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’s NEXT in the Big East? [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

Summer Kickoff Preview No. 1: Coaches’ Corner [BigEast.org]

UConn Football Player In The Spotlight: Center Moe Petrus [Hartford Courant]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Lamb’s ‘Extraterrestrial’ Dunk [David Borges – New Haven Register]

2011 Greater Hartford Pro-Am Highlights [UConn Huskies Basketball]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Moore’s Jersey Is No. 1 In The WNBA [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Stefanie Dolson, Bria Hartley going great distances to improve [New Haven Register]

After finishing up a marathon last night in St. Pete, the Boston Red Sox made their way north for another AL East battle in Baltimore. Tonight they’ll take on the Orioles in the first of a three-game set at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Tonight’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and the game will be broadcast in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the Orioles television market, you can watch the game on MASN. 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 goes in search of career win 199 today in his 12th start (21st appearance) of 2011. In his previous 20 appearances (11 starts), Wake is 5-3 with a 4.74 ERA. He’s made one appearance against the Orioles this year back on 4/27 when he threw a scoreless inning. Wake has made 50 career appearances (35 starts) against the Orioles and is 16-13 with a 4.13 ERA. He’s made 26 appearances (20 starts) in the Charm City and is 10-5 with a 3.29 ERA.

Brad Bergesen makes his first start since May 28th in his 18th appearance (10th start) of 2011. In his previous 17 outings (nine starts), Bergesen is 1-6 with a 5.65 ERA. In his lone start against the Red Sox this season, he allowed two runs in six innings as he didn’t factor in the decision on 4/28. He’s made seven career starts against the Red Sox and is 2-3 with a 3.27 ERA. Five of those seven starts have been quality starts.

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

Here are this evening’s lineups:

57-36		38-54
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	DH	1. J.J. Hardy	SS
2. Dustin Pedroia	2B	2. Nick Markakis	RF
3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B	3. Adam Jones	CF
4. Kevin Youkilis	3B	4. Matt Wieters	C
5. Josh Reddick	CF	5. Derrek Lee	1B
6. Carl Crawford	LF	6. Mark Reynolds	3B
7. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C	7. Nolan Reimold	DH
8. J.D. Drew	RF	8. Felix Pie	LF
9. Marco Scutaro	SS	9. Robert Andino	2B
Tim Wakefield	SP	Brad Bergesen	SP

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

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

With Crawford coming off of the disabled list, Drew Sutton was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket to make room for him on the 25-man roster.

Also, David Ortiz and Kevin Gregg had their suspensions reduced to three games and will both begin serving them starting tonight.

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

Reddick vs. Drew? For the Red Sox, there’s no dilemma [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

David Ortiz, Kevin Gregg to start serving 3-game suspensions tonight [Clubhouse Insider]

Pedroia comes up big to save Sox [CSNNE.com]

Nation STATion: Love that Muddy Chicken [CSNNE.com]

Ellsbury to DH in the absence of Ortiz [CSNNE.com]

Ortiz’s suspension reduced to three games [CSNNE.com]

Notes: Crawford returns to Red Sox lineup [CSNNE.com]

Ortiz penalty cut to 3 games; sits out here [ESPN Boston]

Crawford wants to put first half behind him [ESPN Boston]

Lester to go Monday, not Tuesday [ESPN Boston]

Will the Orioles forget? [Extra Bases]

Pre-game notes from Camden Yards [Extra Bases]

Trade Deadline: Red Sox called Cardinals about Colby Rasmus [Full Count]

Crawford: Feeling ‘real close to myself’ [Full Count]

Progress for Buchholz, a new day for Lester [Full Count]

Aceves has the top all-time winning percentage [HardballTalk]

All Aboard The Lavarnwagon [Heard It From Hoard]

Josh Beckett’s Low Win Total Likely to Unfairly Hurt His Chances in Cy Young Discussion [NESN.com]

Red Sox’ Upcoming Schedule Presents Opportunity for First-Place Club to Continue Surge [NESN.com]

Video: Managing Bullpen, Keeping Daniel Bard Fresh Among Difficult Duties for Red Sox Pitching Coach Curt Young [NESN.com]

