SOX &#38; Dawgs &#187; Boston Red Sox

Portland Sea Dogs:

Portland sweeps a twinbill from the Rock Cats 6-4 and 8-5 [PortlandSeaDogs.com]

They broke the bad spell with style [Portland Press Herald]

New Britain Rock Cats @ Portland Sea Dogs Game 1 7.3.09 box score [MILB.com]

New Britain Rock Cats @ Portland Sea Dogs Game 2 7.3.09 box score [MILB.com]

Salem Red Sox:

Exposito and Mailman Both Homer in Rout By the Beach [OurSports Central]

Salem Red Sox @ Myrtle Beach Pelicans 7.3.09 box score [MILB.com]

Greenville Drive:

Drive Parked by Dogs for Second Straight Shutout, 4-0 [OurSports Central]

Greenville Drive @ Charleston RiverDogs 7.3.09 box score [MILB.com]

Lowell Spinners:

Four Run Fourth Leads to Fourth Straight Win [LowellSpinners.com]

Drew who? [Lowell Sun]

Staten Island Yankees @ Lowell Spinners 7.3.09 box score [MILB.com]

Gulf Coast League Red Sox

The GCL Red Sox beat the GCL Orioles 5-4 [MILB.com]

GCL Red Sox @ GCL Orioles 7.3.09 box score [MILB.com]

Lenny Clarke Brings The Funny Yet Again

Ian — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 06:30:26 +0000

Comedian Lenny Clarke made yet another appearance on the NESN airwaves during last night’s Boston Red Sox game and was once again hilarious. Unfortunately, he might not be invited back as the Seattle Mariners were able to score 3 runs to come back from a 2-1 deficit.

(Please open the article to see the flash file or player.)

Lenny Clarke Sans Denis Leary This Time [SOX & Dawgs]

Lenny Clarke Visits Sans Denis Leary, Again [SOX & Dawgs]

Johnson’s 2-Run Double Helps Mariners To 7-6 Win

Ian — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 03:32:11 +0000

The Boston Red Sox tied the game up in the 8th inning but Rob Johnson’s third double of the game was good enough for two runs to help the Seattle Mariners to a 7-6 win in 11 innings in front of 38,078 at Fenway Park.

Trailing by two runs in the bottom of the 8th, the Red Sox mounted their comeback.

Sean White took over for Mariners starter Felix Hernandez and he retired David Ortiz to start the inning. He then walked Jason Bay and Mark Kotsay singled to chase him from the game. Shawn Kelley came in and got Jacoby Ellsbury to fly out for the second out of the inning.

Nick Green followed the Ellsbury out with a wall ball double that was inches away from being a 3-run homer. Instead it was good enough for two runs to tie the game up at 5. George Kottaras had a chance to help Tim Wakefield get the win but he ended up fouling out to end the inning.

The game went to extra innings and in the 11th inning the Mariners got two runs off of Johnson’s double to go ahead 7-5. Kottaras homered in the bottom half of the inning but that’s all the local nine would get.

The loss for the Red Sox drops their record to 48-31 and their lead shrinks to 2 games in the AL East as the Yankees beat the Blue Jays earlier in the day. The Mariners improve to 41-38.

Wakefield was denied his 11th win of the season as he gave the Red Sox eight innings. He allowed 5 runs on 10 hits with 3 strikeouts in his Red Sox record 383rd career start, passing Roger Clemens.

Other than Ramon Ramirez tonight, the Red Sox bullpen threw the ball well again. Manny Delcarmen was perfect in his inning of work. Jonathan Papelbon allowed a hit and struck out 1 in his inning. Ramirez, on the other hand, took the loss by allowing 2 runs on 2 hits with a strikeout.

King Felix settled down after giving up some early runs. He went 7 innings, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks while recording 7 strikeouts.

