After taking two-of-three from their AL East rivals last night, the Boston Red Sox now embark on a six-game, seven-day road trip. They’ll get it started tonight with the first of a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.

Today’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and will be broadcast in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the Twins broadcast area, you can catch the game on Fox Sports North.  The game will also be shown nationally (outside of Red Sox & Twins TV markets) on ESPN. Where available, you can also catch the game online at ESPN3.com. And if you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2011 Red Sox Radio Network.

Tim Wakefield makes his third attempt at career win No. 200 in his 16th start (25th appearance) of 2011. In his previous 24 appearances (15 starts), Wake is 6-4 with a 4.99 ERA. He’s made one start against the Twins and took the loss back on May 6th. In that start, he allowed six runs in 4.1 innings of work. Wake has made 28 career appearances (25 starts) against the Twins and is 14-7 with a 4.54 ERA. He’s made 13 starts in the Twin Cities and is 7-5 with a 4.81 ERA. His lone Target Field start came last year when he took the loss after allowing six runs (five earned) in 5.1 innings.

Scott Baker makes his 21st of 2011 for the Twins tonight. In his previous 20 starts, Baker is 8-6 with a 3.01 ERA. He was matched up with Wakefield on May 6th and picked up the win after allowing two runs in eight innings. He’s made five career appearances (four starts) against the Red Sox and is 1-2 with a 3.77 ERA. He’s never faced the Red Sox at home as all five of his career appearances have come at Historic Fenway Park.

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

Here are this evening’s lineups:

70-43		51-63
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Denard Span	CF
2. Carl Crawford	LF	2. Trevor Plouffe	2B
3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B	3. Joe Mauer	C
4. Dustin Pedroia	2B	4. Michael Cuddyer	1B
5. David Ortiz	DH	5. Jason Kubel	RF
6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C	6. Jim Thome	DH
7. Josh Reddick	RF	7. Danny Valencia	3B
8. Jed Lowrie	3B	8. Delmon Young	LF
9. Marco Scutaro	SS	9. Matt Tolbert	SS
Tim Wakefield	SP	Scott Baker	SP

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

With Lowrie returning from the 15-day disabled list, reliever Randy Williams was optioned back to Triple-A Pawtucket to make room for him on the 25-man roster.

Check back and/or refresh often as more links will be added if/when they become available before game time.

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

Draft countdown: Where the Red Sox stand with their top draft picks [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Pregame notes: Bobby Jenks hospitalized; Josh Beckett slows the pace [Clubhouse Insider]

Report: Tazawa to be promoted to Pawtucket [CSN New England]

Notes: Youkilis sits, Lowrie gets start at third [CSN New England]

Nation STATion: Playing the field [CSN New England]

Red Sox-Yankees rivalry dead: How to fix [ESPN.com]

Wakefield goes for 200th again at Minny [ESPN Boston]

Video: Schilling’s take on Red Sox-Yankees [ESPN Boston]

Slow game Sunday night? Francona agrees [ESPN Boston]

Of green lights and 3-and-0 counts [ESPN Boston]

Crawford No. 2, but only temporarily [ESPN Boston]

Jenks in hospital; Williams optioned [ESPN Boston]

Lowrie activated [Extra Bases]

Pre-game notes from Target Field [Extra Bases]

Ask Nick: Will Sox re-sign Ellsbury? [Extra Bases]

Joel Sherman on D&C: Alex Rodriguez a ‘terrible, terrible decision-maker’ [Full Count]

Chris Singleton on M&M: Erik Bedard ‘has the mindset and the mentality to be able to pitch in Boston’ [Full Count]

Red Sox Send Yankees Home With Lingering Doubts About CC Sabathia, Mariano Rivera [NESN.com]

Josh Beckett’s Excellence Continues to Be Overshadowed by Late-Game Drama From Red Sox [NESN.com]

Red Sox Outfield Illustrates Shift in Philosophy Away From Power to Speed and Defense [NESN.com]

Have the Twins Been Baseball’s Biggest Disappointment This Season? [NESN.com]

Red Sox Embark on Difficult Stretch of Schedule That Should Prove More Challenging Than the Last [NESN.com]

Red Sox’ AL East Lead, Jacoby Ellsbury’s Inclusion in MVP Talks Enough to Rile Up Yankees Fans [NESN.com]

