The UConn Huskies football team opened up its 2012 schedule on Thursday night as they welcomed the UMass Minutemen into the FBS. And after the way the Huskies played, it looks like it’ll be a long season for the Minutemen.

Behind a complete team effort, UConn beat the Minutemen 37-0 in front of 35,270 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT.

The story of this game to me was how dominant the defense was.

At one point in the first half, UMass had more punts (five) than they did total yards (three). UMass would end up finishing with eight total yards in the first half and just 59 for the game.

As we saw from the team last year, defensive coordinator Don Brown once again dialed up the pressure on the team he once coached to an FCS title game.  With an inexperienced quarterback and a Brown defense, there was no doubt who would come out on top. Brown coaches an agressive style of defense and he called blitzes as the right time to put pressure on UMass redshirt freshman quarterback Mike Wegzyn.

The much maligned pass defense looked solid as well holding Wegzyn and A.J. Doyle to 60 yards passing. Dwayne Gratz got in on the action with a 37 yard interception return for a touchdown. The run defense held UMass to -1 yard rushing.

We got our first look at new quarterback Chandler Whitmer and I’ll be honest I did like what I saw. It’s definitely a different UConn team when you have a quarterback who can pass the ball so the opposing teams can’t stack the box on Lyle McCombs.

Whitmer did make some mistakes as you would expect in his first FCS game. The first interception he had wasn’t his fault as the UMass defender made a great play. The second one was all on him though.

Overall though, he looked good passing the ball. He made a few bad reads but he throws a nice ball. He finished the night 15-of-25 for 219 yards with the two interceptions.

We are all used to a solid offensive line leading the way for the running backs but this isn’t the same offensive line we are used to. McCombs did finish with 84 yards on 24 carries. Against a team like UMass, this could have been better.

It’s the first game of the season and I think it went better than a lot of people thought it would. The defense pitched a shutout, the offense was good and the special teams was outstanding.

If the defense continues like this as the season goes on and the offense improves on a weekly basis, this UConn team could surprise a few teams along the way.

Scoring:

1st quarter

CON – 5:59 – Lyle McCombs 1 yd run (Chad Christen extra point)

2nd quarter

CON – 9:04 – Chad Christen 36 yard field goal

CON – 2:49 – Chad Christen 47 yard field goal

CON – 1:49 – Dwayne Gratz 37 yard interception return (Chad Christen extra point)

3rd quarter

CON – 4:12 – Max DeLorenzo Recovered Blocked Punt In End Zone (Chad Christen extra point)

4th quarter

CON – 8:24 – Scott McCummings 1 yd run (Chad Christen extra point)

CON – 1:36 – Chad Christen 19 yard field goal

To continue reading, the UMass Minutemen @ UConn Huskies recap, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Offensive Player of the Game:

While different guys stood out, it was Geremy Davis who stood out to me. Davis had five catches for 79 yards.

Defensive Player of the Game:

The entire UConn defense earns the player of the game in my opinion holding UMass to just 59 yards in the game.

Turning Point(s) of the Game:

No one real key turning point but the defense made sure UMass had no chance in this game at all.

Offensive Notes:

In his first FBS game, Chandler Whitmer was 15-of-25 for 219 yards with two interceptions. Scott McCummings had seven carries for 13 yards and a touchdown out of the wildcat. Lyle McCombs had 24 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown. He also added two catches for 23 yards. Nick Williams had three rushes for 24 yards and one catch for 16 yards. Max Delorenzo had four rushes for 24 yards and also recovered a blocked punt in the end zone. Geremy Davis led all receivers with five catches for 79 yards. Michael Smith had three catches for 30 yards while newcomer Shakim Phillips had two catches for 21 yards.

Defensive Notes:

Yawin Smallwood led the Huskies with seven tackles (five solo, two assisted) along with one pass break up and one sack for an eight yard loss. Sio Moore had five tackles (two solo, three assisted) with two pass breakups. Dwayne Gratz and Ryan Wirth both had four tackles with Gratz returning an interception for 37 yards. Trevardo Williams had the other sack for the Huskies.

Special Teams Notes:

Special teams was solid all around. Chad Christen was 4-for-4 on extra points and made all three of his field goal attempts (36, 47, 19). Cole Wagner averaged 39 yards on his two punts. Nick Williams returned three punts for 66 yards and one kickoff for 37 yards. If he keeps this up, teams will be kicking away from him all year. Taylor Mack blocked a punt in the 2nd quarter that was recovered by Max Delorenzo for a touchdown.