Green had another big game with a 2-hit effort and 2 RBIs while Mark Kotsay also had 2 hits. J.D. Drew and Kottaras also had two hits a piece and each had a solo home run. For Kottaras, the home run was the first of his big league career. Jason Bay broke out of his slump with an RBI double. Jacoby Ellsbury and Big Papi had the other hits.

Tough loss for the Red Sox tonight. They’ll be back at it again tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 PM. Brad Penny gets the start for the Red Sox and he’ll be opposed by Garrett Olson.

Notes and musings:

Sean Casey is filling in over the weekend on NESN for Dennis Eckersley who is in Atlanta for the All-Star Selection Show on TBS on Sunday.

Jeffrey Donovan from the USA Network hit “Burn Notice” threw out the first pitch tonight.

Afternoon Red Sox Delight – 7/3

Ian — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:50:36 +0000

After enjoying their last day off before the All-Star break, the Boston Red Sox return home to more friendly surroundings at Fenway Park to take on the Seattle Mariners.

The game tonight will start at 7:10 PM EDT and will be televised in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the Mariners television market, you can catch the game on FOX Sports Northwest. And if the television isn’t your cup of tea, you can catch the game on one of the many affiliates of the Red Sox Radio Network.

Tim Wakefield looks for a MLB-best 11 wins as he takes the hill tonight. Wake is 10-3 with a 4.18 ERA in 15 starts in 2009. He’s struggled against the Mariners in his career though as he is just 4-9 with a 4.06 ERA in 25 games (15 starts).

“King” Felix Hernandez starts for the Mariners tonight. In 16 starts this season, Hernandez is 8-3 with a 2.54 ERA. King Felix has had good success against the Red Sox as he is 3-1 with a 3.05 in 6 career starts. He’s 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 2 career starts at Fenway Park.

With rain scattered across New England tonight, the Red Sox have issued the following statement:

The current weather forecast (provided by the Red Sox private weather service, Meteorlogix) in the vicinity of Fenway Park calls for the possibility of scattered thunderstorms to move through the area during the late afternoon and early evening hours.

The Fenway Park gates will open at the regularly scheduled time of 5:10 p.m., and the Red Sox expect that tonight’s game with the Seattle Mariners, which is scheduled to start at 7:10 p.m., will start on time. However, the Red Sox want to alert our fans to the current forecast and to the possibility of delay.

This forecast is of course subject to change as the day progresses. Additional updates will be provided as necessary.

Pregame: Red Sox Vs. Mariners [Extra Bases]

Report: Sox in serious talks with coveted Cuban shortstop [Projo Sox Blog]

Wakefield deserves an All-Star spot [NESN.com]

Lowrie close to rejoining PawSox [NESN.com]

Dice-K to begin rehab program [NESN.com]

U.S.-Japan Youth Baseball Exchange to be honored at Fenway [NESN.com]

Sox News [Hit and Run with Dan Roche]

Matsuzaka’s long journey begins with a first toss [Projo Sox Blog]

Report: Sox to help Twins open new field in Minnesota next April [Projo Sox Blog]

Lowell Looks to Return Strong for Second Half [Full Count]

Here are the lineups for tonight’s game:

40-38		48-30
1. Ichiro Suzuki	RF	1. J.D. Drew	RF
2. Russell Branyan	1B	2. Dustin Pedroia	2B
3. Jose Lopez	2B	3. Kevin Youkilis	3B
4. Ken Griffey, Jr.	DH	4. David Ortiz	DH
5. Franklin Gutierrez	CF	5. Jason Bay	LF
6. Ryan Langerhans	LF	6. Mark Kotsay	1B
7. Chris Woodward	3B	7. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF
8. Rob Johnson	C	8. Nick Green	SS
9. Ronny Cedeno	SS	9. George Kottaras	C
Felix Hernandez	SP	Tim Wakefield	SP

Here is how the hitters have fared against tonight’s starting pitchers:

Jason Varitek Fourth of July Equipment Raffle

Ian — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:01:44 +0000

Jason Varitek's 2008 July 4th catcher's gear - Getty Images

(Andover, MA) – July 3, 2009 – Jason Varitek and Celebrities for Charity are hosting an online raffle at www.netraffle.org to give one lucky fan a chance to win Jason Varitek’s custom Fourth of July equipment.

