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 some of the other sports. 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

Another first for UConn? [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Tiffany Hayes could be UConn’s fifth straight first-rounder [New Haven Register]

Other UConn related links

Softball. UConn Defeated By USF, 11-3, To End Three-Game Series [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball. Top of the Order Powers Huskies to Extra-Innings Win at St. John’s [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Rowing. Rowing Concludes Weekend At Knecht Cup [UConnHuskies.com]

UConn Club. UConn Club To Honor 15 As Outstanding Senior Athletes [UConnHuskies.com]

M. Golf. UConn 14th At Wolfpack Spring Open [UConnHuskies.com]

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

When David Ortiz agreed to the one-year deal with the Boston Red Sox, there were some grumblings here in Red Sox Nation that he may be past his prime at the age of 36. People were worried that he couldn’t match the production of years past.

The baseball operations people may have felt the same way about Big Papi because they lowballed him during arbitration negotiations and didn’t offer him anything reasonable for a two-year deal. So what did he do, he came into spring training in the best shape of his life.

Well if he was holding a grudge against anyone in the front office of the Red Sox, I like the way he’s showing to them he’s no where near done producing. After another three hit performance in the 6-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, Big Papi is now hitting .444 on the season with one home run and 10 RBIs. Five of his 13 hits on the season are of the extra base variety with four of them being doubles.

His third hit and second double of the afternoon turned out to be the difference as it knocked in Kevin Youkilis with the fifth run of the afternoon for the Red Sox. His first hit of the afternoon, a double in the second, was the start of a three-run inning. He would come around to score on a mammoth blast over the Green Monster by Cody Ross, who seems to be taking to Fenway quite nicely.

Mike Aviles added an insurance run in the 7th with a solo home run, his second in as many days.

Felix Doubront once again struggled with his pitch count. He left the game after five plus innings and 96 pitches. He also was given a four run lead and squandered it again. However with that said, he did look pretty good at times as he finished with a career-high seven strikeouts.

At times, he was making the Rays hitters look silly. He had good life on his fastball and his curveball and changeup were pretty much unhittable. Some bad defense played a part in him giving up three runs in the 5th and personally, I think the blame on the home run he allowed to Fenway favorite Luke Scott in the 6th goes to skipper Bobby Valentine.

With Doubront’s pitch count well over 90 pitches at that point, Valentine elected to keep him out on the mound to face the lefty Scott. Obviously it didn’t turn out that way. Not to question Valentine but former manager Terry Francona would have taken him out and given the bullpen a chance to save the win for him.

Scott Atchison struggled a little out of the bullpen but Vicente Padilla bailed him out with 1.2 innings of one-hit ball. Franklin Morales continued to be solid out the bullpen and Alfredo Aceves was lights out in picking up his second save of the season.

Hopefully the nice pitching and hitting continue this afternoon.

To see today’s lineups, as well as the batter/pitcher matchups as well as links from the day, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

After picking up their third straight win, the Boston Red Sox look for the sweep of the four-game set with their AL East rivals the Tampa Bay Rays this morning at Historic Fenway Park.

First pitch is scheduled for 11:05 a.m. and the game will be broadcast in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the Rays television market, you can catch the game on Sun Sports. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

After taking the loss in his first career MLB start, Daniel Bard looks to continue the winning ways for the Red Sox this morning. In his first start against the Blue Jays, he allowed five earned runs in five innings of work all though he pitched better than his line indicated. Bard made eight appearances against the Rays in 2011 and was 0-1 with a 1.13 ERA (1 ER/8 IP). Overall in his career, he’s made 18 appearances and is 0-1 with a 1.00 ERA (2 ER/18 IP).

James Shields makes his third start of 2012 for the reeling Rays. In his previous two starts, Shields is 1-0 with a 5.54 ERA. He made five starts against the Red Sox in 2011 and was 2-3 with a 3.29 ERA. Overall in his career, Shields has made 21 career starts against the Red Sox and is 7-12 with a 4.61 ERA. Ten of those starts have come at the Fens where he is 1-9 with a 6.75 ERA.

