After getting shellacked last night in the series opener, the Boston Red Sox look to rebound in the first game of a day/night doubleheader against the Oakland A’s at Historic Fenway Park.

Today’s first pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. and will be broadcast in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the A’s broadcast area, you can catch the game on CSN California. And if you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2011 Red Sox Radio Network.

Jon Lester looks to get the Red Sox back on track in his 25th start of 2011. In his previous 24 starts, Lester is 13-6 with a 3.16 ERA. He has not faced the A’s in 2011 and last faced them in 2009 when he went 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA (10 ER/11.1 IP) in two starts. He’s made eight career starts against the A’s and is 2-3 with a 4.95 ERA.  Four of those starts have come at the Fens where he is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA (11 ER/22 IP).

Guillermo Moscoso makes his 18th appearance (16th start) of 2011 for the A’s. In his previous 17 appearances (15 starts). Moscoso is 6-7 with a 3.28 ERA. He’s made two appearances out of the bullpen this season against the Red Sox and is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA (1 ER/3 IP).  Those two appearances mark the only time he’s faced the Red Sox in his career with both of them coming at the Fens.

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 this afternoon’s game 1 lineups:

60-71		80-51
1. Jemile Weeks	2B	1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF
2. Cliff Pennington	SS	2. Marco Scutaro	SS
3. Coco Crisp	CF	3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B
4. Josh Willingham	DH	4. Dustin Pedroia	2B
5. Brandon Allen	1B	5. David Ortiz	DH
6. Conor Jackson	LF	6. Carl Crawford	LF
7. Kurt Suzuki	C	7. Josh Reddick	RF
8. Ryan Sweeney	RF	8. Jason Varitek	C
9. Scott Sizemore	3B	9. Mike Aviles	3B
Guillermo Moscoso	SP	Jon Lester	SP

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

Notes: Scott Atchison has been optioned back to Pawtucket. Michael Bowden has been called up to replace him on the 25-man roster.

Check back and/or refresh often as more links will be added if/when they become available before game time.

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

Are We Saying Goodbye to the Muddy Chicken? [SOX & Dawgs]

Pregame notes before Game 1 of a doubleheader [Clubhouse Insider]

Sox-A’s playing doubleheader Saturday [ESPN Boston]

Bowden up, Atchison down [ESPN Boston]

Pregame from Fenway [Extra Bases]

A little pre-game news from Fenway [Extra Bases]

Despite struggles, Matt Albers feels he’s been a few pitches away from better August [Full Count]

Red Sox Lefty Andrew Miller Earns Amica Pitcher of the Week Honors [NESN.com]

Video: Red Sox Outfielder Darnell McDonald Jokes He May Be Ready to Pitch in Postseason [NESN.com]

Ellsbury showed power in college, but not this much [Projo Sox Blog]

Sox hoping to get in two today [Projo Sox Blog]

Lester to kick off doubleheader vs. A’s [RedSox.com]

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

Photo credits:  AP Photo, Getty Images

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 some of the other sports. 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

UConn Depth Chart For Fordham [SOX & Dawgs]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Andre Drummond: UConn Reels In A Big One [Don Amore – Hartford Courant]

Coach Profile: Jim Calhoun [UConn Huskies Basketball]

Drummond says he’s headed to UConn [CT Post]

Andre Drummond Headed To UConn [Hartford Courant]

Top recruit Andre Drummond to join Huskies [New Haven Register]

Drummond changes mind, heading to UConn [Norwich Bulletin]

Drummond picks UConn [The Day]

Champs Get Bigger & Better: Drummond to UConn [ZagsBlog]

Andre Drummond to UConn surprises [ESPN.com]

Can UConn repeat with Andre Drummond? [ESPN.com]

Other UConn related links

Field Hockey. UConn Field Hockey Tops Hofstra, 7-1 [UConnHuskies.com]

Field Hockey. Field Hockey Schedule Changes For The Weekend [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Soccer. Women’s Soccer Cancels CCSU Game Due To Inclement Weather [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Volleyball. Huskies Sweep Grambling State To Open 2011 [UConnHuskies.com]

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

Unfortunately for the Boston Red Sox and Tim Wakefield, he’s going to have to wait until his next start to try again for his 200th career win. Maybe seven will be his lucky number because six certainly wasn’t on Friday night in a 15-5 loss to the Oakland Athletics.