David Ortiz Gets Suspension Reduced to Three Games, Will Sit Out Rematch With Orioles [NESN.com]

Red Sox Reliever Alfredo Aceves Earns Amica Pitcher of the Week Honors [NESN.com]

Red Sox Can Use David Ortiz’s Absence to Their Advantage [NESN.com]

Joe Maddon’s Positivity Is to Be Expected, But AL East Is Becoming Two-Team Race Between Red Sox, Yankees [NESN.com]

A Series Matter: Red Sox-Orioles and Fatigue [Projo Sox Blog]

Ortiz’s suspension reduced to three, starting Monday [Projo Sox Blog]

Red Sox tired but ready [Projo Sox Blog]

Lester to start July 25 [Projo Sox Blog]

Wakefield aims to edge closer to 200th win [RedSox.com]

Facing O’s is now normal for Albers [RedSox.com]

Crawford returns for series opener vs. O’s [RedSox.com]

Ortiz begins serving three-game suspension [RedSox.com]

Photo credits:  Getty Images, AP Photo

With the MLB July 31 non-waiver trade deadline fast approaching you have to wonder what Red Sox Vice President and General Manager Theo Epstein and his staff are working on.

Early in the season everyone felt the pitching and hitting were good it was the catching that was going to kill this team. Catchers Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jason Varitek got off to horrible starts both at the dish and defensively slowly over time the duo began to break out of it. Manager Terry Francona has found a good balance for the two backstops and they both simultaneously turned around their slow starts.

Mind you they are not hitting .300 with great power numbers but with the lineup Francona puts on the diamond each and everyday you can afford to have the backstops hitting in the .250 range.  Now that they appear settled behind the plate, Colorado seems willing to trade Connecticut-native Chris Iannetta.  While down in Pawtucket Ryan Lavarnway has exploded since his promotion to Triple A and looks to be making the leap that may find him paired with Saltalamacchia in the not so distant future.

So with catching not a priority as we thought it might be where does Epstein look to improve the club?  Let’s start with right field.  Current starter J.D. Drew is having an abysmal season.  The former two-time first round draft pick is hitting just .228 with 4 HR and 18 RBI in 74 games.  His numbers have consistently started to drop off since he signed with Boston prior to the 2007 World Championship season.  In fact at times he looks totally disinterested in playing, much more than he does on a regular day. Since he came to Boston he has never hit higher than .280 topped out at 24 HR’s in one season and has never driven in more than 68 runs.  But here’s where the sabermetricians goo all over themselves, he’s had a season OBP of .408 and another of .392 while his slugging percentage those years were .519 and .522 in 2008 and 2009.  This year his OBP is .326 and his slugging percentage is a lowly .317.

So who is available in right field? 

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Well they could go with prospect Josh Reddick who has played very well since his Triple A recall and use journeyman outfielder Darnell McDonald as the right-handed option.  But it makes more since to go get a bat.  Some of the outfielders rumored to be potential trade candidates include Los Angeles Dodgers Andre Ethier, New York Mets Carlos Beltran, San Diego’s Ryan Ludwick and the Chicago Cubs Jeff Baker.

From what I’ve heard Chicago doesn’t want to deal Baker, while Ethier and Beltran are going to cost you some and both are impending free agents at the end of the season.  That leaves Ludwick, who happens to play for the Red Sox West.  He would also be a short-term solution as he is on a one-year contract for $6.78M that in Boston is pocket change.  He wouldn’t cost you a boatload of prospects to get either as you could probably pry him away from the Friars for McDonald and a decent minor leaguer and/or some cash.  Epstein and his counterpart Jed Hoyer could do this over a day of surfing and Jamba Juice at Coronado.

Ludwick would be a good fit, good clubhouse guy, former Tony LaRussa player which means his head is on straight and a right handed bat who is hitting .238 with 11 HR 56 RBI .306 OBP and .376 SLG in a pure pitchers park, PETCO Field.  You could expect those numbers to increase some playing in hitter friendly Fenway Park.  In fact in 2008 with St. Louis the 33-year old had career highs of .299 with 37 HRs and 113 RBI a .375 OBP and SLG of .591.