Here are today’s lineups:

4-5		4-5
1. Desmond Jennings	CF	1. Mike Aviles	SS
2. Carlos Pena	1B	2. Dustin Pedroia	2B
3. Evan Longoria	3B	3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B
4. Luke Scott	DH	4. David Ortiz	DH
5. Ben Zobrist	RF	5. Cody Ross	CF
6. Matt Joyce	LF	6. Ryan Sweeney	RF
7. Jeff Keppinger	2B	7. Nick Punto	3B
8. Jose Molina	C	8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C
9. Sean Rodriguez	SS	9. Darnell McDonald	LF
James Shields	SP	Daniel Bard	SP

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

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

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Ortiz keeps hits coming [Boston Globe]

An important exam [Boston Globe]

Striking turnaround for Sox bullpen [Boston Globe]

Red Sox take out trash [Boston Herald]

Remembering man of great action [Boston Herald]

Felix Doubront throws a splitter [Boston Herald]

David Ortiz’ success includes owning lefties [Boston Herald]

Pedroia peeved over Bobby V’s Youk comments [Boston Herald]

Youkilis ‘confused’ about Valentine’s criticism [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

Pedroia: Don’t understand Bobby V’s point [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

Valentine does damage control, faces strong words from Pedroia [Clubhouse Insider]

Youkilis’ agent not real happy right now [Clubhouse Insider]

Red Sox beat Rays in third straight, 6-4 [CSN New England]

Valentine: ‘Youk’s just not into it’ [CSN New England]

Youkilis ‘confused’ about Valentine comments [CSN New England]

Red Sox bullpen rounding into form [CSN New England]

Ortiz’s hot start to season continues against Rays [CSN New England]

Sox power their way out of early slump [CSN New England]

Sox pitchers finding their groove [CSN New England]

Rapid Reaction: Red Sox 6, Rays 4 [ESPN Boston]

David Ortiz locked in, on a roll [ESPN Boston]

Aceves, bullpen shut the door on Rays [ESPN Boston]

Doubront solid until troublesome fifth [ESPN Boston]

Valentine questions Youkilis’ commitment [ESPN Boston]

Youkilis responds; not in lineup today [ESPN Boston]

Red Sox, Rays set for Patriots Day matinee [ESPN Boston]

Bobby Valentine apologizes to Kevin Youkilis for questioning commitment [ESPN Boston]

Valentine: I apologized to Youkilis [ESPN Boston]

Initial Q&A from Bobby V on Youk [ESPN Boston]

Schill’s reaction to Bobby V-Youk flap [ESPN Boston]

Kevin Youkilis: ‘I was confused’ by Valentine remarks [Extra Bases]

Source: Red Sox actively exploring outfield market, but pickings slim for now [Full Count]

Former Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca remembers the day Jackie Robinson changed history [Full Count]

Closing Time: Offense keeps clicking as Red Sox roll past Rays [Full Count]

What was Bobby Valentine thinking? [Full Count]

Bobby V: ‘We’re big boys and I’m sure [Youk] is going to get it’ [Full Count]

Dustin Pedroia: ‘I’ll talk to Bobby and we’ll figure it out’ [Full Count]

Cody Ross Points to Return to Fenway, Rapport With ‘Best Hitting Coach’ Dave Magadan as Keys to Resurgence [NESN.com]

Dave Magadan Calls David Ortiz a ‘Man on a Mission,’ Admires Success Against Lefties [NESN.com]

David Ortiz Rewards Bobby Valentine, Who ‘Wanted Him’ on His Team [NESN.com]

Which Rays Starting Pitcher Would You Most Want on Your Team? [NESN.com]

Kevin Youkilis Out of Red Sox Lineup With Sore Groin, Not Because of Misunderstanding With Bobby Valentine [NESN.com]

Dustin Pedroia ‘Doesn’t Understand’ What Bobby Valentine Is Trying To Do [NESN.com]

Bobby Valentine Didn’t Intend To Motivate Kevin Youkilis With Controversial Comments, Apologizes [NESN.com]

Kevin Youkilis’ response to Bobby Valentine’s comments [Projo Sox Blog]

Valentine on Youkilis comments: “That wasn’t meant to motivate” [Projo Sox Blog]

Rays concerned Matt Moore was tipping pitches [Projo Sox Blog]

Crawford close to getting some game action [RedSox.com]

Red Sox exploring trade market for outfielders [RedSox.com]

Sox eye four-game sweep of Rays on Patriots’ Day [RedSox.com]

Branca pleased to call Robinson a friend [RedSox.com]

Youkilis ‘confused’ by Valentine’s criticism [RedSox.com]

The Book: Bryce Brentz [SoxProspects.com]

Man on a mission: This April, David Ortiz is all statements, no questions [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 Tampa Bay Times and Tampa Tribune websites.