Injuries:

Ted Jennings suffered an undisclosed injury in the 3rd quarter.

Officials:

Referee: Tracy Jones  •  Umpire: Richard Feeney  •  Linesman: Tom Considine  •  Line judge: Kevin Codey  •  Back judge: Jim Brennan  •  Field judge: Rick Santilli  •  Side judge: Jim Brennan.

Game Notes:

UMass Minutemen @ UConn Huskies 8.30.12 box score

Here are the postgame quotes from UConn head coach Paul Pasqualoni and UMass head coach Charley Molnar as well as players from both teams.

Here are the starters for the Huskies:

OFFENSE

DEFENSE

Here are the game notes courtesy of UConn Sports Information:

• Redshirt-sophomore Chandler Whitmer’s first Quarter pass to Mike Osiecki was a 16-yard completion; on his first drive Whitmer was 3-3 for 38 yards.
• Redshirt-sophomore Lyle McCombs’ touchdown in the first quarter was his eighth career rushing touchdown.
• Redshirt-junior Chad Christen scored his first career point in the first quarter on a PAT and made his first two career field goal attempts of 36 and 47 yards in the second quarter…He recorded a 19-yard attempt in the fourth quarter…Christen’s three field goals mark the first time a Husky made three in a contest since Dave Teggart vs. USF on October 14, 2011.
• Connecticut held UMass to 12 total yards in the first Quarter and a total of 59 yards for the game.
• Redshirt-sophomore Yawin Smallwood improved his career mark to 2.5 sacks and registered 3.5 tackles for loss in the game.
• Redshirt-freshmen Andrew Adams 9-yard tackle for loss in the second quarter was his first career tackle for loss.
• Redshirt-senior Dwayne Gratz recorded his second career interception for a touchdown on his 37-yard return in the second quarter…The last time this feat was accomplished by a Husky was on October 8, 2011 at West Virginia by Ty-Meer  Brown for 48 yards…Gratz’ previous TD return was in the 2011 Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma for 46 yards.
• Connecticut held UMass without a first-down until 33 seconds to play before halftime.
• Redshirt-sophomore Geremy Davis had a career high 26-yard reception in the third quarter…He finished with a game-high five receptions for 79 yards.
• Redshirt-sophomore Shakim Phillips recorded his first catch as a Connecticut player in the third quarter, a six-yard grab…His second reception was for 15 yards.
• The punt blocked by Taylor Mack and returned for a touchdown by Max DeLorenzo in the third quarter was the first for the Huskies since September 10, 2011 by Byron Jones at Vanderbilt…It was DeLorenzo’s first career touchdown.
• Redshirt-sophomore QB Scott McCummings scored his eighth career touchdown during the fourth quarter.
• Connecticut tied the program-mark for least first downs allowed with three…The last time it happened was against Navy in 2002.
• The Connecticut shutout tonight is the first against an FBS opponent since September 1, 2005 vs. Buffalo in which Connecticut was victorious 38-0…The Huskies last shutout against any opponent was against Maine on September 8, 2007.
• Connecticut won by more than 30 points for the second year in a row when opening at home…The last was vs. Fordham on September 3, 2011, 35-3.

Big East Games and Results:

Friday, August 31

Villanova
Temple, 7 p.m.

Saturday, September 1

Northwestern
Syracuse, 12 p.m.

Youngstown St.
Pittsburgh, 6 p.m.

Chattanooga
South Florida, 7 p.m.

Rutgers
Tulane, 8 p.m.

Sunday, September 2

Kentucky
Louisville, 3:30 p.m.

Things to Work On:

• I’d like to see Whitmer establish himself a little more. Made some poor decisions but his footwork is top notch.
• As much as everyone likes the wildcat, personally I think we need to see what Whitmer can do with this offense. He definitely has the help on the receiving corps which is something we haven’t seen here in a long time.
• Keep getting Nick Williams the ball. When he touched the ball on offense, things happened.
• Offensive line needs to block better. They have top RB in McCombs but they need to open up more holes for him.
• While UConn was 8-of-16 (50%) on the third downs, they could have been better. A few mistakes cost them from it being around 75%.