So with the outfield hole potentially fixed you always need to look at pitching.  In going through some stuff for this article I didn’t really find anything in the way of bullpen help that mentioned the Red Sox in the last week to ten days.  I’d imagine Epstein would look at shoring up the pen a bit, as Bobby Jenks is back on the DL, Dan Wheeler has been awful and Alfredo Aceves may melt on the mound one day down the stretch.  And by melt I mean like ice you ever seen that dude sweat?  While the lefty reliever spot has been unsettled all year as we’ve seen Dennys Reyes, Hideki Okajima, Randy Williams and Franklin Morales fill that role at some point this year.  But as we all know lefty pitchers, especially situational relievers, are in short supply if you want a good one.  There are always several situational guys available at the deadline, expect the Sox to take a long hard look at a few of them.

I’ve seen some rumblings of the Sox, amongst a lot of teams, looking at Colorado’s Ubaldo Jimenez, who we all recall had an electric 2010 but has fallen off the map in 2011.  Jimenez is signed though 2012 with club options through 2014.  He isn’t that expensive contract wise but his deal says if he is traded the options for 2013 and 2014 become player options.  Plus Colorado is rumored to want the World and more for him.  According to reports they told the New York Yankees they wanted their top four prospects for him.  No one will give the Rockies that much for a pitcher you need to straighten out during the intensity of the pennant chase.

Also reportedly Epstein has kicked the tires on the Dodgers Hiroki Kuroda.  Kuroda is older, 36, a starter who has a full no-trade clause and has been known to say he will not waive it for an East Coast club.  He is a steady even performer and his numbers are always similar year in, year out.  He is currently on a one year $11.77 M deal with Los Angeles who let’s face it is looking to dump some payroll.

Whatever happens in the next two weeks will be done in the interest of making the team better and getting to playoffs with a chance to win it all.  I trust Epstein will make a move or two, how big they are will depend on the circumstances.  Keep this in mind though; the Red Sox will have a numbers crunch with the 40-man roster come this winter.  They will have too many players that, due to service time, are required to be placed on the 40-man roster.  With that said they do have some major room to make a big deal and add an impact player either prior to this season’s deadline or during the off season.

Photo credit: Getty Images

For the first eight innings last night, neither the Boston Red Sox nor the Tampa Bay Rays could mount anything substantial against the starters Jeff Niemann and Josh Beckett respectively. And all though the Red Sox had numerous opportunities to put the game away after that, it took until the 16th inning for the first run of the game to cross the plate.

Fortunately for the Red Sox, the run scored was by them.

The Red Sox managed just five hits last night off of nine Rays pitchers. Three of them though came off the bat of the white-hot Dustin Pedroia who oh by the way flashed some serious leather last night as well.

After leaving the bases loaded in the 9th and 11th innings as well as runners on base in the 10th, 13th and 15th innings, they finally broke through against Adam Russell in the 16th.

Josh Reddick worked a leadoff walk and was sacrificed to second by Jason Varitek. Marco Scutaro hit a high chopper in the infield that he beat out with Reddick heading to third. Jacoby Ellsbury made the second out of the inning when he flew out to left on a ball that was not deep enough to score Reddick from third base.

Russell fell behind Pedroia 1-0 and then saw Pedey take his next pitch the opposite way for a single to bring in Reddick for the first and what turned out to be the only run of the night.

Jonathan Papelbon made sure the Red Sox would get the win as he worked a 1-2-3 16th to preserve the win for Alfredo Aceves as he picked up his 21st save at approximately 1:54 a.m. this morning.

If there were any worries about the left knee of Beckett, I really don’t think there should be now. He never showed any signs of discomfort during the game other than the two balls that his ankle.

The last time Beckett faced the Rays, he threw a complete-game one-hit shutout at the Trop. The only hit in that game was an infield single. It was the same thing on Sunday night as well. The only hit Beckett would allow in eight innings of work was an infield single by Evan Longoria and that came back in the 1st inning.

