After falling last night, the Boston Red Sox look to get back on the winning side of things in the second game of a four-game set against the Texas Rangers tonight at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Today’s first pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. and will be broadcast in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the Rangers broadcast area, you can catch the game on Fox Sports Southwest. If you don’t live in either market, you may be in luck as the MLB Network is also scheduled to have coverage of tonight’s game. And if you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2011 Red Sox Radio Network.

John Lackey makes his 22nd start of 2011 tonight for the Red Sox. In his previous 21 starts, he is 11-9 with a 6.02 ERA. He’s made one start against the Rangers this season, taking the loss on April 2nd when he allowed nine runs in 3.2 innings of work. He’s made 34 career starts against the Rangers and is 11-13 with a 6.07 ERA. Including his start this season, Lackey has made 17 of those 34 starts at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington where he is 6-6 with a 6.78 ERA.

Colby Lewis toes the rubber for the 26th time in 2011. In his previous 25 starts, Lewis is 11-8 with a 3.83 ERA. In his lone start of 2011 against the Red Sox, he was matched up with Lackey on April 2nd. Lewis picked up the win in that game after allowing three runs in six innings of work. He’s made nine career appearances (five starts) against the Red Sox and is 2-1 with a 3.38 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:

77-50		74-55
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Ian Kinsler	2B
2. Marco Scutaro	SS	2. Elvis Andrus	SS
3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B	3. Josh Hamilton	LF
4. Dustin Pedroia	2B	4. Michael Young	3B
5. Josh Reddick	RF	5. Nelson Cruz	RF
6. Jed Lowrie	3B	6. Mike Napoli	DH
7. Carl Crawford	LF	7. Mitch Moreland	1B
8. Ryan Lavarnway	DH	8. Yorvit Torrealba	C
9. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C	9. Endy Chavez	CF
John Lackey	SP	Colby Lewis	SP

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

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

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Who is the right choice to be the Red Sox’ right fielder in the playoffs? [Clubhouse Insider]

Running man: David Ortiz tests injured heel, may play Wednesday [Clubhouse Insider]

How Jarrod Saltalamacchia passed the Rangers’ test of his throwing arm [Clubhouse Insider]

Rangers a daunting playoff foe for Sox [CSN New England]

Williams clears waivers, sent to Pawtucket [CSN New England]

Notes: Ellsbury returns to lineup [CSN New England]

Video: Sox turn to Lackey [ESPN Boston]

Video: Picking an AL MVP [ESPN Boston]

Ortiz runs on heel, says he feels ready to return [ESPN Boston]

Ellsbury back in lineup [ESPN Boston]

Sox try to break Rangers’ spell [ESPN Boston]

More hockey at Fenway this winter [Extra Bases]

What the heck is going on? [Extra Bases]

It’s 108 in Texas … let’s play baseball [Extra Bases]

Ortiz after running: ‘I felt all right’ [Extra Bases]

Kalish returns to AAA disabled list [Extra Bases]

Jackie Bradley makes Red Sox debut [Extra Bases]

A lost season: A look at Carl Crawford’s first 100 games with the Red Sox [Full Count]

Buster Olney on M&M: Red Sox unlikely to find help on August trade market [Full Count]

Dog Days of August Taking Toll on Red Sox, Rest of MLB [NESN.com]

Jacoby Ellsbury Has Opportunity to Show True Value to Red Sox Upon Return in Texas [NESN.com]

Hurricane Irene on Path to Boston, Sure to Impact Red Sox Series With Oakland [NESN.com]

Red Sox Prospects Will Middlebrooks, Alex Wilson Share Thoughts on Playing at Fenway, Getting Promoted to Triple-A (Video) [NESN.com]

Video: David Ortiz Feels Good After Testing Heel With Some Running, Just About Set to Return to Lineup [NESN.com]

Texas troubles another reason Sox should want to win AL East [Projo Sox Blog]

Bowden keeps mowing hitters down [Projo Sox Blog]

Williams back with PawSox, Kalish DL’ed [Projo Sox Blog]

Ortiz runs on the field, could return Wednesday [Projo Sox Blog]

Tazawa not thinking about September yet [Projo Sox Blog]

Ellsbury returns to lineup [Projo Sox Blog]

McDonald could be key come October [Projo Sox Blog]

Lackey is picking up steam in second half [RedSox.com]

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

Photo credits: Getty Images, AP Photo

Dating back to the 2010 season, Mike Napoli had homered in his last three appearances against the Boston Red Sox. He had one in his final game against them in 2010 as a member of the Los Angeles Angels and then one each in his two games earlier this season with the Texas Rangers.