Red Sox’ AL East Lead, Jacoby Ellsbury’s Inclusion in MVP Talks Enough to Rile Up Yankees Fans (Page 2) [NESN.com]

Red Sox Activate Jed Lowrie for Series Opener in Minnesota, Option Randy Williams to Pawtucket [NESN.com]

Ryan Kalish, Junichi Tazawa Make Returns to Pawtucket [NESN.com]

Josh Reddick Earning Right to Play Every Day, While Shortstop Trio Gives Terry Francona Plenty of Options [NESN.com]

Five key points from a dramatic Yankees series [Projo Sox Blog]

Kalish, Tazawa join PawSox [Projo Sox Blog]

Youkilis gets a day off, Pedroia next? [Projo Sox Blog]

Jenks hospitalized, undergoing tests [Projo Sox Blog]

Why Jason Varitek swung at a 3-0 pitch [Projo Sox Blog]

Wakefield takes third crack at milestone victory [RedSox.com]

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

Photo credits: Getty Images, Getty Images

During this series, there’s a chance to see baseball history as Boston Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield goes for career win No. 200. Also, Minnesota Twins DH Jim Thome is just two home runs away from 600 in his career.

Click here for ticket availability

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

One day when Josh Beckett takes the mound for the Boston Red Sox, he’s going to get more run support than he needs with the way he’s been pitching this season. But if you ask Beckett, it’s not about individual numbers, it’s whether or not the team wins the game.

Well thanks to Josh Reddick delivering the third walkoff hit of the week, the Red Sox picked up a 3-2 win in 10 innings over the New York Yankees on Sunday night at Historic Fenway Park.

With the win, the Red Sox regained sole possession of first place over the Yankees. The Bronx Bombers do hold a seven-game lead over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the wild card.

If it weren’t for Marco Scutaro and Dustin Pedroia earlier in the game, the Red Sox may not have had the opportunity to win the game. With Jed Lowrie being activated before tonight’s game, Scutaro could be facing decreased playing time coming up. But on Sunday night, he came through with a four-hit effort.

But none was bigger than a leadoff double in the 9th off of the Godfather of closers in Mariano Rivera. After Jacoby Ellsbury sacrificed him over to third, Dustin Pedroia brought Scutaro home with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 2. Pedroia had been 0-for-10 with five strikeouts and two walks before that.

Even with an off day today for the Yankees, their skipper Joe Girardi decided to bring in Phil Hughes in the 10th rather than have Mariano pitch another inning. Hughes got Kevin Youkilis to fly out for the first out but David Ortiz doubled. Darnell McDonald came in to pinch-run for Big Papi.

The Yanks decided to intentionally walk Carl Crawford, who had another three hits on the evening, to set up the heroics for Reddick.

One bad pitch from Beckett to Eduardo Nunez cost him the lead but other than that, he was outstanding on the bump. His curveball was just downright filthy. He was able to use that effectively to get him the final out of his outing to strikeout Don Mattingly Eric Chavez.

Beckett went six innings on a hot and humid night at the Fens, throwing 101 pitches. He allowed six hits, the one run, with two walks and five strikeouts. Matt Albers gave up the go-ahead run at the time on a home run by Brett Gardner but Dan Wheeler, Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard picked him up with Bard getting the win after the walkoff hit by Reddick.

Had the Red Sox not left a small village on the basepaths against Yankees starter Freddy Garcia, this game could have been over much earlier with the way Beckett was pitching. After playing the hero on Saturday, Ellsbury struggled on Sunday as he left eight men on base of the 12 the team left on during the game.

Unless something funky happens, these two teams should be heading to the AL playoffs later this season. Obviously they won’t matchup with each other until the ALCS at the earliest. So while this is just the regular season, the Red Sox winning last night continued their mastery of the Yankees this season (10-2).

We all know the playoffs are a different animal. But finishing in first place and holding home field advantage in the playoffs can hold a lot of weight for the local nine in the postseason.