Beckett was like a surgeon last night. He was throwing his fastball with pinpoint accuracy to where ever Jason Varitek was calling for it. He was also able to use other his pitches effectively due to the strength of his fastball. Hopefully there will be no lingering effects with the knee when Beckett awakes today.

The outing from Beckett was just what the doctor ordered. With the rotation in a state of flux right now, Beckett’s strong outing makes sure there is one less thing to worry about. And with Jon Lester slated to come back on July 26th, the band should all be back together.

Now we just need some strong outings from Tim Wakefield, Kyle Weiland and Andrew Miller over the next three days in Baltimore.

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

Sweet 16! Sox outlast Rays [Boston Globe]

They’d like him up to speed [Boston Globe]

Date is set for Lester’s return [Boston Globe]

Red Sox go deep to beat Rays [Boston Herald]

Better late than never [Boston Herald]

Orioles’ anger at Red Sox hasn’t cooled [Boston Herald]

Dustin Pedroia leads 16-inning, 1-0 win — and ‘Muddy Chicken’ is born [Clubhouse Insider]

Jason Varitek after catching 16 innings: ‘I feel like a spring chicken’ [Clubhouse Insider]

Sox win in 16, 1-0 [CSNNE.com]

Notes: Beckett shines, Reddick climbs [CSNNE.com]

Pedroia wins Boston Marathon [ESPN Boston]

Varitek good to the finish [ESPN Boston]

Love that Muddy Chicken? [ESPN Boston]

Video: ESPN crew on Beckett, Pedey [ESPN Boston]

The Muddy Chicken to the rescue [Extra Bases]

A few thoughts…. [Extra Bases]

Closing Time: Red Sox claim a victory, reclaim an ace [Full Count]

Jose Iglesias looking to rebound in second half [Full Count]

Will There Be Any Ejections During the Orioles-Red Sox Series? [NESN.com]

Carl Crawford Eager to Come Off Disabled List After Lifting Concerns Over Hamstring [NESN.com]

With a single run, Red Sox win 16-inning battle at the Trop [Providence Journal]

Peace of mind is helping Pedroia put together one of his best streaks [Providence Journal]

Orioles’ anger at Red Sox hasn’t cooled [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Crawford remains on pace to return Monday [Providence Journal]

Red-hot Reddick could create outfield logjam [RedSox.com]

What we learned about Dustin Pedroia’s new nickname and the Red Sox’ latest win [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 the to St. Petersburg Times and Tampa Tribune websites.

Photo credits: Getty Images, 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 Men’s Basketball links

The Huskies By Numbers [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Player Profile: Alex Oriakhi [UConn Huskies Basketball]

UConn moved up among college basketball elite at Arizona’s expense [Tucson Citizen]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Maya Moore Making Money For Minnesota [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Sun’s Tina Charles continues to raise her game [New Haven Register]

Sun’s Tina Charles humbled by All-Star selection [Norwich Bulletin]

Other UConn related links

Baseball. UConn’s John Andreoli having success in Cape Cod League [College Baseball Daily]

A lot was made of the antics of Boston Red Sox pitcher John Lackey on the mound during Saturday’s win over the Tampa Bay Rays.  I want to say this, Lackey is one competitive player as are most major leaguers, and he hates to lose.  I get that; I hate to lose too.  If you don’t hate to lose, in my opinion there is something wrong with you.

Josh Beckett hates to lose, Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and Jason Varitek do too.  Most of those guys have had on field meltdowns at times over different things.  We’ve seen Beckett pissed at umpires, Pedroia just bent out of shape and Youk throw helmets and bats around the dugout that left players scurrying for their lives. I get the competitive fire, I really do.  In fact I wish J.D. Drew had a little Beckett, Lackey or Pedroia in him but he doesn’t.

But what Lackey does, start in, start out isn’t good for him, his teammates and their relationship.  He constantly shows up his fielders by throwing up his arms and glaring at them when a play goes poorly.  He has done it to pretty much everyone on the roster in his season and half in Boston.  In fact I agree with Buster Olney (ESPN Insider link) on this, in some clubhouses his antics would get him punched out.

