Mom, just when it looked like we were moving to a deluxe apartment in the sky, it looks like we’re staying here in the basement for at least another night.

After Jarrod Saltalamacchia tied it up in the 9th with a two-run homer, the Baltimore Orioles got to Alfredo Aceves in the 10th to take an 8-6 win on Tuesday night.

With the loss and a Toronto Blue Jays win, the Red Sox are back in the basement by themselves at 28-27. And with their win and the New York Yankees beating the Tampa Bay Rays, the O’s move back into a tie for first place at 31-24. The Yankees are in third just a 1/2 game behind the Rays and Orioles.

All things considered, being in the basement isn’t all that bad especially since the Red Sox are just three games out of first place. And with two more to go in this three-game set, things could look different on Thursday night.

Jon Lester started this one for the local nine and while he wasn’t great, he wasn’t that bad either. He was victimized by some bad defense early when Mike Aviles made an error that led to two unearned runs in the 3rd inning. The big problem though for Lester was his inability to keep the lead when the offense got it for him.

The Red Sox tied it up in the 4th only to see the Orioles take it back at 3-2 in the 6th. The offense got it back in the bottom of the 6th as they gave Lester a 4-3 lead. But Lester allowed a hit to start the 7th and his night was done at 99 pitches. We can question Red Sox skipper Bobby Valentine about the decision to pull Lester but given how the bullpen’s been going lately, it shouldn’t have been a big deal.

Shouldn’t being the key word, things didn’t go as planned with the move to the bullpen.

Scott Atchison came in and allowed two straight hits to bring in the tying run and close the book on Lester. Two batters later after an out and an intentional walk, Atchison was out of the game and Matt Albers was in. He was greeted with two hits that scored runs to push the Orioles lead to 6-4.

Albers settled down in the 8th and Aceves kept it that way in the 9th.

The Orioles brought in their closer Jim Johnson and he got the first out of the inning in Adrian Gonzalez. After a David Ortiz single, he got Kevin Youkilis to pop out. Johnson then got ahead of Salty as the Red Sox were down to their last strike before he hit one into the Green Monster but not before a little controversy.

A fan had reached over the ledge but the review showed it had cleared the wall and was ruled a home run to tie the game up at 6.

Unfortunately, Aceves was roughed in the top of the 10th and the Red Sox fell to their second straight loss.

Obviously the big news of the day was Daniel Bard being to sent to the PawSox to figure out his mechanics. It appears that he’ll stay a starter for now and use his time to get things worked out.

We’ll be back later with today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. So for now, let’s take at look at the overnight links from the media by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

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

Late heroics not enough as Sox fall to Orioles in 10 [Boston Globe]

Major issues land Bard in the minors [Boston Globe]

It’s thumbs-up on Pedroia [Boston Globe]

Red Sox get no relief in loss to Baltimore [Boston Herald]

Bullpen can’t hold Lester’s advantage [Boston Herald]

Lineup includes Pedroia playing [Boston Herald]

Minor setback for Daniel Bard [Boston Herald]

McClure: Bard trying to do too many things [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

Red Sox fall to Orioles in 10 inn., 8-6 [CSN New England]

Lester: Good for Salty to get away from ‘Tek’s shadow [CSN New England]

Pedroia: ‘My thumb was good’ [CSN New England]

Lester’s solid outing results in no-decision [CSN New England]

Saltalamacchia’s late-inning heroics not enough [CSN New England]

Red Sox bullpen experiences rare off-night [CSN New England]

Rapid Reaction: Orioles 8, Red Sox 6 [ESPN Boston]

Buchholz feels Bard’s pain [ESPN Boston]

Dice-K not concerned after shaky outing [ESPN Boston]

Lester has not been a lead preserver [ESPN Boston]

Atch’s scoreless streak ends at bad time [ESPN Boston]

Salty’s cooking a recipe for success [ESPN Boston]

Why landing the next Will Middlebrooks meant a senior circuit in the draft [Full Count]

