For at least today, the Boston Red Sox are no longer a last place team thanks to their 15-5 butt whopping of the Miami Marlins coupled with the Toronto Blue Jays losing on Wednesday.

We have seen this before and it didn’t last long. Hopefully this time things are different and we watch the local nine climb the standings instead of yo-yoing back and forth between last and fourth place.

Felix Doubront was facing the Marlins for the second time in as many starts and like Clay Buchholz the previous night, the Marlins figured him out but not enough to cause as much damage. Sure Doubront gave up four runs in his six innings of work but the offense got him 13 runs while he was on the mound.

Since Daniel Nava was called up, he’s been a catalyst when he’s in the lineup. The Red Sox didn’t play that bad while he was out with hand injury but in making his first start last night in a while, he responded with four hits atop the lineup.

Ryan Kalish, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Kevin Youkilis and Mike Aviles all had two hits. Both David Ortiz, Cody Ross and Will Middlebrooks made their one hits count.

Ross’ bases clearing double in the 3rd inning pushed the Red Sox lead to 6-2 after Mike Aviles had made it 3-2 good guys in the 2nd with a three-run blast. Big Papi put the game out of the reach in the 4th with a grand slam and that followed two batters later by Salty’s solo home run.

Middlebrooks came in as a defensive replacement for Youk and made his one at-bat count with an absolute laser no-doubt two-run homer in the 8th.

If the Red Sox clubhouse is “toxic’, it definitely didn’t show last night. There were smiles all across the Red Sox dugout last night.

When things are going well for the Red Sox, they are undoubtedly one of the better teams in the league. What they need to do now is sustain what’s been happening over this four-game win streak.

As you saw, the starting pitching hasn’t been great. But the offense and bullpen have picked them up. And that’s what makes a successful ball team.

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

Sox pound Marlins [Boston Globe]

Efforts stepped up to trade Youkilis [Boston Globe]

Second heater showed Ortiz to be fast learner [Boston Globe]

Bats back Felix Doubront [Boston Herald]

Marlins’ porous pitching staff also to blame for June swoon [Boston Herald]

David Ortiz the sole star in Sox’ sky [Boston Herald]

Daniel Nava goes above, beyond [Boston Herald]

Dustin Pedroia OK after scare [Boston Herald]

Deven Marrero gets right to work [Boston Herald]

Kids have a ball with Red Sox [Boston Herald]

Where would the Red Sox be without David Ortiz? [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

Sox bats bash Marlins, 15-5 [CSN New England]

Marrero: ‘I get to start my dream’ [CSN New England]

Red Sox a house divided? [CSN New England]

Saltalamacchia: Doubront ‘is doing a great job’ [CSN New England]

Aviles: ‘Everything’s clicking’ [CSN New England]

Boras pleased with Ellsbury’s progress [ESPN Boston]

Boras ‘very encouraged’ by Dice-K [ESPN Boston]

Rapid Reaction: Red Sox 15, Marlins 5 [ESPN Boston]

Top pick Marrero signs, assigned to Lowell [ESPN Boston]

Nava shines in return to lineup [ESPN Boston]

David Ortiz keeps producing for Boston Red Sox [ESPN Boston]

Red Sox first-round pick Deven Marrero: ‘This is real now — I get to start my dream’ [Full Count]

Closing Time: David Ortiz leads Red Sox to rout of Marlins [Full Count]

Mike Aviles, Cody Ross and Daniel Nava are making David Ortiz really dangerous [Full Count]

Red Sox first-rounder Brian Johnson, third-rounder Austin Maddox close to deals [Full Count]

Dustin Pedroia Feels Confident He’ll Return to Sox Lineup, Says He Didn’t Re-Aggravate His Thumb Injury [NESN.com]

Bobby Valentine Has No Advice for Draftee Deven Marrero, But He Does Have Memories of Buying a Camaro [NESN.com]

Red Sox May Have More Experience Than Marlins When It Comes to Playing in Nasty Heat [NESN.com]

David Ortiz’ Clutch Hitting, Leadership Continue to Strengthen Case for AL MVP [NESN.com]

Deven Marrero Savors First Moment As Professional Baseball Player, Will Report to Lowell To Start Sox Career [NESN.com]

