After last night’s offensive free-for-all, you kind of thought that we might get a pitcher’s duel or something similar to that at Fenway Park on Tuesday night. And we got just that.

Jon Lester allowed one run over eight innings and Jeremy Hermida’s bases clearing double in the 8th spurred the Boston Red Sox to a 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anheim in front of 37,411 at the Fens.

It’s the second straight win for the Red Sox over the Angels as they inch closer to .500 at 13-14. It’s the fifth straight loss for the Angels who fall to 12-16.

The Red Sox have one chance before Hermida’s big hit in the 8th to win it by it went by the wayside.

Kevin Jepsen had taken over for Ervin Santana in the 8th and started by walking Victor Martinez, who was then pinch-run for by Jonathan Van Every. Jepsen then walked Kevin Youkilis. J.D. Drew followed with a single to load up the bases to bring up David Ortiz. Neither manager made a move and it worked to the Angels advantage as on a 2-0 count, Big Papi grounded into a 4-2-3 double play.

Jepsen’s wildness continued though as he walked Adrian Beltre to reload the bases. This time though, Hermida came up with a big hit that cleared the bases to give the Red Sox a 4-1 lead. Mike Lowell pinch-hit for Darnell McDonald and delivered with a double to bring in Hermida and make it 5-1.

Lester started this one for the Red Sox and once again had another great outing. He had good life on his fastball and excellent command of all his pitches. He threw 120 pitches in eight innings, allowing one run on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts. Jonathan Papelbon struck out two in the 9th.

Marco Scutaro led the Red Sox with three hits while Hermida had two hits with the three 3 RBIs. Drew also had two hits while VMart had a hit and drove in the first run of night on a groundout.

The Angels and Red Sox will be back at it again on Wednesday night when John Lackey and Joel Piñero will face off against their former clubs. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim @ Boston Red Sox 5.4.10 box score

LAA Angels @ Boston Red Sox 7:10 p.m. Fenway Park – Boston, MA SP: Ervin Santana vs Jon Lester TV: NESN, MLB.tv Radio: Red Sox Radio Network

Afternoon Red Sox Delight – 5/4 [SOX & Dawgs]

After a 20-hit, 17-run performance last night, the Boston Red Sox  are hoping for more of the same in game two of a four-game set tonight at Fenway Park.

First pitch for tonight’s game is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and will be shown on NESN in the Red Sox television market. The game will be broadcast on FoxSports West in the Angels television market. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2010 Red Sox radio network.

Jon Lester looks to build upon his last two starts in his sixth start of 2010. In his previous five starts, he is 1-2 with a 4.71 ERA. He didn’t face the Angels during the 2009 regular season. Overall in his career, he’s made four starts against them and is 1-1 with a 7.78 ERA.

Ervin Santana makes his sixth start of 2010 and is 1-2 with a 4.59 ERA. He made two starts against the Red Sox in 2009 and had no record with a 4.50 ERA. He’s made six career starts against the Red Sox and is 1-2 with a 5.29 ERA. He’s made four career starts at the Fens and is 0-2 with a 6.33 ERA.

Keep reading for lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and pregame links.

Here’s the hitters have fared against tonight’s starting pitchers in their careers:

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

Sox prep for Game 2 vs. Angels [Clubhouse Insider]

A meditation on Dave Roberts [ESPN Boston]

Star attraction headed to Pawtucket? [ESPN Boston]

Ask Amalie: Fans’ concern is understandable [Extra Bases]

Is a Taser too much for a fan on the field? [Extra Bases]

Other GMs: No trades to be made yet [Extra Bases]

Pregame notes from Fenway [Extra Bases]

New podcast: Can the Sox climb back? [Extra Bases]

Roberts has many fans [Extra Bases]

Back in the swing [Full Count]

John Lackey More Focused on Winning Than Facing Former Team [NESN.com]

Tarp being rolled on field at Fenway [Projo Sox Blog]

Lackey unemotional about facing Angels [Projo Sox Blog]

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has a message for the “fans of New England”. Here’s what he said courtesy of Rob Bradford of WEEI.com.

“To the fans of New England,” the second baseman began.

“Everybody can be [expletive] happy when you’re [expletive] 30-1, but what is everybody going to do when we’re 12-14? Are you going to show up to work the next day and write an [expletive] story? Hell no. You’re going to write the best story of your life. We’re going to try and play the best [expletive] game of our life tomorrow. That’s what you’ve got to do when you’re 12-14. Don’t put your head down and mope. Grind it out. You believe. That’s what we’re built on.”

I wonder if he read what Michele wrote yesterday without the cuss words.

And by the way, this is just another reason in the millions to love Pedroia.

Editor’s note: I’m an idiot and forgot to publish this in the morning.  I had it all typed and ready to go. Instead of changing it to published, I hit the save button. So my sincere apologies for this coming wicked late.

Wow!!! Where the heck was that offensive explosion this past weekend in Baltimore?