Closing time: Orioles hand Sox extra disappointing loss [Full Count]

Dustin Pedroia feels healthy in return from thumb injury [Full Count]

Scott Atchison was reminded all good things must come to an end [Full Count]

Jon Lester’s Luck Starting to Run Out Against Orioles, Even With Undefeated Record Still Alive [NESN.com]

Daniel Bard Must Get Back to Pitching Basics in Tranquility of Triple-A [NESN.com]

Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s Continued Clutch Hitting Shows Catcher’s Growing Confidence [NESN.com]

Scott Atchison Recognizes ‘Good Run’ With Scoreless Streak, Hopes to Start A New One [NESN.com]

Dustin Pedroia Feels ‘Great’ After Return to Lineup, Except Bump on Head Courtesy of David Oritz [NESN.com]

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, be sure to head over to the Baltimore Sun and MASN websites. Also be sure to check out our Bloguin brother the Oriole Post for all of your Orioles needs.

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.

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

UConn Football links

Home run summer: UConn [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]

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

Connecticut Native Pasqualoni Connects With State’s Top Football Talent [Big East Coast Bias]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Meyers Says Taurasi’s Got Tough Decision To Make [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Hasheem Thabeet an ‘Inspirational Figure’ in Native Tanzania [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Other UConn related links

Field Hockey. North Region Field Hockey Advances To National Semifinals [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Ice Hockey. Linstad Announces Women’s Ice Hockey Incoming Class [UConnHuskies.com]

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

In the past few years, the UConn Huskies baseball program has been producing some good talent and MLB clubs are recognizing it in the draft.

This year is no different as the Huskies saw two of their players get drafted. They are infielder LJ Mazzilli and closer Scott Oberg.

Mazzilli was the first Huskies player chosen in the 2012 MLB Draft as he was taken by the Minnesota Twins in the 9th round (280th overall). Mazzilli led the Huskies in hitting this season at .339, in home runs with nine and RBIs with 38.

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

The son of former player and manager Lee Mazzilli, L.J. swung a hot bat for UConn all season. Mazzilli makes hard, consistent contact and is able to use the whole field. He has a short, compact swing and should be able to hit for a good average at the next level. He has shown good power this spring but many believe that at best, it will be average. He has the ability to steal some bases and has shown it throughout his college career, but it will not be his best asset. Mazzilli is not the greatest defender at second but scouts believe that with some instruction he could be an average defender. Mazzilli’s bat will most likely be too much for teams to pass on in the top five rounds of the Draft.

Oberg was taken in the 15th round (468th overall) by the Colorado Rockies. He was 5-0 with a 0.99 ERA and nine saves in 22 appearances that spanned 36.1 innings.

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

After taking Deven Marrero, Brian Johnson and Pat Light in the first round of the 2012 MLB Draft, the Boston Red Sox made 14 more picks total in rounds two through 15.

They’ll conclude the draft tomorrow ,rounds 16-40, starting at noon.

Here are their rounds 2-15 picks:

According to SoxProspects.com, Callahan and Haley will sign with the Red Sox in the next day or two.

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

After enjoying a day off yesterday, the Boston Red Sox return to the friendly confines of Historic Fenway Park for a six-game homestand. They’ll kick it off tonight with the first game of a three-game set with the Baltimore Orioles.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Orioles television market, you can catch the game on MASN. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

Jon Lester looks to even up his record in his 12th start of 2012. In his previous 11 starts, Lester is 3-4 with a 4.79 ERA. In his only start against the Orioles this season, he picked up a no decision after allowing three runs in six innings back on May 4th. Lester has had great success against the Orioles in his career as he is 14-0 with a 2.47 ERA in 19 starts.