Well now let’s make it four games in-a-row as his three-run home run against Erik Bedard was the straw that broke the Red Sox’s back in the Rangers 4-0 win on Monday night.

With the New York Yankees off last night, the Red Sox only lose a ½ game in the standings and sit one game behind for the lead in the AL East. The Red Sox do lead the Tampa Bay Rays by 7.5 games in the AL Wild Card standings.

C.J. Wilson has pretty much owned the Red Sox during his career as a reliever and a starter. Monday night was no different.

While they did work some counts and got his pitch count up, they really couldn’t do anything against him.  He allowed just four hits and two walks while striking out four in 6.2 innings. They definitely didn’t take advantage of their rare chances against him either.

After two base runners reached in the 1st with two outs, Wilson got Jed Lowrie to ground into a fielder’s choice. In the 7th after Lowrie singled and Ryan Lavarnway walked with one out, Wilson ended his night by getting Carl Crawford to ground into a fielder’s choice. Koji Uehara made quick work of Jarrod Saltalamacchia by getting him to ground out.

I must say this. I am quite impressed with Lavarnway’s plate discipline. In all four plate appearances, he went to a full count all four times. He didn’t end up with a hit but did walk two times while striking out.

Honestly, I don’t think Bedard pitched all that badly. He was hurt by a bad call from the umpire in the 3rd and one bad pitch to Napoli with two strikes in the count in the 6th inning.

With a runner on first base in the 3rd, Ian Kinsler lined one to right field where Josh Reddick made the catch or so we thought. The umpire ruled he trapped it. And of course, the next batter in Elvis Andrus lined a single to bring in the first run of the game for the Rangers.

The big blow though came on a 1-2 count though. After Bedard had gotten strike two on a fastball inside and low, he called Salty to the mound and told him what he wanted. What he wanted to throw was a high fastball. Well that was a mistake as Napoli blasted it out of the park. With the way he had been throwing before that, it’s quite possible this game ends 1-0 and not 4-0.

Against good pitching like the Rangers got on Monday night, it might not have mattered whether or not the Red Sox had Jacoby Ellsbury or David Ortiz in the lineup. The good news though is the Red Sox should get Ellsbury back tonight. At this point any little thing like this can only help.

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

Boiler Room: The Red Sox’ wild ride at the deadline to sign draftees [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Degree of difficulty [Boston Globe]

Miller earns another start [Boston Globe]

Reddick can’t catch a break [Boston Globe]

Sox can’t handle heat [Boston Herald]

Pitchers take high road in dealing with Pedroia [Boston Herald]

Don’t mess with Texas [Boston Herald]

All’s now going wrong [Boston Herald]

Sox bats don’t make trip to Texas, fall 4-0 [CSN New England]

Nation STATion: Nine innings, nine pitchers [CSN New England]

Notes: Bedard suffers tough-luck loss [CSN New England]

Bedard good, but Wilson’s better [ESPN Boston]

Video: Sox turn to Lackey [ESPN Boston]

Texas Rangers’ Mike Napoli makes Boston Red Sox pay with homer [ESPN Boston]

Adrian Beltre has an idea what Carl Crawford is going through [Full Count]

Closing Time: Red Sox shutout for the ninth time this season, fall to Rangers [Full Count]

Josh Reddick said he made the catch, and so did the rest of the Red Sox [Full Count]

Video: Ryan Lavarnway Continues to Adjust to Life in Major Leagues With Help From Jason Varitek, Jarrod Saltalamacchia [NESN.com]

Video: Josh Reddick Says He’s ‘100 Percent Sure’ He Caught Michael Young’s Flyball in Loss to Rangers [NESN.com]

