As we get closer to Thursday’s midnight deadline for voting in the 2010 MLB All-Star Game, we as Boston Red Sox fans have to face facts. Unless President Obama issues an executive order that says they should have some starters, our only hope is for Clay Buchholz or Jon Lester to be named the starting pitcher for the American League.

Injured second baseman Dustin Pedroia is the only member of the Red Sox near the top of the voting and yet he trails Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees by 1.4 million votes. And even if Pedroia was able to garner enough votes by Thursday, he won’t be able to play in the game due to his injured foot.

First baseman Kevin Youkilis is in 4th place and trails leader Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins by roughly 1.1 million votes. Third baseman Adrian Beltre is in 4th as well and is around 2.3 million votes behind Evan Longoria. Catcher Victor Martinez is in 3rd but has no chance of catching leader Joe Mauer of the Twins as he is 3.1 million votes behind. Same goes for designated hitter David Ortiz, who sits in 3rd, as he trails leader Vladimir Guerrero of the Texas Rangers by 1.9 million votes

None of the Red Sox outfielders are in the top 15 of the voting.

So fans of Red Sox Nation, it’s time to vote Red Sox across the 2010 MLB All-Star Game Ballot. You’re allowed 25 votes per email address so go to yahoo or gmail and make multiple emails up and then vote. Let’s make a push to get at least one Red Sox starter that isn’t a starting pitcher in the All-Star Game.

The full rosters for the American League and National League will be announced during the 2010 MLB All-Star Selection Show on TBS on Sunday at noon.

A full look at the voting totals after the jump.

2010 MLB All-Star Balloting : American League
1st Base
RANK	PLAYER NAME	AL TEAM	TOTAL VOTES
1	Justin Morneau	Twins	2,118,654
2	Mark Teixeira	Yankees	1,863,235
3	Miguel Cabrera	Tigers	1,832,782
4	Kevin Youkilis	Red Sox	1,006,805
5	Carlos Pena	Rays	767,275
2nd Base
RANK	PLAYER NAME	AL TEAM	TOTAL VOTES
1	Robinson Cano	Yankees	2,948,269
2	Dustin Pedroia	Red Sox	1,518,334
3	Ian Kinsler	Rangers	1,302,245
4	Orlando Hudson	Twins	978,044
5	Ben Zobrist	Rays	806,407
3rd Base
RANK	PLAYER NAME	AL TEAM	TOTAL VOTES
1	Evan Longoria	Rays	3,118,600
2	Alex Rodriguez	Yankees	1,921,325
3	Michael Young	Rangers	1,230,264
4	Adrian Beltre	Red Sox	805,300
5	Brandon Inge	Tigers	673,273
Shortstop
RANK	PLAYER NAME	AL TEAM	TOTAL VOTES
1	Derek Jeter	Yankees	3,350,155
2	Elvis Andrus	Rangers	1,607,165
3	J.J. Hardy	Twins	897,710
4	Jason Bartlett	Rays	789,833
5	Alex Gonzalez	Blue Jays	683,135
Catcher
RANK	PLAYER NAME	AL TEAM	TOTAL VOTES
1	Joe Mauer	Twins	3,968,039
2	Jorge Posada	Yankees	1,304,978
3	Victor Martinez	Red Sox	896,413
4	Taylor Teagarden	Rangers	507,859
5	Gerald Laird	Tigers	456,283
Designated Hitter
RANK	PLAYER NAME	AL TEAM	TOTAL VOTES
1	Vladimir Guerrero	Rangers	2,889,243
2	Hideki Matsui	Angels	1,224,976
3	David Ortiz	Red Sox	969,291
4	Ken Griffey Jr.	Mariners	870,644
5	Jason Kubel	Twins	763,409
Outfield
RANK	PLAYER NAME	AL TEAM	TOTAL VOTES
1	Ichiro Suzuki	Mariners	1,924,904
2	Josh Hamilton	Rangers	1,906,350
3	Carl Crawford	Rays	1,782,035
4	Nelson Cruz	Rangers	1,621,771
5	Nick Swisher	Yankees	1,346,148
6	Curtis Granderson	Yankees	1,214,412
7	Brett Gardner	Yankees	1,189,995
8	Torii Hunter	Angels	1,161,623
9	Magglio Ordonez	Tigers	1,117,038
10	B.J. Upton	Rays	1,021,022
11	Vernon Wells	Blue Jays	942,950
12	Austin Jackson	Tigers	939,970
13	Michael Cuddyer	Twins	888,976
14	Bobby Abreu	Angels	849,257
15	Denard Span	Twins	789,831

Sunday’s game between the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants was being billed as a game between the two of the best young pitchers in the big leagues in Jon Lester and Tim Lincecum. But it was a pitcher’s duel that never materialized.

