(My Sportsbook) - The Boston Red Sox hope to continue their home dominance of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays when they begin a three-game set against them this evening at Fenway Park.

Boston has defeated the Devil Rays in nine of 12 matchups this season, including five of the six games played in Beantown. The Red Sox are also 29-6 against Tampa Bay at home since the start of the 2004 campaign.

Curt Schilling will try to continue that trend tonight as he tries to improve upon his 8-6 record. The Red Sox starter received a no decision Wednesday against the Toronto Blue Jays, when he gave up three runs and eight hits in six innings of his team's 6-4 loss.

Schilling, who is pitching to a 4.04 ERA this season, has faced the Devil Rays 21 times (16 starts) previously and is 11-6 against them with a pair of saves and a 3.80 earned run average.

Boston comes into this series having won seven of nine after beating the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday. Coco Crisp's eighth-inning single brought in the go-ahead run as the Red Sox came through with a 3-2 win.

The Red Sox took three of four in the series and maintained their 5 1/2-game advantage on the New York Yankees in the AL East.

Josh Beckett (18-6) allowed seven hits and two runs over seven full innings for Boston, fanning eight without walking a batter.

Tampa Bay, meanwhile, also enters this series on a roll. The Devil Rays took two of three over the weekend from the Toronto Blue Jays, including a 3-2 win in Sunday's rubber match. Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena hit back- to-back home runs in the sixth innings to give Tampa Bay the lead, while James Shields tossed seven solid innings to get the win.

Shields (12-8) gave up just two runs on four hits with five strikeouts and no walks for the Devil Rays, who have won five of seven and 12 of their last 16 games.

Getting the ball tonight for the Devil Rays will be left-hander Scott Kazmir, who is 11-8 with a 3.79 ERA. Kazmir picked up a no decision against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday, as he allowed four runs and nine hits in seven innings of an 8-4 loss.

Kazmir is 5-4 lifetime against the Red Sox with a 2.82 ERA in 15 starts. However, he is 0-2 with a 3.42 ERA in four starts versus Boston this season, although he pitched six scoreless innings on August 14 in his most recent game at Fenway Park.