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

photo credits: Getty Images, Getty Images, Getty Images

When the Tampa Bay Rays got four runs in the 1st inning against Clay Buchholz, it seemed as though it was going to be a long day for him and the Boston Red Sox. It turned out that was not the case at all.

In fact, it ended up being a long day for the Rays after the Red Sox rallied for a 13-5 win.

With the Rays holding a 5-2 lead after the top of the 3rd inning and his pitch count quickly getting higher, Buchholz settled down and kept his team in the game. And while he was doing this, the offense was gradually wearing down Rays starter Jeremy Hellickson and getting the Red Sox back into the game.

Once he got command of his cutter, changeup and curveball, Buchholz was pretty much untouchable, he retired 12 of the final 14 batters he faced after the 3rd inning. Only Jose Molina (single in the 4th) and Matthew Joyce (single in the 5th) reached base for the Rays the rest of the game.

After the slow start, Buchholz ended up going seven innings, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five. Franklin Morales and Alfredo Aceves were perfect in their inning of work each with Morales striking out one and Aceves two. For Buchholz, it was his first win since June 16, 2011 which happened to be his last start before going on the shelf with the back injury.

The most important thing right now is that his back is healthy. Everybody is going to have a start like Buchholz did once in a while. It was the second straight game that he had given up four runs in the first inning. But it’s not how you start, it’s how you finished. And I think we can all say that he did a great job of finishing up the game.

The Red Sox offense once again stole the show. Like in the home opener, they used a big 8th inning to put away a close game. This time though, they only got five runs.

We all know chicks dig the long ball, so the chicks must have really dug the Red Sox on Saturday afternoon. All told on the day, they ended up with five home runs, one each by Jarrod Saltalamacchia (2nd inning), Dustin Pedroia (3rd inning), David Ortiz (5th inning), Mike Aviles (7th inning) and Cody Ross (8th inning).

Salty’s two run homer in the 2nd got the Red Sox to within 4-2. After the Rays got a run in the top half of the 3rd, Pedroia’s solo blast got them back to within two runs at 5-3. Big Papi’s two-run shot into the Red Sox bullpen in the 5th tied the game and Aviles home run off the top of the monster gave them the lead for good at 6-5. Ross’ two run johnson in the 8th provided the final margin of 13-5.

Despite the fact they are without Jacoby Ellsbury for what most likely will be the next 6-8 weeks, people thought the Red Sox might struggle without their offensive catalyst. But that was far from the case, as Aviles took over the leadoff duties and went 3-for-5 with an RBI on his solo home run. Pedroia backed him up with two hits.

Big Papi had the biggest day on offense for the Red Sox which saw only Darnell McDonald go without a hit. Papi ended up going 4-for-5 with five RBIs. Ross also had a nice day with two hits and four RBIs. He had a big two run double in the 7th after the Aviles home run and the Red Sox had loaded up the bases.

So far, Fenway has been good to the Red Sox. Nothing like a little home cooking and time with the family that makes thing all the better. Hopefully that’ll continue this afternoon.

To see today’s lineups, as well as the batter/pitcher matchups as well as links from the day, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

After picking up their second straight win, the Boston Red Sox look for their third straight win in the third game of a four-game set against their AL East rivals the Tampa Bay Rays.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. and the game will be broadcast in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the Rays television market, you can catch the game on Sun Sports. And if you don’t live in either market you’re in luck as well as TBS will have national coverage of the game (not in Red Sox or Rays television markets) of the game as well. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

Felix Doubront looks for his first win of the season after picking up a no decision (2 ER/5 IP) in his first start. Doubront faced the Rays twice last season out of the bullpen and had no record with a 3.86 ERA (1 ER/2.1 IP). In four career appearances (one start) against the Rays, he is 0-1 with a 3.12 ERA (3 ER/8.2 IP).