Red Sox Unleash Three Weeks’ Worth of Hitting Frustrations With Offensive Explosion Against Marlins [NESN.com]

David Ortiz Endorsed Hanley Ramirez’s Switch From Shortstop to Third Base, Feels Proud of Protege’s Sacrifice [NESN.com]

Crawford heads to Florida to continue rehab [RedSox.com]

Boras discusses Ellsbury deal, Dice-K’s future [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 Miami Herald, Palm Beach Post and South Florida Sun-Sentinel websites. Also be sure to check out our Bloguin brother Marlins Big Catch for all of your Marlins 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

Top returning starters, by team [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Checkin’ In With New UConn Football Commit Tommy Meyers, Tight End From Coventry [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Former Husky Mike Ryan Still In Critical Condition After Car Accident; Moved To Trauma Neuro ICU [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

UConn Football Gets Commit From Coventry High Tight End [Hartford Courant]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Geno’s Reputation Could Be Very Well Be At Stake [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Geno At The Travelers [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Auriemma Not Letting Lawsuit Affect His Life [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Auriemma Forced To Leave Pro-Am Due To Heat-Related Issues [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Dailey Talks Geno, Stokes And Raves About Banks [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Geno talks about support he’s been receiving [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Geno fails to finish Pro-Am round [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Brianna Banks receives high praise [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Title IX at 40: Lobo had equal-rights law behind her — and a strong-willed mother [CT Post]

Geno at Travelers pro-am: ‘This is what I do’ [CT Post]

Marketing Experts: Auriemma’s Reputation Will Take Hit, But UConn Coach Should Be OK [Hartford Courant]

UConn’s Auriemma Keeps Date With Travelers Pro-Am, But Suffers Heat Exhaustion [Hartford Courant]

Geno Auriemma forced to leave Travelers Championship Pro-Am [New Haven Register]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Gavin Edwards Back At UConn To Get Degree [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]

Lamb’s Agent: ‘I Feel Good About Jeremy’ [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Recruiting Spotlight: Rashard Figures [Kevin Duffy – CT Post]

APR score official, UConn ban in place [Neill Ostrout – Journal Inquirer]

UConn Men’s Basketball Team Posts Outstanding APR Score [UConnHuskies.com]

UConn men better on APR, but face tourney ban [CT Post]

UConn’s 978 APR Score Gets Men’s Basketball Back On Track [Hartford Courant]

Former UConn star Emeka Okafor traded from Hornets to Washington Wizards [New Haven Register]

2013 NCAA tournament ban is official [New Haven Register]

UConn backcourt will have to lead the way [Andy Katz – ESPN.com]

Connecticut conundrum [ESPN Insider]

Other UConn related links

UConn AD Warde Manuel Talks APR (video) [David Borges – New Haven Register]

APR Scores Released [UConnHuskies.com]

UConn Tees Off At The Travelers Championship Pro-Am [UConnHuskies.com]

M. Ice Hockey. Hockey East Votes to Accept UConn [College Hockey News]

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

After taking a 7-5 win last night, the Boston Red Sox look to take the series tonight in the middle game of a three-game set with the Miami Marlins at Historic Fenway Park.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Marlins television market, you can catch the game on Fox Sports Florida. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

Felix Doubront looks to keep the Red Sox above .500 in his 14th start of the season. In his previous 13 starts, Doubront is 7-3 with a 4.17 ERA. His lone career start against the Marlins came his last time out when he picked up the win after allowing two runs over seven innings one week ago.

Ricky Nolasco will try to get the Marlins back to .500 in his 14th start of 2012. In his previous 13 starts, Nolasco is 6-5 with a 4.37 ERA. He was matched up with Doubront his last time out and took the loss after allowing four runs (three earned) in six innings of work. Overall in his career, Nolasco has made two career starts against the Red Sox and is 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA (4 ER/11 IP). He picked up the win in his lone Fenway start after allowing one run in five innings of work.

