Boston Red Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays 7:10 p.m Tropicana Field SP: John Lackey vs Matt Garza TV: NESN, MLB.tv Radio: Red Sox Radio Network

Early Evening Red Sox Delight – 5/26 [SOX & Dawgs]

After quality starts and wins from Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester, the Boston Red Sox will look for a three-game sweep of the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays tonight at Tropicana Field.

Tonight’s game will start at 7:10 p.m. and will be shown on NESN in the Red Sox television market. The game will be shown on Sun Sports in the Rays television market. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2010 Red Sox radio network.

John Lackey will look to jump on the quality start train tonight for Terry Francona. In nine starts, Lackey is 4-3 with a 5.07 ERA but has been roughed up his last two times out. He’s made one start against the Rays on Marathon Monday and took the loss after allowing eight runs in 3 1/3 innings. He has had good success against the Rays as he is 9-3 with a 3.77 ERA in 13 career starts. He is just 2-2 with a 6.75 ERA in four starts at the Trop.

Matt Garza will look to help Joe Maddon and the Rays avoid the sweep in his 10th start of 2010. In his previous nine starts, he is 5-2 with a 2.79 ERA. He’s faced the Red Sox once this season back on April 16th and picked up the win after throwing eight shutout innings. He’s made 13 career starts against the Red Sox and is 6-2 with a 2.92 ERA. He is 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA in six starts against the Red Sox at the Trop and the Rays have won all six of those games as well.

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

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

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

Ellsbury’s injury remains a mystery [Clubhouse Insider]

Big Papi talks hitting, Jose Lima [Clubhouse Insider]

Red Sox Bullpen Ready to Rise Now That Starters Are Finding Rhythm [Don Orsillo – NESN.com]

No Ellsbury, Martinez, Drew [ESPN Boston]

Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth? [Extra Bases]

One of the Rays attacked by a ray [Extra Bases]

Pre-game medical report on the Sox [Extra Bases]

Boxscore Breakdown – One-Hitter At The Trop! [Full Count]

Francona on D&H: ‘Patience pays off’ with Ortiz [Full Count]

Jacoby Ellsbury Has Setback With Rib Fractures [NESN.com]

New Injuries Create More Patchwork Lineups for Red Sox Manager Terry Francona [NESN.com]

Jacoby Ellsbury Still Sore, Will Be Examined in Boston on Thursday [NESN.com]

Top Quotes By Kevin Millar Include Famous ‘Cowboy Up’ Moniker [NESN.com]

Delcarmen, bullpen enjoying lighter workload [Projo Sox Blog]

Ortiz back in No. 3 hole, mourning old friend Lima [Projo Sox Blog]

Francona knows about being called back late [Projo Sox Blog]

Ellsbury has no answers on mysterious injury [Projo Sox Blog]

Drew, Martinez nursing injuries [Projo Sox Blog]

Rice to represent Red Sox at Draft [RedSox.com]

Here’s a press release from UConn Athletics Communications Department concerning the 2010 season opener for the UConn Huskies football team.

STORRS, Conn. – The University of Connecticut football game at Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 4, will kickoff at 3:30 p.m. and be televised regionally by ABC. The game will be the season opener for both the Huskies and Wolverines and will be the rededication game of historic Michigan Stadium.

Ticket and travel information for the game will be sent to all UConn Club members and football season ticket holders in the upcoming weeks.

Following up on what Clay Buchholz did on Monday night for the Boston Red Sox, Jon Lester continued the string of quality starts by allowing just one hit and no runs over six innings in the second straight win over the first place Tampa Bay Rays.

After a slow start to 2010, the Red Sox still trail the Rays by 6½ games in the AL East but now find themselves just a ½ game behind the Toronto Blue Jays for third place and 1½ games behind the New York Yankees for second place.

The Red Sox have won seven of their last eight games and over the course of the last seven games, they have gotten quality starts in six of them. The only starter over that stretch without one is tonight’s starter John Lackey.

Just like Buchholz did on Monday night, Lester started slowly out of the gate. He issued two first inning walks and worked himself out of a jam. He ended up issuing a season-high five walks but was able to work himself out of those jams as well. His cutter was pretty nasty as he even used it on lefties which helped him to nine strikeouts on the evening.

