Behind a strong outing from Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Boston Red Sox took the first game of a four-game set against the Cleveland Indians. Tonight they’ll look for another win at Progressive Field behind Tim Wakefield.

Tonight’s game will start at 7:05 p.m. and will be shown on NESN in the Red Sox television market. The game will be shown on STO (SportsTime Ohio) in the Indians television market. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2010 Red Sox radio network.

Wakefield has made 12 appearances with eight starts for Terry Francona and the Red Sox in 2010. In those 12 games, he is 1-4 with a 6.02 ERA. He’s made 27 appearances (22 starts) against the Indians in his career and is 11-8 with a 4.23 ERA. In 13 games (12 starts) at Cleveland, Wake is 5-4 with a 4.09 ERA.

David Huff makes just his second start since taking an Alex Rodriguez line drive off of his head. He’s made 10 starts this season and is 2-6 with a 6.08 ERA. Huff has never faced the Red Sox in his career.

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

34-25		21-35
1. Marco Scutaro	SS	1. Trevor Crowe	CF
2. Dustin Pedroia	2B	2. Shin-Soo Choo	RF
3. Victor Martinez	C	3. Austin Kearns	LF
4. Kevin Youkilis	1B	4. Russell Branyan	1B
5. David Ortiz	DH	5. Jhonny Peralta	3B
6. Adrian Beltre	3B	6. Shelley Duncan	DH
7. Bill Hall	LF	7. Luis Valbuena	2B
8. Mike Cameron	CF	8. Lou Marson	C
9. Darnell McDonald	RF	9. Jason Donald	SS
Tim Wakefield	SP	David Huff	SP

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

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Red Sox Take Brandon Workman In 2nd Round of 2010 MLB Draft [SOX & Dawgs]

Red Sox Draft Sean Coyle in 3rd Round of 2010 MLB Draft [SOX & Dawgs]

Boston Red Sox 2010 MLB Draft Picks Rds 4-15 [SOX & Dawgs]

Dice-K’s advice for Strasburg: Trust thyself [Clubhouse Insider]

Pregame notes: Ellsbury to be examined tomorrow [Clubhouse Insider]

Red Sox Early Notes: Ellsbury leaves club for second opinion [CSN New England]

Victor Martinez Emotional Upon Returning to Cleveland for First Time Since 2009 Trade [Don Orsillo – NESN.com]

SoxProspects.com: Scouting report on Red Sox draftees [ESPN Boston]

A closer look at Victor Martinez [Extra Bases]

Ellsbury on his way to California for exam [Extra Bases]

As Advertised [Hit and Run with Dan Roche]

Theo Epstein, Red Sox Feeling Similar Confidence to Successful 2005 Draft [NESN.com]

Top Red Sox Draft Picks Since 1965, From Billy Conigliaro to Kolbrin Vitek [NESN.com]

BA’s Fitt on Vitek, Brentz, Ranaudo [Projo Sox Blog]

MTSU coach on Brentz: “His mentality is to hit the ball out of the park” [Projo Sox Blog]

Ball State coach: Vitek’s “pitch selection … was phenomenal” [Projo Sox Blog]

Jacoby Ellsbury leaves team to see specialists in LA on cracked ribs [Projo Sox Blog]

Here are the Boston Red Sox 2010 MLB Draft Picks for rounds 4-15. We’ll be back after round 30 with rounds 16-30.

