Josh Beckett

The fans at Tampa’s Tropicana Field will be treated to a pitching battle between a rookie phenom and a dominant veteran Wednesday night at 7:10 p.m. The Red Sox will give the ball to 31-year-old Josh Beckett, as the right-hander looks for his sixth win in his last seven decisions. The Rays will counter with Jeremy Hellickson, a 24-year-old hurler with the fourth-highest win total in the American League.

Beckett (5-2, 2.06 ERA) will look to build on another stellar start after holding the Yankees to two runs in seven innings on June 9. The Red Sox ace fanned six and walked two, while keeping his AL-leading ERA under 2.10 (Atlanta’s Jair Jurrjens leads the majors at 1.82).

Beckett has yet to face the Rays in 13 starts this season, and hasn’t started against Tampa Bay since April 2010. The Rays have made some serious roster changes since then, but three hitters have seen their fair share of Beckett, and have performed quite well.

Former Red Sox speedster Johnny Damon has a team-high 52 plate appearances against Beckett, hitting .292 with two homers, five doubles and nine RBI. On the other hand, Damon also leads the Rays with 11 strikeouts against the Boston starter. Evan Longoria has led the charge against Beckett, hitting .353 with two homers, five doubles and eight RBI in 35 plate appearances. B.J. Upton is hitting .308 in 29 plate appearances to go along with three doubles and two homers.

Beckett has shown pristine control against Tampa Bay, striking out 41 hitters and walking just seven in 160 total plate appearances.

After a spectacular month of May, Hellickson (7-4, 3.03 ERA) is slowly emerging as the AL Rookie of the Year candidate many expected him to be at the beginning of the season. The 24-year-old went 4-1 in five starts last month, and allowed just five runs for a 1.36 ERA.

Hellickson’s only start against Boston came earlier this season on April 11. The right-hander got his first win of the year at Fenway Park, tossing 5.1 innings of two-run ball in a 16-5 win. Hellickson gave up just one run in 7 1/3 innings against Seattle on June 4, but had his worst outing of the season in his last start. On June 10 vs. the Orioles, he surrendered five runs in 5 2/3 innings, including two homers.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia is the only Red Sox player to face Hellickson more than three times, drawing a walk and hitting an RBI double in four career plate appearances. Seven other hitters have seen the rookie exactly three times, and five of those players have base hits. As a whole, the Red Sox are hitting .292 in 29 plate appearances against Hellickson. No player has a home run or more than one hit against the right-hander, although both Adrian Gonzalez and David Ortiz, of all people, have triples.

The rookie has struggled a bit with his command against the Red Sox, walking five hitters while striking out just one.

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Josh Beckett

In a Thursday night matchup in The Bronx, the Red Sox and Yankees will look to their best arms to take the series finale as Josh Beckett faces C.C. Sabathia at 7:05 p.m. The Red Sox have had the upper hand against their rivals so far this season, and it has primarily stemmed from starting pitching. Sabathia is undoubtedly the Yankees’ ace, but even he’s been overshadowed by Boston’s rotation.

Sabathia and Beckett have already squared off twice this season, with Boston’s ace considerably out-pitching New York’s on both occasions. On May 14 in New York, Boston scored six runs on seven hits through 6 2/3 innings, marking Sabathia’s worst outing of the season. Beckett, on the other hand, struck out nine over six shutout innings to lead the Sox to a 6-0 win. Back on April 10 at Fenway Park, Beckett threw a two-hit shutout over eight innings before handing the ball over to Jonathan Papelbon for the save. Sabathia only gave up one run, but he walked four and surrendered nine hits in just 5 2/3 innings. The Red Sox won, 4-0, for their second win of the season.

Aside from his struggles against Boston, Sabathia (7-3, 2.80 ERA) has been the steadiest Yankee starter by far, leading the team in wins, ERA, and strikeouts (70). The 290-pound lefty has won five of his last six starts, including an impressive outing against the Angels last Saturday. Sabathia got 26 of 27 outs before Mariano Rivera came in to close out the 3-2 win, and nearly recorded his second complete game in three starts.

While the Yankees starter has the ability to go deep in games, he’s had trouble limiting his pitch count and handling some of Boston’s premier hitters. For instance, Kevin Youkilis has dominated Sabathia, hitting .394 with two triples, two doubles, two homers and five RBI in 40 career plate appearances. David Ortiz has launched two home runs as well, although he’s hitting just .250 with 11 strikeouts against the left-hander.

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Tim Wakefield

With American League East dominance on the line, two seasoned veterans will take the mound for the Red Sox and Yankees Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m. in New York. Joe Girardi will look to A.J. Burnett to keep Boston’s offense in check, while Terry Francona will counter with Tim Wakefield to challenge the division leaders.