The hits just kept coming and coming last night for the Boston Red Sox and the by-product of that was seventeen runs. And after hitting four home runs on Sunday in Baltimore, the Red Sox added another four to that total last night. And people were worried about the offense.

The offensive explosion by the Red Sox last night couldn’t have come at a better time after the weekend they had in Baltimore. Things weren’t looking good for them especially with the upcoming schedule. But with an Angels team that was going through the same kind of season as the Red Sox, something really had to give last night and it did.

Angels starter Joe Saunders has had command issues all season long and it showed last night. Given his career numbers at Fenway Park, one might have thought he would have turned it around. Instead it was the Red Sox who turned things around.

Mike Lowell had a rough go of things in Baltimore but went 4-for-4 last night while J.D. Drew, who got off to a slow start, added four hits as well. In fact, every member of the starting nine had at least one hit with Marco Scutaro and Dustin Pedroia the only ones without multiple hits.

Clay Buchholz has been the most consistent and probably the best starter the Red Sox have had all season long. Last night he gave them what I like to call a serviceable outing. He wasn’t great but he wasn’t bad. The one thing I liked from him last night was that when he got into trouble on the mound, he remained poised.

As Buchholz goes through the growing pains of becoming a big league starter, he’s matured more as time goes on. This can only bode well for him and the Red Sox as the season goes forward.

Now does anyone know why we didn’t give Alan Embree a chance especially after watching Scott Schoeneweis suck up the joint in the 9th last night. Schoeneweis was tagged for four runs in the 9th but thankfully the game was well out of hand at that point. Both Embree and Schoeneweis are the same type of pitcher but the Red Sox never gave Embree a chance after calling him up.

I wonder if the Red Sox are regretting that decision after last night’s outing by Schoeneweis.

You also have to be happy that Victor Martinez threw out another basestealer last night. After watching teams runs rampant on the Red Sox, VMart and Jason Varitek have thrown out the last six runners attempting to steal on them. This could be key as the Red Sox face running teams and could change their game plans if both of them can keep up that pace.

We’ll be back later with the lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and afternoon links but for now enjoy the overnight links.

Things We Learned: Red Sox’ heart of the order has a pulse [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Red Sox’ lineup proves capable of making some noise [Boston Globe]

Francona quick to help [Boston Globe]

Roberts won’t run from this [Boston Globe]

Sox Recap: Red Sox rout Angels [Boston Herald]

Bad press for Victor Martinez [Boston Herald]

Red Sox soak up success [Boston Herald]

Red Sox ’04 postseason hero fighting cancer [Boston Herald]

Water woes cut sports teams’ drinks lineup [Boston Herald]

Lowell unlikely to play tonight [Clubhouse Insider]

Red Sox explode for 17 in win over Angels [CSN New England]

Quick hits: Sox 17, Angels 8 [ESPN Boston]

Video: Something to build on for Red Sox? [ESPN Boston]

Lowell: ‘Hits seem like the ultimate cure’ [ESPN Boston]

Closing Time: Red Sox 17, Angels 8 [Full Count]

Pedroia addresses the fans of New England … sort of [Full Count]

Lowell: ‘I understand the situation’ [Full Count]

Building Block [Hit and Run with Dan Roche]

Hot Dogs Keeping Antsy Red Sox Fans Satisfied at Fenway [NESN.com]

After Long Wait, Red Sox Finally Find Groove in Rout of Angels [NESN.com]

Will Theo Epstein’s Words Give Red Sox Motivation? [NESN.com]

Red Sox Understand Value of Patient Approach at Plate Includes Taking Walks [NESN.com]

Despite four-hit night, Lowell may go to bench again [Projo Sox Blog]

Bats bust out at last [Providence Journal]

Former Red Sox hero Dave Roberts has lymphoma [Providence Journal]

Prize prospect Kelly thrives in the limelight [Providence Journal]

Red Sox journal: Youkilis, Hermida return [Providence Journal]

Francona: Red Sox might be pressing [RedSox.com]

Cameron turning a corner [RedSox.com]

Youkilis returns, homers in first at-bat [RedSox.com]

Lowell trying to make decisions tough [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 read the enemy paper, head over to the LA Times, LA Daily News and Orange County Register websites.

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

UConn Football links

Robert Vaughn: Liked Green Bay; Headed To Washington [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

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

Post-spring Big East power rankings [ESPN.com – Big East Blog]

Scouting the Big East nonconference matchups [ESPN.com – Big East Blog]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Updates with Ashja [Ashja Jones – WNBA.com]

Other UConn related links

Baseball:  Blood Inducted into Franklin Pierce Hall of Fame [UConnHuskies.com]

The Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim both were coming into Monday night’s game having been swept by their last opponents. Their seasons have gone in similar fashion. But after being swept in Baltimore this weekend, the Red Sox wanted to make a point and that they did.