Instead it was Lester who dominated and Lincecum who was roughed up as he lasted just three innings.

Lincecum just didn’t have at all on Sunday as he fell behind just about every batter he faced. He was leaving pitches up in the zone and the Red Sox were able to take advantage of that. David Ortiz took one of those hanging pitches and put it into McCovey Cove becoming the first player to do it in 2010 and first ever by a member of the Red Sox.

But it was the effort by Lester that really helped the Red Sox to the win.

After the bullpen had to take over on Saturday when Clay Buchholz went down, Terry Francona needed his ace to go deep in the game. And that’s just what he got as Lester threw his second complete game of 2010 and sixth of his career. He was so strong during the game that he retired 17 of the final 18 batters he faced.

He ended up scattering five hits and only allowed one run and a walk while striking out nine Giants. Besides the 1st inning where he allowed the run, the only other inning he had any trouble was in the 4th when the Giants had runners on first and third with out. But he escaped that mini-jam with a strikeout of Pablo Sandoval and got Nate Schierholtz to pop out to Marco Scutaro.

The effort by Lester and his complete body of work this season should be enough to get him into the 2010 All-Star Game. And it will be an honor well deserved for Lester.

The news wasn’t all good for the Red Sox on Sunday afternoon though as for the third straight game a member of the team went down with an injury.

Victor Martinez had to leave the game in the fourth after taking two foul balls off of his thumb. It was initially thought that VMart had to leave the game after the first foul ball went off his thumb but also hit the toe he had injured previously. But that wasn’t the case as it was learned after the game that he suffered a fracture of his left thumb.

Francona and VMart both said after the game that he might not have to go on the disabled list. But that determination won’t come until VMart is examined by Red Sox team doctors today in Boston. Hopefully good news will come out of the examination as the Red Sox aren’t exactly deep with big league experience at the catcher position in the minor leagues. The good thing though is the fact that they have the Captain, Jason Varitek, on the bench to fill in for VMart should he miss any time.

The local nine also finished up interleague play with the third best record at 13-5. Only the Chicago White Sox (15-3) and Texas Rangers (14-4) were better.

The Red Sox are off today and return to action tomorrow night when the reeling Tampa Bay Rays to come to town. The Rays trail the Red Sox by a game for second place in the AL standings.

If we hear anything about VMart’s injury, we’ll pass it along but for now enjoy the overnight links after the jump.

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

This couldn’t be better [Boston Globe]

Broken thumb for Martinez [Boston Globe]

Bang-up job [Boston Globe]

Body parts hurting, but team’s spirit not broken [Boston Globe]

Recap: Red Sox 5 Giants 1 [Boston Herald]

Giant pain for Red Sox [Boston Herald]

Bad tip puts Victor Martinez in foul situation [Boston Herald]

Lineup aces stiff tests [Boston Herald]

Bill Hall on banged-up Red Sox: ‘We expect to win’ [Clubhouse Insider]

Source: Pedroia will miss at least four weeks, but six weeks more likely [CSN New England]

Lester dominates in 5-1 victory over the Giants [CSN New England]

Martinez fractures thumb, could avoid DL [CSN New England]

Quick hits: Lester picture of efficiency [ESPN Boston]

Cy Young winners sigh against the Sox [Extra Bases]

Updating the various injuries [Extra Bases]

Disharmony in Tampa Bay [Full Count]

Red Sox Look to Keep Winning Despite Injury-Riddled Road Trip [Heidi Watney – NESN.com]

Overcome Adversity [Hit and Run with Dan Roche]

Luis Exposito Racking Up RBIs in Eastern League As Red Sox Prospects Rankings Stay the Same [NESN.com]

Victor Martinez Fractures Left Thumb, Disabled List Decision To Come [NESN.com]

Terry Francona on Victor Martinez’ Thumb Fracture: ‘Not an Automatic DL’ [NESN.com]

Jon Lester Continues Dominant Stretch With Complete Game Defeat of Giants [NESN.com]

Jon Lester Dominates Again, Continues to Carry Burden for Red Sox [NESN.com]

Victor Martinez Fractures Left Thumb, Expects to Miss Some Time [NESN.com]

Can Lackey Still Be A Horse In 2010? [Nuggetpalooza]

Lester easily bests Lincecum in battle of star pitchers [Providence Journal]

Options few for Red Sox if Victor Martinez goes on DL [Providence Journal]

Red Sox may go with Hall-Patterson platoon to replace Pedroia [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Buchholz shows encouraging signs; may not miss a start [Providence Journal]

Red Sox can be cautious with Buchholz [RedSox.com]

Patterson to join Red Sox on Tuesday [RedSox.com]

Lester cruises as Red Sox top Lincecum [RedSox.com]

Red Sox add Martinez to ranks of wounded [RedSox.com]

How the Red Sox can survive [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

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

And if you must check out the enemy papers, head over to the San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News and Contra Costa Times websites.

