It wasn’t the prettiest of hits but it was a hit nonetheless. It was also a hit that may have saved the season for the Boston Red Sox, albeit temporarily for now.

A RBI single in the 9th by Mike Aviles helped give the Red Sox a 2-1 win over the Texas Rangers last night.

Mired in a slump, Aviles got a chance to be the hero after Daniel Nava and pinch-hitter Jarrod Saltalamacchia worked two out walks off of Rangers closer Joe Nathan. Aviles took an offering down and away off the end of the bat that just got over Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus that allowed Nava to score.

Alfredo Aceves stayed drama free in the 9th for the most part, sans a two-out walk to Mike Napoli after retiring the first two batters on two pitches, to pick up his 21st save of 2012.

Offensively, the Red Sox weren’t able to do much against a Rangers spot starter.

Martin Perez, filling in for Colby Lewis who was lost for the season, baffled the Red Sox hitters for the most part as he allowed five hits over six innings of work. One of those hits came off the bat of Kelly Shoppach who brought in Cody Ross with a deep double right field. Ross had reached on a leadoff walk to start the 4th and we all know what happens when you walk someone to start the inning. It comes back to haunt you.

Texas native Will Middlebrooks managed two hits while Jacoby Ellsbury and Adrian Gonzalez each had one as well.

Equal to the task was Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz who is turning into a top of the rotation guy. One might say he is the ace of the Red Sox staff.

After a rough start to the season, at least ERA wise, Buchholz has been slowly but surely turning things around as of late. You have to think that if he hadn’t missed two starts due to the esophagitis, his ERA might even be lower than 4.93 (where it stands now).

Despite the Texas heat, Buchholz was able to go seven innings last night. And given how much the bullpen has been used because of the inability of other starters to go deep, he’s been a godsend.

He had good life on his fastball as well as excellent command of all of his pitches. He worked in his changeup as well and seemed to be in complete control. The only run he allowed came on a Josh Hamilton groundout that scored Andrus who had reached on a double and had gone to third on a wild pitch from Buchholz.

Yes, it’s only one win, a win that ended a four-game losing streak. But had they lost, it would have been five straight losses and maybe changed whether the Red Sox were contenders or pretenders. While we aren’t sure what they are still, the fact remains that they still have a chance to make the postseason.

They are still only four games out of the second wild card spot with 64 games left to go in the season. There’s no reason why the Red Sox can’t make it. They just need to be consistent and get better efforts out of their starting pitching staff as a whole. They can’t simply rely on Buchholz and Felix Doubront.

Is a trade the answer? It could be. But IF Jon Lester and Josh Beckett can figure things out, that’s as good as trade in my book.

One question remains. Is that good enough for GM Ben Cherington?

We can only sit back and watch to find out that answer.

We’ll be back later with today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. So for now, let’s take a look at the overnight links from the media.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

Aviles lifts Sox in ninth [boston globe]

Wild outing for reliever Padilla [boston globe]

Crawford OK with latest drop in the lineup [boston globe]

Mike Aviles to the rescue [boston herald]

Clay Buchholz shows his ace card [boston herald]

Carl Crawford has perspective about drop in Sox lineup [boston herald]

Roy Oswalt offers details on deal [boston herald]

Ortiz receives clearance to remove boot [rob bradford – weei.com]

Sox win it on Aviles’ ninth-inning single, 2-1 [csn new england]

Aviles comes through in clutch once again [csn new england]

Buchholz rises to the occasion in win over Rangers [csn new england]

Middlebrooks feeling right at home [espn boston]

Ortiz says he’s feeling much better [espn boston]

Rapid Reaction: Red Sox 2, Rangers 1 [espn boston]

Valentine reluctant to test Crawford’s elbow [espn boston]

Video: Buyers or sellers? [espn boston]

Closing Time: Red Sox win on Mike Aviles’ ninth-inning single [full count]

