This is the Red Sox' chance.

Forget the six straight losses to the Rays. Dismiss the 9-2 defeat at the hands of Tampa Bay Thursday night. And disregard the dwindling lead (now three games) in the Wild Card race.

Now, it's all about finally getting off the ropes.

Up until this point, the Rays' hurlers have not only owned Red Sox' hitters, but resided on an entirely different stratosphere as their Boston pitching counterparts. It hasn't only been different, it's been embarrassing. 

The good news for Red Sox' fans: Friday night Josh Beckett and Jon Lester can go a long way to helping his staff start flipping perception.

"Beckett and Lester back-to-back, we couldn't plan it much better when we're trying to get out of a rut," said reliever Daniel Bard. "We're all confident as a staff, and I'm sure [Beckett and Lester] feel the same way."

Sounds good, sure. But the reality is that the Rays' pitchers have left the kind of impression that doesn't allow for opponents' optimism.

In 15 games against the Red Sox this season, the Rays' starters have compiled a 2.58 ERA while allowing more than three runs just one time. Just one time among those games has the Tampa Bay starting pitcher not gotten into the sixth inning.

The Red Sox, on the other hand, suffered through the seventh game against the Rays in which their starter pitched fewer than five innings, with Kyle Weiland lasting just three innings Thursday night.

Against the Sox, the Rays' starters have totaled 108 innings. The Red Sox starting pitchers vs. Tampa Bay? Just 85, despite the fact one of their pitchers (Beckett) has gone 17 frames in just two starts.

"It just feels like we've gone out there with mediocre expectations," Bard said. "We have the talent to do it, and the staff to do it, but it just seems it's a mentality we're lacking a little bit. It translates to the bullpen too, where we aren't throwing strikes. Our aggressiveness is lacking a little bit."

Bard's right. The Red Sox pitching staff as a whole has lost it's way. It's just more noticeable now they're being juxtaposed against the juggernaut that are the Rays hurlers.

Since Sept. 1, the Sox' starters have compiled a 6.82 ERA while throwing a major league-low 63 1/3 innings. (The Rays' starting pitchers, conversely, have totaled 97 innings to go along with a 3.34 ERA during that span.)

And as the Red Sox' chief set-up man pointed out, it's not just the starters who have reeked of uncertainty. The bullpen -- which has thrown just two fewer innings than the starters this month -- are the majors fifth-worst group of relievers in this month when it comes to walks per nine innings (4.67). This after claiming the American League's best numbers in the category (2.96) for the season's first five months.

There will be caveats thrown around. Injuries. Inexperience. 

And much will be made of the streak of wins by the Rays' homegrown starters. 

Friday and Saturday, none of that matters. The Red Sox have one last chance to prove they belong in the conversation with the Rays, starting with Beckett. It was the righty, after all that has allowed a total of two hits in 17 innings in his two starts against Tampa Bay this season.

Sure, Beckett's coming off a sprained ankle and hasn't pitched since Sept. 5. And maybe he has to face off with the hottest American League pitcher (James Shields) since the end of July.

All of it doesn't matter. The Red Sox have to start pushing back, and Beckett and Lester have been charged with the responsibility of getting the job done.

"That will be great," said Red Sox DH David Ortiz when reminded Beckett takes the hill Friday. "One good outing can change around and hopefully Beckett feels good."

There's no more time for hoping for the Red Sox, only doing.