Matt Moore is also looking for his first win of 2012 after picking up a no decision (2 ER/6.2 IP) in his first start. He’s made one career appearance against the Red Sox and that came last year on September 17th at Fenway Park when he allowed one run in three innings.

Here are today’s lineups:

4-4		3-5
1. Desmond Jennings	CF	1. Mike Aviles	SS
2. Carlos Pena	1B	2. Dustin Pedroia	2B
3. Evan Longoria	3B	3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B
4. Jeff Keppinger	2B	4. Kevin Youkilis	3B
5. Ben Zobrist	RF	5. David Ortiz	DH
6. Luke Scott	DH	6. Cody Ross	RF
7. Sean Rodriguez	SS	7. Darnell McDonald	LF
8. Matt Joyce	LF	8. Kelly Shoppach	C
9. Chris Gimenez	C	9. Jason Repko	CF
Matt Moore	SP	Felix Doubront	SP

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

Che-Hsuan Lin was optioned to Pawtucket to make from for Repko on the 25-man. Luis Exposito was designated for assignment to make room for Repko on the 40-man roster.

Nate Spears was called up from Pawtucket. To make room on the 25-man and 40-man roster, Michael Bowden was designated for assignment.

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

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Power ball pays off in a big way for Sox [Boston Globe]

Ellsbury on DL; no timetable for return [Boston Globe]

Put on the spot, Aviles leads way [Boston Globe]

Lin picked as outfield fill-in [Boston Globe]

Long-term deals are a game of risk and reward [Boston Globe]

The choice for our bambino [Boston Globe]

Finally, Red Sox can smile [Boston Herald]

Franklin Morales in a groove [Boston Herald]

Clay Buchholz battles back to win [Boston Herald]

No timetable for Jacoby Ellsbury [Boston Herald]

Have the Red Sox figured out the secret to beating Tampa Bay? [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

Bowden designated [Clubhouse Insider]

Red Sox take sting out of Rays, 13-5 [CSN New England]

Red Sox offense kicks into overdrive [CSN New England]

Ross enjoys Fenway digs [CSN New England]

Buchholz starts slow, finds groove [CSN New England]

Aviles delivers in leadoff spot [CSN New England]

Sox call up Repko and Spears, designate Bowden [CSN New England]

Ellsbury to be examined soon; Crawford hitting [CSN New England]

Valentine on Robinson: Baseball needed him [CSN New England]

Repko starting in centerfield for Red Sox [CSN New England]

Rapid Reaction: Red Sox 13, Rays 5 [ESPN Boston]

Offense comes to life at Fenway [ESPN Boston]

Aviles gets first look as leadoff man [ESPN Boston]

Sox call up Jason Repko to start in CF [ESPN Boston]

Notes: Crawford close, Lackey plays catch [ESPN Boston]

Valentine pays tribute to Jackie Robinson [Extra Bases]

Rays make some roster moves [Extra Bases]

Before hitting home run, Luke Scott clarifies Fenway Park comments [Full Count]

Closing Time: David Ortiz, Mike Aviles pace Red Sox to another win over Rays [Full Count]

There is a new closing song for the Red Sox closer [Full Count]

Kelly Shoppach Picks ‘The Stop, Shop and Roll’ as Winning Name for Unconventional Slide Into Second Base [NESN.com]

Clay Buchholz Changed Mental Approach, Improved Location to Rebound From Tough Start [NESN.com]

Johnny Pesky’s Debut at Fenway Park in 1942 a Highlight in Red Sox History [NESN.com]

Clay Buchholz ‘Didn’t Give Up,’ and Neither Have Red Sox [NESN.com]

Mike Aviles Proves Capable of Hitting Leadoff for Red Sox During Jacoby Ellsbury’s Absence [NESN.com]

David Ortiz Ready to Lead Red Sox Offense, Says ‘It’s Time to Produce’ [NESN.com]

Fenway Park Still Shines As Red Sox Fans Enjoy 100th Anniversary of ‘America’s Most Beloved Ballpark’ (Photos) [NESN.com]

Carl Crawford Anxious To ‘Help As Much As Possible’ In Wake Of Jacoby Ellsbury’s Injury [NESN.com]

Crawford likely to play in first minor-league games Tuesday [Projo Sox Blog]