What the starters have done over the course of the last seven games with the exception of Lackey is what was expected them to start the season. Sure the slow start derailed them just a little bit but they have turned things around. They’ve also gotten some great defense behind them as well.

The biggest beneficiary to the great starting pitching has been the rest the bullpen has gotten. When the starters weren’t going deep early in the season, the bullpen got a lot of work. Even though Lester only was able to give them six innings last night, Manny Delcarmen, Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon each worked an inning of hitless baseball with the only blemish a walk by Papelbon in the 9th. When the Red Sox bullpen is well rested like it is now, they seem to pitch better as should be the case.

There’s one thing we can’t ignore that has also played a part in the resurgence of the Red Sox in the month of may. And that is the bat of one David Ortiz. Much of the media, some of the bloggers (myself included), were writing Big Papi off. But Terry Francona stuck with him and now they are enjoying the riches of the reward. Big Papi came through with the big hit last night as his two-run double was all the Red Sox needed.

Just take a look at his splits for the two months of the season.

Ortiz is in a contract year so he’ll need to continue this pace which I fully think he will. One thing I think that will go up over the course of the season going forward is his walk total as well. As he continues to hit, teams will not pitch to him like before. Although with both Victor Martinez and Kevin Youkilis having hot bats in front of him, teams may not have the choice of whether to pitch to him or not.

Also there is one other thing of note. With Jacoby Ellsbury experiencing soreness in his left side, the Red Sox didn’t designate Darnell McDonald for assignment as Francona had announced after the game on Monday night. Instead they designated Scott Atchison in what turns out to be a paper work move.

We’ll be back later with tonight’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and any news of the day plus the links but for now enjoy the overnight links.

One-hit wondrous [Boston Globe]

McDonald glad to be caught in rundown [Boston Globe]

Rays refuse to hit panic button [Boston Globe]

Problem with steals put on hold [Boston Globe]

Start of something big [Boston Herald]

Red Sox flip switch [Boston Herald]

Red Sox move Jacoby Ellsbury back to center stage [Boston Herald]

With Jacoby Ellsbury hurting, Darnell McDonald stays [Boston Herald]

Pitching carries the day again as Sox win 2-0 [CSN New England]

Sox close in on Yanks with 2-0 win [ESPN Boston]

Update on Ellsbury [Extra Bases]

Closing Time: Red Sox 2, Rays 0 [Full Count]

Starting Pitching, Starting Pitching [Hit and Run with Dan Roche]

Jon Lester, Pitching Staff Responsible for Red Sox’ Recent Upswing [NESN.com]

Is Darnell McDonald More Valuable Than a 12th Pitcher? [NESN.com]

Lester tosses gem as Sox keep rolling [Providence Journal]

R.I. native Baldelli keeps foot in the door as Rays instructor [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Ailing Ellsbury paves way for McDonald to stay, Atchison to go [Providence Journal]

Cameron, Ellsbury swap outfield positions [RedSox.com]

McDonald remains with Red Sox after all [RedSox.com]

V-Mart making progress from injury [RedSox.com]

Beckett tests out back at Tropicana Field [RedSox.com]

A reminder regarding how far Jon Lester has come [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

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

And if you must see what the enemy papers are saying, head over to the Tampa Tribune and St. Petersburg Times websites.

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

UConn Football links

New Football Coach At Southington High Is…D.J. Hernandez [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Three from Big East on Rimington list [ESPN.com – Big East Blog]

Post-spring position rankings: O-line [ESPN.com – Big East Blog]

Make-or-break stretches in the Big East [ESPN.com – Big East Blog]

Post-spring position rankings: D-line [ESPN.com – Big East Blog]

Orlovsky looks sharp early for Texans [CT Post]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Time for an update [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Dolson, Hartley, Walker get USA invites [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

The Sun’s Asjha Jones Set For WNBA Chat Thursday [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Three Incoming Huskies Accept Invitations To U-18 Tryouts [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Dolson, Hartley, Walker To Compete At U-18 Trials [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Not Much Time To Spare For Elite Of Women’s Basketball [Hartford Courant]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Jim Calhoun Highest Paid State Employee In 2009, Followed By Geno Auriemma, Randy Edsall [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

From Calhoun To Pitino: A Look Inside Big-Time College Coaches’ Contracts [Hartford Courant]

Other UConn related links

Baseball: Penders & Eight Huskies Earn 2010 BIG EAST Honors [UConnHuskies.com]

UConn opens up Big East play; NCAA coming up [The Republican-American]

Cats meet UConn in Round One [The News Record]

Back on April 20th, Darnell McDonald became the latest folk hero for the Boston Red Sox when he hit a 2-run homer and then had the walk-off single to help them to a 7-6 come-from-behind win over the Texas Rangers. The team had been struggling then and anything they could get from McDonald was gravy at that point.