Previously the equipment has been auctioned off, holding the online raffle will give each fan a chance to own a piece of history for as little as $10.00. Proceeds from the raffle will benefit the Celebrities for Charity Foundation.

The grand prize package includes:

Winner will be presented, personally by Jason Varitek at the August 10, Red Sox Game, his game used and autographed Mask, Chest Protector, and Shin Pads.
4 tickets to a Red Sox Game (where the equipment will be presented on August 10, 2009)
Winner will receive an VIP tour of Fenway Park before the game

The online raffle will take place at www.netraffle.org with tickets costing $2.00 each and a minimum purchase of 5 tickets. This gives every fan a chance to win this amazing prize. The raffle closes on Monday, August 3, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. EDT.

Boston Red Sox News & Notes – 7/3

Ian — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:35:02 +0000

After a big comeback win over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday afternoon, the Boston Red Sox enjoyed their last day off before the All-Star Break. The Red Sox will play their next 10 games at Fenway Park as they’ll entertain the Seattle Mariners (3 gms), Oakland A’s (3 gms) and the Kansas City Royals (4 gms).

At 48-30, the Red Sox currently have a 3-game lead over the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. And with the local nine sporting a record of 25-10 at home, this might be a good chance to increase their lead. Or at the very least maintain it.

If you’re heading to Fenway Park over the weekend, keep in mind there will be some road closures due to the holiday weekend. You can check those out here.

And make sure you take a moment to vote for Josh Beckett as the Pepsi Clutch Performer for June.

Regarding role, Lugo rolls with the punches [Boston Globe]

At 42, Wakefield’s not getting older, he’s getting better [Providence Journal]

Tim Wakefield pitching for AL nod [Boston Herald]

Green has made major changes [Boston Globe]

Dice-K off to Florida [Boston Herald]

Close with the closer [Boston Globe]

Red Sox’ Daniel Bard opens eyes [Boston Herald]

Will Wakefield Star in St. Louis? [Full Count]

Red Sox mounted horse pitch [Boston Herald]

The Sox Comeback: One for the Ages! [Nuggetpalooza]

Red Sox Nation Won’t Last [Fanhouse]

For more slices of Boston Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Providence Journal websites.

And to see what the enemy papers have to say, you can check out the Seattle Times, Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Tacoma New Tribune websites have to say.

Destination Red Sox Nation – 7/3

Ian — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:30:53 +0000

Adam Kilgore’s Red Sox Minor League notebook [Boston Globe]

If you would like to listen to any of the Red Sox minor league affiliates’ games, MILB.com offers them for free.

Pawtucket Red Sox

PawSox 4, Yankees 3: Pawtucket rallies from 3-1 deficit for victory over first-place Yanks [Providence Journal]

Buchholz, Cabrera named to International League All-Star team, and celebrate by leading the PawSox to victory [Providence Journal]

PawSox journal: Matt McKinnon’s yeoman-like work has kept the PawSox on the field [Providence Journal]

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees @ Pawtucket Red Sox 7.2.09 box score [MILB.com]

Portland Sea Dogs:

The game between the Portland Sea Dogs and New Britain Rock Cats was rained out. They will play a doubleheader today that starts at 4 PM.