Up Next:

The Huskies stay at home as they’ll welcome the North Carolina State Wolpack to Rentschler Field next Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for high noon.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Photo credit: stephen dunn – hartford courant (no. 3 in gallery), ap photo

After getting blown out 10-3 last night, the Boston Red Sox look to salvage the finale of a three-game set tonight with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

First pitch is scheduled for 10:05 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Angels television market, you can catch the game on Fox Sports West. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

Jon Lester steps on the slab for the 26th time in 2012 tonight. In his previous 25 starts, Lester is 8-10 with a 4.98 ERA. He has not faced the Angels this season and was 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA (1 ER/13 IP) in 2011. Lester has made seven career starts against the Halos and is 4-1 with a 4.20 ERA. Three of those starts have come at the Big A where he is 2-0 with a 5.02 ERA.

Zack Greinke makes his seventh start in an Angels uniform and 28th overall this season. In 27 starts between his time with the Milwaukee Brewers and Angels, Greinke is 11-5 with a 3.87 ERA. In his six starts with the Angels, he is 2-2 with a 5.22 ERA. He last faced the Red Sox in 2010 as a member of the Kansas City Royals when he went 0-2 with a 3.55 ERA (5 ER/12.2 IP). Overall in his career, Greinke has made six career appearances (five starts) and is 1-4 with a 2.88 ERA.

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

Here are today’s lineups:

62-69		68-62
1. Scott Podsednik	LF	1. Mike Trout	CF
2. Dustin Pedroia	2B	2. Torii Hunter	RF
3. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	3. Albert Pujols	DH
4. James Loney	1B	4. Mark Trumbo	1B
5. Cody Ross	RF	5. Howie Kendrick	2B
6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	DH	6. Erick Aybar	SS
7. Ryan Lavarnway	C	7. Maicer Izturis	3B
8. Mike Aviles	SS	8. Vernon Wells	LF
9. Pedro Ciriaco	3B	9. Chris Iannetta	C
Jon Lester	SP	Zack Greinke	SP

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

NOTES: Daniel Bard has been called up from Triple-A Pawtucket. To make room on the 25-man roster for him, last night’s starter Zach Stewart was optioned to the PawSox.

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

Red Sox’ High-Profile Shake-Up Evokes Many Emotions, But Necessary to Improve Culture [tom caron – nesn.com]

Jarrod Saltalamacchia on diminished time behind plate: ‘I want to play’ [clubhouse insider]

September means roster expansion [csn new england]

Stewart on nine-run debut: ‘I was too inconsistent’ [csn new england]

Boras sees Ellsbury as ‘franchise player’ [espn boston]

Smart spenders? Sox rank 70th in new poll [espn boston]

Lester goes for fourth straight win tonight [espn boston]

Francona ‘astounded’ by Sox trade [espn boston]

Random West Coast thoughts on the Red Sox [extra bases]

Happy birthday, Ted Williams [extra bases]

Kevin Heller Making Seamless Transition From Yankees Fan to Hardworking Red Sox Minor Leaguer (Podcast) [nesn.com]

Mauro Gomez Continues to Be Nice Surprise at Big League Level After MVP Season in Pawtucket [nesn.com]

New Red Sox Addition Rubby De La Rosa Earns Stamp of Approval From Former Teammate Vicente Padilla [nesn.com]

Angels’ Morales a possible target for post-trade Red Sox [projo sox blog]

Prospect Brentz promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket [projo sox blog]

Ciriaco getting comfortable at third base [projo sox blog]

Bard back in the bullpen, Aceves to start? [projo sox blog]

Aviles, Saltalamacchia adapting to new roles [projo sox blog]

Facing Angels, Lester looks to keep rolling [redsox.com]

Career once stalled, Olmsted shows promise [redsox.com]

Bogaerts highlights seven Red Sox named minor league All-Stars [soxprospects.com]

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

photo credits: getty images, getty images

When the Boston Red Sox traded away Kevin Youkilis for Zach Stewart and Brent Lillibridge, it was obvious the key piece in the deal for the local nine was Stewart. He’s also the only player left as Lillibridge was designated for assignment a month and then traded a month after the original trade.

The hope for Stewart was that he’d develop into a starter to complement what the Red Sox had. They sent him to Triple-A to build up his pitch count and decided on Tuesday that he could probably help the Red Sox out with Franklin Morales going to the DL.

Stewart got his first start last night and well it didn’t turn out like everyone hoped. He was tagged for nine runs in three innings as the Red Sox fell to the Angels 10-3 on Wednesday night.

Things were so bad for Stewart by the time the first four batters had taken their hacks, it was 4-0.