But with Jacoby Ellsbury back and now Mike Cameron being activated from the disabled list on Tuesday, there was just no spot on the Red Sox roster for McDonald as he was designated for assignment after Monday’s win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Here’s what Red Sox skipper Terry Francona said about the move after the game to NESN’s Heidi Watney:

We’re obviously very excited to activate Cam but we had to designate Darnell for assignment which we didn’t want to do. And we told him flat out that it wasn’t anything he did. He played…did a lot for us. For his sake we hope I gets claimed, for our sake I hope he doesn’t. We love having him here but he deserves to be in the big leagues.

In 31 games, McDonald hit .263 with three home runs, 11 RBIs and two stolen bases. He had an OBP of .320 and SLG% of .400.

And to reminisce, let’s take a look at both videos from a night McDonald will never forgot.

Walkoff single:

{flowplayer}http://ianbethune.com/mcdwalkoff.flv{/flowplayer}

Two-run homer:

{flowplayer}http://theo6111.com/a.flv{/flowplayer}

Boston Red Sox @ Philadelphia Phillies 7:10 p.m Tropicana Field SP: Clay Buchholz vs Wade Davis TV: NESN, ESPN2, ESPN3.com, MLB.tv Radio: Red Sox Radio Network

Afternoon Red Sox Delight – 5/24 [SOX & Dawgs]

After taking two of three from the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies, the Boston Red Sox head south to take on their AL East-leading rivals the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-game set at Tropicana Field.

Tonight’s game will start at 7:10 p.m. and will be shown on NESN in the Red Sox television market. The game will be shown on Sun Sports in the Rays television market. And if you don’t live in either market and want to watch the game, you can catch the game on ESPN2 or ESPN3.com where available.  If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2010 Red Sox radio network.

Clay Buchholz will look for a repeat performance in his last start out. In eight starts this season, Buchholz is 5-3 with a 3.26 ERA. He’s made one start against the Rays this season and took the loss after allowing four unearned runs in five innings on April 17th. He’s made five career starts against the Rays and is 2-2 with a 2.01 ERA. Buchholz has made two starts at Tropicana Field and is 1-1 with a 3.21 ERA.

Wade Davis looks to keep the Rays rolling in his ninth start of the 2010 season. In his previous eight starts, he is 4-3 with a 3.35 ERA. Davis took a no decision against the Red Sox back on April 16th after allowing one run in five innings. He’s made two career starts against the Red Sox, both of them coming at the Fens, and is 0-1 with a 10.57 ERA.

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

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

The Red Sox did make a player move this afternoon as shortstop Angel Sanchez was optioned back to the Pawtucket Red Sox. Taking his place on the 25-man roster will be Scott Atchison who has pitched well in Pawtucket since being demoted on April 26th. He was 1-0 with a 1.64 ERA in eight appearances for the PawSox.

Francona also stated that Mike Cameron will be activated from the disabled list tomorrow afternoon.

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

Can the Red Sox catch some Rays [Clubhouse Insider]

Pregame notes: Cameron, Lowrie and more [Clubhouse Insider]

Sweet music from Buchholz [ESPN Boston]

SoxProspects.com: Revisiting the top 5 [ESPN Boston]

Rays’ Maddon: Focus on ‘the process’ [ESPN Boston]

Youkilis ‘poster child’ for great AB [ESPN Boston]

Rays drop struggling Pena to No. 7 [ESPN Boston]

Red Sox middle names quiz [Extra Bases]

Random thoughts from the road [Extra Bases]

Uncovering the value of Adrian Beltre [Full Count]

Perhaps It Is Time to Retire Idea of ‘Jinxing’ No-Hitters [NESN.com]

A Ray of hope for Sox in Tampa? [Projo Sox Blog]

Lowrie makes cameo in Red Sox clubhouse [Projo Sox Blog]

Atchison called up, thrilled to be back [Projo Sox Blog]

Crucial test for Red Sox turnaround [RedSox.com]

Are Sox hitting their stride? [Tony Massarotti – Boston Globe]

Tim Wakefield entered the 2010 season just 17 wins behind Roger Clemens and Cy Young (192) for most wins in a Boston Red Sox uniform. He also hadn’t won a game since July 8th of last year. And on Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, he would be squaring off with Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay, who has been dominating the National League.