Mike Aviles’ Killer Instinct Proves Importance to Red Sox Playoff Push Far Greater Than Ever Imagined [nesn.com]

Ryan Sweeney Turns to Laser Eye Surgery to Improve Hitting, Fielding [nesn.com]

Adrian Beltre Expects to Be OK After Getting Beaned, Doesn’t Think Vicente Padilla Hit Him on Purpose [nesn.com]

Jon Lester, Red Sox Pitchers Struggles Can Be Partially Attributed to Jason Varitek’s Absence [don orsillo – nesn.com]

Lillibridge traded to Indians for pitching prospect [redsox.com]

Red Sox gear up to face Ichiro with Yanks [redsox.com]

Crawford bats seventh, removed for defense late [redsox.com]

The improbable success story of Mike Aviles [alex speier – weei.com]

For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSN New England,  ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.

And if you must check out the enemy news, head over to the Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram websites.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

photo credit: ap photo

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Football links

UConn Football Season Tickets Sold So Far For 2012 [desmond conner – hartford courant]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Auriemma Chats About The Olympics On WTIC-AM 1080 [rich elliott – ct post]

Chris Dailey back ‘coaching’ her former players [new haven register]

UConn legend Bird outperforms Ichiro in Seattle sports longevity [norwich bulletin]

UConn alum Taurasi reflects on path to Olympics [ap]

Connecticut taking pride in USA basketball team [ap]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Recruiting Spotlight: Jordan Bell [kevin duffy – ct post]

UConn Plans To Beef Up 6-10, 208-Pound Freshman Phil Nolan [hartford courant]

Wizards add veteran point guard A.J. Price [washington post]

Wizards’ A.J. Price plans “to play like I’ve never played before” [washington post]

Other UConn related links

M. Track. Kevin Smith Named To USTFCCCA All-Academic Team [uconnhuskies.com]

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

After being spanked last night 9-1, the Boston Red Sox look to put an end to their four-game losing streak in the middle game of a three-game set with the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, TX.

First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. and will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Rangers television market, you can watch the game on Fox Sports Southwest. And if you don’t live in either market you’re in luck as well as the MLB Network will have coverage of the game (outside of Red Sox and Rangers television markets). If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

Clay Buchholz returns to his native Texas to make his 17th start of 2012. In his previous 16 starts, Buchholz is 8-3 with a 5.19 ERA. He took the loss in his only start of 2011 against the Rangers after allowing four runs in 6.1 innings. He’s made four career starts against the Rangers and is 1-3 with a 3.91 ERA. Two of those starts have come in Arlington where he 0-2 with a 6.10 ERA (7 ER/10.1 IP).

Martin Perez will step in for Colby Lewis tonight, who was lost for the season, to make his third start (fifth appearance) for the Rangers. In his previous four apperances (two starts), Perez is 1-1 with a 5.54 ERA. Tonight will mark the first time the 21-year-old has faced the Red Sox.

Click on the read more button below to see today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day if you’re on the home page.

Here are today’s lineups:

48-49		57-38
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Ian Kinsler	2B
2. Pedro Ciriaco	DH	2. Elvis Andrus	SS
3. Dustin Pedroia	2B	3. Josh Hamilton	LF
4. Adrian Gonzalez	1B	4. Adrian Beltre	3B
5. Cody Ross	RF	5. Michael Young	1B
6. Will Middlebrooks	3B	6. Nelson Cruz	DH
7. Carl Crawford	LF	7. David Murphy	RF
8. Kelly Shoppach	C	8. Mike Napoli	C
9. Mike Aviles	SS	9. Craig Gentry	CF
Clay Buchholz	SP	Martin Perez	SP

And here is how the hitters have fared against today’s starting pitchers:

NOTES: After being designated for assignment last week, Brent Lillibridge has been traded to the Cleveland Indians for minor league pitcher Jose De La Torre. The Red Sox have also signed pitcher Nelson Figueroa to a minor league deal. Both De La Torre and Figueroa have been assigned to Triple-A Pawtucket.