Jason Hammel makes his 11th start of 2012 for Buck Showalter’s Orioles. In his previous 10 starts, Hammel is 6-2 with a 3.06 ERA. He picked up the win in his only start against the Red Sox this season after allowing two runs in 6.2 innings back on May 5th. Hammel’s made 10 career appearances (four starts) and is 1-2 with a 5.34 ERA. Seven of those appearances (two starts) have come at the Fens where he is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA.

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

Here are today’s lineups:

30-24		28-26
1. Robert Andino	2B	1. Scott Podsednik	CF
2. J.J. Hardy	SS	2. Dustin Pedroia	2B
3. Adam Jones	CF	3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B
4. Matt Wieters	C	4. David Ortiz	DH
5. Mark Reynolds	1B	5. Kevin Youkilis	3B
6. Steve Pearce	LF	6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C
7. Ronny Paulino	DH	7. Ryan Sweeney	RF
8. Steven Tolleson	3B	8. Daniel Nava	LF
9. Endy Chavez	RF	9. Mike Aviles	SS
Jason Hammel	SP	Jon Lester	SP

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

NOTES: Darnell McDonald has been activated from the 15-day DL. To make room on the 25-man roster, the Red Sox have optioned Daniel Bard to the PawSox.

REFRESH OR CHECK BACK OFTEN AS MORE LINKS WILL BE ADDED BEFORE GAMETIME IF/WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE AND WILL BE BOLDED

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

Sox option Bard to Triple-A Pawtucket [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

Daniel Bard optioned to Triple-A [Clubhouse Insider]

Bobby V on Daniel Bard to minors: ‘I think it’ll be a quick turnaround’ [Clubhouse Insider]

Orioles are back to Earth [CSN New England]

Red Sox option Bard to Pawtucket [CSN New England]

Where’s all the Bobby V. talk now? [CSN New England]

Pedroia to Valentine: ‘I feel perfect’ [CSN New England]

Valentine expects ‘quick turnaround’ for Bard in Pawtucket [CSN New England]

Crawford hits on field; Ellsbury hits off tee [CSN New England]

Red Sox first pick Marrero honored to be chosen [CSN New England]

Red Sox send Bard to Pawtucket [ESPN Boston]

Bard hoping for ‘quick turnaround’ [ESPN Boston]

Valentine: Pedroia ‘said he feels perfect’ [ESPN Boston]

Daniel Bard optioned to Triple A [Extra Bases]

Podcast: Bard, Nava and the bullpen [Extra Bases]

Nuggetpalooza: Is the Red Sox’ Clay Buchholz back? [Full Count]

Bobby Valentine says Daniel Bard needs to work on mechanics in minors [Full Count]

Daniel Nava, Kelly Shoppach Lead Red Sox Who Are Looking to Keep Up Heat Against Orioles [NESN.com]

Which League’s Draft Is Most Important to Future Success? [NESN.com]

Roush Fenway’s Trevor Bayne to Throw Out First Pitch at Red Sox Game on Tuesday Night [NESN.com]

Red Sox Hope Daniel Bard Can Correct Mechanics in Pawtucket, Still Envision Him as Starter For Now [NESN.com]

Dustin Pedroia Will Sport a Customized Splint to Protect Thumb, Feels ‘Perfect’ and Has ‘No Reservations’ About Playing [NESN.com]

Deven Marrero Excited to Follow in Dustin Pedroia’s Footsteps, Looks Forward to Joining Red Sox [NESN.com]

Kevin Youkilis Trade Talk May Be Premature With Red Sox’ Immediate Needs Unknown [Don Orsillo – NESN.com]

Drafting three college players sets up Red Sox to pounce in middle rounds of draft [Projo Sox Blog]

Daniel Bard optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket [Projo Sox Blog]

Kalish joins PawSox; Prior, Buckner do, too [Projo Sox Blog]

Marrero wouldn’t mind following Pedroia’s path [Projo Sox Blog]

Fourth-round pick Buttrey epitomizes changing landscape of Major League Baseball draft [Projo Sox Blog]

As expected, Pedroia returns to Red Sox lineup [Projo Sox Blog]