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:

33-34		34-33
1. Jose Reyes	SS	1. Daniel Nava	LF
2. Hanley Ramirez	3B	2. Ryan Kalish	CF
3. Giancarlo Stanton	RF	3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B
4. Logan Morrison	LF	4. David Ortiz	DH
5. Justin Ruggiano	CF	5. Kevin Youkilis	3B
6. Omar Infante	2B	6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C
7. Austin Kearns	DH	7. Cody Ross	RF
8. Gaby Sanchez	1B	8. Mike Aviles	SS
9. John Buck	C	9. Nick Punto	2B
Ricky Nolasco	SP	Felix Doubront	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

Why I won’t vote for Roger Clemens for the Hall of Fame [Boston Herald]

Boras: No talks of multi-year Ellsbury deal [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

Pedroia: Thumb incident ‘freaked me out’ [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

Thumb scare sidelines Dustin Pedroia for tonight’s game [Clubhouse Insider]

Olney stands by ‘toxic’ story ‘100 percent’ [CSN New England]

Pedroia: Thumb scare ‘freaked me out’ [CSN New England]

Pedroia injury not serious; not in lineup [ESPN Boston]

Bard to relieve for PawSox in ‘game situations’ [ESPN Boston]

OF Crawford, RHP Bailey nearing rehab stints [ESPN Boston]

Have the Red Sox flunked chemistry class? [Extra Bases]

Beyeler named to coach in Futures Game [Extra Bases]

Pedroia says he’s fine [Extra Bases]

Pregame Red Sox-Marlins notes from Fenway Park [Extra Bases]

Red Sox first-round pick Deven Marrero: ‘This is real now — I get to start my dream’ [Full Count]

Can Felix Doubront Win 20 Games This Season? [NESN.com]

Bobby Valentine Doing Good Job Juggling Moving Parts, But Health Remains Key to Red Sox’ Success [Don Orsillo – NESN.com]

Pedroia expects to be back on Thursday [Projo Sox Blog]

Red Sox try to remain on right path vs. Marlins [RedSox.com]

Red Sox give Pedroia night off to rest thumb [RedSox.com]

Red Sox agree to terms with top pick Marrero [RedSox.com]

Amid more drama, can Red Sox finally turn the corner? [SI.com]

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

photo credits: Getty Images, Getty Images

Just when it looked like the Boston Red Sox would get out of the basement after their third straight win, this one being a 7-5 win over the Miami Marlins, the Toronto Blue Jays rallied for two runs in the 9th to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 10-9.

Nonetheless, the Red Sox are still playing decent baseball and that was evidenced last night when Clay Buchholz, who’s been pretty dominant of late, wasn’t at his best. Fortunately for him, the offense had has back with three home runs.

Buchholz had a rough start to the game, giving up a two-run homer to Logan Morrison in the 1st inning. Actually, it was LoMo who responsible for the five runs Buchholz gave up in his six innings of work.

LoMo’s RBI double in the 3rd cut the Marlins deficit to 4-3. His two-run double in the 5th tied the game up at 5.

When the Red Sox and Buchholz faced the Marlins back in Miami last week, it was LoMo who hit a home run for the only run Clay allowed in the win. The good thing for Buchholz is that his batterymate last night, Kelly Shoppach, owns Marlins starter Mark Buehrle like LoMo owns him.

After David Ortiz had tied the game up in the 1st with a two-run blast, Shoppach came through with a two-run blast of his own that pushed the Red Sox lead to 4-2. After LoMo’s RBI double cut the lead to one, Cody Ross returned to the lineup with a solo home run to push the lead back to two runs.

The Red Sox got the lead for good in the 5th when Giancarlo Stanton robbed Adrian Gonzalez of extra bases. But it did bring in a run when Mike Aviles tagged up and scored. They added an insurance run in the 6th when Will Middlebrooks doubled in Kevin Youkilis.

The bullpen picked up Buchholz as they have for other pitchers since late April.

Matt Albers worked 2/3 of an inning striking out one with Andrew Miller finishing off that inning. Vicente Padilla came in and allowed one hit but retired the side without incident. And Alfredo Aceves, who had a rough time his last time out, struck out two of the three batters he faced to pick up his 17th save of the season.

In regards to what the media is reporting about the Red Sox clubhouse being toxic (the players denied it as you’ll see in some of the links below), how much of this are we supposed to believe. While I do think there’s a little discourse, I think the media is overplaying it to get readers or hits for their website. Sure no one on the Red Sox is going to come out and say there is but from the outside you don’t see it.