REFRESH OR CHECK BACK OFTEN AS MORE LINKS WILL BE ADDED BEFORE GAMETIME IF/WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE AND WILL BE BOLDED

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

1912 Red Sox World Series trophy to be auctioned [boston herald]

To buy or sell becoming a real dilemma for Cherington [brownie points]

Carl Crawford on batting seventh: ‘I’m cool with it’ [clubhouse insider]

Roy Oswalt: Red Sox never made a contract offer [clubhouse insider]

Crawford ‘understands’ move down batting order [csn new england]

Crawford on hitting 7th: ‘I understand now’ [espn boston]

Classifying prospects Sox would part with [espn boston]

Ask Nick: Is it time for Red Sox to sell? [extra bases]

Should the Red Sox bring back Hanley Ramirez? [extra bases]

Crawford offers no gripes about hitting seventh [extra bases]

Red Sox’ Path to Playoffs Takes Wrong Turn Despite Return of Injured Stars to Mix [nesn.com]

Josh Hamilton Cold as Ice as Slugger Can’t Match Red-Hot First Two Months [nesn.com]

Roy Oswalt on the Red Sox: ‘I never got offered anything’ [projo sox blog]

Valentine looking forward to seeing Ichiro with Yankees [projo sox blog]

Buchholz looks to snap Red Sox’s four-game skid [redsox.com]

Tribe acquires Lillibridge from Red Sox [redsox.com]

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

photo credits: ap photo, ap photo

With the Roy Oswalt battling a back injury, the Texas Rangers threw out Scott Feldman to make the spot start against the Boston Red Sox last night. Feldman had struggled this season but the Red Sox made him look like Cy Young last night in a 9-1 loss.

The only run the Red Sox would manage off of Feldman over his seven innings was a Jarrod Saltalmacchia solo home run in the 2nd inning. They did manage to get seven hits in total off of him but were unable to produce any more runs. And if you were wondering, yes we’ve seen this happen to the Red Sox recently. Aaron Laffey did the same thing for the Toronto Blue Jays last homestand.

Felix Doubront started this one for the Red Sox and despite taking the loss, he didn’t pitch all that badly. He wasn’t great either but we’ll call it a serviceable outing.

He was done in by a Dustin Pedroia throwing error in the 3rd inning that allowed a run to score. Then Josh Hamilton followed that up with an RBI double and two batters later, Michael Young brought in Hamilton with a single. And that’s basically when the momentum of the game shifted for the Red Sox.

Doubront’s night ended when he allowed a leadoff walk to Nelson Cruz and then a two run blast by Mike Napoli. Doubront seemed to become unnerved in Napoli’s at-bat after the call on 0-2 pitch didn’t go his way. The next one was sent out of the park.

Franklin Morales came in and was tagged as well no thanks to Carl Crawford watching the ball go under his glove. That folks is an unexcusable mistake.

Offensively besides, the Salty home run, Pedroia went 3-for-4 and has at least one hit in every game since he returned from the disabled list. Salty, Jacoby Ellsbury and Will Middlebrooks also each had two hits with Cody Ross adding one.

One of the moves Bobby Valentine made last night I actually agreed with.

After giving up a few runs on Sunday, Valentine threw Mark Melancon back out there and Monday. Melancon responded with a clean inning to erase the memory of Sunday’s outing. To me that is huge for Melancon as it gives him the confidence to go out there and do it again.

Right now we are at that point where the Red Sox are once again frustrating to watch. It did seem to me like they just gave up last night. I’m not saying everyone on the team had given up but it just looked like some did. Their fourth straight loss brought them back below the .500 mark.

Unless there’s some radical changes to the 25-man roster, it looks like the 2012 season will end up being a mediocre one and one that will be remembered by all of the injuries that could be part of the reason why.