Pick (Rd)	Name	School	POS	B/T	Class
143 (4th)	Garin Cecchini	Barbe HS (LA)	SS	L/R	HS
173 (5th)	Henry Ramos	Alfonso Casta Martinez HS (PR)	RF	S/R	HS
203 (6th)	Kendrick Perkins	La Porte HS (TX)	CF	L/R	HS
233 (7th)	Chris Hernandez	Miami (FL)	P	L/L	JR
263 (8th)	Mathew Price	Virginia Tech	P	R/R	JR
293 (9th)	Tyler Barnette	Hickory HS (NC)	P	R/R	HS
323 (10th)	Jacob Dahlstrand	Memorial HS (TX)	P	R/R	HS
353 (11th)	Lucas LeBlanc	Delgado College	OF	R/R	J2
383 (12th)	Garrett Rau	California Baptist Univ.	P	R/R	JR
413 (13th)	Keith Couch	Adelphi Univ.	P	L/R	JR
443 (14th)	Michael Hollenback	Joliet Township HS (IL)	C	L/R	HS
473 (15th)	Stephen Wilkerson	Pope HS (GA)	SS	S/R	HS

With the 110th overall pick (3rd round), the Boston Red Sox have selected shortstop Sean Coyle from Germantown Academy in Pennsylvania.

Coyle is the first high school player drafted by the Red Sox in the 2010 MLB Draft. He has signed a letter-of-intent to attend the University of North Carolina.

With the draft continuing today through round 30, I will do two more updates of whom the Red Sox select. At the end of round 15, we’ll update rounds 4-15 and again at the end of round 30, we’ll do rounds 16-30.

Using the second round pick they got from the New York Mets as compensation for Jason Bay, the Boston Red Sox selected right-handed pitcher Brandon Workman from the University of Texas in the second round.

Workman is the second collegiate pitcher taken by the Red Sox in the 2010 MLB Draft. They had previously taken Anthony Ranaudo of LSU in the supplemental round.

Here’s what MLB.com had to say about Workman:

Fastball: Workman throws his fastball in the 90-95 mph range. He throws a two- and four-seamer.

Fastball movement: He has plus movement — late sink with bore on the two-seamer and riding life on the four-seamer.

Cutter: It’s a plus pitch.

Curve: He has an average curve ball and he commands it well.

Changeup: He’s got a good feel for his changeup.

Control: He has good command and pitches ahead in the count.

Poise: He’s always on an even keel and has a competitive, bulldog mentality.

Physical Description: Workman has a Kerry Wood-type body.

Medical Update: Healthy.

Strengths: Strong mix of pitches, good command, excellent competitiveness on the mound.

Weaknesses: While he’s durable, he has reliever mechanics with a little bit of effort.

Summary: Scouts have known about Workman for quite some time, and he was a third-round pick of the Phillies in 2007. Over the course of his Longhorns career and a couple of Cape Cod League stints, he’s done little to hurt his stock. With a solid repertoire, good command and bulldog mentality, he’s the kind of top-program college starter who will undoubtedly get many looks in the early going on Draft Day.

Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, has earned an honorable mention in PETA’s annual ranking of the Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly Ballparks. Fenway added some great vegetarian options to its list this year: a hearty veggie burger and a protein-packed veggie dog. The park continues to offer tasty standbys from previous years, such as meatless burritos and meatless tacos.

“With the addition of John Lackey, Adrian Beltre, and delicious veggie dogs and veggie burgers, the Red Sox had quite an off-season,” says PETA Director Dan Shannon. “With this lineup, fans can load up their plates with a variety of meat-free options and at the same time reduce their risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes for many seasons to come.”

For the fourth straight year, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Citizens Bank Park took top honors—this time for adding a delicious vegan breaded chicken sandwich to a roster that includes a vegetarian crab-cake salad (also available as a sandwich or wrap), veggie burgers and veggie dogs, a Southwestern black-bean burger, a veggie steak sandwich, a mock chicken steak, the new vegan Rice Crispie treat, and more. Rounding out the top 10 are AT&T Park (San Francisco Giants), Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros), Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers), Coors Field (Colorado Rockies), Turner Field (Atlanta Braves), PETCO Park (San Diego Padres), Angel Stadium (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim), Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers), and Target Field (Minnesota Twins) and Progressive Field (Cleveland Indians), which tied for 10th place.

Top athletes across the sports spectrum—including slugger Prince Fielder, Olympic great Carl Lewis, NFL running back Ricky Williams, and mixed martial arts fighter Mac Danzig—have kicked the meat habit, and a trip to ballpark concession stands confirms that fans are getting the message too.