We’ll be back later with this evening’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. But for now enjoy 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

Five Things We Learned on a night of a rare Red Sox rally [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Richly deserved [Boston Globe]

We’ve learned a lot about these rivals [Boston Globe]

Billionaire Slim cashes in on invite [Boston Globe]

At first, they’re a pair [Boston Globe]

Lowrie coming along for the ride [Boston Globe]

Red Sox walk off on top [Boston Herald]

Josh Reddick: The kid’s all right [Boston Herald]

Jed Lowrie healthy addition [Boston Herald]

Carl Crawford takes right turn on left [Boston Herald]

Four-sighted Marco Scutaro [Boston Herald]

Yankees decide to sit Jorge Posada [Boston Herald]

Sox beat Yanks in walkoff style, 3-2 [CSN New England]

Beckett continues to dazzle despite no decisions [CSN New England]

Lowrie to be activated Monday [CSN New England]

Scutaro, Reddick play bigger than their bodies [CSN New England]

Notes: Francona proud of Sox’ 1-4 hitters [CSN New England]

‘His feel for the game is phenomenal’ [ESPN Boston]

Rapid reaction: Red Sox 3, Yankees 2 [ESPN Boston]

Scutaro comes through under the wire [ESPN Boston]

Beckett solid, but 10th win still elusive [ESPN Boston]

Reddick was firing on all cylinders [ESPN Boston]

Video: Postgame analysis [ESPN Boston]

Reddick caps classic [ESPN Boston]

State of the Nation: Sox-Yankees Special [ESPN Boston]

FanSpeak: Talking with Sox fans [ESPN Boston]

Red Sox-Yankees must mean another Jorge Posada drama [Full Count]

Closing Time: Josh Reddick walks off in 10th, gives Red Sox AL East lead [Full Count]

Josh Beckett improves on impressive resume against Yankees [Full Count]

Mariano Rivera takes defeat like a Hall of Famer would, with dignity [Full Count]

Daniel Bard’s 2011 season reminiscent of Mariano Rivera’s 1996, could closing be next? [Full Count]

Watching Josh Reddick grow up into a very smart Red Sox player [Full Count]

Terry Francona Marvels at Top Four Hitters in Red Sox Order, Each of Whom Overcame Injury to Remain Star [NESN.com]

Marco Scutaro, Josh Reddick Part of Productive Night for Bottom Half of Red Sox Order [NESN.com]

Sox win in walk-off to reclaim AL East [Providence Journal]

Ellsbury proving it in the clutch [Providence Journal]

These are difficult days for Yankees’ Posada [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Lowrie expected to return Monday [Providence Journal]

Beating Rivera now may help Red Sox later [Tony Massarotti – Boston Globe]

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 New York Daily News, New York Post, New York Times and The Journal News websites. You can also check out our Bloguin brother, NYY Stadium Insider.

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

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

Who will the Huskies drop? I hope it’s not Maryland [Chuck Banning – The Day]

Masuk QB Casey Cochran Commits To UConn [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Masuk Coach John Murphy: Casey Cochran “A State Kid” [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Masuk QB Casey Cochran On His Decision To Go To UConn [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Cochran’s commitment impact [John Silver – Journal Inquirer]

Masuk QB Cochran commits to UConn [CT Post]

Masuk QB Casey Cochran Commits To UConn [Hartford Courant]

Huskies get commitment from Masuk QB Casey Cochran [New Haven Register]

Masuk QB Cochran (40 TDs) chooses UConn [The Day]

Other UConn related links

Remembering Dave [Chip Malafronte – New Haven Register]

For My Friend, Dave Solomon [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Sad day in Connecticut [John Silver – Journal Inquirer]

Solomon was more than a competitor, he was a friend [CT Post]

State Loses An Essential Sports Voice With Death Of Dave Solomon [Hartford Courant]

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

After getting back into a tie for first place last night, the Red Sox look to regain sole possession of it in game three of a three-game set with the New York Yankees at Historic Fenway Park tonight.

Today’s first pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. Where available, you can also catch the game online at ESPN3.com. And if you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2011 Red Sox Radio Network.

Josh Beckett looks to help the Red Sox take back first place by themselves in his 22nd start of 2011. In his previous 21 starts, Beckett is 9-4 with a 2.20 ERA. Beckett has owned the Yankees this year as he is 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA (2 ER/21 IP) in three starts against them. He’s made 25 career starts against the Bronx Bombers and is 13-7 with a 5.52 ERA. 12 of those starts have come at the Fens where he is 5-4 with a 6.13 ERA.