Photo credit: Reuters Pictures

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

UConn Football links

Catching Up With UConn Recruit Graham Stewart [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Get your Anthony Sherman wallpaper while it’s hot! [The UConn Blog]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

The Golden Girls [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Hartley, Dolson Win Gold At U-18 Championship [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

According to Heidi Watney of NESN, Boston Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez is most likely heading to the disabled list with a fractured left thumb suffered during the game.

During the second inning of today’s 5-1 win over the San Francisco Giants, Bengie Molina fouled a ball off of the glove and left foot of VMart. It didn’t appear anything was wrong with the thumb initially as VMart hopped around in pain after the ball hit his toe.

After seeing the replay, you can see the ball go off of his thumb and him shake his hand before the pain in the toe set in.

VMart becomes the third Red Sox player hurt during the trip to San Francisco. Dustin Pedroia ended up on the DL after fouling a ball off of his foot and Clay Buchholz hyperextended his knee during yesterday’s game.

And now my question for everyone is, who catches Tim Wakefield’s next start?

Boston Red Sox @ San Francisco Giants 4:05 p.m AT&T Park SP: Jon Lester vs Tim Lincecum TV: NESN, MLB.tv Radio: Red Sox Radio Network

Afternoon Red Sox Delight – 6/27 [SOX & Dawgs]

The Boston Red Sox will finish up interleague play this afternoon in the condom game of a three-game set against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. The Red Sox are currently 12-5 against the NL.

This afternoon’s game will start at 4:05 p.m. and will be shown in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the Giants television market, you can catch the game on CSN Bay Area. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2010 Red Sox radio network.

Jon Lester will be looking to bolster his All-Star creditials in his 16th start. In his previous 15 starts, Lester is 8-3 with a 3.03 ERA. He’s never faced the Giants in his career. In 12 career interleague starts, Lester is 6-2 with a 2.86 ERA.

The two-time reigning NL Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum will toe the rubber for Bruce Bochy’s Giants squad this afternoon. “The Freak” has made 15 starts this season and is 8-2 with a 2.86 ERA. He’s never faced the Red Sox in his career. Lincecum is 5-2 with a 3.63 ERA in 10 career interleague starts.

Lineups, batter/pitcher matchups, and links after the jump.

45-31		40-33
1. Marco Scutaro	SS	1. Andres Torres	CF
2. Daniel Nava	LF	2. Freddy Sanchez	2B
3. David Ortiz	1B	3. Aubrey Huff	LF
4. Kevin Youkilis	3B	4. Buster Posey	1B
5. Victor Martinez	C	5. Edgar Renteria	SS
6. J.D. Drew	RF	6. Bengie Molina	C
7. Bill Hall	2B	7. Pablo Sandoval	3B
8. Darnell McDonald	CF	8. Nate Schierholtz	RF
9. Jon Lester	P	9. Tim Lincecum	P
Jon Lester	SP	Tim Lincecum	SP

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

More links to be added as they become available

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Lester and Lincecum: Perfect strangers [Clubhouse Insider]

Schedule creates flexibility for Buchholz [Extra Bases]

Lester and Lincecum a great matchup [Extra Bases]

Luis Exposito Racking Up RBIs in Eastern League As Red Sox Prospects Rankings Stay the Same [NESN.com]

With Dustin Pedroia Out, Red Sox Will Have to Continue to Find Offensive Contributions [NESN.com]

Clay Buchholz May Not Miss Much Time With Favorable Red Sox Schedule Up Ahead [NESN.com]

See this lineup? Don’t get used to it. [Projo Sox Blog]

Can the Red Sox survive without Dustin Pedroia? [USA Today]

Photo credit: Getty Images, Getty Images

The Boston Red Sox may have beaten the San Francisco Giants 4-2 on Saturday but they did also lose. How did they lose you ask? Well they lost Dustin Pedroia for probably the next six weeks and they also lost Clay Buchholz to a knee injury suffered while running the bases in the top of the 2nd inning.