Wakefield (2-1, 4.40 ERA) was stellar in his first two starts of the season, both coming in late May. The 44-year-old was 2-0 with a 2.04 ERA as a starter this season, but the White Sox managed to solve the knuckleballer in Chicago on June 1. Wakefield surrendered four runs on seven hits through six innings; not terrible, but not good enough to get his team the win.

Wakefield has become all too familiar with the nemesis from New York, as the Yankees have seen him in 484 combined plate appearances. In fact, Derek Jeter has faced Wakefield 127 times — more than any other hitter in major league history. Alex Rodriguez is third on the all-time list with 103 plate appearances, and Jorge Posada is sixth with 93. Wakefield has held all three of those hitters under .280.

Jeter has hit a triple, three home runs and 11 RBI against the knuckleballer, while Posada has hit four homers and 15 RBI. Rodriguez leads the Yankees with seven longballs off Wakefield, but also has a team-high 21 strikeouts. Robinson Cano has had the most success against the knuckleballer, hitting .304 with four doubles, four homers and 12 RBI in 47 plate appearances.

Burnett (6-3, 3.86 ERA), has been as unpredictable as ever this season, pitching brilliantly one night and horribly the next. He won four of his first five starts this year, but his win-loss record has been mostly dependent on the Yankees offensive production. New York has scored over six runs a game in Burnett’s six wins, but only eight runs combined in his three losses.

The 12-year pro got the month of June off to a good start with a win over Oakland in his last outing. Burnett allowed just two runs and three hits in seven innings while striking out five and walking three. In the start before that, however, the right-hander had struggled with his command. In a loss on May 27 vs. the Mariners, he was pulled after issuing five walks in just five innings.

With 266 combined plate appearances against the Yankees starter, the Red Sox are well aware of how wild Burnett can be. Still, he has struck out 62 Boston batters against 28 walks. Dustin Pedroia has exercised the most patience against Burnett, drawing 10 walks in 40 career plate appearances to go along with two homers, four RBI, and an even .300 batting average.

David Ortiz is on the other end of the spectrum, striking out twelve times in 40 plate appearances. He leads the team in K’s vs. Burnett, but also leads the way in home runs (3), doubles (5) and RBI (9). While Pedroia and Ortiz have seen the right-hander 40 times each, Carl Crawford has the most experience against Burnett. In 59 plate appearances, Crawford has a team-high .315 batting average with a homer, three doubles and five RBI.

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John Lackey

John Lackey plans to make his long-awaited return from the DL and his first appearance since May 11 against the A’s Sunday at 1:35 p.m. While the veteran had some obvious struggles to start the season, Oakland will counter with Brett Anderson, a young righty who has dominated the Red Sox to this point in his career.

Lackey (2-5, 8.01 ERA) said he felt good in Tuesday’s rehab start for Triple-A Pawtucket, where he threw 5 2/3 innings of one-run, three-hit ball. Lackey struck out four and walked none but did surrender a home run. The 32-year-old was far from convincing in his last two starts before hitting the DL with an elbow injury, giving up nine runs to the Blue Jays and eight runs to the Angels. In his first seven starts, Lackey surrendered 35 runs and allowed opponents to hit a combined .393. In 15 innings at home, Lackey has allowed 16 runs on 24 hits, while striking out just six batters.

The right-hander will have a chance to get back on track against a familiar opponent, as the Athletics have a combined 287 plate appearances against Lackey, dating back to his AL West days as a member of the Angels. In his nine-year career, the A’s have hit a combined .244 off Lackey with five homers and 25 RBI. However, Oakland has struggled offensively this season, and has the second-lowest run total in the American League.

Mark Ellis has seen the Boston starter a team-high 71 times, hitting .267 with eight doubles, five RBI, and 10 strikeouts. Former Red Sox speedster Coco Crisp has just five hits in 32 plate appearances vs. Lackey, but two of those hits were home runs. Daric Barton has had the most success against the righty, posting a .308 average to go along with a homer, four doubles, and three RBI.

Anderson (3-5, 3.68 ERA) has pitched well for the most part, but a lack of run support has led to three losses in his last four decisions. The 23-year-old pitched brilliantly against the Angels on May 26, throwing a three-hit shutout through eight strong innings. However, he got shelled by the Yankees in his last start, giving up ten runs on eleven hits through 5 1/3 innings. It was by far his worst outing of the year, and ballooned his ERA up from 2.84.

Every Boston regular has seen Anderson at least once, but no one on the roster has faced him more than 15 times. In this limited experience, Anderson has dominated the Red Sox. The left-hander hasn’t allowed a single earned run against Boston, and has held the Sox to a combined .111 average in 94 plate appearances.