They are only four games out of the second wild card spot but with the way they are playing, that four game deficit feels more like 10. Mediocre doesn’t fly with Red Sox Nation. So something needs to change and quickly.

We’ll be back later with today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. So for now, let’s take a look at the overnight links from the media.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

Texas-sized beating [boston globe]

Plan for Lester is unveiled [boston globe]

Their only move: Going backward [boston globe]

Red Sox pounded as rivals stock up [boston herald]

Jon Lester remains in the rotation [boston herald]

Left at a loss to explain [boston herald]

Sox open road trip with 9-1 loss to Rangers [csn new england]

First pitch: Nothing a trade or two can fix [csn new england]

State of the Sox: Our weekly Red Sox notebook [csn new england]

Despite losses, Saltalamacchia finding his swing again [csn new england]

Doubront can’t get Sox back on track [csn new england]

Rapid Reaction: Rangers 9, Red Sox 1 [espn boston]

Bobby Valentine talks with struggling Boston Red Sox ace Jon Lester [espn boston]

Closing Time: Red Sox drop below .500 with loss to Rangers [full count]

Carl Crawford wouldn’t mind if Matt Garza became a Red Sox [full count]

Tim Wakefield Reflects on Relationship With Jason Varitek, Praises Him For His Dedication (Video) [nesn.com]

Red Sox Need Swift Turnaround From Rotation to Regain Momentum in Wild Card Chase [nesn.com]

Ryan Sweeney Turns to Laser Eye Surgery to Improve Hitting, Fielding [nesn.com]

Bobby Valentine Says Jon Lester Will Start Against Yankees, That Red Sox Have ‘Proactive Plan’ to Fix His Form [nesn.com]

Lester’s contract more friendly to Red Sox than to other teams [projo sox blog]

Bobby V believes in Lester, to keep him on turn [redsox.com]

Dice-K, Big Papi making progess with injuries [redsox.com]

Middlebrooks, Bobby V return to Texas [redsox.com]

Pedroia: ‘I think we’re all miserable’ [alex speier – weei.com]

Reality check: Why the Red Sox must look beyond 2012 at the trade deadline [alex speier – weei.com]

For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSN New England,  ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.

And if you must check out the enemy news, head over to the Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram websites.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

photo credit: ap photo

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Football links

UConn Coach Paul Pasqualoni Talks About His Alma Mater…Penn State [desmond conner – hartford courant]

Penn State Transfers Have To Contact Schools First, Not The Other Way Around [desmond conner – hartford courant]

Speaking Of Transfers, A Graham Stewart Update [desmond conner – hartford courant]

UConn Coach Paul Pasqualoni Feeling Good About Big OT Jimmy Bennett Feeling Good [desmond conner – hartford courant]

UConn Coach Paul Pasqualoni On Big OT Andreas Knappe [desmond conner – hartford courant]

Pasqualoni reacts to Penn State situation [jim fuller – new haven register]

Latest on Casey Cochran, Graham Stewart [jim fuller – new haven register]

BIG EAST TO PRODUCE FREE LIVE SHOW AS ANCHOR FOR #BEMEDIADAY COVERAGE [bigeast.org]

UConn’s Paul Pasqualoni Talks About NCAA’s Decision On Penn State [hartford courant]

UConn football coach: NCAA action against Penn State is ‘unprecedented territory’ [new haven register]

Freshman QB Casey Cochran will be limited with cast for 4-6 weeks [new haven register]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Recruiting Roundup: July 23 [kevin duffy – ct post]

Other UConn related links

W. Swimming. Chinyere Pigot To Be Suriname Flag Bearer At Olympics [uconnhuskies.com]

Field Hockey. Marie Elena Bolles Selected to USA Field Hockey U21 Junior National Team [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Ice Hockey. NAHL West Alumni move on to UCONN [juniorhockey.com]

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

I guess there’s a silver lining in everything as Boston Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez was named the AL Player of the Week for last week. Here’s the release:

Boston Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez has been named the American League Player of the Week for the period ending July 22nd. This is Adrian’s sixth career weekly honor (last accomplished for week ending August 28, 2011). The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network.