Infielder hustling for Dogs [Portland Press Herald]

Salem Red Sox:

Casey Kelly Endures Roughest Outing of 2009 in Seven-Run Loss [OurSports Central]

Salem Red Sox @ Myrtle Beach Pelicans 7.2.09 box score [MILB.com]

Greenville Drive:

Drive Halted by Dogs Pitchers, Fall 3-0 [OurSports Central]

Greenville Drive @ Charleston RiverDogs 7.2.09 box score [MILB.com]

Lowell Spinners:

Garcia Gets it Done in Spinners Walk Off [LowellSpinners.com]

Spinners save the best for last in rally over Yanks [Lowell Sun]

Staten Island Yankees @ Lowell Spinners 7.2.09 box score [MILB.com]

Gulf Coast League Red Sox

The GCL Red Sox beat the GCL Orioles 5-4 [MILB.com]

GCL Red Sox @ GCL Orioles 7.2.09 box score [MILB.com]

Seattle Mariners @ Boston Red Sox Pitching Matchups: 7/3-7/5

Ian — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:00:49 +0000

Friday, July 3^rd @ 7:10 PM

Felix Hernandez (R) (8-3, 2.54) vs Tim Wakefield (R) (10-3, 4.18)

TV: NESN, MLB.tv

Radio: Red Sox Radio Network, MLB Game Day Audio

Saturday, July 4^th @ 1:05 PM

Garrett Olson (L) (3-2, 4.81) vs Brad Penny (R) (6-3, 4.79)

TV: NESN, MLB.tv

Radio: Red Sox Radio Network, MLB Game Day Audio

Sunday, July 5^th @ 1:35 PM

Brandon Morrow (R) (0-3, 5.14) vs Jon Lester (L) (7-6, 4.35)

TV: NESN, MLB.tv

Radio: Red Sox Radio Network, MLB Game Day Audio

Welcome To The United States of Bay

Ian — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:24:58 +0000

As we had learned earlier in the week, Boston Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay was set to become a United States citizen after passing his citizenship test.

On Thursday morning at Faneuil Hall in Boston, Bay, along with 359 others, were sworn in as citizens of the United States. Bay will now carry dual citizenship as he was born in Canada.

“It’s exciting,” Bay said recently. “My wife is American and both my girls are American as well. This is where I spend most of my time. Although it is a big deal, it doesn’t mean I cease being Canadian. I’ll always be Canadian. I understand, for a lot of people, this is a very big deal, and I’m pretty excited.”

Designated hitter David Ortiz became a citizen of the United States last season. Former Red Sox and current Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez became a United States citizen back in 2004.

Bay officially becomes US citizen [RedSox.com]

Buchholz, Cabrera Named International League All-Stars

Ian — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:25:19 +0000

Clay Buchholz may not be getting any love from the Boston Red Sox right now but the Pawtucket Red Sox fans have been showing him the love all season long. Now he’ll get a chance to represent Pawtucket and the Red Sox in the Triple-A All-Star Game.

Buchholz and PawSox closer Fernando Cabrera were named to the International League All-Star Team today. They will be part of the International League team that will take on the Pacific Coast League All-Star Team on July 15th in Portland, Oregon.

Buchholz received the most fan votes of all Triple-A players. He’s having a stellar season down in Pawtucket as he is 5-1 with a 1.90 ERA. If the weather holds up tonight, he’ll be on the mound for the PawSox at McCoy Stadium.

Cabrera is tied for the International League lead in saves with 16 with Norfolk’s Jim Miller.

IL sends well-balanced group to All-Star Game [MILB.com]

Boston Red Sox News & Notes – 7/2

Ian — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:00:44 +0000

Sorry for the lateness of this post. Thursday’s are always tough to get things done early with errands that have to be taken care of.

After having their bullpen fail on Tuesday night, the Boston Red Sox beat up on the Baltimore Orioles bullpen to comeback for a 6-5 win in 11 innings on Wednesday afternoon.

The Red Sox bats had been stymied by Orioles starter Brad Bergesen who may have thrown the best game against the Red Sox all season. Josh Beckett wasn’t himself but got stronger as he went on shutting down the last 12 hitters he faced. As a matter of fact, three Sox relievers combined with Beckett to retire the final 24 Orioles batters.

