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(Sports Network) - Scott Kazmir makes his first start of the season this afternoon when the Tampa Bay Rays try and avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Kazmir has been sidelined all season while recovering from an elbow injury he suffered early in the spring. He was 13-9 last season with a 3.48 earned run average and led the AL with 239 strikeouts.

The 24-year-old left-hander, though, is expected to be on a pitch count of about 100 today.

In nine career starts at Fenway Park, Kazmir owns a 4-3 record with a 2.73 ERA, and he is 6-5 all-time against the Sox with a 2.66 ERA.

In the second game of this series on Saturday, David Ortiz went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and two runs batted in, as the Red Sox rolled to a 12-4 win. Dustin Pedroia finished 3-for-5 with an RBI and double for Boston, which banged out seven doubles.

Manny Ramirez ended with two RBI, one hit and two walks for the Red Sox, who have won two in a row and four of five.

Josh Beckett (3-2) was solid in eight innings of work, allowing four runs on seven hits and one walk, while fanning five.

Every starter in the Boston lineup had at least one hit

Gabe Gross and Akinori Iwamura each homered for Tampa Bay, which has lost two in a row, while Dioner Navarro added two hits.

Rays starter James Shields (3-2) was roughed up in 3 2/3 innings, as he surrendered seven runs on 10 hits.

Boston lefty Jon Lester will get the ball in front of the home crowd this afternoon, and while he has gone five straight games without a win, he is fresh off a truly sensational effort. Against Toronto on Tuesday, Lester allowed just one hit and zero earned runs over eight innings en route to a no decision.

Lester has faced Tampa four times and owns a 1-0 record with a 5.56 ERA.

On the injury front, outfielder B.J. Upton could return Sunday after missing the first two games of the series with a shoulder problem.

Tampa Bay recently swept a three-game set from Boston at Tropicana Field from April 25-27, but Boston has gotten revenge the last two days. As a result, the Red Sox have taken over sole possession of first place in the AL East, two games up on both the Rays and the Orioles.