Gonzalez batted .429 (12-for-28) with three home runs, 12 RBI and five runs scored in seven games. Among A.L. leaders for the week, the 30-year-old was first in RBI, tied for first in homers, tied for second in hits, tied for third in total bases (21) and tied for sixth in batting average.

In the opener of a four-game set against the Chicago White Sox on Monday, Gonzalez singled in a run in the first inning and later lofted a three-run homer over the Green Monster in the eighth inning to snap a 1-1 tie as the Red Sox claimed a 5-1 victory at Fenway Park. The home run was the first since June 24th for the San Diego native, who finished the game with four RBI. On Wednesday, the nine-year veteran collected three hits, including a homer, and drove in four RBI for the second time in three games as Boston topped the White Sox, 10-1. The four-time All-Star’s homer was on the back end of consecutive shots with teammate Cody Ross, marking the fifth time this season that Boston has launched back-to-back home runs. Adrian also recorded an RBI-single in the first inning and a two-run single in the sixth. In the series finale on Thursday, the first overall pick in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft (by Florida) out of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles as Boston won, 3-1, to take three of four from Chicago. Rounding out the week on Sunday, the left-handed-hitting slugger singled, hit a three-run blast and scored two runs in a 15-7 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway. Over his last 27 games (since June 20th), Gonzalez has batted .391 (43-for-110) with five doubles, four home runs, 22 RBI and 17 runs scored, hitting safely in 25 of those contests.

Other noteworthy performances last week included Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim rookie Mike Trout (.429, 12 H, 3 HR, 6 RBI); Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon (.433, 13 H, .455 OBP); Seattle Mariners rookie Jesus Montero (.462, 4 2B, 1 HR, 9 RBI); and Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera (.333, 3 HR, 6 RBI, career homers 299 and 300 on Sunday). In recognition of his American League Player of the Week Award, Adrian Gonzalez will be awarded a watch courtesy of Game Time, the leader in licensed sports watches, available at MLB.com.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

photo credit: getty images

After being swept by the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend, the Boston Red Sox take to the road for a six-game, seven day road trip. Tonight, they’ll kick it off with the first of a three-game set with the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. and will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Rangers television market, you can watch the game on Fox Sports Southwest. And if you don’t live in either market you’re in luck as well as ESPN will have national coverage of the game (outside of Red Sox and Rangers television markets). You can also catch the game online at espn3.com and on your mobile device with the WatchESPN app. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

Felix Doubront looks to get the Red Sox back on track in his 19th start of 2012. In his previous 18 starts, Doubront is 10-4 with a 4.24 ERA. He has not faced the Rangers this season and allowed three runs in a 1/3 of an inning in 2011. He’s made four appearances (one start) against the Rangers in his career and is 0-1 with a 9.95 ERA (7 ER/6.1 IP). Two of those appearances have come at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington where he has no record with a 13.50 ERA (2 ER/1.1 IP).

Scott Feldman steps in for an injured Roy Oswalt to make his 11th start (17th appearance) of 2012. In his previous 16 appearances (10 starts), Feldman is 3-6 with a 5.89 ERA. He has not faced the Red Sox this season and allowed no runs over four innings of work in his only appearance against them in 2011. He’s made seven career appearances (one start) against the visiting nine from Boston and has no record with a 5.06 ERA (9 ER/16 IP).

Click on the read more button below to see today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day if you’re on the home page.