Freddy Garcia makes his 21st appearance (20th start) of 2011 for the Evil Empire. In his previous 20 appearances (19 starts), Garcia is 10-7 with a 3.22 ERA. In three appearances (two starts) against the Red Sox this season, Garcia is 0-2 with a 10.13 ERA (9 ER/8 IP). He’s made 19 career appearances (18 starts) against the local nine and is 8-4 with a 4.82 ERA. Eight of those appearances (seven starts) have come at the Fens where he is 3-1 with a 4.60 ERA.

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

Here are this evening’s lineups:

69-43		69-43
1. Brett Gardner	LF	1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF
2. Derek Jeter	SS	2. Dustin Pedroia	2B
3. Curtis Granderson	CF	3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B
4. Mark Teixeira	1B	4. Kevin Youkilis	3B
5. Robinson Cano	2B	5. David Ortiz	DH
6. Nick Swisher	RF	6. Carl Crawford	LF
7. Eric Chavez	DH	7. Josh Reddick	RF
8. Russell Martin	C	8. Jason Varitek	C
9. Eduardo Nunez	3B	9. Marco Scutaro	SS
Freddy Garcia	SP	Josh Beckett	SP

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

Check back and/or refresh often as more links will be added if/when they become available before game time.

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The Boston Red Sox Own CC Sabathia [Babes Love Baseball]

Catch and release: Red Sox did well to pick Salty over Martin [Clubhouse Insider]

Pregame notes: Lowrie back, Posada out [Clubhouse Insider]

BBTN: Sunday night (8 ET, ESPN) preview [ESPN Boston]

Jed Lowrie to be activated by Boston Red Sox on Monday [ESPN Boston]

Beckett takes aim at Yankees in rubber game [ESPN Boston]

Report: Ortiz concerned about contract [Extra Bases]

Slim, world’s richest man, takes in the game [Extra Bases]

Behind enemy lines: Posada taken out of Yankee lineup [Extra Bases]

Jed Lowrie: ‘I can get back up after being knocked down’ [Full Count]

Jed Lowrie to Return Monday, Will Initially Split Time With Marco Scutaro [NESN.com]

Lowrie set to be activated Monday [Projo Sox Blog]

Francona appreciates Pedroia’s slide [Projo Sox Blog]

Beckett aims to continue mastery of Yanks [RedSox.com]

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

Photo credits: AP Photo, AP Photo

Jacoby Ellsbury is having himself quite the week with the Boston Red Sox.

On Tuesday night, he delivered a walkoff single to give the Red Sox a win over the Cleveland Indians. He followed that up on Wednesday night with a walkoff home run to give the Red Sox another win over the Indians. And on Saturday afternoon, he almost singlehandedly beat the New York Yankees with six RBIs in their 10-4 win.

Having missed almost the entire 2010 season, Ellsbury had only five RBIs. He beat the total in yesterday’s win. Ellsbury’s entire body of work in 2011 has gotten himself into the talk for the AL MVP joining his teammates Adrian Gonzalez and Dustin Pedroia in that discussion.

His home run yesterday gives him 19 on the season which is one more than Gonzo (18) and two less than David Ortiz who has 21. Ellsbury came in to the season with 20 career home runs. He has 72 RBIs which is good for third on the team behind Gonzo and Kevin Youkilis. His RBI total is one more than Big Papi (71) although if Big Papi gets his way, they’ll be tied.

For all of those detractors in 2010 who said Ellsbury was soft and had basically written him off, how does the crow taste?

Terry Francona has always said that how Ellsbury goes helps the Red Sox win ballgames. And from win totals of this season along with Ellsbury’s numbers, you can see what Tito means when he says it.

Yesterday’s Yankees starter CC Sabathia has pretty much owned every team this year. He entered yesterday’s game with a 16-5 record. But three of those losses have come against the Red Sox and we now can make it a fourth.

In four starts against the Red Sox, Sabathia is 0-4 with a 7.20 ERA (20 ER/25 IP). Taking out those four losses against the Red Sox, Sabathia is 16-2 with a 1.42 ERA against the other teams he’s faced this season.

