved bullpen that should be lights out 99% of the time when handed a lead in the late innings.

While the Sox have struggled recently to score runs, so have the Mariners, who have averaged just over four runs a game in July and recently dropped seven straight games before rebounding by winning four of its last five.

With the Ms just 3 1/2 back of the Angels and needing an offensive boost, AAA outfielder Adam Jones was called up to try and spark guys like Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson into catching fire in hopes of overtaking the Halos.

Boston will look to atone for that miserable showing last time out in the Rainy City, and with local boy Jon Lester throwing tonight followed by Matsuzaka & Beckett, anything less than a three-game sweep will not be tolerated.

Get ready for some late nights, folks, and in honor of Seattle, make get youself a triple mocha latte with a side of espresso and dig in for some more West Coast baseball. Yipee!