BOSTON (Interstat) — The Tampa Bay Rays, owners of the best record in the American League, open a four-game series against the struggling Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at rainy Fenway Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. under a forecast of 59 degrees and rain. The Rays (24-12) enter having won five straight and eight of their last 10, while the Red Sox (15-21) have dropped six of their last eight despite taking two of three from the Detroit Tigers earlier this week. The pitching matchup features two right-handers heading in opposite directions. Shane McClanahan (4-1, 2.08 ERA) will start for Tampa Bay. The left-hander has been dominant, allowing no runs over his last three starts spanning 16 2/3 innings. He struck out four over 5 2/3 scoreless innings Monday in a 3-0 win against Toronto and has surrendered just two earned runs over his last 25 2/3 frames. In his last outing, McClanahan allowed two hits and no walks while fanning four. Brayan Bello (2-3, 5.84 ERA) goes for Boston. He was sharp in his last start Tuesday at Detroit, allowing one run on four hits over seven innings with seven strikeouts in a 10-3 win. But Bello has been erratic: In his previous two outings, he surrendered 12 runs on 19 hits over seven innings. He has a 5.87 ERA at Fenway this season. Tampa Bay’s offense has been productive during its winning streak, averaging 4.6 runs per game. The Rays swept a three-game set from Toronto earlier this week before traveling north. Boston’s bats showed life in Detroit, scoring 15 runs over the two wins, including a 10-3 victory Tuesday in which Ceddanne Rafaela went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs and Wilyer Abreu added a homer and three hits. The Interstat game simulator projects an 8-6 final in favor of the Rays, but the ELO system gives Boston a 53.2 percent probability to win. Tampa Bay enters as a -1.5 run favorite, with the over/under set at 8.5. The teams are scheduled to continue the series Friday, Saturday and Sunday before the Rays travel to Toronto and the Red Sox host the Philadelphia Phillies.