The loss of Pedroia is a key one as he is the emotional leader of this club as well as being great defensively and one of the hottest hitters. You just can’t replace a Pedroia on the field and in the lineup. But you can bet he’ll still be the same old fiery presence in the clubhouse.

The Red Sox did acquire some help while Pedey is out as they traded minor league pitcher Fabian Williamson to the Oakland A’s for IF/OF Eric Patterson. It’s not known if Patterson will join the big league team as of yet but he’ll give the Red Sox a little depth. The Red Sox did call up Angel Sanchez from Triple-A Pawtucket to replace Pedroia on the 25-man roster.

While I’m a big fan of interleague play, it does suck that AL pitchers have to do something they probably haven’t done since high school or college and that’s hit. The injury to Buchholz is the second injury the Red Sox have suffered this season, Josh Beckett’s back the other, due to the NL rules. Of course Beckett hurt his preparing but it’s all the same in my book.

Unfortunately, I don’t think you can change the interleague rules to have the DH because then you’re giving the AL teams an unfair advantage as they’re equipped to have the DH as most teams have full-time DH’s.

Like I said above, I do like interleague play. You always hear about certain players in the NL but maybe other than in an All-Star Game or a World Series, how often do you get a chance to face them. Think about it for a second, the other night the Red Sox got to face the best pitcher in the NL this season in Ubaldo Jimenez. And today, they get to face the two-time reigining NL Cy Young award winner in Tim Lincecum.

That’s what makes it fun. But it doesn’t become that way when you see your team lose their best pitcher in 2010. Fortunately from the sound of things, the hyperextended knee suffered by young Clay doesn’t appear to be anything serious. And with the off days on Monday and Thursday, it’s quite likely he should be able to make his next start on Saturday.

We’ll be back later with today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups, any news and links from the day but for now enjoy the overnight links after the jump.

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

With Pedroia sidelined, Sox pitching will be key [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Cameron, bullpen rescue Red Sox [Boston Globe]

Buchholz runs into trouble [Boston Globe]

This injury truly hurts the most [Boston Globe]

Broken foot puts Pedroia on sidelines [Boston Globe]

Lincecum’s Giants let their hair down [Boston Globe]

Sox recap: Red Sox 4 Giants 2 [Boston Herald]

Bad break for Dustin Pedroia [Boston Herald]

For tight-knit Sox, family matters [Boston Herald]

Clay Buchholz’ name goes on team’s injury list, too [Boston Herald]

Bad run for Clay Buchholz [Boston Herald]

Pen provides long relief for Red Sox [Boston Herald]

Red Sox lose Buchholz, beat Giants [CSN New England]

Red Sox aquire utility man Eric Patterson [CSN New England]

Sox like chances in war of attrition [ESPN Boston]

Pedroia: ‘We’ll be fine’ [Full Count]

Closing Time: Red Sox 4, Giants 2 [Full Count]

For Sox, a not-so-fond farewell to interleague [Full Count]

Clay Buchholz’s Injury Further Evidence Against Interleague Play [NESN.com]

McDonald, Cameron, relievers pitch in [Providence Journal]

With Pedroia on disabled list, Sox will have to scramble [Providence Journal]

Red Sox journal: Buchholz leaves with knee problem [Providence Journal]

Beckett takes a big step toward return [RedSox.com]

Drew held out for one more day [RedSox.com]

Hall to become focal point for Red Sox [RedSox.com]

Red Sox acquire Patterson from A’s [RedSox.com]

Red Sox relievers come up huge vs. Giants [RedSox.com]

Buchholz’s injury does not appear serious [RedSox.com]

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

And if you must check out the enemy papers, head over to the San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News and Contra Costa Times websites.

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

UConn Football links

2010 Connecticut Preview [CollegeFootballNews.com]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Tina ready to return home [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Dolson, Hartley go for gold [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Hartley Leads U.S. Into U-18 Gold Medal Game [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

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 are after the jump.

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

Several top Sox prospects honing their skills at Lowell [Portland Press Herald]

Sox sign 17th rounder Jason Garcia, Austin Peay catcher Lucas [SoxProspects.com]

Pawtucket Red Sox

A three-run 5th inning helped the Syracuse Chiefs to a 6-1 win over the PawSox.

Road futility continues [Providence Journal]

Same Old Story, Same Old Song and Dance [OurSports Central]

Pawtucket Red Sox @ Syracuse Chiefs 6.26.10 box score [MiLB.com]

Pawtucket 2010 Roster

Pawtucket Red Sox stats

International League standings

Pawtucket Red Sox website

Portland Sea Dogs:

The Sea Dogs rallied with six runs in the 7th to beat the New Britain Rock Cats 8-5.