I don’t know what Lackey’s relationship with the position players is.  I have heard the guys on the team love him.  But when you show up your manager during a nationally televised by game questioning him openly before he gets to the mound there’s an issue.  He even turned around and added more to it as left the game.

One thing about Terry Francona and Theo Epstein is that if there is an issue it’s handled privately and we will never know. If I were a teammate of Lackey I’d tell him once cut the crap John or we will have issues.  He is demonstrative and there’s a time and place for it but he’s got to cut down on the stomping feet and flailing arms.

As William Tasker at the Flagrant Fan blog said to me in a tweet, “he always looks like someone stole his candy.”  Tasker is right, it’s just a childish reaction to a bad situation.  He needs to learn to calm down he has a lot of time left in Boston and it’s all under the microscope. And the more it happens, fans and the media will call more attention to it and he could end up alienating his teammates.

Photo credit: AP Photo

After taking yesterday afternoon’s game, the Boston Red Sox look for the series win in the finale of a three-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL.

Tonight’s first pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. 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.

After being scratched for his appearance in the All-Star Game earlier in the week, Josh Beckett looks to put the knee issue to rest in his 18th start of 2011. In his previous 17 starts, Beckett is 8-3 with a 2.27 ERA. He’s made one start against the Rays this season and that came back on June 15th. In that start, Beckett threw a complete game one-hit shutout to pick up the W. He’s made 17 career starts against the Rays and is 8-4 with a 3.15 ERA. Seven of those starts have come at the Trop where he is 2-3 with a 3.21 ERA.

Jeff Niemann makes his 11th start of 2011 for Joe Maddon. In his previous 10 starts, Niemann is 4-4 with a 4.53 ERA. He has not faced the Red Sox in 2011 and was 2-1 with a 4.91 ERA in three starts in 2010. Overall in his career, he’s made four starts against the Red Sox and is 2-2 with a 6.62 ERA.

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

Here are this evening’s lineups:

56-36		50-42
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Johnny Damon	DH
2. Dustin Pedroia	2B	2. Ben Zobrist	RF
3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B	3. Evan Longoria	3B
4. Kevin Youkilis	3B	4. Casey Kotchman	1B
5. David Ortiz	DH	5. B.J. Upton	CF
6. J.D. Drew	RF	6. Jose Lobaton	C
7. Josh Reddick	LF	7. Sean Rodriguez	2B
8. Jason Varitek	C	8. Sam Fuld	LF
9. Marco Scutaro	SS	9. Reid Brignac	SS
Josh Beckett	SP	Jeff Niemann	SP

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

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

No way, Jose [Boston Herald]

Sense of closure? [Boston Herald]

Jon Lester set to start July 26, Carl Crawford to return Monday [Clubhouse Insider]

Report: Crawford to return to Red Sox Monday [CSNNE.com]

Lester (back) set to return to Red Sox July 26 [CSNNE.com]

Report: Red Sox interested in Jimenez, Kuroda [CSNNE.com]

Notes: Lineup shuffle in order for Crawford’s return [CSNNE.com]

Beckett to test knee in series finale at Tampa [ESPN Boston]

Lester scheduled for July 26 return [ESPN Boston]

Ortiz still hasn’t heard on appeal of suspension [ESPN Boston]

Jon Lester to return from DL July 26 [Extra Bases]

Ortiz suspension could start tomorrow [Extra Bases]

Trade Deadline: Red Sox going after Padres’ Ryan Ludwick? [Full Count]

Josh Beckett Looks to Continue Success, Prove He’s Healthy in First Start of Second Half Against Rays [NESN.com]

Jon Lester Expected to Return July 26 Against Kansas City Royals at Fenway, According to Manager Terry Francona [NESN.com]

Lester slated to return July 26 [Projo Sox Blog]

Crawford to rejoin team on Monday [Projo Sox Blog]

Boston still awaiting word on appeal [Projo Sox Blog]

Francona not concerned by Bard’s innings count [Projo Sox Blog]

Beckett out to prove knee is no problem in finale [RedSox.com]

The Dark and Possibly Inebriated Knight Rises [Surviving Grady]

Photo credits:  Getty Images, Getty Images

The last time the Boston Red Sox faced Tampa Bay Rays starter James Shields, they found themselves on the wrong end of a complete game five-hit shutout. And with John Lackey allowing three early runs, it looked like it could be another long afternoon for the visiting nine.