The Red Sox have had 19 players go on the disabled list and the players who have come in have done a great job and seem to have fit in well.

I guess the only way we’ll ever find out is if one of the players leave the team.

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 perk [Boston Globe]

Thumbs down on Pedroia [Boston Globe]

Beckett gets positive report [Boston Globe]

Red Sox open homestand with win [Boston Herald]

Sore Dustin Pedroia exits early [Boston Herald]

Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria unfazed by swoon [Boston Herald]

Clubhouse not toxic, but will be if Sox continue to stumble [Boston Herald]

Ryan Kalish takes lumps, still has ‘fun’ night [Boston Herald]

Who are you callin’ Toxic? Sox top Marlins, 7-5 [CSN New England]

Beckett glad he was ‘overruled’ and placed on DL [CSN New England]

Kalish stumbles in return to Fenway [CSN New England]

Buchholz loses mental battle, but earns eighth win [CSN New England]

Pedroia leaves game; Sox taking wait-and-see approach [CSN New England]

Rapid Reaction: Red Sox 7, Marlins 5 [ESPN Boston]

Pedroia leaves game after reinjuring thumb [ESPN Boston]

Ross gives Kalish pick-me-up [ESPN Boston]

Bobby Valentine: ‘We’ll have a winning record at home’ [Full Count]

Closing Time: Red Sox move above .500; Dustin Pedroia’s thumb acts up [Full Count]

Ryan Kalish: ‘I can smile about it now’ [Full Count]

Graduation Day: Jackie Bradley Jr. is ready for Double-A…and more [Full Count]

Toxic or not, Red Sox must earn their way back [Tony Massarotti – Boston Globe]

Carl Crawford Shows Off Power, Determination in Anticipation of Return to Red Sox Lineup [NESN.com]

Dustin Pedroia Fears He May Have Re-Aggravated Thumb Injury, But Severity Currently Unknown [NESN.com]

Logan Morrison Feels Boston Should Be Proud of Fenway Park, Doesn’t Heed Fans’ Advice to ‘Take the Night Off’ [NESN.com]

Clay Buchholz Battles Without Best Stuff, Hangs On For Win [NESN.com]

Red Sox Lineup Serves Notice It Will Pack Wallop With Cody Ross Back in Fold [NESN.com]

Logan Morrison’s Improved Understanding of Pitching Tendencies on Display in Recent Offensive Onslaught [NESN.com]

Pedroia, Sox hope thumb injury isn’t serious [RedSox.com]

Ellsbury, Crawford take steps forward [RedSox.com]

Sox take exception to ‘toxic’ clubhouse report [RedSox.com]

Ross returns as Podsednik heads to DL [RedSox.com]

No structural damage, Beckett likely back soon [RedSox.com]

Breaking the cycle: Why Doubront’s emergence is a very big deal for the Red Sox [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

It’s time for Kevin Youkilis to go [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, be sure to head over to the Miami Herald, Palm Beach Post and South Florida Sun-Sentinel websites. Also be sure to check out our Bloguin brother Marlins Big Catch for all of your Marlins 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

DC answered a question in his mailbag [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Coventry’s Myers commits to UConn [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Coventry High’s Tommy Myers commits to UConn [John Silver – Journal Inquirer]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

CPTV’s Franklin Offers UConn An Olive Branch [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Travelers Celebrity Pro-Am Tee Times Set For Auriemma, Dailey [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Title IX at 40: Years later, Dailey knows law’s benefits [CT Post]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Noah Vonleh Expected to Visit UConn [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Jim Calhoun Won’t Play in Travelers Pro-Am [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Breaking down Drummond at NBA Draft Combine [Kevin Duffy – CT Post]

Who’s the top physical specimen to enter NBA Draft? [Kevin Duffy – CT Post]

APR To Be Released Wednesday; UConn Men Expecting 978 [Hartford Courant]

UConn ban from 2013 NCAA men’s basketball tournament to become official [New Haven Register]

Other UConn related links

UConn’s Anderson Named To Major League Baseball Post [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Lacrosse. Jane Karger Named Assistant Lacrosse Coach [UConnHuskies.com]

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

The totals for the 2012 MLB American League All-Star Ballot came out on Monday and things aren’t looking good for the Boston Red Sox to have more than one starter.

