"Tampa Bay starter James Shields left a rainy Fenway Park on Tuesday night with a pretty good idea he wasn't going to be pitching there the following evening.

The heavy rain that washed out Wednesday night's Rays-Red Sox game began falling the night before and continued through Wednesday, proving forecasters right.

So, while trying to maintain his focus on the Red Sox just in case the weather took a turn for the better Wednesday, Shields began looking ahead for tonight's game against the Minnesota Twins, which kicks off an eight-game homestand that includes four games next week with the White Sox.

Shields, in the friendly confines of Tropicana Field, will finally take the mound tonight.

"I feel good and we'll start that series off right," he said Wednesday. "I love to pitch at home. I feel more comfortable pitching at home."

And his record supports that. Shields is 31-22 with a 3.59 ERA during his career at the Trop. He's 25-30 with a 5.04 ERA on the road. That includes a 1-7 mark with a 7.71 ERA at Fenway Park.

So, Wednesday's rainout might actually benefit the Rays, who flew home Wednesday night a much more confident team than the one that left the Trop a week ago after an 0-5 start to the season."