Each major-league team to make the Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly Ballparks list or be given an honorable mention will receive a framed certificate from PETA. For more information and to see the complete list of winners, please click here.

If you can figure out Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, please step up to the front of the line. Seriously though, will we ever figure him out? Or do we just sit and watch and pray that he pitches like he did last night, everytime he toes the rubber?

The last time Dice-K and Victor Martinez worked together, there was a little verbal spat between the pair. Since then, the Dice man had worked with el capitan, Jason Varitek. But with VMart returning to Cleveland for the first time since his trade to the Red Sox, there was no keeping him out of the lineup.

Going into last night’s game, Dice-K had an era of over 11 in three starts with VMart as his catcher. On the contrary, he had a 2.39 ERA with Tek behind the dish in four starts.

In his last outing, Dice-K was roughed up for three early runs and then was dominant the rest of the way, earning a standing ovation from the Fenway faithful after being booed in the 1st inning.

Well last night, he kept the momentum going from the end of his last start as he went eight scoreless innings. He scattered four hits and had just two walks while striking out five. His key to success last night was attacking the strike zone and letting his defense do the work. He mixed in all of his pitches and had great command and location with all of them.

If Dice-K continues to pitch like this, there’s no telling how successful he can be this season. And with John Lackey not at the top of his game right now and Josh Beckett out for the forseeable future, a successful Dice-K is beneficial to the Red Sox chances of making the playoffs.

In his return to his former home, VMart had a pretty good night all around. He was 2-for-4 with an RBI including a double and also threw out a runner trying to steal second. Basically, he showed the very few Indians fans who showed up to the game (14,758) what they were missing.

We’ll be back later with news from the day two of the MLB draft as well as tonight’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups, any non-draft related news and any links but for now enjoy the overnight links.

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Back to school: Red Sox seek impact college players on day one [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Progressive movement [Boston Globe]

Ellsbury is contemplating another opinion [Boston Globe]

Red Sox select Ball State infielder Vitek with 20th pick [Boston Globe]

Recap: Red Sox 4, Indians 1 [Boston Herald]

Red Sox elated with first three picks [Boston Herald]

No predicting rolls of Dice-K [Boston Herald]

Jonathan Papelbon with family [Boston Herald]

Crafty Matsuzaka masters the Tribe, 4-1 [CSN New England]

Red Sox choose three college players on first day of draft [CSN New England]

A friend feels for Lowell [ESPN Boston]

Papelbon out for next three days [ESPN Boston]

Sox, Daisuke ease on down the road [ESPN Boston]

Vitek (almost) signed, sealed and delivered [ESPN Boston]

Quick hits: Sox 4, Indians 1 [ESPN Boston]

Breaking down Day 1 of the draft [Extra Bases]

Red Sox use first-round pick on Kolbrin Vitek [Full Count]

Red Sox tab Brentz, Ranaudo with sandwich picks [Full Count]

Victor Martinez Reminds Cleveland What It’s Missing [NESN.com]

Kolbrin Vitek Excited to Join Red Sox, Get to Fenway [NESN.com]

What Can Boof Bonser Do for Red Sox? [NESN.com]

Red Sox Prepped for Days 2 and 3 of 2010 MLB Draft [NESN.com]

Weight Lifting a Careful Routine for Bill Hall, Red Sox [NESN.com]

Dice-K, Martinez finally on the same page [Providence Journal]

Sox snare 2nd baseman with first draft pick [Providence Journal]

Red Sox journal: Bonser finally returns to majors [Providence Journal]

V-Mart happy to be back in Cleveland [RedSox.com]

Hermida available, but held out of lineup [RedSox.com]

Red Sox will not rush Beckett’s rehab [RedSox.com]

Bonser joins Boston’s bullpen [RedSox.com]

Ellsbury to get second opinion on ribs [RedSox.com]

Red Sox tab Vitek with first pick in Draft [RedSox.com]

Papelbon put on family medical leave list [RedSox.com]

Red Sox take another slugger in Brentz [RedSox.com]

Boston turns to Ranaudo with final Day 1 pick [RedSox.com]

Has Daisuke actually figured it out this time? [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 read the enemy papers, check out the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Akron Beacon Journal websites.