Jed Lowrie‘s .222 average against Anderson is a team high, while Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, and Adrian Gonzalez are hitting a combined four-for-28 against the A’s starter. Anderson shut down the Red Sox back on April 19, holding them scoreless through eight innings while striking out eight in a 5-0 win.

ATHLETICS VS. LACKEY

Mark Ellis (71 plate appearances): .267 BA/.371 OBP/.400 SLG, eight doubles, five RBI, eight walks, 10 strikeouts

Hideki Matsui (55): .240/.291/.400, one home run, five doubles, nine RBI, four walks, six strikeouts

Coco Crisp (32): .167/.219/.367, tww home runs, two RBI, two walks, three strikeouts

Kurt Suzuki (32): .194/.188/.419, one home run, two doubles, one triple, three RBI, five strikeouts

Daric Barton (28): .308/.357/.557, one home run, four doubles, three RBI, two walks

David DeJesus (24): .273/.273/.273, two RBI, three walks

Ryan Sweeney (19): .333/.368/.389, one double, one RBI, one walk, three strikeouts

Cliff Pennington (15): .071/.133/.071, two strikeouts

Kevin Kouzmanoff (5): 3-for-5, one double, one strikeouts

Landon Powell (3): 1-for-3, one strikeout

Josh Willingham (3): 0-for-3, one strikeout

No other player on the A’s roster has faced Lackey.

RED SOX VS. ANDERSON

Kevin Youkilis (14 plate appearances): .154 BA/.214 OBP/.154 SLG, one walk, six strikeouts

Jarrod Saltalamacchia (13): .077/.077/.077, two strikeouts

Dustin Pedroia (11): .100/.182/.100, one walk, one strikeouts

Carl Crawford (10): .200/.200/.200, two strikeouts

Jacoby Ellsbury (10): .000/.100/.000, one walk, one strikeout

David Ortiz (10): .100/.100/.100, two strikeouts

Jed Lowrie (9): .222./.222/.333, one double, two strikeouts

Jason Varitek (6): 0-for-5, one walk, one strikeout

Adrian Gonzalez (5): 1-for-5, two strikeouts

Mike Cameron (3): 0-for-3, two strikeouts

J.D. Drew (3): 0-for-3, three strikeouts

No other player on the Red Sox roster has faced Anderson.

After another brief hiatus (let’s go ahead and blame the power-play) here we go with the return of the 2011 WEEI.com Major League Baseball Power Rankings. Each week (or as close as we can get) throughout the season we will be bringing you an updated version of the list, which will be determined by record, ranking within each team’s division and which team would have the best chance at winning if participating in a best-of-seven series.

Feel free to pick apart the admittedly imperfect rankings by emailing kminihane@weei.com or sending a message via Twitter to twitter.com/kirkmin. Have at it.

(Note: Team record and last ranking are in parentheses and all stats are through 6/2.)

1. Phillies (34-23, 2). Since the start of the 2007 season, Roy Halladay has walked a total of 165 batters in 1,052 IP. During that same span, Daisuke Matsuzaka has walked 301 batters — in 429.1 fewer innings pitched.

2. Indians (33-22, 1). Fair to ask if this recent skid is more than just that and maybe the beginning of a return to reality. The Indians need more from Shin-Soo Choo and Carlos Santana, each with a slugging percentage of less than .400.

3. Cardinals (34-25, 6). We talk about this all the time, but it’s guys like Fernando Salas — 10 saves, a 1.05 WHIP, 25 Ks and a 1.82 ERA — that make it awfully tough to believe that the Sox are going to cough up $45 million for Jonathan Papelbon.

(Oh, and have you urinated in the last hour or so, or do you have food or water in your mouth? No? We’re good? OK, I guess it’s safe for me to tell you what nickname Chris Berman came up with for Salas. Ready? Fernando “Tossed” Salas! Done laughing yet? One of these days I suppose Berman’s act is going to get tired, but I just don’t see it happening for at least another 30 years.)

4. Yankees (31-24, 15). Wow, has the Cano vs. Pedroia debate ever been an easier call? Just a monster gap between the two at this point. After a third-place MVP finish last season, Cano has an OPS of .839 in 2011, which down from 2010 but still 151 points higher than Pedroia’s this season.

5. Marlins (31-24, 5). Josh Johnson leads the National League in WHIP (0.59) and is second in ERA (1.64) and has exactly one more win his nine starts than John Lackey — last in WHIP and ERA in the American League — has in his seven starts.

6. Giants (32-25, 8). Losing Buster Posey is a killer, but Pedro Sandoval is expected back in the next 10-14 days, and even if he doesn’t match his 2010 production I don’t see how a rotation (Matt Cain has the highest ERA at 3.88) this good doesn’t keep the Giants on top of the NL West.