Jonathan Papelbon also made a little Red Sox history yesterday when he picked up his 20th save of the season. The save allowed him to move out of a tie with Bob Stanley and take over the Red Sox all-time saves lead at 133. It was also the first time this season, Paps had pitched three consecutive days.

I said this yesterday that the Red Sox are a very resilient bunch and they showed that yesterday by coming back for the win. It was good to see the bullpen respond after Tuesday night’s debacle. The comeback should give them confidence heading into a 10-game homestand that starts on Friday night leading into the All-Star Break.

Speaking of All-Stars, there’s just 12 hours left to help out Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis in the AL All-Star voting. Youk currently leads Mark Teixeira by 35,000 votes while Pedroia is just 6,830 votes behind Ian Kinsler. Let’s help them out and get them to the All-Star Game. Vote Red Sox. You can see what I said about the race between Youk and Teixeira over at the Hartford Courant.

And because I don’t want to see your National League votes wasted, please help out Ryan Zimmerman (3B) and Adam Dunn (OF) of the Washington Nationals. My friend Kristen would really appreciate it if you did that.

The Red Sox also announced that they have signed their No. 1 draft pick, Reymond Fuentes. Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports that he got a signing bonus of $1.13 million. Fuentes was assigned to the GCL Red Sox. They also announced the signings of OF Jeremy Hazelbaker (4th round), OF Shannon Wilkerson (8th), C Michael Thomas (12th), and 1B Chris McGuiness (13th).

Links after the jump.

Cruel twist [Boston Globe]

Sox turn tables on O’s [Providence Journal]

Red Sox come back to life [Boston Herald]

Papelbon adds to savings account [Boston Globe]

Papelbon’s now the Sox’ all-time saves leader [Providence Journal]

Julio Lugo accepts cold truth [Boston Herald]

Bay bloodied (a cut) and battered (5 whiffs) [Boston Globe]

Bay unfazed by his 0-for-Baltimore series [Providence Journal]

Jason Bay hits slump [Boston Herald]

Charity begins at home plate [Boston Globe]

Book chronicles a Cumberland family’s journey through the Red Sox system [Providence Journal]

U.S. of Bay [Extra Bases]

Papelbon packs away franchise record [Boston Herald]

D-Backs scouting Red Sox [Extra Bases]

Larry Lucchino Discusses Bay, A.L. East Race [Full Count]

Draft Class Takes Shape: An Update on Sox First-Rounder Reymond Fuentes and 49 Other Picks [Alex Speier - WEEI.com]

Streaking Sox can bring it on home [Tony Massarotti - Boston Globe]

Five Things We Learned: There’s A Lot More Left To Papelbon’s Story [Rob Bradford - WEEI.com]

Wakefield and the All-Star Game [Clubhouse Insider]

My Number 14 [Ask 14]

Youkilis, Teixeira In A Race At First Base [Hartford Courant]

A Brief Reminder That a Vote for Youk and Pedroia Is Like a Vote for America. Times Two. Or Something Like That. [Surviving Grady]

Sox to sign first-round pick Fuentes [Full Count]

Youkilis or Teixeira As All-Star Starter? Bloggers Speak Up [Hartford Courant]

Big Papi Enters the Restaurant Business [Wicked Good Sports]

Thursday Really Quickie – RALLY TIME! [Nuggetpalooza]

Report on HBO’s Ted Williams Documentary Screening [Fang's Bites]

The Red Sox bloomed in June alright; July equals test month [Batter-up with Bruno]

For more slices of Boston Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Providence Journal websites.

And if you want to check out the enemy papers, head over to the Baltimore Sun and Annapolis Capital websites.

Destination Red Sox Nation – 7/2

Ian — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:19:33 +0000

If you would like to listen to any of the Red Sox minor league affiliates’ games, MILB.com offers them for free.

Pawtucket Red Sox

The PawSox were off on Wednesday night.