Lester out to continue dominance of Orioles [RedSox.com]

Red Sox continue to stock system on Draft Day 2 [RedSox.com]

Market for Youk tough to determine [RedSox.com]

Pedroia back in lineup, to wear brace on thumb [RedSox.com]

Bard sent to Triple-A by Red Sox [RedSox.com]

Sox draftee Johnson ready to focus on pitching [RedSox.com]

Nothing but winners, not mediocrity, in East [RedSox.com]

Sox pick Marrero hopes to follow Pedroia [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Are minors the solution to Bard dilemma? [Touching All the Bases]

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

photo credits: Getty Images, Getty Images

The first wave of results are in for the American League voting totals for the 2012 MLB All-Star Game and the Boston Red Sox find only DH David Ortiz leading at his position.

Adrian Gonzalez is not among the top five at first base. The same thing goes for Kevin Youkilis (third base) and Mike Aviles (shortstop) among the Red Sox infielders. Only Dustin Pedroia is among the top five at second and he’s in third place almost 750,000 votes behind Texas Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler.

Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who is having an All-Star like season, is also not among the top five at catcher. In the outfield, only Jacoby Ellsbury is among the top 15 in 14th place. He is about 650,000 votes out of third place.

I guess it goes without saying that we, Red Sox Nation, need to get ourselves together and vote our boys into the 2012 MLB All-Star Game. So what are you waiting for, get voting people.

To see the full results for the American League, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

FIRST BASE

• Prince Fielder, Tigers: 1,027,070
• Mark Teixeira, Yankees: 697,602
• Paul Konerko, White Sox: 671,430
• Mitch Moreland, Rangers: 618,226
• Albert Pujols, Angels: 478,020

SECOND BASE

• Ian Kinsler, Rangers: 1,447,171
• Robinson Cano, Yankees: 1,164,448
• Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox: 699,422
• Robert Andino, Orioles: 317,434
• Chris Getz, Royals: 278,585

THIRD BASE

• Adrian Beltre, Rangers: 1,179,864
• Miguel Cabrera, Tigers: 886,365
• Evan Longoria, Rays: 789,434
• Alex Rodriguez, Yankees: 657,315
• Mike Moustakas, Royals: 432,379

SHORTSTOP

• Derek Jeter, Yankees: 1,698,777
• Elvis Andrus, Rangers: 1,033,986
• J.J. Hardy, Orioles: 489,941
• Alcides Escobar, Royals: 392,195
• Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians: 344,065

CATCHER

• Mike Napoli, Rangers: 1,224,565
• Matt Wieters, Orioles: 713,469
• Joe Mauer, Twins: 637,364
• Russell Martin, Yankees: 431,435
• A.J. Pierzynski, White Sox: 424,646

DESIGNATED HITTER

• David Ortiz, Red Sox: 1,204,904
• Michael Young, Rangers: 1,049,170
• Raul Ibanez, Yankees: 492,183
• Billy Butler, Royals: 477,257
• Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays: 391,131

OUTFIELDERS

• Josh Hamilton, Rangers: 2,587,991
• Curtis Granderson, Yankees: 1,406,128
• Nelson Cruz, Rangers: 992,992
• Jose Bautista, Blue Jays: 930,814
• Adam Jones, Orioles: 857,543
• David Murphy, Rangers: 652,379
• Nick Swisher, Yankees: 624,215
• Brett Gardner, Yankees: 437,126
• Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners: 433,899
• Jeff Francoeur, Royals: 422,304
• Austin Jackson, Tigers: 389,664
• Nick Markakis, Orioles: 384,390
• Alex Gordon, Royals: 378,459
• Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox: 346,774
• Yoenis Cespedes, Athletics: 344,279

To see the National League totals, head over to MLB.com.

While the Boston Red Sox were enjoying a day off in the cold New England weather on Monday, the baseball operations people were busy trying to restock the minor league system.