John Lackey wasn’t spectacular but he wasn’t bad either in picking up his 10th win of 2011. And just to show you how much of a meaningless stat wins are, Lackey now has one more win than tonight’s starter Josh Beckett. You tell me who the better pitcher’s been all season. Lackey with 10 wins or Beckett with nine? That’s what I thought.

Statistically speaking, the 4th inning has been Lackey’s worst all season long. In 17 4th innings, this season, he’s allowed 22 earned runs on 27 hits. And after the Red Sox had given him a 2-run lead in the bottom half of the third, he gave it right back to them in the top half of the fourth.

But a big five-run inning in the bottom half of the inning led by Ellsbury’s three-run johnson off of Sabathia, gave him some breathing room the rest of the way.

Carl Crawford also had himself a nice afternoon at the plate as he was 4-for-4 with three runs scored and his 13th stolen base of 2011.

The win for the Red Sox gets them back into a tie for first. A win tonight from the team in Beckett’s start would get them back into first by themselves before they hit the road. Of course they’ll have to give Beckett some run support for that to happen, something he’s not getting much of this season.

We’ll be back later with this evening’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. But for now enjoy 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

Timely delivery: At a time when Sox need him, Lackey steps up [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Lackey met his ‘mismatch’ [Boston Globe]

Crawford has hit on something [Boston Globe]

Beckett is back in control [Boston Globe]

Sabathia’s struggles are a recurring theme [Boston Globe]

No need to wait any longer [Boston Globe]

Swift response [Boston Globe]

Is Papelbon now a save situation for the Red Sox? [Boston Globe]

Red Sox beat CC, tie Yankees [Boston Herald]

Carl Crawford’s time is now [Boston Herald]

Jacoby Ellsbury adds to breakout year with 6-RBI game [Boston Herald]

John Lackey comes through [Boston Herald]

Starters turn it around [Boston Herald]

Clay-less Red Sox have the stuff to survive [Boston Herald]

Catch and release: Red Sox did well to pick Salty over Martin [Clubhouse Insider]

Sox bash the Yanks, 10-4 [CSNNE.com]

Lackey steps up in win over Yankees [CSNNE.com]

Sox continue to get the best of Sabathia [CSNNE.com]

Confident Ellsbury continues to punish pitchers [CSNNE.com]

Sources: Millwood leaves Red Sox organization [CSNNE.com]

Report: Ortiz upset over lack of contract talks [CSNNE.com]

Notes: Crawford’s bat heats up vs. Sabathia [CSNNE.com]

Rapid reaction: Red Sox 10, Yankees 4 [ESPN Boston]

Lackey grinds out an important win [ESPN Boston]

Just another winning moment [ESPN Boston]

Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis reflects on his ups and downs in Boston [ESPN Boston]

David Ortiz upset with Boston Red Sox’s lack of contract talk, source says [ESPN Boston]

Red Sox release Kevin Millwood [Extra Bases]

Closing Time: Red Sox crush CC Sabathia as legend of Jacoby Ellsbury grows [Full Count]

CC Sabathia: ‘When I’m right, I can get anybody out’ despite struggles against Red Sox [Full Count]

How Carl Crawford turned around his fortunes against southpaws [Full Count]

The Mystery Of CC’s Sox Struggles [Hartford Courant]

Historic Red Sox-Yankees August Matchups [Hartford Courant]

Jarrod Saltalamacchia Continues to Impress With Play Behind the Plate [NESN.com]

John Lackey Grinds Out Win Against Yankees As Red Sox Knock Around CC Sabathia [NESN.com]

Jacoby Ellsbury Records Six RBIs in Red Sox Win, Continues to Showcase How Good He Is [NESN.com]

Jed Lowrie Impressive While Playing Complete Game for Pawtucket Saturday, Could Return to Red Sox on Monday [NESN.com]

Boston batters Sabathia, again [Providence Journal]

A surprise pitching mismatch [Providence Journal]

Against lefties, Sox are all right [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Aviles can do it all [Providence Journal]

Ever-positive Crawford breaking through [RedSox.com]

Red Sox developing into CC’s nemesis [RedSox.com]

Rockies asked for five players from Sox [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

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

And if you must check out the enemy news, head over to the New York Daily News, New York Post, New York Times and The Journal News websites. You can also check out our Bloguin brother, NYY Stadium Insider.