Portland Sea Dogs:

Dogs swept by Rock Cats in twinbill [PortlandSeaDogs.com]

Sea Dogs’ pitchers upstaged [Portland Press Herald]

Tazawa Activated, Gabbard on DL [OurSports Central]

Sea Dogs Send Four Players to the Eastern League All-Star Game [PortlandSeaDogs.com]

New Britain Rock Cats @ Portland Sea Dogs Game 1 7.1.09 box score [MILB.com]

New Britain Rock Cats @ Portland Sea Dogs Game 2 7.1.09 box score [MILB.com]

Salem Red Sox:

Navarro’s Monster Performance Propels Sox Past Cats 5-4 [OurSports Central]

Navarro home run gets Salem by Hillcats [Roanoke Times]

Salem Red Sox Baseball Academies [OurSports Central]

Salem Red Sox @ Lynchburg Hillcats 7.1.09 box score [MILB.com]

Greenville Drive:

Walk This Way! Drive Take Advantage of 10 Free Passes [OurSports Central]

Greenville Drive @ Charleston RiverDogs 7.1.09 box score [MILB.com]

Lowell Spinners:

Spinners Bats Explode in 11-0 Shutout Win [LowellSpinners.com]

Lowell takes laugher [Lowell Sun]

Staten Island Yankees @ Lowell Spinners 7.1.09 box score [MILB.com]

Gulf Coast League Red Sox

The doubleheader between the GCL Red Sox and GCL Twins yesterday was rained out.

Red Sox Comeback From 4 Runs Down To Win 6-5 In 11

Ian — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:08:43 +0000

After seeing a 10-1 lead erased last night, the Boston Red Sox found themselves trailing 5-1 to the Baltimore Orioles in the 9th inning of today’s tilt. By the end of the 9th inning, the game was tied at 5.

Julio Lugo singled in the game-winner in the 11th and Jonathan Papelbon pitched a perfect 11th inning to become the Red Sox all-time saves leader in a 6-5 win in front of 29,391 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Jim Johnson took over for Orioles starter Brad Bergesen in the 9th and got things going by walking Dustin Pedroia. Kevin Youkilis followed with an opposite field blast to cut the deficit to 5-3 and chase Johnson from the game. O’s closer George Sherrill came on and struck out David Ortiz and Jason Bay (platinum sombrero for him with 5 K’s on the day).

Jacoby Ellsbury kept the inning alive with a single. Sherrill then got a little wild as he loaded the bases up with walks to Jeff Bailey and Jason Varitek. Julio Lugo pinch-ran for Varitek and Rocco Baldelli pinch-hit for Nick Green. Baldelli delivered as his single scored Ellsbury and Bailey to knot the game at 5.

Sherrill reloaded the bases with a walk to J.D. Drew and gave way to Danys Baez. He got Pedroia to foul out to send the game to extra innings.

In the 11th, Ellsbury led off with a double and went to third on fly ball to right by Bailey. With the infield in, Lugo got a ball into the outfield scoring Ellsbury to give the Red Sox a 6-5 lead.

Papelbon came out in the bottom half of the 11th and sent the O’s down in order to for his 20th save this season and 133rd overall in a Red Sox uniform to break Bob Stanley’s mark of 132.

The Red Sox improve to 48-30 and will maintain their 2.5 game lead over the Yankees in the AL East. The Orioles fall to 35-43.

Josh Beckett wasn’t at his absolute best this afternoon but after giving up a home run to Ty Wigginton, he retired the final 12 batters he faced. In fact, Red Sox pitching retired 24 in a row total to end the game. Beckett went 7 innings, allowing 5 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5.

Much better effort from the Red Sox bullpen this afternoon as Daniel Bard worked 2 innings with 4 strikeouts. Ramon Ramirez worked an inning with a strikeout.

Bergesen was outstanding all afternoon for the Orioles on the mound as he limited the Red Sox to just one run over 8 innings of work. Unfortunately for him, his bullpen failed him.