Here are today’s lineups:

48-48		56-38
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Ian Kinsler	2B
2. Carl Crawford	LF	2. Elvis Andrus	SS
3. Dustin Pedroia	2B	3. Josh Hamilton	LF
4. Adrian Gonzalez	1B	4. Adrian Beltre	3B
5. Cody Ross	DH	5. Michael Young	DH
6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C	6. Nelson Cruz	RF
7. Will Middlebrooks	3B	7. Mike Napoli	C
8. Ryan Sweeney	RF	8. Brandon Snyder	1B
9. Mike Aviles	SS	9. Craig Gentry	CF
Felix Doubront	SP	Scott Feldman	SP

And here is how the hitters have fared against today’s starting pitchers:

NOTES:

REFRESH OR CHECK BACK OFTEN AS MORE LINKS WILL BE ADDED BEFORE GAMETIME IF/WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE AND WILL BE BOLDED

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

AL scout on Jon Lester: ‘He’s not far from being very good’ [clubhouse insider]

Report: Red Sox interested in Miami’s Sanchez, Johnson [csn new england]

Valentine unsure if Sox will skip Lester’s next start [csn new england]

Gonzalez staying level-headed after hot week at plate [csn new england]

Source: Sox eye Marlins’ Johnson, Sanchez [espn boston]

Safety at home? For Lester, anything but [espn boston]

Bobby V and Lester to ‘make a plan’ [espn boston]

Valentine happy to be back in Texas [espn boston]

The fall and rise (and fall) of Jon Lester [extra bases]

Red Sox contemplate next step for Lester [extra bases]

Red Sox ‘aces’ are killing the season [tony massarotti – boston globe]

Adrian Gonzalez Looks to Carry Heat at Plate to Texas as Red Sox Face Rangers [nesn.com]

Red Sox Have Backs Up Against the Wall and Other Thoughts From the Week in Baseball [nesn.com]

Can the Red Sox Make the Playoffs With Their Current Roster? [nesn.com]

Red Sox exceed draft bonus allotment by 4.1 percent [projo sox blog]

A Series Matter: Red Sox-Rangers and Mediocrity [projo sox blog]

Valentine on Lester: ‘I believe in him’ [projo sox blog]

Wednesday to be a busy day for Red Sox pitchers [projo sox blog]

Red Sox hit road, send Doubront against Rangers [redsox.com]

Source: Sox ‘never engaged’ on Dempster [alex speier – weei.com]

No DL, but Lester could be skipped [alex speier – weei.com]

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

photo credits: ap photo, ap photo

The seven-game homestand for the Boston Red Sox got off to a great start but ended like that start to it had never happened.

They welcomed back Kevin Youkilis to Fenway Park and took three-of-four from the Chicago White Sox. And after the Toronto Blue Jays came and took out their brooms, the Red Sox found themselves finishing the stanza at 3-4 and back at a .500 record at 48-48.

A big problem this homestand and especially yesterday was the starting pitching. Josh Beckett stunk, Aaron Cook made one too many mistakes and of course there’s Jon Lester.

By the time Lester got off the mound yesterday, he had set some new career-highs and folks, these weren’t good career-highs. He went just four innings, allowing 11 runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out two. He also gave up four home runs.

He gave up five runs in the 1st inning but saw Adrian Gonzalez get three of those back on one swing of the bat in the bottom half of the inning. After the home run, Dustin Pedroia was seen sitting in the dugout giving a pep talk to Lester.

It obviously didn’t work as Lester came back out in the top half of the 2nd and gave up four more runs putting the Red Sox in a hole they would ultimately be unable to recover from.

I’ll be honest, I was just as surprised as you probably were to see Lester back on the mound in the 3rd inning. With his confidence shaken, there probably wouldn’t any good to come of it. Whatever Bobby Valentine’s thinking was, it definitely wasn’t the right thing to do. But that’s why we sit here and Valentine makes those decisions.

We all know Lester is a better pitcher than he’s shown this season. Is he hurt? He says no. Is it mechanical? He doesn’t think so. Lester basically says its lack of execution. But whatever the case may be, he’s actually more of a liability than an asset right now.

You used to know what you were going to get when Lester and Beckett would toe the rubber. Now, you probably have a better chance at getting blackjack (I am not condoning gambling, just using that as an example to make point).