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

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

We’ve got a quarterback competition [Chip Malafronte – New Haven Register]

UConn Football Practice Notes And Quotes [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Practice 2 [John Silver – Journal Inquirer]

UConn football team opens training camp (Day 2, technically) [Neill Ostrout – CT Post]

Huskies Hit Field On Saturday For Second Practice [UConnHuskies.com]

UConn quarterback decision may come later rather than sooner [CT Post]

Big East football given little respect [CT Post]

Still No Decision About UConn’s Starting Quarterback [Hartford Courant]

Pasqualoni Advocates Research Into Changes In College Kickoffs [Hartford Courant]

Four QBs still in running for starting job [New Haven Register]

QBs take center stage as UConn football camp begins [The Day]

Pasqualoni likes UConn’s young football offense [The Day]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Dyckman Summer League : Kemba Walker Highlights [UConn Huskies Basketball]

Jennings, Walker star in Bronx [ESPN New York]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

A near triple-double for Stewart [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Other UConn related links

RIP, Dave Solomon [David Borges – New Haven Register]

RIP to a great journalist and a better person [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Register sports columnist Dave Solomon dies in I-91 crash [New Haven Register]

Baseball: No Deal Yet For Former Huskies Springer, Barnes [Hartford Courant]

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

Destination Red Sox Nation is our look at how the minor league teams of the Boston Red Sox fare each night. Game story and box score links as well as links to team rosters, team stats and league standings can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

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

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

Kevin Millwood Granted his Release [PawSox.com]

Pawtucket Red Sox

The PawSox offense exploded in an 11-1 win over the Buffalo Bison.

PawSox Score Final 11 Runs in Blowout Victory [PawSox.com]

Anderson’s grand slam seals deal [Providence Journal]

Buffalo Bison @ Pawtucket Red Sox 8.6.11 box score [MiLB.com]

Pawtucket Red Sox 2011 Roster

Pawtucket Red Sox stats

International League standings

Pawtucket Red Sox website

Portland Sea Dogs:

The Richmond Flying Squirrels got out to an early lead and held on for a 7-5 win over the Sea Dogs.

Squirrels Chase Out the Dogs 7-5 [PortlandSeaDogs.com]

Sea Dogs are doomed by a poor start [Portland Press Herald]

Portland Sea Dogs @ Richmond Flying Squirrels 8.6.11 box score [MiLB.com]

Portland Sea Dogs 2011 Roster

Portland Sea Dogs stats

Eastern League Standings

Portland Sea Dogs website

Salem Red Sox:

The game between Salem and the Kinston Indians was rained out on Saturday. It will be made up as part of a doubleheader today beginning at 12:30 p.m.

Salem and Kinston Rained Out Saturday Night [OurSports Central]

Salem Red Sox 2011 Roster

Salem Red Sox stats

Carolina League standings

Salem Red Sox official blog

Salem Red Sox website

Greenville Drive:

The Drive’s rally fell short in a 3-2 loss to the Lexington Legends.

Drive’s Rally Comes up Just Short, Lose 3-2 to Legends [OurSports Central]

Lexington Legends @ Greenville Drive 8.6.11 box score [MiLB.com]

Greenville Drive 2011 Roster

Greenvillle Drive stats

South Atlantic League standings

Greenville Drive website

Lowell Spinners:

The Spinners pounded out 11 hits in a 6-2 win over the Connecticut Tigers.

Force with the Spinners in Win, 6-2 [LowellSpinners.com]

Marquis makes most memorable debut [Lowell Sun]

Connecticut Tigers @ Lowell Spinners 8.6.11 box score [MiLB.com]

Lowell Spinners 2011 Roster

Lowell Spinners stats

NY-Penn League Standings

Lowell Spinners Blog

Spinners website

Gulf Coast League Red Sox

The GCL Red Sox got three in the 8th for a 4-3 win over the GCL Twins.

GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox 8.6.11 box score [MiLB.com]

GCL Red Sox 2011 Roster

GCL Red Sox stats

Gulf Coast League Standings

Gulf Coast Red Sox website

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

After falling out of first place last night, the Boston Red Sox look to get back into a tie for first in the second game of a three-game set with the New York Yankees this afternoon at Historic Fenway Park.