Repko getting to know Fenway [Projo Sox Blog]

Valentine reflects on Robinson [Projo Sox Blog]

A fresh start or a rude awakening awaits for Michael Bowden [Projo Sox Blog]

Lin’s first stay in Majors could be short-lived [RedSox.com]

Red Sox honor Pesky and longtime fan [RedSox.com]

Green first to break color barrier with Sox [RedSox.com]

Aviles makes transition into leadoff spot [RedSox.com]

Doubront takes aim at first win against Rays [RedSox.com]

Red Sox add Spears and Repko to roster [RedSox.com]

Once swelling subsides, more tests for Jacoby [RedSox.com]

Crawford close to getting some game action [RedSox.com]

Red Sox workout former Cub Mark Prior [SoxProspects.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 Tampa Bay Times and Tampa Tribune websites.

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

photo credits: Getty Images, AP Photo, 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 some of the other sports. 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 Spring Football Practice 12 News And Notes [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

And we’re down to a week left [Chip Malafronte – New Haven Register]

Saturday scrimmage thoughts: A little bit of the wiggles  [John Silver – Journal Inquirer]

Max DeLorenzo, Mike Osiecki Keep Chance Of All-State Backfield Alive [Hartford Courant]

Berlin back Max DeLorenzo making impression with Huskies [New Haven Register]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Experts See Being A Complementary Player An Asset For Hayes [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Tiffany Hayes Invited To ESPN For WNBA Draft [UConnHuskies.com]

UConn’s Tiffany Hayes Takes Next Step Toward WNBA [Hartford Courant]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Is retiring the right move for Calhoun? [CT Post]

Hypocritical NCAA hits UConn hard [CT Post]

Suck it up, UConn, take your punishment and be quiet [CT Post]

UConn basketball team new home for R.J. Evans [Worcester Telegram & Gazette]

Other UConn related links

W. Lacrosse. Women’s Lacrosse Falls To No. 9 Notre Dame, 16-9 [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball. Huskies Offense Quiet in First Two Games at St. John’s [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Rowing. Rowing Enjoys Successful First Day At Knecht Cup [UConnHuskies.com]

Softball. UConn Splits Doubleheader Against USF [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Track. Mania Captures Title In 800m At Sea Relays [UConnHuskies.com]

M. Track. Huskies Take First In Dog Fight With 105 Points [UConnHuskies.com]

M. Tennis. Huskies Close Regular Season With 7-0 Victory Over Sacred Heart [UConnHuskies.com]

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

After taking the home opener 12-2 yesterday, the Boston Red Sox look for another win in game two of a four-game set with their AL East rivals the Tampa Bay Rays at Historic Fenway Park this afternoon.

First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. and the game will be broadcast in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the Rays television market, you can catch the game on Sun Sports.If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

After picking up a no decision in his first start after allowing seven runs in four innings of work against the Detroit Tigers, Clay Buchholz looks for his first win in his first home start of the year. Buchholz faced the Rays once last year on June 16th, picking up the win after allowing one run in five innings of work. He’s made eight career starts against the Rays and is 4-2 with a 1.81 ERA (10 ER/49.2 IP).

Jeremy Hellickson had a little scare this week when he was hit by a ball in the head during batting practice but is okay to make his second start of the season for the Rays. He picked up the win his first start against the Yankees after throwing 8.2 innings of three-hit shutout baseball.  Hellickson made four starts against the Red Sox in 2011 and was 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA (9 ER/24 IP). Overall in his career, he’s made five appearances (four starts) against the local nine and is 2-1 with a 4.21 ERA. Three of those appearances (two starts) have come at the Fens where he is 2-0 with a 4.26 ERA (6 ER/12.2 IP).