Things started badly as the first batter he faced in Jemile Weeks hit a leadoff double. But he settled down and retired the next three batters he faced. He took the mound in the top half of the 2nd inning with a 1-0 lead courtesy of an Adrian Gonzalez RBI single.

Two batters into the 2nd though, the game was tied at 1 all and three batters later, the A’s found themselves ahead for good at 2-1.

The 4th inning turned out to be the straw that broke Wake’s back. The scary thing about it that all of the damage against him in that inning came with two outs.

He got the leadoff hitter David DeJesus to ground out. He then walked Kurt Suzuki and followed that by getting Cliff Pennington to pop out. From there it was all downhill.

There’s a rule when you’re facing Wakefield. If it’s low, let it go. If it’s high, let it fly. Well the A’s let it fly because Wake had trouble keeping the knuckleball down. Scott Sizemore blasted a two-run homer on a high knuckler. Then he struck out Weeks but a passed ball by Jarrod Saltalamacchia allowed him to reach first.

Wake walked former Red Sox center fielder Coco Crisp and then left a knuckler up to Hideki Matsui who made him pay with a two-run double. Another knuckler up in the zone to Josh Willingham was blasted out of the park and just like that it was 8-1.

That inning would be the last time that Wake touched the Fenway Park mound last night.

The offense gave us a glimmer of hope when Dustin Pedroia, who no longer wants to be called the Muddy Chicken, led off with a homer. David Ortiz followed that up with a home run of his own to cut the lead to 8-3.

But while Scott Atchison was keeping them in the game with three solid innings of relief with only one run allowed, the Red Sox could only manage one run on Marco Scutaro groundout after Jacoby Ellsbury tripled to lead off the 6th.

The struggles of Matt Albers continued as he allowed four runs in just an inning of work. And with the doubleheader today due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Irene in the New England area later tonight, Terry Francona went to Darnell McDonald to pitch the 9th.

Things didn’t turn out too well for DMac as he struggled with his control, really no surprise there, and gave up two more runs. The Red Sox would get a run in the 9th but at that point it was just too late.

With the way Andrew Miller has pitched as of late, you have to wonder if Wake stays in the rotation. Wake hasn’t been bad but he hasn’t been great in his last six starts trying to get that elusive 200th win. Right now it’s all about the business of winning games to win the division and for me at least, Miller is the one who gives them the best chance.

That might not be the popular thing to say but baseball wise, it’s the right thing to do. Whether or not Tito does it is another thing though.

With the doubleheader starting at noon today, we’ll be back in a short while with the lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and more for the first game of the doubleheader.. But for now enjoy 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

Crawford’s diary: Yes, I’m having a bad year [Carl Crawford – ESPN Boston]

Role play: Loss highlights struggles of trio of Sox [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Bare knuckles [Boston Globe]

Youkilis set for rehab Tuesday [Boston Globe]

Tough wall to scale [Boston Globe]

Wake left spinning [Boston Herald]

McDonald offers relief [Boston Herald]

Is vet’s time running out? [Boston Herald]

Wakefield blown away by A’s, 15-5 [CSN New England]

Wakefield focused on team, not milestone [CSN New England]

Sox notes: Albers struggles; McDonald pitches [CSN New England]

Rapid reaction: Athletics 15, Red Sox 5 [ESPN Boston]

J.D. Drew ‘feels good’ after first rehab start [Full Count]

Closing Time: Tim Wakefield’s wait for 200 continues [Full Count]

David Ortiz continues to own lefties [Full Count]

Tim Wakefield: ‘That win will eventually happen, hopefully’ [Full Count]

