Jacoby Ellsbury has been on a crime spree for the last two weeks or so. He has stolen 10 bases in his last 11 games, and only been caught twice!

Series of the Week –Red Sox vs. Rays – Tuesday through Thursday - Who would have thought that a meeting between the Red Sox and Rays would have major implications for the standings with the Rays in a role other than spoiler. This season, the Rays have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the AL East, and they are currently poised atop of the standings, one game ahead of the Sox. Keep in mind that the Rays aren’t just the best in the AL East; they are one of the best in all of MLB, with only one team, the surging Chicago White Sox, having a better record than the former laughing stock of Florida.

The Red Sox and Rays have met six times already this season, with three games played in each of their respective home parks. Their first meeting back in April took place in Tampa, with the Rays sweeping the series. Reliever Scott Dohmann was the winning pitcher in the first two meetings, and Jamie Shields delivered a complete game, 2 hit shutout in their third meeting. Offensive power in that series came from Akinori Iwamura, Carl Crawford, and Evan Longoria, all of whom hit the Sox very well during the series. There were only a total of 13 runs scored between the two teams in the three game set, so it was the pitching on both teams that really ruled the day.

If the first meeting was all about pitching, then the second was the polar opposite. Fitting, since it took place in the hitter-friendly confines of Fenway Park. The Red Sox rocked the Rays’ pitchers for 26 runs in that three game set, which was swept by Boston behind solid pitching from Josh Beckett, and youngsters Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester. The offensive leaders for the Red Sox in that series were Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, and Kevin Youkilis among several others. The whole team was firing on all cylinders in those games, so it’s tough to single anyone out.

For this week’s games, the teams will send the following pitchers to the mound; on Tuesday, it will be Red Sox rookie Justin Masterson up against Matt Garza, while Wednesday will feature Beckett vs. Edwin Jackson. The series finale on Thursday will pit Jon Lester against Shields.

The hot hitters for the Red Sox over the past couple of weeks have been David Ortiz and Jacoby Ellsbury. In his last 13 games, Ortiz has batted .298, with 5 home runs, 10 RBI, and 9 runs scored. Ellsbury has stolen 10 bases in his last 11 games (and only been caught twice!) while batting .289, with a .396 OBP. The Rays’ offensive leaders over the past two weeks have been Evan Longoria, with a .286 average, 3 home runs and 11 RBI, and B.J. Upton, who has been on fire, with a .381 average and 9 stolen bases in his last 13 games. Also keep an eye on Cliff Floyd and Eric Hinske, as both have hit 3 home runs in the last couple of weeks.

Make sure to head for page 2 to see the list of two-start pitchers for Week 10 and all kinds of fantasy tips to help your team dominate your league.