• Mike Trout singles
• Torii Hunter doubles in Trout from first, 1-0
• Albert Pujols singles in Hunter, Pujols goes to second on throw, 2-0
• Kendrys Morales hits two-run homer, 4-0

And it didn’t get any better for him.

Hunter knocked in Erick Aybar in the 2nd inning after Aybar had left off the inning with a double that made it 5-0. The onslaught continued in the 3rd.

Morales led off with a double and then it looked like Stewart would pitch himself out of trouble as he retired the next two hitters on groundouts. But Alberto Callaspo doubled in Morales and then he scored on an Aybar double. Rhode Island native Chris Iannetta finished off the offensive drubbing for Stewart with a two-run blast of his own.

Stewart has pitched in the big leagues before with the Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago White Sox. It sure didn’t look like it one bit last night.

He was severely overmatched as his fastball looked like a batting practice fastball that the Angels hitters took advantage of to the tune of 10 hits.

What I don’t understand is why Bobby Valentine left him in the game. When he gave up all those runs in the 1st, no one came out to talk to him. Same thing in the 3rd inning.

Look, we all know this team isn’t going anywhere this season. I get that. But you have a guy making his organizational big league debut and you leave him out there to get shellacked. How is that going to help Stewart’s confidence going forward. Yes, Valentine doesn’t know much about him but couldn’t he or pitching coach Randy Niemann gone out there and talked to the young righty.

It is one start and you have to hope it was an aberration for Stewart. Although I suspect he might not get a second start for a bit as Daniel Bard is with the team. Bard isn’t there to start but he’s supposed to be activated before tonight’s game so it makes sense to send him back down especially since they just sent Clayton Mortensen down to make room for him.

Given how the pitching has been going lately, you can’t send down Junichi Tazawa since he’s needed when the starters fail. So the likely choice would be Stewart who could help the PawSox out in their final push for an International League playoff spot.

Welcome to the final month and a week of Red Sox baseball. Buckle up folks, it’s going to be a LONG and bumpy ride.

We’ll be back later with today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. So for now, let’s take a look at the overnight links from the media.

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

Stewart gets hit hard in Sox loss [boston globe]

Bard ready to start over in the bullpen [boston globe]

Epstein’s clean getaway irks owners [boston globe]

Journeyman Zach Stewart rocked in Red Sox debut [boston globe]

Sox defense never rests [boston globe]

This Top 10 not worth any replays [boston globe]

Daniel Bard back in the bigs [boston globe]

Stewart historically bad in latest Sox loss [rob bradford – weei.com]

Dustin Pedroia clears the air while declaring the best is yet to come [rob bradford – weei.com]

Case closed: Alfredo Aceves no longer Red Sox’ closer [clubhouse insider]

Stewart shelled in debut, Red Sox fall to Angels, 10-3 [csn new england]

Bard rejoins Sox, will be activated soon [espn boston]

Stewart rocked in Sox debut as Angels roll [espn boston]

Stewart gets a return trip to Pawtucket [extra bases]

Red Sox’ Season Now Survival of the Fittest as Youngsters and Prospects Experience Growing Pains [nesn.com]

Aviles in limbo as Iglesias gets more playing time [redsox.com]

Hill, Atchison could be part of September mix [redsox.com]

Passing on Joe Mauer a good sign for Sox [touching all the bases]

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

And if you must check out the enemy news, head over to the ESPN Los Angeles, LA Daily News, LA Times and Orange County Register websites. You can also check out our Bloguin brother Monkey With a Halo.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

photo credit: 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 the other sports the student-athletes engage in. 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.

It’s game day for the UConn Huskies football team as they’ll open up the 2012 season at Rentschler Field against the UMass Minutemen. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be televised locally in Connecticut on SNY.

If you missed our UMass Minutemen @ UConn Huskies preview, be sure to check it out as it has more information about the television coverage among other things.