I missed the totals last week but for the third straight week, David Ortiz finds himself at the top in the balloting at DH. He leads Michael Young of the Texas Rangers by about 500,000 votes.

Not including the outfielders, the only other position player from the Red Sox in the top five of the balloting totals is Dustin Pedroia, who is in third place at second base. He trails Ian Kinsler of the Rangers and Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees by 1.25 million votes.

Jacoby Ellsbury is the only outfielder in the Red Sox in the top 15 and he’s 14th about 1.35 million votes behind Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays for third and final starting spot in the AL outfield.

Honestly, given the up and down season for the Red Sox, I’m not expecting them to have a lot of starters. What I am disappointed in is that only three players from the team are in the top five or 15 (outfield only).

Have we fallen that out of love with our team that we can’t show them any love in the voting?

I guess it goes without saying that we, Red Sox Nation, need to get ourselves together and vote our boys into the 2012 MLB All-Star Game. So what are you waiting for, get voting people.

To see the full results for the American League, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR VOTING TOTALS

FIRST BASE

• Prince Fielder, Tigers: 1,946,045
• Paul Konerko, White Sox: 1,680,793
• Mark Teixeira, Yankees: 1,405,187
• Mitch Moreland, Rangers: 1,202,724
• Albert Pujols, Angels: 1,047,722

SECOND BASE

• Ian Kinsler, Rangers: 2,580,306
• Robinson Cano, Yankees: 2,565,046
• Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox: 1,331,657
• Jason Kipnis, Indians: 615,409
• Robert Andino, Orioles: 554,717

THIRD BASE

• Adrian Beltre, Rangers: 2,251,304
• Miguel Cabrera, Tigers: 1,869,727
• Evan Longoria, Rays: 1,442,308
• Alex Rodriguez, Yankees: 1,312,968
• Mike Moustakas, Royals: 651,403

SHORTSTOP

• Derek Jeter, Yankees: 3,359,875
• Elvis Andrus, Rangers: 2,008,678
• J.J. Hardy, Orioles: 968,963
• Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians: 789,069
• Alcides Escobar, Royals: 584,547

CATCHER

• Mike Napoli, Rangers: 2,239,047
• Joe Mauer, Twins: 1,283,804
• Matt Wieters, Orioles: 1,242,247
• A.J. Pierzynski, White Sox: 1,048,603
• Russell Martin, Yankees: 867,495

DESIGNATED HITTER

• David Ortiz, Red Sox: 2,390,132
• Michael Young, Rangers: 1,892,150
• Raul Ibanez, Yankees: 1,080,421
• Adam Dunn, White Sox: 979,447
• Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays: 830,341

OUTFIELD

• Josh Hamilton, Rangers: 5,414,880
• Curtis Granderson, Yankees: 2,818,535
• Jose Bautista, Blue Jays: 1,996,940
• Adam Jones, Orioles: 1,959,207
• Nelson Cruz, Rangers: 1,944,487
• David Murphy, Rangers: 1,229,190
• Nick Swisher, Yankees: 1,177,500
• Jeff Francoeur, Royals: 823,568
• Brett Gardner, Yankees: 818,164
• Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners: 795,665
• B.J. Upton, Rays: 753,581
• Austin Jackson, Tigers: 741,877
• Nick Markakis, Orioles: 696,720
• Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox: 631,899
• Alex Gordon, Royals: 609,890

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

After enjoying a day off on Monday, the Boston Red Sox return to Beantown for a nine-game homestand, six of which will finish off interleague play. They’ll begin tonight with the first game of a three-set against the Miami Marlins at Historic Fenway Park.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Marlins television market, you can catch the game on Fox Sports Florida. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

Clay Buchholz will toe the rubber for the Red Sox for the 14th time this season. In his previous 13 starts, Buchholz is 7-2 with a 5.38 ERA. His lone start against the Marlins this season and in his career came his last time out when he took the win after allowing one run over seven innings of work.