Pedroia, Drew and Ellsbury all had two hits each for the Red Sox with Pedroia adding an RBI. Youk’s only hit of the night was the 2-run homer while Lugo’s hit was the game-winner and Baldelli’s hit was the game-tying 2-run single. Big Papi had the other hit on the afternoon.

After a day off tomorrow, the Red Sox return to the friendly confines of Fenway Park for a 10-game homestand leading into the All-Star break on Friday night. The Seattle Mariners kick off the homestand with Felix Hernandez while Terry Francona calls on Tim Wakefield.

Afternoon Red Sox Delight – 7/1

Ian — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:03:59 +0000

After watching their bullpen implode last night, the Boston Red Sox look to put it behind them in the rubber game with the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon.

The game this afternoon will start at 1:35 PM EDT and will be televised in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the Orioles market, you can catch the game on MASN. And if the television isn’t your cup of tea, you can catch the game on one of the many affiliates of the Red Sox Radio Network.

Terry Francona will need his ace Josh Beckett to eat up some innings this afternoon after last night’s bullpen meltdown. Beckett has faced the O’s once this season back on April 18th where he allowed three runs in six innings to pick up the win. He has faced the Orioles ten times in his career and is 5-2 with 3.80 ERA. He’s had some success as well at Camden Yards as he is 4-1 with a 2.98 ERA in six starts.

Brad Bergesen made his big league debut for the Orioles back on April 21st where he picked up the win against the Texas Rangers. He’s made a total of thirteen starts on the season and is 5-2 with a 3.76 ERA. Bergesen is 5-1 with a 3.10 in eight starts at Camden Yards. He’s never faced the Red Sox in his career.

With just 1½ days left in the AL All-Star voting, Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia need our help Red Sox Nation. Youk currently leads Mark Teixeira by 35,000 votes while Pedroia is just 6,830 votes behind Ian Kinsler. Let’s help them out and get them to the All-Star Game. Vote Red Sox.

Chat during today’s Red Sox game [Extra Bases]

Lowrie back to Boston [Extra Bases]

Highlights of Terry Francona’s 7/1 interview with Dale & Holley [Full Count]

Bullpen out to bounce back after rough night [RedSox.com]

Rick Burleson Interview Part One [Fenway West]

Here are the lineups for this afternoon’s game:

47-30		35-42
1. J.D. Drew	RF	1. Brian Roberts	2B
2. Dustin Pedroia	2B	2. Felix Pie	CF
3. Kevin Youkilis	3B	3. Nick Markakis	RF
4. Jason Bay	LF	4. Aubrey Huff	1B
5. David Ortiz	DH	5. Luke Scott	DH
6. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	6. Nolan Reimold	LF
7. Mark Kotsay	1B	7. Ty Wigginton	3B
8. Jason Varitek	C	8. Gregg Zaun	C
9. Nick Green	SS	9. Robert Andino	SS
Josh Beckett	SP	Brad Bergesen	SP

And here is how the hitters have fared against this afternoon’s starting pitchers. No one on the Red Sox has faced Bergesen.

Boston Red Sox News & Notes – 7/1

Ian — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:44:11 +0000

The Boston Red Sox had a 9-1 lead going into the bottom of the 5th when the skies opened up causing a rain delay of an hour and eleven minutes. Nearly two hours later, the Baltimore Orioles were walking off the field with an 11-10 win.

John Smoltz started the game out for the Red Sox and was staked to an early lead. That lead continue to grow before the rain delay with Smoltz looking sharp out on the mound. He had more confidence in his fastball and looked the guy the Red Sox were looking for when they signed him. Although they blew the game, he was not the pitcher of record as he left after the delay.

Justin Masterson took over for him and was dealing for the next two innings. He struck out four-of-six batters he faced. Then it looked he ran into the The Great Wall of China as he was charged with five runs. Hideki Okajima wasn’t any better as he didn’t record an out in the 8th inning, allowing four runs.