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:

4-3		2-5
1. Desmond Jennings	CF	1. Mike Aviles	SS
2. Carlos Pena	1B	2. Dustin Pedroia	2B
3. Evan Longoria	3B	3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B
4. Matt Joyce	LF	4. Kevin Youkilis	3B
5. Ben Zobrist	RF	5. David Ortiz	DH
6. Luke Scott	DH	6. Cody Ross	CF
7. Jeff Keppinger	2B	7. Ryan Sweeney	RF
8. Jose Molina	C	8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C
9. Sean Rodriguez	SS	9. Darnell McDonald	LF
Jeremy Hellickson	SP	Clay Buchholz	SP

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

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

Lin for Ellsbury [Clubhouse Insider]

Ellsbury fallout [Clubhouse Insider]

Red Sox call up Lin [CSN New England]

Ellsbury placed on DL with ‘subluxed shoulder’ [CSN New England]

Aviles to bat leadoff [CSN New England]

Crawford taking BP; Ellsbury injury roster shuffle [CSN New England]

The Baseball Show: Assessing Jacoby’s injured right shoulder [CSN New England]

Outfielder Lin gets call from Pawtucket [ESPN Boston]

Aviles moves into leadoff spot — for now [ESPN Boston]

Sox try to build momentum against Rays [ESPN Boston]

Ellsbury: No timetable for return [Extra Bases]

Ellsbury may avoid surgery on shoulder [Extra Bases]

Jacoby Ellsbury Diagnosed With Subluxed Shoulder, Placed on 15-Day Disabled List [NESN.com]

Che-Hsuan Lin Called Up to Big Leagues From Pawtucket to Replace Injured Jacoby Ellsbury [NESN.com]

Scott Atchison’s Strong Performance Out of Bullpen Leads to Amica Pitcher of the Week Honors [NESN.com]

Doubront making adjustments after first start [Projo Sox Blog]

Why the Red Sox still have 13 pitchers [Projo Sox Blog]

Lin’s defensive reputation has preceded him [Projo Sox Blog]

Aviles taking aggressive approach to top of lineup [Projo Sox Blog]

Buchholz looks to notch first win facing Rays [RedSox.com]

Ellsbury placed on DL with subluxed shoulder [RedSox.com]

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

Photo credits: Getty Images, AP Photo

With Boston Red Sox centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury heading to the disabled list, it’s quite possible that we could get another round of Linsanity but obviously not from Jeremy Lin.

Instead, it’ll be Che-Hsuan Lin who will be called up from the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com who confirmed the news through Lin’s agent.

Ellsbury just tweeted that he subluxed his right shoulder, which means that he has a partial dislocation. He also said there is no timetable as of right now for his return.

With Lin’s call up from the PawSox, he’ll give the Red Sox four outfielders on the 25-man roster. The others being Cody Ross, Darnell McDonald and Ryan Sweeney. It’s quite possible that Lin will have the best arm in the outfield judging by this throw he had last year.

Lin is off to a slow start with the PawSox as he is just 3-for-20 to start the season.

With Carl Crawford not expected back right away after another setback earlier in the week, Lin will definitely see some playing time in the outfield. How much though depends on how Bobby Valentine wants to use him.

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

photo credit: Reuters Pictures

When Josh Beckett was introduced during the opening ceremonies for the 2012 Boston Red Sox home opener at Historic Fenway Park, there were a smattering of boos mixed in with some cheers. By the time he walked off the mound in the 8th inning, there were no boos heading his way.

Just a standing ovation from the crowd.

Beckett’s pitching along with the day his batterymate Kelly Shoppach had were the big reasons the Red Sox won their home opener 12-2 over their AL East rivals the Tampa Bay Rays.

Of course this was all overshadowed by the injury suffered by Jacoby Ellsbury when he tried to break up a double play and Rays shortstop Reid Brignac came down on his right shoulder. The initial reports are that Ellsbury has a shoulder dislocation and will miss 6-8 weeks. An official announcement from the Red Sox should come at some point today.

For the second straight start, Beckett’s velocity was down a few miles per hour from where it normally is. But that really didn’t matter on Friday.

Beckett was able to mix in all of his pitches and command all of them. His changeup might have been his best pitch of the afternoon. With his velocity down so were the strikeouts. Beckett had at least one strikeout in his 280 career games and he almost didn’t get there until he struck out Carlos Pena in the 8th inning which turned out to be his final inning.

Beckett would have probably gotten the chance to go for the complete game win since he had thrown an economical 94 pitches through eight innings. He didn’t get that chance though as his teammates put up an eight spot in the bottom half of the inning.

