The Baltimore Orioles came into last night’s game looking for their second sweep of the Boston Red Sox this season at Historic Fenway Park. Fortunately for the local nine, Clay Buchholz had other plans for the O’s last night.

Ever since rediscovering his changeup, Buchholz has been a completely different pitcher. Sure his 125 pitch complete game effort last night raised his record to 6-2 and dropped his ERA to 5.77 but could you imagine what his ERA might be had he not thrown those stinkers earlier on in the season.

Clay definitely looks more confident on the mound now and you have to wonder if the back injury from last year played a part in his brain earlier in the season.

He had good life on his fastball last night and commanded all of his pitches, especially his changeup and curveball. His only walk of the night didn’t come until the 9th inning. He finished the evening scattering four hits with the one walk while striking out six.

Buchholz now has three complete game shutouts and ironically enough, all three of them have come against the Orioles. One of those was his no-hitter against them back in 2007.

With things going good for Josh Beckett and Buchholz and if Jon Lester can turn it around, they could look like the Big Three that the Red Sox were hoping for.

The Red Sox offense got to Orioles starter Brian Matusz early last night. In a contrast of starting pitchers, Matusz had no command of his pitches last night. He was having trouble throwing strikes and when he did, it seemed like the Red Sox were making contact them.

Adrian Gonzalez, who himself has been in a funk at the plate, brought in the first two Red Sox runs with a double in the 1st inning. That double was part of a three-hit effort for Gonzalez who once again got the start in right field.

Daniel Nava continues to deliver at the plate as he added two hits, including a two-run single in the 3rd that pushed the Red Sox lead to 6-0. Kevin Youkilis added two hits for the winners as well.

Things are not going to get easier for the Red Sox over the weekend.

Like the O’s, the Washington Nationals are a different team now and are leading the NL East by two games. And they will have there top three pitchers going in the series. It should be a fun series to watch though with interleague play starting tonight for the next 15 games.

At least for the weekend, we don’t have to see how Bobby Valentine will try to work Youk, Gonzo, David Ortiz and Will Middlebrooks into the lineup. That fun will come starting on Monday when the local nine heads to the Overton section of Miami.

We’ll be back later with today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. So for now, let’s take at look at the overnight links from the media by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

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Buchholz’s changeup a beauty [Boston Globe]

Bard ready to work on mechanics [Boston Globe]

Sixth sense: Gonzalez simply being selective [Boston Globe]

Brentz was a five-hit wonder [Boston Globe]

Crawford can start throwing program [Boston Globe]

Young talent a source of National pride [Boston Globe]

Adrian Gonzalez, Sox end slides [Boston Herald]

Darnell McDonald right (left, center) on time [Boston Herald]

Andrew Miller grasps Daniel Bard’s dilemma [Boston Herald]

Change good for Clay Buchholz [Boston Herald]

Boston breaks streak, blanks Baltimore 7-0 [CSN New England]

Nava’s bat contributes to Red Sox win [CSN New England]

Valentine: Buchholz ‘was spectacular’ against Orioles [CSN New England]

Gonzalez works on finding holes [CSN New England]

Rapid Reaction: Red Sox 7, O’s 0 [ESPN Boston]

Bard ‘not thrilled’ with demotion [ESPN Boston]

Closing Time: Clay Buchholz dominates as Red Sox blank Orioles [Full Count]

Red Sox Prospect Derrik Gibson Could Soon Be Playing Shortstop at Fenway Park (Video) [NESN.com]

Clay Buchholz’ Adjustments on the Mound Apparent in Pitcher’s Return to All-Star Form [NESN.com]

David Ortiz Impressed With Development, Production of Daniel Nava (Video) [NESN.com]

Adrian Gonzalez Feeling More ‘Comfortable’ At the Plate, Closer to Turning the Corner [NESN.com]

Clay Buchholz Transforms From Embattled Pitcher to Empowered One After Latest Gem [NESN.com]

Crawford, Ellsbury ramping up in rehab process [RedSox.com]

Valentine: Beckett’s hamstring ‘non-problematic’ [RedSox.com]

Situations dictate whether bunts are needed [RedSox.com]

When ‘really bad’ is not so bad: Adrian Gonzalez sees an upswing [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

A Nationals event: Red Sox marvel at Harper, Strasburg [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, be sure to head over to the Baltimore Sun and MASN websites. Also be sure to check out our Bloguin brother the Oriole Post for all of your Orioles needs.