Instead, Lackey settled down and the offense did what it’s been doing all season long and got the Red Sox the lead and an eventual 9-5 win.

Now I won’t completely blame Lackey for the 1st inning struggles even though he was leaving some meatballs over the plate. A good portion of the blame lies on Marco Scutaro who made an throwing error to the leadoff hitter Johnny Damon. The Rays followed that up with two straight singles to get Damon home. The first out of the inning would finally come when Dustin Pedroia made a great save of a throw from Scutaro to get a force out at second.

But two straight singles after that brought in two more runs and just like that it was 3-0. Lackey would finally get out of the inning when he got Sam Fuld to ground into a 4-6-3 double play.

Three batters into the 2nd inning, the Red Sox offense had already gotten them back into the game as Josh Reddick hit an absolute two-run bomb over the right field seats to cut that deficit to one. Lackey would once again load up the bases in the bottom half but escaped any damage when Casey Kotchman grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.

The Red Sox offense would put them in front for good in the 3rd inning.

Adrian Gonzalez reached on a leadoff walk and went to second on a Kevin Youkilis single. David Ortiz cleared the bases with a double that put the Red Sox up 4-3. J.D. Drew followed that up with a double of his own to score Big Papi. Jacoby Ellsbury would leadoff the 4th with a solo home run to push the Red Sox lead to three.

Meanwhile Lackey had firmly settled in until a mistake pitch to Matthew Joyce in the 5th. Joyce had just fouled a ball off of his knee cap but took the next one he saw out of the ballpark. He got himself into trouble in the 6th but newcomer Randy Williams would need just one pitch to get out of the inning.

The Red Sox would add a run in the 7th on a Pedroia home run and got two more in the 9th.

Yes once again Lackey was inconsistent but he definitely made some great in-game adjustments. It was a start that could have gone horribly wrong for him but instead he found himself on the winning end of back-to-back games for the first time this season. Hopefully, Lackey can build off of this start for his next one.

Given the state of the Red Sox rotation right now with all of the injuries, Lackey is a key component of the Red Sox’s success going forward. If he’s successful then the Red Sox will be too.

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

Red Sox get even with Rays [Boston Globe]

Time to go and get this Met [Boston Globe]

Crawford makes quick work of rehab stint [Boston Globe]

No timetable on Buchholz [Boston Globe]

Finding right gear [Boston Herald]

Williams gets job done [Boston Herald]

Healthy Pedey powers up [Boston Herald]

Buchholz: Lingering concern [Boston Herald]

John Lackey building arm strength, Dustin Pedroia showing power [Clubhouse Insider]

Lackey gives just enough to slow Rays, 9-5 [CSNNE.com]

With Jenks on DL, Sox mull bullpen options [CSNNE.com]

Red Sox notes: Lackey turns in solid outing [CSNNE.com]

Rapid reaction: Red Sox 9, Rays 4 [ESPN Boston]

Power-hitting Pedroia on a hot streak — again [ESPN Boston]

Back-to-back wins a good sign for Lackey [ESPN Boston]

Crawford hitless in five innings for PawSox [ESPN Boston]

Reddick on homer: This one’s for dad [ESPN Boston]

Video: Does Lackey cross the line? [ESPN Boston]

Closing Time: John Lackey, home runs lift Red Sox past Rays [Full Count]

The explanation for Marco Scutaro’s rough first inning [Full Count]

John Lackey talks wanting to stay in, optimism after win [Full Count]

This might not be Dustin Pedroia’s hottest streak, but it is his most unique [Full Count]

Carl Crawford Goes 0-for-3 During Saturday’s Rehab Start in Pawtucket, Expected to Be Activated for Monday’s Game Against Orioles [NESN.com]

Will Josh Beckett or James Shields End the Season With a Lower ERA? [NESN.com]

As Teammates Wrestle With Injuries, John Lackey Shows Signs of Settling in [NESN.com]

Slugging Red Sox pound their way past Tampa Bay [Providence Journal]

Crawford completes rehab, set to rejoin Boston on Monday [Providence Journal]

With slider, Lackey draws up a reasonable blueprint for second-half success [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Randy Williams a surprising addition to roster [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 the to St. Petersburg Times and Tampa Tribune websites.