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Tim Wakefield

With continued injuries at the back of the Red Sox rotation, Terry Francona will look to veteran Tim Wakefield to make his third start of the season Wednesday afternoon (1:35). The White Sox will counter with Gavin Floyd, whose start was pushed back a day to pitch the series finale at Fenway Park.

Wakefield (2-1, 4.14 ERA) has performed admirably in his only two starts this season, both of which have been in the last 10 days. He got the win last Friday against the Tigers after allowing just two runs on five hits through seven innings. On May 22 against the Cubs, Wakefield surrendered one run over 6 2/3 innings, earning a 5-1 victory. The 44-year-old came out of the bullpen for his first 11 appearances of the season but struggled with a 5.40 ERA. As a starter in 2011, Wakefield’s ERA is 2.04.

The knuckleballer has seen plenty of the White Sox in his 18-year career, and four Chicago hitters have faced Wakefield over 30 times. Veteran Omar Vizquel has fared quite well in 63 plate appearances against the Red Sox starter, hitting .328 with four doubles and seven RBI. Alex Rios and Paul Konerko have good power numbers vs. Wakefield, with three home runs apiece. Konerko has knocked in 10 runs, while Rios has driven in five.

A.J. Pierzynski is the fourth Chicago regular with 30-plus plate appearances against the righty, hitting .290 with a homer and four RBI.

Floyd (5-5, 3.69 ERA) has plenty of major league experience as well, as this will be the 134th start of his seven-year career. Floyd has yet to lose a game against the Red Sox, going 4-0 with a 3.53 ERA. He has given up 14 runs in 35 2/3 innings and has allowed six home runs against Boston. The Red Sox are hitting just .190 against the right-hander.

Floyd started the season with three wins in his first four starts but has struggled with his consistency as of late. In his last appearance, Floyd pitched out of the bullpen in the 14th inning vs. the Blue Jays and got the loss as he gave up a walk-off home run to Corey Patterson. He pitched well in his last start, allowing just one earned run against the Rangers through seven strong innings. However, a lack of run support forced him to take the 2-1 loss.

Right fielder J.D. Drew has had the most plate appearances of any Red Sox hitter against Floyd, but he has not had a great deal of success. Drew has just two hits in 18 plate appearances, and has struck out seven times.

David Ortiz has had the best track record against Floyd, going 5-for-17 with two solo home runs. Still, Ortiz has struck out a team-high eight times against the White Sox starter. Carl Crawford has only two hits in 12 plate appearances vs. Floyd, but both hits have been homers.

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Alfredo Aceves

The Red Sox have beaten the Tigers in both of their meetings this season, but both contests came down to a battle of the bullpens. It’s fitting, then, that reliever Alfredo Aceves will take the mound on Thursday in Detroit.

Before last weekend’s start against the Cubs, Aceves (1-0, 2.42 ERA) had started only five games in his three-year career, and four of those came as a rookie back in 2008. The right-hander pitched well in his last outing, allowing just one run on three hits through five innings.

Aceves left the game with a 2-1 lead and was in line for the win, but the Cubs rallied for eight runs in the eighth inning off Matt Albers and Franklin Morales, forcing Aceves to take a no-decision. The former Yankee now has a lifetime ERA of 3.18 in 31.1 innings as a starter, but he’s never gone deeper than seven innings.

Part of Aceves’ success in his last start may have been due to a lack of familiarity on the part of the Cubs — only two of their hitters had ever faced him — an advantage he will also enjoy against the Tigers. Only three hitters on Detroit’s roster have seen Aceves, and former Boston catcher Victor Martinez is the only one to face him more than once. In five plate appearances against Aceves, Martinez is 1-for-5 with a strikeout.

Jim Leyland will send Max Scherzer to the hill as the Tigers fight to catch up with the Indians in the AL Central. Nine Red Sox batters have faced Scherzer (6-1, 2.98 ERA), who is having his best season in his fourth year in the big leagues. The Tigers won seven out of Scherzer’s first eight starts this season, and the right-hander was undefeated until he took a loss against the Pirates on May 21. In his outing on May 16, Scherzer tossed seven innings without surrendering an earned run, but took a no-decision as the Tigers fell to the Blue Jays, 4-2.

Although most of the Red Sox lineup has seen Scherzer before, no Boston hitter has faced him more than nine times. In just five plate appearances, David Ortiz has dominated the Tigers’ starter, with two home runs, a single, and four RBI. Dustin Pedroia (1-for-3) has the only other homer off Scherzer.

While the old guard has had some success against the 26-year-old, Scherzer has all but shut down two of Boston’s newest acquisitions. Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford have combined for just one hit in 15 plate appearances, although Gonzalez does have two walks and an RBI. Scherzer has been able to keep these two Red Sox lefties in check, but has allowed left-handed opponents to hit .279 this season, while holding righties to just .246.

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