Every starter for the Red Sox had at least one hit as they pounded out 20 of them on their way to a 17-8 win over Angels in front of 37,404 at Fenway Park.

The win for the local nine ends a three-game losing streak as they improve to 12-14. And it’s the fourth straight loss for the Angels who fall to 12-15.

The five through nine hitters for the Red Sox had 14 hits and 13 RBIs.

Mike Lowell led the way with four hits and four RBIs while J.D. Drew added four hits and three RBIs. Adrian Beltre had two hits and three RBIs, including his first home run, a two-run shot, with the Red Sox. Bill Hall also managed two hits and had his first home run, also a two-run shot, in a Sox uniform as well. Darnell McDonald also had two hits and an RBI.

Dustin Pedroia’s only hit of the night was good for a three-run homer while Kevin Youkilis had two hits, including a solo home run.

Clay Buchholz gave the Red Sox a serviceable outing. While he wasn’t spectacular, he wasn’t bad and pitched well enough to keep the Red Sox in the game. He went 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits and three walks with two strikeouts to pick up his team-leading third win of the season. He also leads all Red Sox starters with a 2.97 ERA.

Manny Delcarmen was solid in a 1 1/3 innings with a strikeout as was Ramon Ramirez in his inning of work. Scott Schoeneweis, who made his first appearance since April 26th, was roughed up for four runs on four hits and two walks in the 9th inning.

The Red Sox scored three in 2nd inning, two in the 3rd and 4th innings but did the most damage in the 6th inning when they added seven runs. They also managed to push three runs across the plate in the 7th.

After that rough weekend in Baltimore, this was exactly what the Red Sox needed. Let’s just hope they didn’t use up all the hits and runs in the game as they still have three more against the Angels before the New York Yankees come to town.

The Angels and Red Sox will resume the four-game set tomorrow night when Jon Lester and Ervin Santana square off on the bump at 7:10 p.m.. For Lester, he’ll be looking for his third good start in a row after a rough beginning to the season.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim @ Boston Red Sox 5.3.10 box score

LAA Angels @ Boston Red Sox 7:10 p.m. Fenway Park – Boston, MA SP: Joe Saunders vs Clay Buchholz TV: NESN, ESPN, MLB.tv Radio: Red Sox Radio Network

Afternoon Red Sox Delight – 5/3 [SOX & Dawgs]

With both teams coming into the first of four games tonight at Fenway Park after being swept by their respective weekend opponents, something will have to give between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Boston Red Sox.

First pitch for tonight’s game is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and will be shown on NESN in the Red Sox television market. The game will be broadcast on FoxSports West in the Angels television market. And if you don’t live in either market, you’re in luck as the game will be broadcast on ESPN as well.  If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2010 Red Sox radio network.

Clay Buchholz has the been the most consistent Red Sox starter this season and looks to continue that in his fifth start of 2010. In his previous four starts, he is 2-2 with a 2.19 ERA. He didn’t face the Angels during the 2009 regular season and is 1-2 with a 6.35 ERA in three career regular season starts against them. He faced them during the 2009 ALDS where he gave up two runs in five innings, leaving with a chance for the win but the bullpen couldn’t hold the lead.

Joe Saunders makes his sixth start of 2010 for the Angels and is 1-4 with a 5.74 ERA. He made two starts against the Red Sox in 2009 and was 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA. He’s made eight career starts against the Red Sox and is 4-1 with a 3.24 ERA. In four career starts at Fenway Park, he is 3-0 with a 2.84 ERA.

Keep reading for lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and pregame links.

Here’s the hitters have fared against tonight’s starting pitchers in their careers:

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

Hope Springs Eternal [Michele – SOX & Dawgs]

When will V-Mart catch on? [Clubhouse Insider]

Francona: Sox are trying to do too much [Clubhouse Insider]

Dave Roberts battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma [Clubhouse Insider]

Tito: “I expect Davey can out-run anything” [Clubhouse Insider]

Water crisis prompts Sox to alter concession plans [CSN New England]

Dave Roberts diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma [CSN New England]

Kurkjian: Sox just have to play better [ESPN Boston]

Lackey adjusts his halo [ESPN Boston]

Red Sox: What side are you on? [Extra Bases]

Road to ruin or recovery? [Extra Bases]

Fenway Park reacts to water crisis [Extra Bases]

Francona reflects on state of Sox [Extra Bases]

Sox hero Roberts battling cancer [Extra Bases]

The Factors – Week 4 [Nuggetpalooza]

Projo SoxTalk: Red Sox must turn things around at Fenway [Projo Sox Blog]

Now in May, Sox look inward in search for answers [Projo Sox Blog]

Sox pulling for former player Roberts after Lymphoma diagnosis [Projo Sox Blog]

Red Sox, Angels clash in ALDS rematch [RedSox.com]

Walking has underappreciated benefits [RedSox.com]

Ex-Red Sox speedster Roberts has lymphoma [RedSox.com]