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 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 RB DeLorenzo: “No Disadvantage” To Waiting ‘Til 2012 [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Giving Back: Ray of Hope Foundation’s Computer Lab [UConn Huskies Basketball]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Greene focused on win rather than reunion [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

And the answer is … [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Other UConn related links

Baseball. Former St. John’s star John Andreoli enjoying success in Cape League [Worcester Telegram]

After seeing their six-game winning streak fall by the wayside last night, the Boston Red Sox look to get back to the business of winning in game two of a three-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field this afternoon.

Today’s first pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. and you can watch the game on FOX in 41% of the country. And if you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2011 Red Sox Radio Network.

“Mr. Inconsistency” John Lackey takes to the hill for the Red Sox this afternoon. So far in 2011, Lackey has made 14 starts and is 6-8 with a 6.84 ERA. Lackey has not faced the Rays in 2011 and was 2-2 with a 6.26 ERA in four starts last season. He’s made 16 career starts against the Rays and is 11-4 with a 3.75 ERA. Six of those career starts have come at the Trop where he is 3-3 with a 6.16 ERA.

“Big Game” James Shields looks to get the Rays closer to the Red Sox in the standings. Shields has made 19 starts in 2011 and is 8-7 with a 2.33 ERA. In his lone start against the Red Sox this year back on June 14th at the Trop, Shields threw a complete game five-hit shutout. He’s made 17 career starts against the Red Sox and is 6-9 with a 4.71 ERA.

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

Here are this afternoon’s lineups:

55-36		50-41
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Johnny Damon	DH
2. Dustin Pedroia	2B	2. Ben Zobrist	2B
3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B	3. Casey Kotchman	1B
4. Kevin Youkilis	3B	4. Evan Longoria	3B
5. David Ortiz	DH	5. Matt Joyce	RF
6. J.D. Drew	RF	6. B.J. Upton	CF
7. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C	7. Sam Fuld	LF
8. Josh Reddick	LF	8. Kelly Shoppach	C
9. Marco Scutaro	SS	9. Reid Brignac	SS
John Lackey	SP	James Shields	SP

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

Notes: Bobby Jenks is back on the DL again for back tightness. The Red Sox have called up lefty Randy Williams from Triple-A Pawtucket to take his place. To make room on the 40-man roster for Williams, Tommy Hottovy has been designated for assignment.

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

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Dustin Pedroia raking after knee scare [Clubhouse Insider]

Bobby Jenks back to DL; Lefty reliever Randy Williams called up [Clubhouse Insider]

Clay Buchholz: ‘It’s taking a little bit longer than I wanted it to’ [Clubhouse Insider]

Jenks to DL, Williams up, Hottovy DFA [CSNNE.com]

Buchholz unsure when he will return [CSNNE.com]

Buchholz: Rehab taking longer than expected [ESPN Boston]

Boston Red Sox put Bobby Jenks on DL, recall Randy Williams [ESPN Boston]

History for Pedroia and Scutaro [Extra Bases]

Jenks back on DL [Extra Bases]

Buchholz will not return any time soon [Extra Bases]

Red Sox Place Bobby Jenks on Disabled List, Call Up Randy Williams from Pawtucket [NESN.com]

Volume of Injuries, Though Not Severity, Similar to Injury-Plagued 2010 [NESN.com]

A Series Matter: Red Sox-Rays and Slow Starts [Projo Sox Blog]

Jenks back to the disabled list [Projo Sox Blog]

Lefty Williams recalled, Hottovy DFA’d [Projo Sox Blog]

Lackey can build on last start as he faces Rays [RedSox.com]

Photo credits: Getty Images, AP Photo