The Texas Rangers (35-21) and Boston Red Sox (35-23) will open their series at Fenway Park on Tuesday night. The game will air live on NESN and will stream live on MLB.com with a paid subscription.
Justin Grimm (5-3) will get the start for Texas. Ryan Dempster (2-6) will match him for the Red Sox.
Grimm was originally drafted by Boston during the 2007 amateur draft. Dempster spent just two months with Texas last season after being acquired during the trade deadline.
Now it's Grimm who has started to settle in with the Rangers and Dempster still seeking consistency in his first campaign with the Red Sox.
Grimm was a 13th-round selection out of high school in 2007 by the Red Sox, but opted not to sign and instead attended the University of Georgia for three years before being drafted by Texas in 2010. He pitched five times for the Rangers last season and was only initially called up this year when Matt Harrison was placed on the DL in April.
Now, Grimm leads all AL rookies in wins and has victories in his last three starts with a 3.32 ERA.
"He's gotten better as far as confidence-wise, believing and knowing that he belongs here," catcher A.J. Pierzynski said after Grimm gave up two earned runs over six innings to beat Arizona 9-5 on Thursday.
"It's just a progression with young guys. He continues to get better. You can see it in his face. You can see it when he takes the mound in his mannerisms."
Dempster has received a loss in four of his last five outings while amassing a 6.41 ERA, though he gave up two runs in seven innings of a 3-1 defeat to Philadelphia last Tuesday. He was 7-3 with a 5.09 ERA in 12 starts for Texas last season.
"He's a great competitor," Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus told the team's official website. "He's going to go out there and try to get you out. He's got great stuff. It's going to be good to face him again."
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