Tensions flared earlier this month between the Red Sox and Rays when Boston’s Coco Crisp, tussling here with Tampa Bay catcher Dioner Navarro, charged the mound after Rays pitcher James Shields hit Crisp with a pitch.

The Providence Journal / Bob Breidenbach

Tampa Bay.

Ah, a breather. Guaranteed wins.

They wouldn’t come out and say it publicly, but when the Boston Red Sox looked ahead to a series against Tampa Bay, be it on the road or at home, they were viewed as games they should win. If not a sweep of the series, certainly a series win.

That, though, was when they were called the Devil Rays and were wearing those ugly green uniforms. That was when they had flotsam and jetsam sprinkled through their everyday lineup. That was when their starting pitchers were “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” and their relievers always seemed to have a can of gasoline with them on the mound, adding fuel to the fire of every Red Sox rally.

Tonight, though, when the Red Sox visit Tropicana Field for the start of a three-game series, a lot has changed in the matchup.

First of all, Tampa Bay no longer is the Devil Rays. They are simply the Rays.

They also are not the doormats they used to be.

In fact, when the Red Sox square off against the Rays this week, first place in the American League East will be at stake.

Who would have thought that would be the case when the schedule first came out given Boston’s status as the defending World Series champion and the Rays’ status as one of the worst teams/organizations in the majors?

There’s more to this series, though, than just the team’s records.

While Red Sox-Rays hardly compares to the rivalry between the Red Sox and the New York Yankees, whom Boston will visit for a four-game set after leaving Tampa Bay, there is a budding sense of dislike between the teams that already has spilled over into a major on-field brawl this season.

Tampa Bay, featuring numerous talented young players and an erudite think-out-of-the-box manager, is cultivating a new attitude in its own clubhouse and around the league.

The Rays aren’t going to back down. That message was delivered loudly and clearly on June 5 in Fenway Park when, in retaliation for what the Rays thought was a dirty slide by the Sox’ Coco Crisp the previous night, Tampa Bay sacrificed its best pitcher, James Shields, in a game it needed to win, to send a message to Crisp and the Sox through an intentional fastball off Crisp’s thigh.

Crisp charged the mound, benches emptied, punches were thrown in an uncharacteristically serious fashion as these things go and suspensions were handed out.

Would tonight serve as a continuation of the hostilities? Well, with Crisp forced out because he will be serving the final three games of his suspension — reduced from seven games to five on appeal, a fact that highly irritated the Rays — it’s not as likely to turn into a beanball battle, especially with the umpires on top of things even before the first pitch is thrown.

And while ill feelings between these teams is not unusual — remember the Pedro Martinez-Gerald Williams hit-batsman-turned-brawl in 2000 at Tropicana Field among other incidents? — the rivalry has been ratcheted up a bit because this year the Rays are good and have to be taken seriously on the scoreboard and in the standings.

The teams have met in three series this season. Boston holds a 6-3 edge in the nine games. Each series, though, has had its “message-sending” moments.

Here is a look at those series.

Act I

The Red Sox journey to Tropicana Field for the first time for a three-game set April 25-27. Boston was riding high, featuring a 15-9 record and a 1 ½-game lead in the A.L. East.

Yawn. A chance to pad their lead for the Sox.

But Tampa Bay serves notice this is a new year, a new bunch of Rays.

Tampa Bay sweeps Boston.

The Rays’ young, power-armed pitching staff limits the Sox to a total of five runs in the three games. Tampa Bay wins the games by scores of 5-4 in 11 innings, 2-1 and 3-0. Shields finishes off the Rays’ giddy weekend by tossing a two-hit, seven-strikeout shutout in the final game, out-pitching Josh Beckett.

The Sox fall into a three-way tie for first place with Tampa Bay and Baltimore.

Act II

So the Rays, swaggering a bit after their sweep of the Sox, visit Fenway the following weekend, May 2-4.

They want to show Boston they have to be taken seriously this year. They enter Boston tied for first place with the Red Sox.

The Rays certainly got the Red Sox’ attention a week earlier. In this series, Boston sends a message to Tampa Bay that maybe the Rays aren’t quite ready to play with the big boys, at least not on the road.

The Red Sox sweep the series. Not only do they win all three games, but Boston tattoos hot young pitchers Edwin Jackson, Shields and Scott Kazmir, just off the disabled list, winning the games by the scores of 7-3, 12-4 and 7-3.

The Sox’ division lead is back up to three games.

Act III

The Rays visit Fenway once again, June 3-5.

At this point, Tampa Bay sits atop the A.L. East standings, 1½ games ahead of the Sox.

It’s another chance to make a statement that they are for real.

But Matt Garza comes unglued in the sixth inning of the opener, coughing up four runs as the Red Sox overcome a deficit and post a 7-4 win.

The fireworks commence the next night. Crisp takes exception to something shortstop Jason Bartlett does when Crisp steals second base in the sixth inning. Bartlett puts his knee down in front of the base as Crisp slides in headfirst, causing Crisp to jam a finger.

When Crisp gets on base in the eighth, he takes off for second base and aggressively upends second baseman Akinori Iwamura, who was covering the bag. Crisp is out.

He would have preferred for Bartlett to have covered, but he figures he sent his personal message. Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon yells at Crisp from the mound as he makes a pitching change in the ninth and Crisp yells back.

Oh, yeah, the Sox win, 5-1.

On June 5, it all boils over. Even though the Tampa Bay is now 0-5 at Fenway for the season and has slipped a half-game behind Boston in the standings, and even though Shields, their ace is on the mound, the Rays want the Sox and everyone in the baseball world to know they are not the same doormats they have been since they entered the majors.

Shields plunks Crisp on the thigh — a nice, polite way of settling a score. Crisp charges the mound. The nasty brawl occurs, with Jonny Gomes and Carl Crawford piling on Crisp, throwing punches. Ultimately, Crisp and teammates Jon Lester and Sean Casey are slapped with suspensions, as are Shields, Crawford, Gomes and Iwamura.

Oh, yeah, the Sox win, 7-1, for a sweep of the series, moving Boston into first place in the A.L. East, 1 ½ games ahead of the Rays.

Act IV

It starts tonight at Tropicana Field.

Crisp will not be in the lineup, partially by design of MLB, which mandated when Crisp could begin serving his suspension, thus effectively keeping him out of this three-game series between the Sox and the Rays, who have the edge over the Sox in the loss column.

So, while this series is meaningful, and will be intense, maybe the hostilities will really heat up in Act V, when Tampa Bay arrives in Boston for a three-game series Sept. 8-10 with possibly a playoff berth on the line and Crisp in the lineup.

skrasner@projo.com