Darnell McDonald: ‘I’ll be ready [to pitch] for the playoffs’ [Full Count]

Lowrie: ‘I’m not getting the results I expect from myself’ [Full Count]

Video: Tim Wakefield’s Inconsistent Night Costs Him in Latest Attempt to Pick Up Win No. 200 [NESN.com]

Video: Tim Wakefield Frustrated He Couldn’t Work Deeper Into Game in Loss to Oakland [NESN.com]

Weary Red Sox Pounded by Rested A’s, Look Forward to Rebounding During Doubleheader [NESN.com]

Darnell McDonald Makes Pitching Debut, Doesn’t Hit Anybody in the Face [NESN.com]

Position-players pitching for the Red Sox: A history [Projo Sox Blog]

A’s pound Sox, deny Wakefield 200th win [Providence Journal]

Lavarnway may prove to be a great catch for Red Sox [Providence Journal]

Miller’s performance a reminder of star-potential [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Harden thought he was Boston-bound [Providence Journal]

McDonald finds out pitching’s not that easy [RedSox.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, head over to the Oakland Tribune and San Francisco Chronicle websites.

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

Photo credit: Getty Images

On July 18th, we learned that Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia had a new nickname in the Muddy Chicken. It came about after the 16 inning game in Tampa Bay that fateful Sunday night during Josh Beckett‘s postgame presser:

“Unbelievable. Pedey [Dustin Pedroia], or the Muddy Chicken as we know him. The Muddy Chicken, we actually don’t even know his name anymore. He’s now the Muddy Chicken. I don’t know where it came from, but now he’s the Muddy Chicken,” said Red Sox starting pitcher Josh Beckett. “The Muddy Chicken is definitely the player of the game. He got it done when we absolutely needed it.”

Well now it appears that Pedroia, aka the Laser Show, Pedey or whatever you want to call him (I’m sure he’ll respond to anything these days) actually doesn’t want to be called the Muddy Chicken anymore.

Here’s a piece of what Carl Crawford had to say in his recent diary for ESPN Boston:

Hey, don’t go out and buy any Muddy Chicken T-shirts or anything. In case you hadn’t heard that was Pedy’s [Dustin Pedroia] nickname for a while. He said on Thursday that he doesn’t want to be called that anymore. I think he is in the market for a new one. Let me tell you about Pedroia. He’s a good teammate, a good player, everything. You can’t find anything bad to say about him. He keeps you laughing all the time. He’s got a lot of heart. A little man that plays a big man’s game. He’s definitely one of my favorite players. Even before we were teammates this year, I knew what he was like because I used to train with him at API [Athlete’s Performance Institute] in the off-season. So, I had a chance to meet him early on. I knew he was a high-character guy with a motor that just runs all day. He’s a real cool guy to be around.

Okay since Pedroia’s in the market for a new nickname, it’s time for us to be creative. Personally, I’ve been a fan of calling him the Leather Show for his defensive persona. It goes along great with the Laser Show moniker we’ve known him by for so long.

Got a cool nickname for Pedroia, leave it in the comments.

Photo credit: dribbble.com

Approximately 16 days ago, the headline of a post on the site was titled Andre Drummond is NOT coming to UConn. The post was based on Drummond’s decision to stay in prep school for another year with only a transfer in his mind.

Well apparently things have changed over the 16 days as Drummond has changed his mind and is now planning on being a member of the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team for the 2011-12 season.

He announced his decision on Twitter earlier:

It’s official I’m heading to the university of connecticut to be a husky this year! Do I hear #repeat #huskyfam @aoriakhi34

Obviously this is a huge development in Storrs. The late addition of DeAndre Daniels plus Ryan Boatright gives the Huskies a top recruiting class.

Plus, you have to think that Jim Calhoun will be coming back to coach next year. As of now, he has not made an official decision but the writing is on the wall that he’ll be back patrolling the sidelines next season.

As of right now, the Huskies have no scholarships available which means someone will more than likely not have a scholarship next year. If I were a betting man (I’m not), my money would be on Michael Bradley. But you never know.