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

UConn Football links

ESPN.com Big East all-conference team [andrea adelson – espn.com]

Sio Moore had help on the way to UConn [andrea adelson – espn.com]

Big East predictions: Week 1 [andrea adelson – espn.com]

What to watch in the Big East: Week 1 [matt fortuna – espn.com]

Zach Hurd placed on IR [jim fuller – new haven register]

Game preview: UMass at UConn [lee lewis – the republican-american]

McCombs: Good, and getting better [john silver – sny]

Showing Up Day In And Day Out [uconnhuskies.com]

Football Home Opener Preview Video [uconnhuskies.com]

Pasqualoni, UConn eager to get season started [ct post]

Previewing the UConn Huskies [ct post]

UConn Football Team Wants Strong Start Against UMass [hartford courant]

Five Things About UConn-UMass [hartford courant]

UMass Football Ready For Division I-A Adventure [hartford courant]

Fans Can’t Wait For UConn Football Season To Kick Off [hartford courant]

One big family picnic [journal inquirer]

Triple threats [journal inquirer]

Instant offense? [journal inquirer]

Perception remains a problem [journal inquirer]

Improved passing game is focus on eve of opener [new haven register]

Stlouis leaves UConn again [the republican-american]

As season opens, Huskies are game for passing [the day]

Have some Husky Hope [uconn daily campus]

UConn, UMass start new rivalry [ap]

Preview: Massachusetts Minutemen at Connecticut Huskies [cbssports.com]

Both parties happy with UMass-UConn game, but renewed rivalry will lay dormant for at least two seasons [springfield republican]

UMass football not alone with a new quarterback against UConn in opener [springfield republican]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Add Erica McCall to list of First Night visitors [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Do not stare directly at Jeremy Lamb’s rookie card [the uconn blog]

Other UConn related links

W. Volleyball. Huskies Gear Up for UConn Classic This Weekend [uconnhuskies.com]

Baseball. Huskies in the Pros Make Playoff Push [uconnhuskies.com]

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

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 can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

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

Bogaerts impresses as 19-year-old Red Sox prospect [pawtucket times]

Keury De La Cruz promoted to Salem [soxprospects.com]

The Book: Allen Webster [soxprospects.com]

Pawtucket Red Sox

The PawSox got five in the 9th to beat the Gwinnett Braves 9-4.

PawSox Erupt for Five Runs in the Ninth [pawsox.com]

Five-run ninth pushes Pawtucket past Gwinnett [providence journal]

Barry wins PEN/ESPN Award for “Bottom of the 33rd” Book [pawsox.com]

Huntzinger Joins PawSox in Georgia [pawsox.com]

Pawtucket Red Sox @ Gwinnett Braves 8.29.12 box score [milb.com]

Pawtucket Red Sox 2012 Roster

Pawtucket Red Sox stats

International League 2012 Standings

Pawtucket Red Sox website

Portland Sea Dogs:

The Sea Dogs managed just two hits in a 7-0 loss to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

Portland Offense Shutout in Loss to New Hampshire [portlandseadogs.com]

Sea Dogs show no bark [portland press herald]

Portland Sea Dogs @ New Hampshire Fisher Cats 8.29.12 box score [milb.com]

Portland Sea Dogs 2012 Roster

Portland Sea Dogs 2012 stats

Eastern League 2012 Standings

Portland Sea Dogs website

Salem Red Sox:

Drew Hedman’s two-run walkoff homer in the 10th gave Salem an 8-6 win over the Frederick Keys.

Hedman’s Blast Wins It! Salem Prevails 8-6 in 10 [salemredsox.com]

Hedman blast boosts Salem Red Sox over Frederick Keys [roanoke times]

Frederick Keys @ Salem Red Sox 8.29.12 box score [milb.com]

Salem Red Sox 2012 Roster

Salem Red Sox 2012 stats

Carolina League 2012 standings

Salem Red Sox official blog

Salem Red Sox website

Greenville Drive:

The Drive got a run in the 10th to beat the Kannapolis Intimidators 5-4.

Drive Edge Intimidators in 10 Innings [oursports central]

Greenville Drive @ Kannapolis Intimidators 8.29.12 box score [milb.com]

Greenville Drive 2012 Roster

Greenvillle Drive 2012 stats

South Atlantic League 2012 Standings

Greenville Drive website

Lowell Spinners:

Spinners pitching held the Vermont Lake Monsters to three hits in a 6-0 win.

Offense Arrives, Pitching Dominates in Win, 6-0 [lowellspinners.com]

August to remember [lowell sun]

Vermont Lake Monsters @ Lowell Spinners 8.29.12 box score [milb.com]

Lowell Spinners 2012 Roster

Lowell Spinners 2012 stats

NY-Penn League 2012 Standings

Lowell Spinners Blog

Spinners website

Gulf Coast League Red Sox

The GCL Red Sox fell to the GCL Pirates 5-2 in game one of the GCL Championship.

