(Sports Network) - A pair of division leaders get their second half of the season underway tonight, when the Boston Red Sox visit the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the opener of a three-game series.

Los Angeles entered the All-Star break with a 57-38 record, tied with the Chicago Cubs for the best mark in baseball. The Angels' current six-game edge over second-place Oakland in the American League West is also the largest of any division leader right now. Boston, meanwhile, owns a half-game edge over the Tampa Bay Rays for supremacy in the AL East thanks to a 57-40 mark.

The Angels took two of three from the Red Sox when these clubs clashed at Fenway Park from April 22-24. It was a small measure of revenge for Los Angeles, which lost six of 10 against Boston last year before getting swept in the 2007 ALDS by the eventual world champs.

Boston, which also swept the Angels in the 2004 ALDS, won five of six heading into the break to reclaim first place in the standings. The Red Sox haven't been lower than second in the division since April 28, when they occupied the third spot.

The Red Sox have done a lot of their damage recently without David Ortiz, who has been on the disabled list since June 3 due to a partially torn tendon sheath in his left wrist. Ortiz is batting .252 with 13 homers and 43 RBI in 54 games this season. and is set to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket.

J.D. Drew stepped up in Ortiz's absence, batting .337 with 12 homers and 27 RBI in 26 games in June. Drew, the MVP of Tuesday's All-Star game, is hitting .297 in 10 July tests so far, having missed a couple games due to a back injury.

Clay Buchholz draws the starting assignment tonight for the Red Sox. The 23- year-old returned to the rotation on July 11 and gave up four runs on five hits in five innings of a loss to Baltimore. In nine starts this year, Buchholz is 2-4 with a 5.70 earned run average.

The 23-year-old won his lone career start versus the Angels on August 17 of last season. Buchholz, who tossed a no-hitter as a rookie last year, held Los Angeles to four runs (3 earned) on eight hits over six innings in his major league debut.

The Angels have won three of their last four as they continue to mix solid pitching and hitting this year. The club ranks just 11th in the AL with 409 runs scored this year, but also owns the sixth best ERA in the league at 3.84.

The starting rotation has been anchored by Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana, who have won 12 and 11 games, respectively, so far this year. Tonight, the Angels start John Lackey, who won 19 games a year ago.

Lackey is 6-2 with a 2.46 ERA through 11 starts this year and won five straight outings before going 0-1 over his final two starts before the break. The right-hander got a no-decision at Texas on July 10, allowing six runs on 15 hits in that one.

Lackey is also just 1-6 with a 6.27 ERA in 11 career starts versus Boston. He dropped both of his starts against the Red Sox last year and also took a loss against them in the ALDS.

Vladimir Guerrero paced the Angels offensively in the first half, topping the club in average (.286), homers (15) and RBI (50). Closer Francisco Rodriguez notched 38 saves, surpassing John Smoltz's record of most saves before the All-Star break. Smoltz had 34 for Atlanta in 2003.