Takashi Saito wasn’t any better as he was charged with the winning run that came when Jonathan Papelbon blew the save.

The Red Sox bullpen has been one of the best, if not the best in all of baseball all season long so maybe they were due for a night like this. If it does continue, then of course there is cause for concern. But I don’t think that will happen.

The Red Sox are resilient bunch, especially under Terry Francona. While blogs and the media will talk about this game today, I’m pretty dang sure the Red Sox will already have forgotten what happened.

And btw, I’m pretty sure Josh Beckett is going to be one pissed off dude this afternoon. It’s not like he needs any more motivation.

With just under two days left in the AL All-Star voting, Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia need our help Red Sox Nation. Youk currently leads Mark Teixeira by 35,000 votes while Pedroia is just 6,830 votes behind Ian Kinsler. Let’s help them out and get them to the All-Star Game. Vote Red Sox.

Old bawl game [Boston Globe]

Red Sox ’pen explodes [Boston Herald]

A monumental collapse for the Sox [Providence Journal]

Upon further review, Lowell lands on DL [Boston Globe]

Red Sox roster withstands injuries [Boston Herald]

Smoltz’ performance a bright spot for the Sox [Providence Journal]

Shining moment in the rain [Boston Globe]

Red Sox leveled by Orioles’ rally [Boston Herald]

Francona uneasy with ‘this time it counts’ approach to All-Star Game [Providence Journal]

State of the Sox: The Best One – Two [Lou Merloni - Wicked Good Sports]

John Smoltz gets lost in dark [Boston Herald]

Red Sox journal: Proceeding with caution — Lowell is on DL [Providence Journal]

Moving on [Extra Bases]

Always Saving The Day [Boston Herald]

Protect those arms [Tony Massarotti]

Optimistic Mike Lowell takes break on DL [Boston Herald]

Five Things We Learned: Why Red Sox Collapse Was Truly Historic [Rob Bradford - WEEI.com]

For more slices of Boston Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Providence Journal websites.

And if you want to check out the enemy papers, head over to the Baltimore Sun and Annapolis Capital websites.

Destination Red Sox Nation – 7/1

Ian — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:02:24 +0000

If you would like to listen to any of the Red Sox minor league affiliates’ games, MILB.com offers them for free.

Pawtucket Red Sox

Chiefs 12, PawSox 0: Syracuse ‘beats up’ Pawtucket [Providence Journal]

Michael Bowden takes a step back in order to move forward [Providence Journal]

PawSox journal: Guzman taking the lead for Pawtucket [Providence Journal]

Syracuse Chiefs @ Pawtucket Red Sox 6.30.09 box score [MILB.com]

Portland Sea Dogs:

A 7-run first leads the Rock Cats in a 9-5 win [PortlandSeaDogs.com]

Sea Dogs’ Gabbard remains out of control [Portland Press Herald]

New Britain Rock Cats @ Portland Sea Dogs 6.30.09 box score [MILB.com]

Salem Red Sox:

Red Hot Red Sox Score Season-High 13 Runs in Rout of Hillcats [OurSports Central]

Salem Red Sox stomp Lynchburg [Roanoke Times]

Salem Red Sox @ Lynchburg Hill Cats 6.30.09 box score [MILB.com]

Greenville Drive:

Drive Blow Past RiverDogs, 13-4, After Seven-Run Eighth [OurSports Central]

Greenville Drive @ Charleston RiverDogs 6.30.09 box score [MILB.com]

Lowell Spinners:

The game between the Lowell Spinners and Oneonta Tigers was rained out last night.

Spinners Sell Out Streak on the Brink [OurSports Central]

Gulf Coast League Red Sox

The GCL Red Sox fell to the GCL Rays 5-3 [MILB.com]

GCL Rays @ GCL Red Sox 6.30.09 box score [MILB.com]