Fortunately for the Red Sox, the New York Yankees were swept in Oakland over the last four games so the Red Sox didn’t lose any ground in the AL East standings to them. But by being swept the Blue Jays, they now find themselves back in the basement and just a game out of third place. They are 3.5 games behind second place Baltimore.

That deficit is the same in the wild card standings behind the Orioles and surging Athletics.

With the trade deadline coming up in just eight days, GM Ben Cherington has some serious thinking to do. With the second wild card in play, the Red Sox are by no means out of the postseason. But if he doesn’t think Lester or Beckett are going to turn things around, Cherington really has to explore the market for a starting pitcher and a good one at that. That may end up costing them a few prospects but if the mentality is to win now, it might be worth it.

If he decides to go the other way and sell off some pieces, there’ll probably be an uproar. Of course there’s also the possibility that the Red Sox do a little of both.

Either way, it’s not going to be an easy thing to decide for Cherington. As fans of the team, we have to back him up with whatever he decides to do going forward.

We’ll be back later with today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. So for now, let’s take a look at the overnight links from the media.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

Heartbreak hill [boston globe]

Ortiz not part of travel plans [boston globe]

Clean innings in mop-up duty [boston globe]

Futility, thy name is Jon Lester [boston herald]

Jon Lester’s new low [boston herald]

Junichi Tazawa saves bullpen [boston herald]

Ex-coach John Farrell finds Jon Lester’s weak points [boston herald]

Week ahead might break sagging Sox [boston herald]

Jon Lester, Josh Beckett have left Red Sox with their make-or-break moment [rob bradford – weei.com]

Blue Jays crush Lester, Red Sox in 15-7 romp [csn new england]

It may be time for Sox to admit what they are [csn new england]

Lester: ‘It’s embarrassing. I let my team down’ [csn new england]

Ellsbury a rare bright spot with first home run of season [csn new england]

Potentially season-altering road trip awaits Red Sox [csn new england]

Look no further than Lester, Beckett for Sox struggles [csn new england]

Lester at an all-time low after Blue Jays beating [csn new england]

Pedroia gives Lester pep talk but to no avail [csn new england]

Ortiz: ‘Can’t wait to be back’ [espn boston]

Rapid Reaction: Blue Jays 15, Red Sox 7 [espn boston]

Sox hit road searching for answers [espn boston]

Pedroia to Lester: We have your back [espn boston]

Boston Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester hits new low with drubbing by Toronto Blue Jays [espn boston]

Bobby Valentine: Red Sox batters right now ‘just aren’t getting that hit’ [full count]

Closing Time: Jon Lester left still looking for answers as Blue Jays sweep Red Sox [full count]

Jon Lester: ‘Hard for me to walk around clubhouse and look guys in the eye right now’ [full count]

Dustin Pedroia on Jon Lester: ‘We love him and I’ll play behind him any day of the week’ [full count]

Mark Prior Could Be a September Call-Up That Helps Red Sox Earn Playoff Spot [nesn.com]

Jon Lester Embarrassed by Recent Starts, Claims He Can’t ‘Look Guys in the Eye’ in the Clubhouse [nesn.com]

Red Sox Reach Critical Point in Season, Recognize Tough Schedule Ahead [nesn.com]

Jon Lester Not Making Excuses for Career-Worst Performance (Video) [nesn.com]

Cody Ross Among Red Sox Who Still Have Faith in Jon Lester Despite Recent Struggles (Video) [nesn.com]

Jon Lester Faces Music After Latest Rough Outing, Owns Up Despite Obvious Frustration [nesn.com]

Lester’s recent woes continue in lopsided loss [redsox.com]

Valentine opts to rest Middlebrooks, Crawford [redsox.com]

Bailey about week away from rehab assignment [redsox.com]

For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSN New England,  ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.

And if you must check out the enemy news, head over to the Toronto Star and Toronto Sun websites.

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photo credit: reuters pictures