Mark Buehrle takes the ball for the Marlins tonight in his 14th start of the season. In his previous 13 starts, Buehrle is 5-7 with a 3.41 ERA. He was matched up with Buchholz his last time out against the Red Sox and took the loss after allowing two runs in seven innings of work. He’s made 18 appearances (17 starts) against the Red Sox in his career and is 6-7 with a 4.37 ERA. Six of those starts have come at the Fens where he is 3-2 with a 4.95 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:

33-33		33-33
1. Jose Reyes	SS	1. Mike Aviles	SS
2. Hanley Ramirez	3B	2. Dustin Pedroia	2B
3. Giancarlo Stanton	RF	3. Adrian Gonzalez	RF
4. Logan Morrison	DH	4. David Ortiz	DH
5. Greg Dobbs	1B	5. Kevin Youkilis	1B
6. Omar Infante	2B	6. Will Middlebrooks	3B
7. Scott Cousins	CF	7. Cody Ross	LF
8. Gaby Sanchez	1B	8. Ryan Kalish	CF
9. John Buck	C	9. Kelly Shoppach	C
Mark Buehrle	SP	Clay Buchholz	SP

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

NOTES: As you can see from the lineup, Ross has been reinstated from the disabled list. To make room on the 25-man roster for him, Scott Podsednik was placed on the 15-day DL with a sore groin.

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

Saved situation in Sox’ bullpen [Boston Globe]

Prior getting close on comeback trail [Boston Globe]

Werner: Theo not pressured [Boston Globe]

Jon Lester anything but upbeat [Boston Herald]

Update on Sox’ walking wounded [Boston Herald]

Franklin Morales gets another chance in rotation [Boston Herald]

Last-place Sox a sour squad [Boston Herald]

Debunking more myths when it comes to these ‘toxic’ Red Sox [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

Red Sox dismiss the report of a toxic clubhouse [Clubhouse Insider]

Things finally looking up on the injury front for the Red Sox [Clubhouse Insider]

Sox strongly deny report of ‘toxic’ clubhouse [CSN New England]

Ross activated; Podsednik headed to the DL [CSN New England]

State of the Sox: Our weekly notebook [CSN New England]

It may not be toxic, but Sox clubhouse ‘isn’t happiest place on Earth’ [CSN New England]

Dempster, headed to DL, will try ‘Beckett theory on sore lats’ [CSN New England]

Crawford, Ellsbury getting close to returns [CSN New England]

More from Olney on Boston’s issues [ESPN Boston]

Olney on radio: Sox unrest is widespread [ESPN Boston]

Video: Sox woes by the numbers [ESPN Boston]

Werner: It wasn’t perfect in ’04 or ’07 either [ESPN Boston]

Werner on Theo: ‘Of course there’s pressure’ [ESPN Boston]

W2W4: Red Sox-Marlins [ESPN Boston]

Sox activate Ross, put Podsednik on DL [ESPN Boston]

Boston Red Sox have plan for ‘toxic’ clubhouse [ESPN Boston]

Becket: Shoulder, clubhouse both A-OK [ESPN Boston]

Ellsbury, Crawford getting close to return [ESPN Boston]

Ortiz: ‘This clubhouse has no problem’ [ESPN Boston]

Ben Cherington: No comment on Kevin Youkilis trade talk [Extra Bases]

Cody Ross back in the lineup; Scott Podsednik to DL [Extra Bases]

Red Sox shoot down report of ‘toxic’ clubhouse [Extra Bases]

Beckett says shoulder ‘looks pretty good’ following MRI exam [Extra Bases]

Podcast: Problems and solutions [Extra Bases]

Pregame Red Sox-Marlins notes from Fenway Park [Extra Bases]

Ozzie Guillen on Clemens verdict: ‘If he’s not guilty, he’s not guilty’ [Extra Bases]

This just in: You’ve been pronouncing the Red Sox shortstop’s name wrong [Full Count]

ESPN’s Chris Singleton on M&M: ‘Just a different feel’ around Red Sox [Full Count]

Nuggetpalooza: Red Sox stat notes [Full Count]

Josh Beckett: ‘People are trying to sabotage us’ [Full Count]

Ben Cherington should explore any and all options to improve the Red Sox [Tony Massarotti – Boston Globe]

Red Sox Appear to Be Approaching Fork in the Road With Kevin Youkilis Situation [NESN.com]

Cody Ross Still Fueled by Bitter Ending With Marlins, But Continues to Admire Team From Afar [NESN.com]