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UConn Football links

Another QB for the Huskies [Chip Malafronte – New Haven Register]

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

Flag Flown In Space In Memory Of Jasper Howard [UConnHuskies.com]

Spring wrap-up: Big East [National Football Post]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

27 Ready To Show Off For USA Basketball And Jen Rizzotti [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Rizzotti Talks UConn, Scheduling [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

For Mercury start Diana Taurasi, basketball is life’s driving force [Arizona Republic]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Ranking the Returning Huskies [UConn Huskies Basketball]

Other UConn related links

UConn’s Mike Olt Taken By Rangers in Supplemental Round [SOX & Dawgs]

Branford’s Olt, of UConn, taken 49th by Texas Rangers [New Haven Register]

UConn baseball raised bar for success this season [New Haven Register]

UConn Huskies third baseman Mike Olt has been busy over the past few days. Over the weekend, he was busy playing in the first round of the NCAA Baseball Tournament in Norwich, CT. His Huskies team ended up going 1-2 and being eliminated by the Oregon Ducks, who gave UConn both of their losses.

And on Monday night, the Branford, CT native got to hear his name called during the Supplemental Round of the 2010 MLB Draft as the Texas Rangers selected him 49th overall.

In 64 games for the Huskies in 2010, Olt hit .318 with 23 home runs, 76 RBIs and had seven stolen bases. Olt also had 24 multiple hit games and 19 multiple RBI games. He won the Home Run Derby Contest during the Big East Tournament held in Clearwater, FL and was named to the All-Big East Third Team.

A look at what MLB.com had to say about Olt coming up after the jump.

Here’s what MLB.com had to say about Olt:

Hitting ability: Olt has good bat speed and strength. He has a good idea at the plate, with good rhythm and approach.

Power: He has above-average raw power and plenty of game power. He was a little rusty this weekend, but got on track as it went on. Most of his power is to the pull side.

Running speed: He has below-average speed.

Base running: Despite not having great speed, he knows what he’s doing on the basepaths and has a good success rate stealing bases.

Arm strength: A converted shortstop, he has more than enough arm from third.

Fielding: He’s worked hard on his defense at third and should be fine to stay there. His footwork is fine, as are his hands.

Range: He moves well at third, with enough range to stay there.

Physical Description: Olt has a solid, strong frame, with broad shoulders. He looks the part of a big league hitter and third baseman

Medical Update: His sophomore season was broken up by an ankle injury early and a wrist injury later, but he appears healthy now.

Strengths: Size, strength, bat speed. Above-average power and the ability to stay at third base defensively. Good makeup and leadership skills.

Weaknesses: There’s been a question as to how much he’ll hit, but there’s nothing mechanically that says he won’t.

Summary: In a relatively thin year for college hitters, Olt stands out as one of the better options … especially if a team is looking for power potential. Olt has plenty of pop, largely from the pull side. There’s been some question about his abilities as an overall hitter, but he’s got a solid approach and good bat speed. A converted shortstop, he’s worked hard with his move to third and should be able to stay there. With injuries that shortened his sophomore season behind him, Olt profiles as a solid power-hitting third baseman at the big league level and everyone knows how hard they are to find.

When the Boston Red Sox lost Jason Bay and Billy Wagner in free agency, it didn’t really hurt that much that they were Type-A Free Agents. This meant the Red Sox would pick up a couple of extra draft picks.

They picked up the Braves first round pick, which they used earlier on Monday night to take Kolbrin Vitek. They also received the Mets second round pick which is number 57. They also received a two supplemental picks as compensation for losing Wagner and Bay.