Sea Dogs rally to end skid [Portland Press Herald]

Sea Dogs score six late, beat Rock Cats 8-5 [OurSports Central]

Hadlock Headlines [Central Maine Sports Blog]

Portland Sea Dogs @ New Britain Rock Cats 6.26.10 box score [MiLB.com]

Portland 2010 Roster

Portland Sea Dogs stats

Eastern League Standings

Portland Sea Dogs website

Salem Red Sox:

Salem had no answers for the Wilmington Blue Rocks in a 13-5 loss.

Wilmington Drubs Salem 13-5 to Take Series [OurSports Central]

Red Sox Acquire INF/OF Eric Patterson from Oakland in Exchange for LHP Fabian Williamson [OurSports Central]

Salem Red Sox @ Wilmington Blue Rocks 6.26.10 box score [MiLB.com]

Salem 2010 Roster

Salem Red Sox stats

Carolina League standings

Salem Red Sox official blog

Salem Red Sox website

Greenville Drive:

Five late runs helped the Drive to a 9-5 win over the Charleston RiverDogs.

Errors Prove Costly, Drive Throttle RiverDogs, 9-5 [OurSports Central]

Greenville Drive @ Charleston RiverDogs 6.26.10 box score [MiLB.com]

Greenville 2010 Roster

Greenvillle Drive stats

South Atlantic League standings

Greenville Drive website

Lowell Spinners:

Despite outhitting the Tri-City ValleyCats 9-8, the Spinners were shutout 8-0.

Consuegra’s wild side again dooms Spinners [LowellSpinners.com]

Lowell Spinners @ Tri-City ValleyCats 6.26.10 box score [MiLB.com]

Lowell Spinners 2010 Roster

Lowell Spinners stats

NY-Penn League Standings

Lowell Spinners Blog

Spinners website

Gulf Coast League Red Sox

Five runs in the 8th helped the GCL Red Sox to a 6-4 win over the GCL Twins.

GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins 6.26.10 box score [MiLB.com]

GCL Red Sox 2010 Roster

GCL Red Sox stats

Gulf Coast League Standings

Gulf Coast Red Sox website

8-mazing pitching performance

If things didn’t seem bad enough for the Boston Red Sox, Clay Buchholz took a turn on the base paths and left the game with a hyper-extended knee in the top of the 2nd inning.

But when it was all said and done, somehow, someway, the bullpen pulled it all together and the Red Sox came out on top with a 4-2 win over the San Francisco Giants.

Eight different pitchers combined for the ‘W,’ but in the books Scott Atchinson got credit and was on the mound for longest going two and a third.

Ramon Ramirez, Manny Delcarmen, Dustin Richardson, Hideki Okajima, Daniel Bard, and Jonathan Papelbon were the other six.

The craziness of this game?

John Lackey flipping pinch hit for Ramon Ramirez.

Say what?

Mike Cameron made an unbelievable grab in center field to save Bard in the bottom of the 8th inning by landing on his back, dust flying everywhere, and barely hanging on to the baseball.

If the Sox didn’t win this game after that play, um, not quite sure how to explain that one.

Beat, battered, bruised; Surviving!?

How in the world did the Red Sox manage to climb out of the thick of the American League East, become in contention, have the third best record in the MLB, and continue to compete with the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays?

The entire club seems to be injury prone. Once a player comes back from the disabled list, another goes on. Or multiple players go on it.

Here’s the 2010 DL list

Josh Beckett
Daisuke Matsuzaka
Jacoby Ellsbury
Jeremy Hermida
Mike Cameron
Tim Wakefield
J.D. Drew
And the newest addition as of tonight:
Dustin Pedroia

Nnnnnnnoooooooooo!!!

Pray that Buchholz isn’t next.

Welcome to the laser show

And literally the next game after busting out three home runs to lift the Red Sox to a dramatic 13-11 win in the rubber game of a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies, Pedroia fractures from navicular bone on his left foot.

The little guy has a hell of a lot of power and heart, but unfortunately still is a human being that can break and fracture bones and not heal them at the speed of light.

It’s another big blow to a team that’s already hurting. The All-Star Break can’t come soon enough.

Amanda Bruno is a freelance sportswriter for The Springfield Republican. She also writes over at Batter-up with Bruno where she shares her thoughts about the Boston Red Sox and the Boston sports media. You can follow her on Twitter @batterupbruno and can reach Amanda through email at brunosportshawk[at]gmail.com.