Here’s what a some of the Husky family had to say on Twitter:

@kembawalker: @AndreDrummond03 congrats bro!

@aoriakhi34: my Boi @AndreDrummond03 is a husky!! Let’s go congrats boy

Coming off the NCAA Championship in 2011, the pieces are there for the Huskies to make another run. The possible starting lineup could be Shabazz Napier (PG), Jeremy Lamb (SG), DeAndre Daniels/Roscoe Smith (SF), Alex Oriakhi (PF/C) and Drummond (PF/C).

Now it’s up to Calhoun to get them all to play as one.

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

Photo credit: John Woike – Hartford Courant

UConn Huskies new head coach Paul Pasqualoni has released his first depth chart for the 2011 season opener against the Fordham Rams on Thursday, September 1st.

Like the masses reported the other day, there is still no starting quarterback. Michael Neibrich, Scott McCummings and Johnny McEntee are still listed in an “OR” situation. Michael Box was listed there as well but as we know he was granted his release from the UConn football program on Friday.

On the offensive line, left guard is still up for grabs between Gary Bardzak and Steve Greene. The tight end situation is as well with John Delahunt and Ryan Griffin finding themselves in “OR” situation as well. Both will see a good deal of playing time there so this isn’t that much of a shock.

D.J. Shoemate and Lyle McCombs both find themselves in an “OR’ situation as well and it was expected that they’ll split the carries.

There’s no surprises to me on the defensive side of things at all.

The way the depth chart looks right now is that only one true freshman on the offensive side of things could start and that’s Neibrich. The only other freshman on the two-deep is wide receiver Geremy Davis. There are no true freshman listed as starters on the two-deep but linebackers Michael Osiecki, Jefferson Aishru and Marquise Vann are the backups there.

For a full look at the depth chart, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

OFFENSE

LT: 71 Mike Ryan (RSr., 6-5, 335)
72 Jimmy Bennett (RJr., 6-9, 306)

LG: 70 Gary Bardzak (RSr., 6-3, 289) OR
69 Steve Greene (RSo., 6-4, 304)

C: 57 Moe Petrus (RSr., 6-2, 302)
70 Gary Bardzak (RSr., 6-3, 289) OR
50 Tyler Bullock (So., 6-4, 298)

RG: 63 Adam Masters (RJr., 6-4, 292)
65 Gus Cruz (RFr., 6-4, 288)

RT: 77 Kevin Friend (RSo., 6-5, 300)
61 Stephen Brown (So., 6-6, 290)

TE: 89 John Delahunt (RJr., 6-3, 247) OR
94 Ryan Griffin (RJr., 6-6, 248)
81 Corey Manning (RJr., 6-5, 247)

WR: 6 Kashif Moore (RSr., 5-10, 175)
84 Tebucky Jones (RFr., 5-11, 186) OR
31 Nick Williams (Jr., 5-10, 185)

FB: 39 Mark Hinkley (RJr., 5-11, 226)
47 Reuben Frank (RFr., 6-3, 238)

QB: 11 Scott McCummings (RFr., 6-2, 218) OR
18 Johnny McEntee (RJr., 6-3, 224) OR
2 Mike Nebrich (Fr., 6-1, 204)

TB: 24 D.J. Shoemate (Sr., 5-11, 219) OR
43 Lyle McCombs (RFr., 5-8, 172)

WR: 83 Isiah Moore (RSr., 6-1, 195)
85 Geremy Davis (Fr., 6-3, 211)

DEFENSE

DE: 48 Trevardo Williams (Jr., 6-1, 231)
26 Marcus Campbell (Sr., 6-3, 231)

DT: 4 Twyon Martin (RSr., 6-2, 273)
53 Ryan Wirth (RJr., 6-2, 268)

DT: 99 Kendall Reyes (RSr., 6-4, 295)
59 Shamar Stephen (RSo., 6-5, 315)

DE: 91 Jesse Joseph (Jr., 6-3, 262)
98 Teddy Jennings (RJr., 6-5, 248)