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

photo credit: Getty Images

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 Gets Commitment Today From Dhameer Bradley, Speedster From Maryland, For 2013 [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Tiffany Hayes Having Fun As A Professional [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Jessica Moore Takes The Show To Atlanta [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Dolson Talks Consistency, Skydiving, Tuck and Jefferson [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

A few words with UConn coach Jim Calhoun [Kevin Duffy – CT Post]

Drummond Looks To Clear Up Mystery About His Motor [Hartford Courant]

Other UConn related links

M. Track. Injury Forces Waruch Out Of NCAA Competition [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Track. Flowers Finishes 15th In Hammer At NCAA Championships [UConnHuskies.com]

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

Here’s the release from UConn announcing more kickoff times and TV plans for the 2012 UConn Huskies football season:

STORRS, Conn. – The following games times and television plans for several 2012 UConn football games were announced on Thursday.

• Thursday, August 30, vs. Massachusetts, SNY, 7:30 p.m. kickoff (game time was previously announced)
• Saturday, September 8, vs. North Carolina State, BIG EAST Network Game of the Week with regional coverage on SNY, 12:00 p.m. kickoff
• Saturday, September 22, at Western Michigan, ESPN3, 2:00 p.m. kickoff
• Saturday, September 29, vs. Buffalo, BIG EAST Network Game of the Week with regional coverage on SNY, 12:00 p.m. kickoff

These announcements mean that kickoff times for four of UConn’s six home games at Rentschler Field in 2012 are now known – and a total of seven of all 12 games.

Season tickets are now on sale for 2012 UConn football at UConnHuskies.com or by calling the ticket office at 1-877-AT-UCONN.

Click here for the entire up-to-date UConn football schedule for 2012

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

After falling last night 2-1, the Boston Red Sox look to avoid being swept tonight in the finale of a three-game set with the Baltimore Orioles at Historic Fenway Park.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Orioles television market, you can catch the game on MASN. The game will also be available in select markets outside of the Red Sox and Orioles television markets on MLB Network. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

Clay Buchholz looks to continue his turnaround in his 12th start of 2012 tonight. In his previous 11 starts, Buchholz is 5-2 with a 6.58 ERA. He’s made two starts against the Orioles this season and has no record with a 10.00 ERA (10 ER/9 IP). He’s made 12 career appearances (11 starts) against the Orioles and is 5-3 with a 4.16 ERA.

Brian Matusz looks to keep the O’s in first place in his 12th start of the season. In his previous 11 starts, Matusz is 5-5 with a 4.41 ERA. He picked up the win in his only start against the local nine this season after allowing one run in 6.1 innings back on May 22nd at Camden Yards. In seven career starts against the Red Sox, Matusz is 3-1 with a 3.58 ERA. Four of those starts have come at the Fens where he is 1-1 with a 4.58 ERA.

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

Here are today’s lineups:

31-24		28-27
1. Endy Chavez	RF	1. Daniel Nava	LF
2. J.J. Hardy	SS	2. Dustin Pedroia	2B
3. Adam Jones	CF	3. Kevin Youkilis	1B
4. Matt Wieters	C	4. David Ortiz	DH
5. Chris Davis	DH	5. Will Middlebrooks	3B
6. Mark Reynolds	1B	6. Adrian Gonzalez	RF
7. Wilson Betemit	3B	7. Mike Aviles	SS
8. Ryan Flaherty	LF	8. Darnell McDonald	CF
9. Robert Andino	2B	9. Kelly Shoppach	C
Brian Matusz	SP	Clay Buchholz	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

Bobby Valentine Is Perfect Manager to Finally Harness Daisuke Matsuzaka’s Immense Talent [Tom Caron – NESN.com]

From experience, Andrew Miller sympathizes with Daniel Bard’s struggles [Clubhouse Insider]

Daniel Bard on demotion: ‘I’m just an employee here’ [Clubhouse Insider]

Cody Ross not running yet; Carl Crawford set to start throwing [Clubhouse Insider]

On Meeting with the Media [CSN New England]

Surprise: Sox tied for A.L. lead in sacrifice bunts [CSN New England]

Bard on demotion: ‘Obviously Im not thrilled with it’ [CSN New England]

Draft recap: Explaining Boston’s strategy [ESPN Boston]

Jose Iglesias (back strain) nearing return [ESPN Boston]