Jacoby Ellsbury Will Be Only Sure Thing Once Red Sox Outfield Gets Healthy [NESN.com]

Andrew Miller Says Stretching Is Key In Keeping Him Healthy, Successful [NESN.com]

Where Should Adrian Gonzalez Bat in the Red Sox Lineup? [NESN.com]

Red Sox Shoot Down Notion of ‘Toxic’ Clubhouse, Calling Report ‘Comical,’ ‘Fabricated’ [NESN.com]

Jacoby Ellsbury Takes Batting Practice At Fenway Park, Inches Closer to Rehab Assignment (Photo) [NESN.com]

Bob Ojeda: Pitching Through The Pain [NPR]

The Glory and the Pain of Pitching [NY Times]

Bobby V: Olney doesn’t know ‘anything’ [Mike Petraglia – WEEI.com]

The silver lining Dave Magadan took from Adrian Gonzalez’s weekend [Projo Sox Blog]

A Series Matter: Red Sox-Marlins and Backup Material [Projo Sox Blog]

Red Sox chairman Werner: “We’re going to be competitive every year” [Projo Sox Blog]

Red Sox find clubhouse report “comical” [Projo Sox Blog]

Ross back in lineup against Marlins [Projo Sox Blog]

Beckett expects to be ready when DL time is up [Projo Sox Blog]

Ellsbury, Crawford both “close” to game activities [Projo Sox Blog]

Buchholz seeks same result in rematch with Buehrle [RedSox.com]

Podsednik’s grit, energy spur comeback [RedSox.com]

Red Sox prospect Brentz hitting in bunches [RedSox.com]

Beckett: ‘Smart’ to go on DL before catastrophe [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Video: A few thoughts on the Red Sox [Touching All the Bases]

It’s time for Kevin Youkilis to go [Touching All the Bases]

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

photo credits: AP Photo, 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

Athlon makes its Big East predictions [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Big East rising stars [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Ranking Big East nonconference schedules [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Former UConn Tackle Mike Ryan Critically Injured In Car Crash [Allentown Morning Call]

2012 College Football Season Preview: UConn Huskies [Opposing Views]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Report: Former UConn recruiting target commits to Tennessee [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Shabazz Napier Passes On Olympics Chance [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]

How Phil Nolan Wound Up at UConn [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Napier withdraws from Puerto Rican national team [Kevin Duffy – CT Post]

Road to Storrs for recruit Phil Nolan a winding one [New Haven Register]

Huskies’ Drummond is all about potential [Washington Examiner]

Wizards audition Andre Drummond [Washington Post]

Other UConn related links

Three Husky Team Receive NCAA Public Recognition Awards [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Track. Crevoiserat Will Represent USA At World Junior Championships [UConnHuskies.com]

UConn Students State Case for Huskies to Leave Big East [CollegeSpun.com]

Baseball. The UConn 10: A Year After Being Drafted [Hartford Courant]

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

For the 8th time this season and first since June 8th, the Boston Red Sox are at the .500 mark (33-33) after a 7-4 win over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday night in the Windy City. They’ve gotten back to .500 by winning four of their last five games.

Franklin Morales stepped in for the injured Josh Beckett and was absolutely outstanding on the mound. In his first start since 2009 when he was a member of the Colorado Rockies, Morales allowed two runs on four hits while striking out nine in five innings of work.

The first run he allowed came in the 1st when Reed Johnson led off with a double and came into score on a Starlin Castro triple. The other run came in the 3rd after Dustin Pedroia dropped a popup that allowed Darwin Barney to reach first. Barney would come around to score on a Castro double.

But Morales was successful in his first start with the Red Sox by pounding the strike zone. He threw 80 pitches in his five innings with 65 of them going for strikes. Folks, that’s a spectacular number.

His fastball was electric as his velocity was routinely between 93-95 mph and with his slow change, he was able to keep the Cubs hitters at bay for the most part. He also mixed in a nice curve in there as well.

You definitely have to be encouraged by the start for Morales which was probably good enough to earn himself another start when Beckett’s turn comes up again on Saturday.

A lot has been made about the struggles that Dustin Pedroia has had since returning from the thumb injury.