The Red Sox held three picks on the first night of the 2012 MLB Draft and used them to draft three college players. They used their first pick to draft SS Deven Marrero, then took LHP Brian Johnson with their next pick. Their final pick of the night was RHP Pat Light. You can read more about them by clicking the link above.

The Red Sox will enter tonight’s three-game set with the Baltimore Orioles trailing them by two games for second place in the AL East. The Orioles are just a game back of the Tampa Bay Rays for first place. The local nine is tied in last place with the Toronto Blue Jays and both are 1.5 games behind the New York Yankees.

As you can see the AL East is up for grabs right now.

Right now, the Red Sox need to continue to get great starting pitching as well as the help the bullpen has been providing. For the most part lately, the offense has been outstanding and if that continues, the Red Sox will be in good shape.

Obviously something needs to be done with Daniel Bard after his sucktastic performance on Sunday. Whether it be banishment back to the bullpen, a start skipped or a trip to the minor leagues to work on his mechanics, they need to figure things out quickly with Bard.

A trip to the minors might not happen right away with their being really no one to replace him in the rotation.

Daisuke Matsuzaka isn’t quite ready yet in his second rehab assignment and the minor league pitching depth took a hit yesterday when Ross Ohlendorf was signed by the San Diego Padres to a major league contract. Ohlendorf had been 4-3 with a 4.61 ERA in 10 starts for the PawSox.

The Red Sox will also have to deal with interleague play starting up on Friday night. After these three games with the O’s, the next 15 games they’ll play will be against the NL. Fortunately, only six of those 15 games will be in NL parks meaning that Bobby Valentine will only have to figure out what to do with David Ortiz for six games.

We’ll be back later with today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. So for now, let’s take at look at the overnight links from the media by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

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

Stepping up behind the plate [Boston Globe]

Shortstop Marrero top pick [Boston Globe]

Charles Steinberg is the maestro of Red Sox magic [Boston Globe]

Bard no big deal [Boston Herald]

Sox pick another Arizona State shortstop [Boston Herald]

Two styles of skippers [Boston Herald]

DL decision due for Sox [Boston Herald]

Source: Pedroia will return to lineup Tuesday [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

Red Sox happy with first three picks in MLB Draft [CSN New England]

Assessing first three draft picks by Sox [ESPN Boston]

Red Sox GM Ben Cherington, scouting director Amiel Sawdaye break down draftees [Full Count]

Bobby Valentine Knows Importance of Breaking Bad Habits Early [NESN.com]

A year later, Barnes proving Sox right [RedSox.com]

Papelbon compensation nets two pitchers [RedSox.com]

‘Devils up the middle’ : Sox first-rounder Deven Marrero hopes for fast track to play with Dustin Pedroia [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

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.

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

photo credit: Reuters Pictures

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.

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

UConn Football links

Props To UConn Sticking To Its Guns Regarding Michigan [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

More bus trips to Maryland [Chip Malafronte – New Haven Register]

Big East football: Ranking the non-conference schedules [The Oklahoman]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Dream Sign Jess Moore; Waive Courtney Paris [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

CPTV [And CPTVSports] Working To Rebound [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Johnson Introduced At Wisconsin [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Geno Auriemma, Chris Dailey to play in Travelers Pro-Am [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Florida Gulf Coast completes Paradise Jam field [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Recruit Courtney Ekmark Pays Visit East, Talks About Committing To UConn [Hartford Courant]

Maya Moore Owed Money [Seattle Times]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Recruiting Spotlight: Ahmed Hill [Kevin Duffy – CT Post]

Jeremy Lamb Interview at Hornets Workout [UConn Huskies Basketball]

Other UConn related links

You thought Syracuse’s underwear was cool? Well here’s your official UConn Huskies thong [The UConn Blog]

M. Track. Jake Waruch Set For 2012 Outdoor NCAA Championships [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Track. Flowers & Wilson Head To 2012 Outdoor NCAA Championships [UConnHuskies.com]

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