Today’s first pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on FOX in 81% of the USA. And if you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2011 Red Sox Radio Network.

After receiving a no decision for the first time all season in his last start, John Lackey goes for his 10th win in his 19th start of 2011. In his previous 18 starts, Lackey is 9-8 with a 6.23 ERA. One of those wins came in his only start of the season against the Yankees back on April 8th. In that start, he allowed six runs on seven hits in five innings of work. He’s made 20 career starts against the Yanks and is 7-8 with a 4.68 ERA. He’s made three of those starts at the Fens where he is 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA against them.

CC Sabathia makes his 25th start of 2011 this afternoon. In his previous 24 starts, Sabathia is 16-5 with a 2.55 ERA. He’s made three starts against the Red Sox this season and is 0-3 with a 6.16 ERA (13 ER/19 IP). In 18 career starts against the Red Sox, CC is 6-8 with a 3.88 ERA. Eight of those starts have come at the Fens where he is 2-3 with a 3.78 ERA.

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

Here are this afternoon’s lineups:

69-42		68-43
1. Brett Gardner	LF	1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF
2. Derek Jeter	SS	2. Dustin Pedroia	2B
3. Curtis Granderson	CF	3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B
4. Mark Teixeira	1B	4. Kevin Youkilis	3B
5. Robinson Cano	2B	5. David Ortiz	DH
6. Nick Swisher	RF	6. Mike Aviles	RF
7. Eric Chavez	3B	7. Carl Crawford	LF
8. Jorge Posada	DH	8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C
9. Francisco Cervelli	C	9. Marco Scutaro	SS
CC Sabathia	SP	John Lackey	SP

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

Check back and/or refresh often as more links will be added if/when they become available before game time.

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Mike Aviles debuts in right field for Red Sox [Clubhouse Insider]

Aviles to make outfield debut Saturday [CSNNE.com]

Lackey vs. Sabathia: A mismatch? [ESPN Boston]

Drew begins hitting off a tee [ESPN Boston]

Sabathia vs. Lackey today at Fenway [ESPN Boston]

The call from here: not a big deal [Extra Bases]

Video: Cafardo’s analysis of Friday’s loss [Extra Bases]

Aviles willing to give RF a shot [Extra Bases]

Behind enemy lines: Girardi talks pitching [Extra Bases]

Red Sox Closer Jonathan Papelbon Earns Amica Pitcher of the Week Honors [NESN.com]

Who Is the Better Set-Up Man: Red Sox’ Daniel Bard or Yankees’ David Robertson? [NESN.com]

New Verizon Distributed Antenna System Improves Mobile Wireless Coverage for Fans In and Around Fenway Park [NESN.com]

Red Sox Expand Social Media Contests to Celebrate Wireless Coverage Upgrades at Fenway Park [NESN.com]

Daniel Bard Answers Fan Questions in Live Twitter Player Q and A [NESN.com]

J.D. Drew Hitting Off Tee, Eyed as Potential Lift for Red Sox Down the Stretch [NESN.com]

Sabathia-Lackey a Mismatch — or is it? [Projo Sox Blog]

With Yanks rolling, Red Sox have hands full [RedSox.com]

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

Photo credits: Reuters Pictures, Getty Images

Momentum. When it’s on your side, it can be a really good thing. And when it’s not, there’s no telling how bad things can get.

Unfortunately for the Boston Red Sox last night, they found themselves on the wrong side of it in a 3-2 loss to the New York Yankees last night. The loss for the local nine gives the Bronx Bombers sole possession of first place in the AL East.

In case you were wondering, the Red Sox hold a seven game lead over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the wild card standings.

The Red Sox entered the 5th inning with a 2-0 lead over the Yankees and their starter Bartolo Colon on the strength of a Jacoby Ellsbury RBI double and a David Ortiz monstrous home run to right field. It was looking like they would put a little more distance between themselves and the Yankees when they managed to load up the bases.

But rather than stick with Colon, Yankees skipper Joe Girardi went to his bullpen for a lefty in Boone Logan to face Adrian Gonzalez. Logan ended up making Gonzo look silly as he struck him out on three pitches to keep the game where it was at 2-0 Red Sox. You can bet that won’t happen again to Gonzo if he faces Logan down the road.