But with his “dad”, Terry Francona in the house with the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball crew, Pedroia 2-for-5 with an RBI. It was his double in the 1st that scored Scott Podsednik that got the Red Sox their first run of the night. Pedroia came around to score two batters later when David Ortiz singled him home.

Big Papi continued his hot hitting against lefties when he homered against Paul Maholm in the 4th. Ironically enough when he came up again, Maholm got him to pop out on the same pitch he had homered on in the previous at-bat.

The Red Sox defense failed Matt Albers who still got the win in the 6th.

Kevin Youkilis made an error on the leadoff hitter in Barney. Castro picked up his third hit of the night when Albers and Kelly Shoppach couldn’t decide who was going to field the ball hit by Castro in front of the plate. After getting Alfonso Soriano to ground into a fielder’s choice, an another fielding gaffe happened when Jeff Baker grounded back to Albers who threw to second but both Pedroia and Mike Aviles were covering the bag at the same time with Aviles dropping the ball. That run tied the game at three.

The offense got it back in the 7th when Darnell McDonald scored on a Ryan Kalish single. Jarrod Saltalamacchia came into score on a Will Middlebrooks sac fly to push the lead to 5-3. Kalish ended up at third on a throwing error and then came into score on a safety squeeze by Daniel Nava. They would add another run in the 8th when Salty grounded into a fielder’s choice.

Andrew Miller was a little wild in his 2/3 of an inning but was helped out Mark Melancon and then Scott Atchison. Alfredo Aceves wasn’t sharp in his inning of work allowing three hits and a run. But still a solid effort from the pen to pick up one of their own.

We’ve seen the Red Sox get to .500 before only to yo-yo around the mark. The highest they’ve gotten above .500 is three games. Hopefully they can continue this little hot streak and keep their record above .500 the rest of the way. If they don’t, we could be in for a long summer as it looks like the New York Yankees are trying to pull away after winning their 9th straight game yesterday.

The Red Sox will enjoy a day of rest today and get back to action on Tuesday when they welcome the Miami Marlins to town. We’ll be back later with the pitching matchups for the series. 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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Spot on in his spot start [Boston Globe]

Different point of view from dugout [Boston Globe]

Diving back into action [Boston Globe]

Sweeney (toe) added to DL [Boston Globe]

Poison among ivy [Boston Herald]

Welcome back, Kalish [Boston Herald]

For Morales, outing a complete success [Boston Herald]

Childhood development [Boston Herald]

Good timing: Gonzalez gets first day off of season [CSN New England]

Red Sox take rubber game of series over Cubs, 7-4 [CSN New England]

Morales proves fit for spot starter’s role [CSN New England]

After whirlwind day, Kalish comes through for Sox [CSN New England]

Podsednik (groin), Youkilis (toe) should be OK [CSN New England]

Rapid reaction: Red Sox 7, Cubs 4 [ESPN Boston]

Olney: Trouble brewing [ESPN Boston]

Franklin Morales emerges as Boston Red Sox problem solver [ESPN Boston]

David Ortiz Has Son on His Mind on Father’s Day (Video) [NESN.com]

Franklin Morales Earns Chance at Another Start With Dazzling Performance in Emergency [NESN.com]

Ryan Kalish Delivers Much Needed Spark to Red Sox Offense With Go-Ahead RBI [NESN.com]

Bobby Valentine Shows His Psychic Abilities Before Franklin Morales’ Spot Start [NESN.com]

Morales earns another start with solid outing [RedSox.com]

Adrian out of lineup for first time this season [RedSox.com]

Ross, Bard have productive days at Pawtucket [RedSox.com]

Crawford ramping up throwing program [RedSox.com]

Sweeney to get break, goes on DL [RedSox.com]

Podsednik exits with mild left groin strain [RedSox.com]

The making of Franklin Morales: His path to the Red Sox and effectiveness [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 Arlington Daily Herald, Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune websites.

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

Eastern Christian Academy (Md.) Beats Windsor In UConn 7 On 7 [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Charles Sets Two More Records In Sun Win [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Recruiting Roundup: Class of 2014 [Kevin Duffy – CT Post]

NBA Draft rumors: Cleveland Cavs eyeing UConn’s Andre Drummond at No.4? [Examiner.com]

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