Given that Beckett did so well with Shoppach behind the plate, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the two paired up again in his next start. Of course it also didn’t hurt that Shoppach was 3-for-4 with three RBIs, three runs scored and his first career stolen base in his first attempt. And it was a stolen base that he’ll never forget due to the ugliest slide and steal of second you’ll ever see.

Shoppach was the catalyst on the offense though.

He started off the 3rd inning by getting hit with a David Price pitch and came around to score one of three runs the Red Sox put up in the inning. With one out in the 4th, he doubled off of Burke Badenhop and came around to score on an Ellsbury single. And in the 8th, he doubled in two of the eight runs on the inning.

Of the starting nine players on offense, only Cody Ross didn’t have a hit. Ross however did knock in a run with a sacrifice fly and was outstanding defensively in center after Ellsbury left the game. Adrian Gonzalez joined Shoppach with three hits on the afternoon with an RBI. Kevin Youkilis looks to be warming up offensively as he had two hits and three RBIs while David Ortiz knocked in two runs on two hits as well.

Given the poor start, it was nice to see the Red Sox come out and make Price work. They got him out of the game after three innings. We’re used to seeing the Red Sox do that to pitchers and that was something they hadn’t done in the first six games.

Hopefully they can do that again this afternoon.

We’ll be back later on today with this afternoon’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

Rays of light for Beckett [Boston Globe]

Gain and pain [Boston Globe]

Shoppach thrilled to bag his first stolen base [Boston Globe]

Lengthy absence would really hurt [Boston Globe]

Safe at home [Boston Globe]

As if one were needed, reminder of a fried season [Boston Globe]

Pair are masters of the ceremony [Boston Globe]

Crawford close to seeing game action [Boston Globe]

Scott stands behind comments about Fenway [Boston Globe]

Much lost in win [Boston Herald]

Hard play, harder hurt [Boston Herald]

Shopp ’til he flops [Boston Herald]

No twiddling Sox’ thumbs [Boston Herald]

Cody Ross now man in middle [Boston Herald]

Optimism shines through at Fenway [Boston Herald]

Center of concern [Boston Herald]

Last mound visit for Wake, Tek [Boston Herald]

Jacoby Ellsbury injury a reminder of ’10 nightmare [Boston Herald]

Varitek, Wakefield honored with first pitch at Opening Day [CSN New England]

Beckett, Sox blow away Tampa Bay, 12-2 [CSN New England]

Shoppach gets first steal; keeps base [CSN New England]

Beckett flips script, dominates Rays [CSN New England]

Beckett, Shoppach groove together [CSN New England]

Rapid reaction: Red Sox 12, Rays 2 [ESPN Boston]

SB makes Shoppach’s great day historic [ESPN Boston]

Best guess for Ells? 6 weeks minimum [ESPN Boston]

Josh Beckett aces Boston Red Sox home opener test [ESPN Boston]

Hill continues his progress [Extra Bases]

What are the potential implications of Jacoby Ellsbury’s injury? [Full Count]

Closing Time: Josh Beckett dominates Rays; Jacoby Ellsbury injured [Full Count]

Worst-case scenario for Jacoby Ellsbury? Very, very bad [Full Count]

Josh Beckett Far From A Punch Line In Fenway Opener [Hartford Courant]

Does Tampa Bay Have the Best Starting Rotation in Baseball? [NESN.com]

Red Sox Worried About Jacoby Ellsbury’s Injury, Prepared to Adapt If It’s Deemed Serious [NESN.com]

Josh Beckett’s ‘Perfect Outing’ Jump-Starts Red Sox Season and Pitcher’s Possible Cy Young Candidacy [NESN.com]

Cherington takes Red Sox’s slow start in stride [RedSox.com]

Shoppach steals show with stolen base [RedSox.com]

Bittersweet first Fenway opener for Bailey [RedSox.com]

Crawford set to start extended spring games [RedSox.com]

Red Sox staff uses off-day for good cause [RedSox.com]

Wake, ‘Tek enjoy emotional day at Fenway [RedSox.com]

Sox fan to celebrate his and Fenway’s 100th [RedSox.com]

Everything’s not Jake: Sox prepare for life without Jacoby Ellsbury [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Red Sox find the comforts of home [Touching All The Bases]

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 Tampa Bay Times and Tampa Tribune websites.

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

photo credit: Elsa – Getty Images