Ortiz joins the Run of Hope on Saturday [Extra Bases]

Carl Crawford ready to test his elbow [Extra Bases]

Some pregame notes from Fenway Park [Extra Bases]

Bard not thrilled with Triple A assignment [Extra Bases]

Red Sox draft pick Ty Buttrey will be allowed to take part in graduation [Full Count]

Red Sox Must Find Way to Regain Momentum That Propelled Them Over .500 in May [NESN.com]

How Many All-Stars Will the Red Sox Have This Season? [NESN.com]

Mayor Thomas Menino Better Pray He Never Has to Say Jarrod Saltalamacchia or Anton Khudobin (Photos) [NESN.com]

Red Sox Hope to Take Advantage of Slumping Adam Jones, Salvage Series Finale With Orioles [NESN.com]

Red Sox’ Gamble on Mark Prior Showing Early Signs of Paying Off [NESN.com]

Bobby Valentine Defends His Bunting Philosophy, Indirectly Takes Shot at Marlon Byrd [NESN.com]

Valentine a little bit defensive when asked about bunts [Projo Sox Blog]

Red Sox ready for first encounter with Strasburg [Projo Sox Blog]

Bard thinks he has found flaw in delivery [Projo Sox Blog]

Riding momentum, Buchholz gets call vs. O’s [RedSox.com]

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

photo credits: AP Photo, Getty Images

Braintree, MA (June 7, 2012) – Member owned Liberty Bay Credit Union is giving the Fenway Faithfull a chance to catch the September 11 home game against the Yankees in style. As a leader in small business loans in the Greater Boston area, any Liberty Bay member who opens a new loan of $50K or more from now until August 31 is automatically entered to win a box suite with 20 of their closest friends for the match up against the Sox’ AL East rivals.

After a slow start to the 2012 campaign, the Sox are catching fire as the summer months roll in. Red Sox All Star first Baseman Kevin Youkilis has been a member of the Liberty Bay team for the past two seasons as a member of their “Big 3” and the Braintree based credit union is looking to add a few more players to the roster.

“As a member owned, not for profit financial institution we pride ourselves on providing fair, accessible loans to aid small business growth in and around the Boston area,” said Liberty Bay Credit Union VP of Small Business Solutions Paul Gravellese. “We are all huge Sox fans here at Liberty Bay and wanted to reward our loyal member base with a chance to win 20 of the best seats in the house for one of the most anticipated games of the regular season.”

Established in 1917 with over 27,000 members, Liberty Bay recently received approval from the Small Business Administration (SBA), opening new doors for small business loan opportunities for members at each of their three locations in Braintree, Boston and Stoneham.

About Liberty Bay Credit Union Liberty Bay Credit Union is a member‐owned not‐for‐profit serving more than 27, 000 members in the Greater Boston area. Liberty Bay has locations in Boston, Braintree,Stoneham and a full‐service on‐line branch at www.libertybaycu.org.

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

Back to .500 for the Boston Red Sox after their third straight loss last night.

Gone are the days when you can look at the schedule and say well 18 games against the Baltimore Orioles means about 12-15 wins. So far in 2012, the Orioles have owned the Red Sox and the worst part about it is the fact that the local nine hasn’t beaten them at home yet.

On any other night, an outing like the one Josh Beckett had last night would have been good enough to win. He went eight innings, allowing two runs on two runs on five hits with five strikeouts on 92 pitches. Had it not been for a cramp in his hamstring, Beckett probably would have gone the entire game.

Beckett’s stuff was outstanding. He had good life on his fastball, commanded all of his pitches and more importantly had a good pace on the mound. Honestly, he didn’t deserve the loss last night.

The offense failed him as they weren’t able to take advantage when they got Orioles starter Wei-Yin Chen in trouble in the 7th.

After Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Adrian Gonzalez, who was pinch-run for by Scott Podsednik, reached to start the inning, Darnell McDonald sacrificed the runners over to second and third. But Chen got Marlon Byrd to strikeout and then got Mike Aviles to pop out to end the threat.

They had runners on first and second in the 8th against Pedro Strop but he got Will Middlebrooks to fly out and then got Podsednik, batting for Gonzo, to ground out.

The situations where skipper Bobby Valentine is taking out Gonzalez from the game are hurting the club in my opinion. I know they want to keep Gonzo, Middlebrooks and Kevin Youkilis in the lineup as much as possible. But when you’re taking out one of the best hitters in the game, even though he might be struggling a little, you might want to sacrifice defense for what Gonzalez brings to the table.