The Red Sox used the first compensation pick, No. 36 overall, to take left fielder Bryce Brentz from Middle Tennessee State. They then used their second compensation pick, No. 39 overall, to take right-handed pitcher Anthony Ranaudo from LSU.

We’ll see what MLB.com and Scouts, Inc have to say about both of them after the jump.

Here’s what MLB.com had to say about Brentz:

Hitting ability: Brentz has a short, compact stroke and could become an above-average hitter.

Power: He should have solid average-to-plus power and has it to all fields.

Running speed: He’s shown average speed.

Base running: He’s a solid base runner, though it likely won’t be a big part of his game.

Arm strength: Clocked as high as 93 mph from the mound, he has plenty of arm strength from the outfield.

Fielding: He’s an average defender in the outfield now and should be solid-average in a corner spot in the future.

Range: He has average range, but enough to handle playing a corner OF spot.

Physical Description: Brentz has an athletic and well-defined, strong, medium frame. He has a build somewhat like Chad Curtis.

Medical Update: Healthy.

Strengths: Excellent offensive skills, with hitting ability and plenty of power. He has an outstanding arm from the outfield.

Weaknesses: He can be overly aggressive at the plate and is occasionally top-hand dominant with his swing.

Summary: A year after having one of the best offensive seasons in college baseball, Brentz entered his Draft year as one of the top pure college hitters. He’s done nothing to alter that impression. He has a short, compact stroke and plenty of power to all fields. A two-way player in the past, the arm that worked well for him on the mound is more than enough from the outfield. He could be one of the top college bats to come off the board.

And here’s what Scouts, Inc had to say about Brentz:

Brentz came into the year with a chance to be a top-ten pick, and there’s still a small chance he goes somewhere between six and ten, but overall it hasn’t been a great spring for the Blue Raider star as he’s worked around a stress fracture in his right ankle.

Brentz is an advanced college hitter with a good idea of the strike zone,a very easy, simple swing and some natural power. His hips often drift forward and open up early, but it’s minor enough to be corrected in pro ball; more of a concern is his tendency to lengthen his swing to try to hit every pitch 500 feet.

He’s played mostly center in college but will end up a right fielder in pro ball, and his arm is plus — he was in MTSU’s rotation last year and would top out around 90 mph. He’s an adequate runner on two good feet, but has been hobbled the last two months of the spring by the injury, missing a few weeks and then only playing at DH right after his return.

He’s not a potential star but is a safe bet to be an average everyday player with the potential to be above-average/fringe star for several years at his peak, hitting for average with 25+ home runs and playing good defense in right.

Here’s what MLB.com has to say about Ranaudo:

Fastball: Ranaudo struggled in a big matchup against Ole Miss’ Drew Pomeranz, but his fastball was up to 93 mph.

Fastball movement: When he’s on, he’ll keep the ball down in the zone, but he’s got below-average life on the fastball.

Curve: He throws a spike curve, over the top with downward action, 78-80 mph. It’s an average pitch.

Changeup: It’s an average offering, thrown 80-81 mph. He’s still working on it, and it’s behind the other two pitches.

Control: He should have average command in the future, but he’s been struggling with keeping the ball down in the zone.

Poise: Showed decent mound presence, with average aggressiveness on the mound.

Physical Description: Ranaudo is a big specimen but is fairly athletic on the mound.

Medical Update: A stress reaction in his elbow knocked him out of action early this year. Reports are that it’s not an issue now, but he hasn’t returned to form since.

Strengths: Has shown very good fastball-curve combination in past, with decent changeup. Pitching for a top college program, he has thrown in a lot of big games.

Weaknesses: The injury, and the ensuing struggles, have many concerned.

