The Red Sox start the week with a little tuneup, taking on Tampa Bay at Fenway before the showdown with the division rival New York Yankees next weekend.

Last week was mostly impressive for the local nine, with series win over both Toronto (2-1) at home and Baltimore (3-1) on the road. Red Sox pitching looked good with the despite a lopsided 11- 5 Daisuke Matsuzaka loss in Baltimore, his worst showing yet. The homestand also sported an all around bad night against Toronto where Curt Schilling was mediocre and the bullpen uncharacteristically gave up a lead on a solo shot off Manny Delcarmen for the tie in the eighth and a two run dinger off Hideki Okajima in the ninth. These were the exceptions, not the rule.

The Red Sox need to find a way to straighten out Dice-K’s woes before October, if they want him to be a factor in the playoffs. Although he does not appear injured, fatigue may be the leading cause along with some bad mechanics. If the Sox decide to rest him, look for another start from rookie phenom Clay Buchholz.

Eric Gagne will be available in the bullpen to spell Okajima-who may be showing signs of tiring too. In addition, soon to return to the lineup will be Manny Ramirez, whose absence was softened by the play of standout rookie Jacoby Ellsbury.

The Devil Rays come to the Fens with a record of 60-83, 26-1?2 games behind the Red Sox. They will start their ace Scott Kazmir, who is yet to record a win against Boston this season, against Schilling, who has been making progress since his stint on the DL last month. Both will want this game badly. Tim Wakefield and Jon Lester will take the hill for the final two games. Wins against the Rays are crucial to holding on to first place for the Sox.

Both the Sox and Yanks have been hot in September so far. With 5- 1?2 game lead going into this week, time seems to be running out for the Bombers and their quest for another division championship if the Sox match wins and take at least one game from New York at Fenway. The flipside of this saga has the Yankees leading the wild card standing by four games over the Detroit Tigers going into this week.

It looks like this will not be the last Sox-Yankees match in 2007. So far, the Yankees lead the season series with Boston 8-7. While Boston has put together the best record in baseball at 87-57 with outstanding pitching from both the starting rotation and the bullpen, New York has clubbed their way back from a tough start to be the hottest AL team since the All Star break, with a lineup that eats bad pitching for breakfast. Be ready for yet another September series to remember.