Herrera powers Pirates in Game 1 [milb.com]

GCL Red Sox @ GCL Pirates 8.29.12 game 1 GCL Championship box score [milb.com]

GCL Red Sox 2012 Roster

GCL Red Sox 2012 stats

Gulf Coast League 2012 Standings

Gulf Coast Red Sox website

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

After falling 6-5 last night, the Boston Red Sox look to get back on track tonight in the middle game of a three-game set with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA.

First pitch is scheduled for 10:05 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Royals television market, you can catch the game on Fox Sports West. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

After coming over in the Kevin Youkilis trade a few months ago, Zach Stewart will make his Red Sox debut tonight. Stewart made 18 appearances (one start) for the Chicago White Sox this season and was 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA. He has not faced the Angels this season and has made one career start against them. That start came last year in Anaheim when he took the loss after allowing seven earned runs in six innings of work.

C.J. Wilson makes his 28th start of 2012 for the Angels. In his previous 27 starts, Wilson is 9-9 with a 3.83 ERA. His lone start against the Red Sox this season came in his last time out when he picked up a no decision after allowing seven runs (six earned) in five innings of work. Wilson has made 18 career appearances (six starts) against the Red Sox and is 4-1 with a 2.39 ERA and three saves.

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

Here are today’s lineups:

62-68		67-62
1. Pedro Ciriaco	3B	1. Mike Trout	CF
2. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	2. Torii Hunter	RF
3. Dustin Pedroia	2B	3. Albert Pujols	DH
4. Cody Ross	RF	4. Kendrys Morales	1B
5. Ryan Lavarnway	C	5. Mark Trumbo	LF
6. Mauro Gomez	1B	6. Howie Kendrick	2B
7. Mike Aviles	DH	7. Alberto Callaspo	3B
8. Jose Iglesias	SS	8. Erick Aybar	SS
9. Scott Podsednik	LF	9. Chris Iannetta	C
Zach Stewart	SP	C.J. Wilson	SP

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

NOTES: As you can see from the lineup, Stewart has been called up from Triple-A Pawtucket. Clayton Mortensen has been optioned to the PawSox to make room for Stewart. Daniel Bard is with the team and is expected to be activated on Thursday.

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

Time to be ‘the man’ [boston herald]

Jose Iglesias back in show [boston herald]

Bard: ‘It’s good to be back’ with Red Sox [rob bradford – weei.com]

Getting to know Zach Stewart [clubhouse insider]

Daniel Bard on rejoining Red Sox: ‘I kind of lost the pitcher I was’ [clubhouse insider]

Where do Red Sox go for power? [csn new england]

Bard: ‘I’m a reliever; I think that’s all I know right now’ [csn new england]

Source: Red Sox not making run at Mauer [espn boston]

Zach Stewart makes Sox debut against Angels [espn boston]

Valentine flares when asked about umpire’s call [espn boston]

Josh Beckett’s spin is another wild pitch [extra bases]

ESPN’s new deal with MLB and what it means for the Red Sox [extra bases]

Zach Stewart gets his chance tonight [extra bases]

Pedroia, the horse, wins a race at Suffolk Downs [extra bases]

Jacoby Ellsbury Carrying Red Sox as Boston Looks to Grab Wins on West Coast [nesn.com]

Joe Mauer Sounds Like a Nice Option, But Red Sox Should Steer Clear Going Forward [nesn.com]

Report: Daniel Bard Joins Red Sox in Los Angeles, Expected to Be Activated on Thursday [nesn.com]

Ryan Lavarnway, Mauro Gomez, Jose Iglesias All in Lineup as Red Sox Let Prospects Play [nesn.com]

And batting cleanup . . . [projo sox blog]

Westmoreland working toward ‘getting back to normal quality of life’ [projo sox blog]

Are Sox fans loyal? Or lemmings? [projo sox blog]

Who’ll have a weaker starting lineup Wednesday night? [projo sox blog]

Stewart excited to join Boston’s rotation [projo sox blog]

Red Sox set rotation for weekend [projo sox blog]

Bard back with Red Sox [projo sox blog]

With Iglesias in majors, Aviles’ role undefined [projo sox blog]

Questions about umpires prompts Valentine rant [projo sox blog]

Aceves’ struggles something of a mystery [projo sox blog]

Bobby V: Won’t ‘insult’ Sox with 2013 inquiries [alex speier – weei.com]

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

photo credits: getty images, getty images