It’s hard to say whether Gonzalez could have singled in the 8th since hindsight is 20/20 but wouldn’t you rather have him up in that situation instead of Podsednik. I know I would.

Ben Cherington and Valentine really need to make a decision on what they’re going to do with Youk. I hate to say it but it is part of the problem right now. They could easily settle it by sending Middlebrooks back to Triple-A but with the way he’s playing, he’s shown he belongs. Obviously trading him takes a big bat out of the lineup but when you’re taking a bat out of the lineup almost every night late in the game, what’s the difference.

Look folks, things aren’t that bad still. The Red Sox are just four games out of first right now. No one is running away with the AL East as evidenced by the fact the other four teams are just separated by two games. If they were say 10 games out, it might be time to panic.

All we can hope for right now is that the pull things together tonight before embarking on interleague play for the next 15 games with six of them in NL parks.

We’ll be back later with today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. So for now, let’s take at look at the overnight links from the media by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

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

Fenway again a bird sanctuary [Boston Globe]

Matsuzaka is set to return [Boston Globe]

Alarm sounded on fans running late [Boston Globe]

Orioles’ Wei-Yin Chen all right vs. Sox bats [Boston Herald]

Bats, words fail Red Sox [Boston Herald]

Pitchers catch on to Jarrod Saltalamacchia [Boston Herald]

A quick fix-up for Daniel Bard [Boston Herald]

The importance of finding the old Adrian Gonzalez [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

Red Sox lose third straight, fall to Orioles 2-1 [CSN New England]

Valentine: Beckett ‘deserved better’ [CSN New England]

Sox offense fails in loss [CSN New England]

Melancon ready for chance to move up [ESPN Boston]

Kalish thinks he could be better than ever [ESPN Boston]

Prior still pushing on comeback trail [ESPN Boston]

Rapid Reaction: Orioles 2, Red Sox 1 [ESPN Boston]

Delano ‘speechless’ on Sox selection [ESPN Boston]

Draft recap: Explaining Boston’s strategy [ESPN Boston]

Closing Time: Josh Beckett good, but not good enough in loss to Orioles [Full Count]

Josh Beckett claims title of hardest-luck loser in the American League [Full Count]

David Ortiz on the improved Orioles: ‘Their pitching is great’ [Full Count]

Daisuke Matsuzaka Will Dictate Future of Red Sox Season After Year Away From Pressure [NESN.com]

Josh Beckett’s Continued Dominance Solidifying Role as Ace of Red Sox Staff [NESN.com]

Red Sox Offense Waste Chances to Strike Against Orioles’ Much-Improved Pitching Staff [NESN.com]

David Ortiz’ Decision to Forego Home Run Derby Indication Competition May Impact Players Swings [NESN.com]

Man Sues Hospital, Claims Doctors Watched Red Sox Game Instead of Treating Erection Condition [NESN.com]

Aviles: AL East ‘easily toughest’ in baseball [Mike Petraglia – WEEI.com]

Slumping Adrian slides to sixth against lefty [RedSox.com]

Dice-K set for Saturday return vs. Nationals [RedSox.com]

Middlebrooks shows depth of Sox’s farm system [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, be sure to head over to the Baltimore Sun and MASN websites. Also be sure to check out our Bloguin brother the Oriole Post for all of your Orioles needs.

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

photo credit: Getty Images

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 Women’s Basketball links

NCAA Releases Attendance Figures – And It Figures… [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Former UConn star in select company [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

CPTV Looks To Fill Void With University Of Hartford, Sun And Other UConn Sports [Hartford Courant]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Jim Calhoun: ‘Right Now, Everything We’re Doing is Planning for Next Year’ [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Former UConn Trainer Joe Sharpe Heads to Finals with Oklahoma City Thunder [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Recruiting Spotlight: Davon Reed [Kevin Duffy – CT Post]

Calhoun Presents Rowe With Community Service Award [Hartford Courant]

Jim Calhoun still undecided on return, but it’s business as usual [New Haven Register]

Other UConn related links

M. Ice Hockey. Men’s Hockey Golf Outing A Huge Success [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball. Mazzilli and Oberg Selected in Day Two of MLB Draft [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Track. Wilson Finishes 11th In 800M At NCAA Championships [UConnHuskies.com]

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