Now having that momentum on their side, the Yankees worked some magic in the 6th inning off of Jon Lester. It’s really funny how one bad inning can cost you the game. And it didn’t help that Lester walked the leadoff batter, the 9th place hitter Eduardo Nunez to start the inning.

The Yankees captain followed that up with a single and Curtis Granderson would bring Nunez home with a single. Lester’s second walk off the inning, this one to Mark Teixeira loaded up the bases. The Yankees got the second run of the game when Robinson Cano grounded into a double play but that was an exchange the Red Sox would gladly take to get two outs. But Nick Swisher closed out the scoring on the night with a double that brought in Granderson.

After that, the Red Sox couldn’t really get anything going other than a Carl Crawford double off of Logan. Corey Wade, Rafael Soriano and the Godfather of closers, Mariano Rivera, shut the Red Sox down.

Up until that fateful 6th inning, Lester was throwing the ball well. He had an excellent command and his cutter was downright nasty. But when his command went array in the 6th, the Yankees took full advantage. Take away that inning and we’re probably talking about the Red Sox being in first place today and not the other way around.

Matt Albers was outstanding out of the Red Sox bullpen as he struck out two with a walk in two innings of work. Randy Williams and Alfredo Aceves combined on a nice inning as well with Williams issuing a walk.

A win today for the Red Sox would be really nice but they know it won’t come easy against CC Sabathia. They’ll need John Lackey to be at the top of his game this afternoon.

We’ll be back later with this afternoon’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. But for now enjoy 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

With playoffs nearly assured for both, Sox-Yankees falls flat [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Slide into second [Boston Globe]

Time for bats to swing into action [Boston Globe]

Hot team from New York has something to prove [Boston Globe]

Miller penned in for relief [Boston Globe]

Aviles suddenly in the middle of it [Boston Globe]

It was jobs well done by ’pen [Boston Globe]

Lester’s outing deep-sixed [Boston Globe]

The numbers speak well of Granderson [Boston Globe]

Sox looking up at NY [Boston Herald]

Rivals know it’s first things first [Boston Herald]

It’ll be battle to the wire [Boston Herald]

Youk: Ortiz deserves second RBI [Boston Herald]

To Lester, sixth makes no sense [Boston Herald]

Sox looking up at NY [Boston Herald]

Rivals trading places? [Boston Herald]

Nick Swisher: Yanks’ series-opening win proves Red Sox are ‘human’ [Clubhouse Insider]

Sox stumble, Yankees take over first, 3-2 [CSNNE.com]

Don’t overhype this weekend [CSNNE.com]

Bond between Ortiz, Cano bigger than baseball [CSNNE.com]

Sox stars lack shine in series opener [CSNNE.com]

Red Sox notes: Ortiz makes history with HR [CSNNE.com]

Rapid reaction: Yankees 3, Red Sox 2 [ESPN Boston]

One bad inning costs Lester and Sox [ESPN Boston]

Closing Time: Lester, Sox see streaks end against Yankees [Full Count]

Dustin Pedroia on takeout slide: ‘It was Tom [expletive] Emanski’ [Full Count]

How the Yankees finally got to Jon Lester [Full Count]

Boone Logan outsmarts Adrian Gonzalez for one night [Full Count]

There’s A Message In Yankees’ Win Over Red Sox [Hartford Courant]

Video: Jon Lester Credits Yankees for Good At-Bats in Sixth Inning, Says Walks Will ‘Kill You Every Time’ [NESN.com]

Video: Adrian Gonzalez Receives Some Unexpected Pitches From Boone Logan During Fifth-Inning Strikeout, Says He Couldn’t Hold Back [NESN.com]

Yankees Bullpen Shows Its Strength in Series-Opening Win Over Red Sox [NESN.com]

Red Sox Hoping to Avoid Repeat of Recent Second-Half Woes Against Yankees [NESN.com]

New York ovecomes early deficit, takes over first place in A.L. East [Providence Journal]

Papelbon putting it all together at the right time [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Lowrie set to return on Monday [Providence Journal]

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

And if you must check out the enemy news, head over to the New York Daily News, New York Post, New York Times and The Journal News websites. You can also check out our Bloguin brother, NYY Stadium Insider.

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