Summary: Entering the spring as perhaps the top college arm in the country, Ranaudo missed a chunk of time with an elbow issue. Brought back slowly, he has struggled to regain the form that made him such an elite prospect in the first place. More than anything, he’s struggled to find a feel for the strike zone, and for keeping the ball down in it like he had in the past. How he finishes his season will go a long way toward determing his Draft stock, but the injury, together with being advised by Scott Boras, make him very difficult to place.

And here’s what Scouts, Inc. had to say about Ranaudo:

Ranaudo suffered a minor, non-structural elbow injury in late February and skipped three starts to recover, but wasn’t his usual self until the SEC tournament, where the old Ranaudo showed up for a few innings of a successful start.

When he’s right, Ranaudo will work at 90-93 and dial up to 94-95 as needed, and the pitch plays up because hitters see the ball so late out of his hand. His curveball is inconsistent but flashes plus, 79-83, and he’ll backfoot it to a left-handed hitter. He has a solid-average changeup at 79-84 with good arm speed.

When he was struggling earlier in the spring, Ranaudo was leading with his elbow and couldn’t extend his arm out in front as he finished his delivery, but he looked cleaner and freer on Wednesday, getting on top of the ball better and repeating his arm action in back well. The hitch with Ranaudo will be with his medicals, as it’s never been entirely clear what was bothering him; even if it’s no longer an issue, teams will still want to know the full history before giving him a major-league deal and a large bonus, but they’re not likely to get it.

With the 20th overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft, the Boston Red Sox have taken second baseman Kolbrin Vitek from Ball State.

It’s the second straight year the Red Sox have taken a player from Ball State in the draft. They took Jeremy Hazelbaker in the fourth round last year.

Here’s what MLB.com has to say about him:

Hitting ability: Vitek is one of the better pure hitters in the college ranks. He’s very short to the ball with excellent bat speed. He’s got a strong track record of hitting well everywhere he goes.

Power: There’s definitely some power there, though there’s some debate over just how much he’ll show in the future.

Running speed: He’s got well above-average speed. He runs a great 60, but it doesn’t always play that well in games.

Base running: He’s a very good base runner who is a base-stealing threat.

Arm strength: He has an average to solid-average arm.

Fielding: He’s moved around a bit defensively. His hands and feet aren’t great for second base. Perhaps a move to the outfield would be best.

Range: He doesn’t move all that well in the infield, but he does have enough speed to handle an outfield position.

Physical Description: He’s got a similar look, and playing style, to 2009 first-rounder A.J. Pollock.

Medical Update: Healthy.

Strengths: Excellent overall hitting skills, some power and speed. Also a pitcher with decent arm strength.

Weaknesses: No clear defensive home. Second base doesn’t look to be a good fit, so perhaps the outfield. But does he have the power for a corner or the speed for center?

Summary: Wherever Vitek has gone, he’s hit. He plays at a smaller program, but in a year with a lack of premium bats at big programs, his production is getting noticed. His bat speed and mechanics should make him an excellent hitter at the next level. He’s got power, though there’s some debate how much there will be at the next level. He also runs pretty well. The main question with Vitek is where he’ll play defensively, as his current home at second doesn’t appear to be a great fit. He’s athletic enough to play the outfield, and that might be the best bet. Wherever he plays, it’s his bat that has people interested, and that’s what will get him drafted in the first couple of rounds.

And here’s what Scout’s Inc. has to say about him:

Vitek loads his hands deep and comes close to barring his lead arm, but he has the bat speed to overcome it (for now, at least), and stays upright through the swing with good hip rotation.

He’s got a projectable frame and could add 20 pounds or so by the time he’s through, but right now his swing plane is flat and I don’t see more than average power down the road unless he makes some significant changes. He’s an above-average runner but doesn’t have the agility for the infield, making centerfield the optimal destination.

The best-case scenario here has him hitting for average and playing plus defense in center with average power, assuming he doesn’t change his swing. However, I am concerned that he has no experience facing quality pitching and may not profile if he has to move to right field.

Update: According to a post on MLB Trade Rumors, the Red Sox and Vitek already have a “verbal agreement” on contract terms.