LB: 3 Sio Moore (RJr., 6-1, 232)
32 Jefferson Ashiru (Fr., 6-1, 210)

LB: 33 Yawin Smallwood (RFr., 6-2, 229)
36 Michael Osiecki (Fr., 6-1, 238)

LB: 28 Jory Johnson (RJr., 6-1, 227)
46 Marquise Vann (Fr., 6-0, 225)

CB: 7 Dwayne Gratz (RJr., 6-0, 195)
21 Gary Wilburn (RSr., 5-11, 197)

S: 15 Jerome Junior (RJr., 6-1, 215)
2 Gilbert St.Louis (So., 5-11, 183)

S: 25 Harris Agbor (RSr., 5-11, 199)
16 Byron Jones (RFr., 6-1, 187)

CB: 5 Blidi Wreh-Wilson (RJr., 6-0, 192)
29 Taylor Mack (So., 5-9, 169)

SPECIAL TEAMS

PK: 38 Dave Teggart (RSr., 6-0, 203)
13 Chad Christen (RSo. 6-2, 211)

P: 86 Cole Wagner (RSo., 6-2, 211)
13 Chad Christen (RSo. 6-2, 211)

H: 13 Chad Christen (RSo., 6-1, 201)
86 Cole Wagner (RSo., 6-2, 211)

DS: 67 Adam Mueller (So., 6-1, 207)
66 Dominick Manco (Fr., 6-1, 251)

KR: 31 Nick Williams (Jr., 5-10, 185)
16 Byron Jones (RFr., 6-1, 187)

PR: 31 Nick Williams (Jr., 5-10, 185)
29 Taylor Mack (So., 5-9, 169) OR
21 Gary Wilburn (RSr., 5-11, 197)

After taking three-of-four from the Texas Rangers in Arlington, TX, the Boston Red Sox return home to Historic Fenway Park for a nine-game, eight-day homestand. They’ll kick it off with three games in two days against the Oakland Athletics.

Today’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and will be broadcast in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the A’s broadcast area, you can catch the game on CSN California. And if you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2011 Red Sox Radio Network.

Tim Wakefield will try for the 6th time to get his 200th career MLB win tonight in his 19th start (28th appearance) of 2011. He is 0-2 in his last five tries with a 4.50 ERA. In 27 appearances (18 starts) this season, Wake is 6-5 with a 4.97 ERA. He has not faced the A’s this season and was 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA (10 ER/12 IP) in two starts against them last year. He’s made 41 appearances (30 starts) against the A’s in his career and is 11-7 with a 4.23 ERA. 23 of those games (14 starts) have come at the Fens where he is 5-3 with a 3.09 ERA.

Gio Gonzalez will get the ball for the A’s tonight in his 26th start of 2011. In his previous 25 starts, Gonzalez is 10-11 with a 3.24 ERA. He took the loss against the Red Sox in his only start against them this year. In that start back on April 20th, he allowed four runs on eight hits in six innings of work. He’s made four career starts against the Red Sox and is 1-1 with a 5.64 ERA. Two of those starts have come at the Fens where he has received two no decisions while allowing six earned runs in 10.1 innings (5.23 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 this evening’s lineups:

59-71		80-50
1. Jemile Weeks	2B	1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF
2. Coco Crisp	CF	2. Marco Scutaro	SS
3. Hideki Matsui	LF	3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B
4. Josh Willingham	DH	4. Dustin Pedroia	2B
5. Brandon Allen	1B	5. David Ortiz	DH
6. David DeJesus	RF	6. Jed Lowrie	3B
7. Kurt Suzuki	C	7. Mike Aviles	LF
8. Cliff Pennington	SS	8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C
9. Scott Sizemore	3B	9. Darnell McDonald	RF
Gio Gonzalez	SP	Tim Wakefield	SP

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

Notes: Scott Atchison has been recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket. To make room on the 25-man roster, Ryan Lavarnway has been optioned back to Pawtucket.

