Red Sox-Rays a wash; rescheduled for Monday

BOSTON -- Thursday's Red Sox-Rays game, with first place in the American League East on the line, was postponed because of rain and rescheduled for Monday, a common off-day for both teams.

The makeup, the final game in Boston between the two clubs this season, will start at 6:10 p.m. ET.

All tickets for Thursday's game can be used on Monday.

John Lackey, who had been scheduled to start for the Red Sox on Thursday, will open the three-game series at Baltimore on Friday night. Ryan Dempster and Jon Lester will finish out the set against the Orioles, with Felix Doubront starting Monday's makeup, followed by Brandon Workman for Tuesday's series opener against the Mariners.

"We're keeping four of the five guys on their normal turn despite John and Ryan getting an extra day," said manager John Farrell. "We just felt like, with Lester and Doubront in those slots, that was the way to go."

Workman will be available out of the bullpen for the first two games in Baltimore if needed.

For Doubront, it will be a rematch against the Rays after losing to David Price on Wednesday.

Price or Roberto Hernandez will start the makeup for the Rays.

The Red Sox lead the Rays by a half-game in the division, and the series against the Orioles, who are 3 1/2 games out of first, figures to be a big one also.

Thursday's game was called roughly a half-hour after the scheduled first pitch.

"We didn't want to get into a start-and-then-stop situation, and if we didn't get past an official game, does that cause us to lose John Lackey over the next four or five days?" said Farrell. "That, in addition to Monday being the best of all available alternatives for both sides, it seemed to make the most sense."