But with a knuckleball that was fluttering all over the strike zone, good defense behind him and Kevin Youkilis at the plate, Wakefield was finally able to pick up his first win of the 2010 campaign. It hasn’t been easy for him this year as he started out the season in the rotation only to be bumped to the bullpen when Daisuke Matsuzaka was activated from the DL.

He had made four appearances out of the bullpen with mixed results but he’s now filled in twice for an injured Josh Beckett and thrown the ball well. Yesterday, he had the good knuckleball going as he was able to throw 68 of his 102 pitches for strikes. He retired all eight leadoff hitters he faced threw 18 first pitch strikes to the 31 batters he faced. When you can do this, good things are going to happen.

Besides his one strikeout, he got 17 fly ball outs letting his defense do their jobs as well as getting six ground ball outs.

Throughout all of this, Wake has been a model teammate, not throwing Terry Francona or anyone else under the bus. He just goes out and takes care of his business when he’s called upon. But if he continues to pitch like this, he’s definitely going to make Francona’s decision-making on the starting rotation a little harder.

The Red Sox have now gotten four great starts in their last five with John Lackey being the lone exception. And with the Yankees losing five of their last six and the Red Sox winning five of their last six, the gap between the two teams is now just 2½ games. Of course their opponent for the next three games, the Tampa Bay Rays, are showing no signs of letting up as they lead the Red Sox by 8½ games, the Toronto Blue Jays by seven games and the Yankees by six games.

While a sweep of the Rays would go a long way, taking two of three from the Rays would be just as nice. And with Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester on the mound the first two nights, this could happen. But the Red Sox will definitely be out for a little revenge as the Rays swept four games from the local nine back in mid-April.

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

Things We Learned: Red Sox proving resilient amidst key stretch [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Phillies fooled by fill-in [Boston Globe]

Pedroia has yet to hit on a solution [Boston Globe]

Youkilis locked in, and hard to get out [Boston Globe]

Wakefield takes a Halladay [Boston Herald]

Kevin Youkilis causing May-hem [Boston Herald]

Tim Wakefield oldest since ’92 to go deep with shutout [Boston Herald]

Sox have right formula for Doc [Boston Herald]

Beltre on Jose Lima: ‘It’s devastating’ [Clubhouse Insider]

Inside the Youkilis-Halladay battle [Clubhouse Insider]

Cameron to rejoin Sox soon [CSN New England]

Sox rout Halladay for fifth win in six games [CSN New England]

Sox getting healthy [ESPN Boston]

Youk’s going, Pedroia’s coming [ESPN Boston]

Ortiz: Lima ‘was like a brother to me’ [ESPN Boston]

Red Sox ready for the Rays [ESPN Boston]

Closing Time: Red Sox 8, Phillies 3 [Full Count]

Tampa on Deck [Hit and Run with Dan Roche]

Kevin Youkilis Has Eventful Day as Tim Wakefield Pitches Sox to Victory [NESN.com]

Life Magazine Ranks Josh Beckett Among 17 Best Playoff Pitchers [NESN.com]

Tim Wakefield’s Solid Outing Keeps String of Good Starts Intact for Red Sox Hurlers [NESN.com]

Can Red Sox Catch Rays in AL East? [NESN.com]

Wakefield keeps Boston pitchers on a roll [Providence Journal]

Rays, with everything going their way, can make Red Sox an A.L. East afterthought this week [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Youkilis is Halladay’s nemesis, but that’s not all [Providence Journal]

Cameron inching toward return to Red Sox [RedSox.com]

Tek won’t be Dice-K’s permanent catcher [RedSox.com]

Keeping it clean: Youkilis riding hot streak [RedSox.com]

For more slices of Boston 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 Philadelphia Daily News and Philadelphia Inquirer websites.