Check back and/or refresh often as more links will be added if/when they become available before game time.

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

Doubront being readied for bullpen [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Will the sixth time be Tim Wakefield’s lucky charm for win No. 200? [Clubhouse Insider]

A month later, a look at the performances of Rich Harden, Erik Bedard [Clubhouse Insider]

Ryan Lavarnway sent down, Scott Atchison returns and more pregame notes [Clubhouse Insider]

Pregame notes: Crawford out; Youk ready for rehab [CSN New England]

Wakefield on mound tonight looking for No. 200 [ESPN Boston]

Atchison up, Lavarnway down [ESPN Boston]

Races? What races? [ESPN Boston]

The impact of Jacoby Ellsbury [Extra Bases]

Kevin Millar on M&M: Andrew Miller won’t factor in postseason rotation [Full Count]

What of Andrew Miller’s future with the Red Sox? [Full Count]

Rich Harden on near-trade: ‘Strange,’ but no hard feelings [Full Count]

Red Sox notes: How Ryan Lavarnway helped Sox, J.D. Drew and Kevin Youkilis get tuned up [Full Count]

Video: Bill James Explains New ‘Temperature Gauge’ Statistic to Determine How Hot or Cold a Hitter Is [NESN.com]

Ryan Lavarnway Impresses in First Stint With Red Sox, Will Return in September [NESN.com]

Kevin Youkilis to Rehab With Pawtucket Early Next Week, Likely Alongside J.D. Drew, Bobby Jenks [NESN.com]

Terry Francona Happy to Unpack His Suitcase As Red Sox Return Home for Nine-Game Homestand [NESN.com]

How Ryan Lavarnway caught the attention of the Red Sox [Projo Sox Blog]

Athletics’ bullpen pitching on fumes [Projo Sox Blog]

Sox recall Atchison, send Lavarnway back to Pawtucket [Projo Sox Blog]

Rich Harden recalls night he thought he’d been traded [Projo Sox Blog]

Youkilis, Drew to rehab with PawSox next week [Projo Sox Blog]

Day off for Crawford [Projo Sox Blog]

Red Sox pitching up in the air beyond doubleheader [Projo Sox Blog]

Wakefield’s quest for win No. 200 continues [RedSox.com]

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

Photo credits: AP Photo, Getty Images

You can admit you were a little scared when C.J. Wilson mowed down the Boston Red Sox on Monday. You were probably thinking this could be a long four days against the Texas Rangers.

Well after another strong night from the offense and some great pitching from Andrew Miller in a 6-0 win last night, any worries we have about the Red Sox playing in Texas or even against the Rangers should be put to rest for now. These two same teams will meet again next weekend in Beantown so we’ll be able to see how Texas plays here.

Everyone had been a little worried about Adrian Gonzalez and the fact he hadn’t homered since July 30th. Gonzo quickly erased those doubts though with two home runs on Tuesday night, another home run on Wednesday night and then two more last night.

What is the most impressive part about it though is the fact that his final three home runs against his former club came on three pitches. The first two pitches he saw last night from Rangers starter Alexi Ogando were hit for 849 feet worth of home runs. His 23 home runs now ties him for second on the club with Jacoby Ellsbury which puts them both two behind David Ortiz.

Gonzalez also went over the 100 RBI mark for the second consecutive season and the fourth time in the last five years. He fell one RBI short in 2009 of making it to 100. His 102 RBIs marks the second best output of his career trailing his career-high of 119 he set back in 2008 as a member of the San Diego Padres.

He also has 181 hits on the 2011 season which is one less than his career-best of 182 that he had in 2007. It’s safe to say that he’ll get to 200 hits on the season and should probably best his RBI total as well.

Gonzo wasn’t the only one hitting home runs last night. Big Papi and Jarrod Saltalamacchia also got in the act as well. The trio was responsible for knocking in all six runs.

Enough can’t be said how about well Miller has been pitching in his two spot starts. He essentially lost his rotation spot when the Red Sox acquired Erik Bedard. But the writing had been on the wall in his previous starts because of his command issues. Still the Red Sox were 7-1 in his starts mainly thanks to stellar relief outings from Alfredo Aceves.

But in his two spot starts, he’s been outstanding. And because of that, the Red Sox are now 9-1 in his starts with his record standing now at 6-1 on the season.

He walked just two last night and allowed just three hits while rolling up six strikeouts. He had good command of all of his pitches and his fastball velocity was back up where it was when he first came up this season. Whether or not he gets another start remains to be seen, but I think we’ll continue to see good outings from him whether in the bullpen or as a starter.

Aceves did another wonderful job out of the pen last night and Dan Wheeler finished it off.

The Red Sox headed back to Boston after the game last night and will now play three games in two days against the Oakland Athletics because of the imending hurricane coming to New England this weekend. They’ll play a single game tonight and two tomorrow, one at noon and the other at 5 p.m.

We’ll be back later today with the lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and more for this evening’s game. But for now enjoy 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

Show of strength [Boston Globe]

It’s another right turn by Miller [Boston Globe]

See you in September? [Boston Globe]

Teams being doubly cautious [Boston Globe]

He’s found the range [Boston Globe]

Red Sox go Gonzo in Texas [Boston Herald]

Got ’em back in Range [Boston Herald]

Bonus for Andrew Miller [Boston Herald]

Red Sox will play two before Irene [Boston Herald]

Sox beat Rangers for third time, 6-0 [CSN New England]

Road trip in rearview, Sox going strong [CSN New England]

Nation STATion: Up for the count [CSN New England]

Notes: Gonzalez back on hot streak [CSN New England]

Rapid reaction: Red Sox 6, Rangers 0 [ESPN Boston]

Terry Francona on Theo Epstein — I hope he doesn’t leave [ESPN Boston]

What has surprised Mike Aviles most about being a Red Sox [Full Count]

A look at how close Josh Beckett came to being a Texas Ranger [Full Count]

Closing Time: Red Sox bash Rangers, while Andrew Miller dominates [Full Count]

Andrew Miller has re-emerged as another weapon for the Red Sox [Full Count]

Video: Heidi Watney Looks at Home-Field Advantage Rangers Have Thanks to Location of Visiting Bullpen [NESN.com]

Andrew Miller Showcases Finest Outing With Red Sox, Makes Case to Remain in Rotation [NESN.com]

Boston blasts out a good old time in Texas [Providence Journal]

Crawford stepping up to bolster Boston offense [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Lefty Morales disarms Rangers [Providence Journal]

With Papi back, Lavarnway likely to stay put [RedSox.com]

What this road trip taught us about these Red Sox [Rob Bradford – 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.

And if you must check out the enemy news, head over to the Dallas Morning News, ESPN Dallas and Ft. Worth Star Telegram websites.

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

Photo credit:  Getty Images

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 some of the other sports. 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.

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UConn Football links

Box’s time coming to a close [John Silver – Journal Inquirer]

Sources: QB Box planning to transfer away from UConn [CT Post]

Quarterback Michael Box Leaving UConn [Hartford Courant]

UConn Coach Pasqualoni Woos The Crowd At Middlesex County Breakfast [Hartford Courant]

Quarterback Mike Box leaving Huskies [Norwich Bulletin]

Huskies seeking depth at linebacker [Norwich Bulletin]

Box to leave UConn football program [The Day]

Learning the art of the Pasqualoniese language [The Hour]

Huskies Football Defense Will Be Strong One [Patch.com]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Diana Taurasi Back In Connecticut For Game Against The Sun [Hartford Courant]

Other UConn related links

M. Soccer. Men’s Soccer vs. St. Francis Changed To Saturday at 1 p.m. [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Soccer. Women’s Soccer Earns First Victory With 3-0 Shutout Over Colgate [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Soccer. UConn women’s soccer wins 2nd game [Norwich Bulletin]

Baseball. Springer used to waiting, and Astros fans will wait, too [CT Post]

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