Video: Erik Bedard’s Otherwise Impressive Start Ruined by One Pitch Resulting in Mike Napoli’s Home Run [NESN.com]

Wilson masterful, Napoli devastating for Texas [Providence Journal]

Pedroia’s stalwart defense helps his MVP chances [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Buchholz’s back is on the mend [Providence Journal]

What we learned Monday night: Red Sox fans should remember the name ‘C.J. Wilson’ [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 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 credits: Getty Images, 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

2011 Big East Preview [College Football Zealots]

Big East 2011 College Football Previews [The XLog]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Maya Moore Now Has Her Own Bobblehead Doll [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Huskies Slam TDT Slammers in Florence [UConnHuskies.com]

Sun’s Montgomery plays like her old self [Norwich Bulletin]

Other UConn related links

W. Volleyball. Huskies Open 2011 With Blue vs. White Scrimmage [UConnHuskies.com]

Interim UConn AD on job: ‘It could be’ permanent [CT Post]

Paul Pendergast vows to mend fences [New Haven Register]

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

After taking three-of-four in Kansas City, the Boston Red Sox head to Texas where the nightmare start of 2011 began. Tonight they’ll kickoff a four-game set with the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Today’s first pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. and will be broadcast in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the Rangers broadcast area, you can catch the game on Fox Sports Southwest. If you don’t live in either market, you may be in luck as the MLB Network is also scheduled to have coverage of tonight’s game. And if you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2011 Red Sox Radio Network.

Erik Bedard makes his fourth start for the Red Sox since coming over from the Seattle Mariners where he made 16 starts. In his previous 19 starts, Bedard is 4-8 with a 3.44 ERA. In his three starts with the Red Sox, he is 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA. He’s made two starts against the Rangers this year, both as a member of the Mariners. In those two starts, he is 0-1 with a 3.75 ERA (5 ER/12 IP). He’s made 13 career starts against the Rangers and is 4-3 with a 3.22 ERA. Five of those starts have come in Arlington where he is 1-2 with a 5.81 ERA.

C.J. Wilson makes his 27th start of 2011 for the Rangers. In his previous 26 starts, Wilson is 12-5 with a 3.20 ERA. In his lone start against the Red Sox back on Opening Day, he picked up a no decision after allowing four runs (two earned) in 5.2 innings. He’s had good success against the Red Sox in his career. In 16 appearances (four starts), Wilson is 3-1 with a 1.69 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 this evening’s lineups:

77-49		73-55
1. Marco Scutaro	SS	1. Ian Kinsler	2B
2. Darnell McDonald	CF	2. Elvis Andrus	SS
3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B	3. Josh Hamilton	LF
4. Dustin Pedroia	2B	4. Michael Young	3B
5. Jed Lowrie	3B	5. Nelson Cruz	RF
6. Ryan Lavarnway	DH	6. Mike Napoli	DH
7. Carl Crawford	LF	7. Mitch Moreland	1B
8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C	8. Yorvit Torrealba	C
9. Josh Reddick	RF	9. Craig Gentry	CF
Erik Bedard	SP	C.J. Wilson	SP

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

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

Felger & Mazz: First Place Is A Big Deal For This Team [CBS Boston]

Rangers GM Jon Daniels still sweet on Salty [Clubhouse Insider]

Ellsbury to return Tues.; Drew to start rehab Fri.; Buchholz update [Clubhouse Insider]

Nation STATion: One run at a time [CSN New England]

Crawford says he’ll do better… for fantasy [CSN New England]

Report: Francona: Ellsbury likely to return Tuesday [CSN New England]

Notes: Buchholz, Ortiz among others on the mend [CSN New England]

A Rangers introduction from ESPN Dallas [ESPN Boston]

Video: Red Sox-Rangers preview [ESPN Boston]

Sox will have their hands full in Texas [ESPN Boston]

Sox, Rangers kick off four-game series in Texas [ESPN Boston]

Ortiz eyes Tuesday return; Drew set for rehab [ESPN Boston]

Boston Red Sox’s Jacoby Ellsbury sits out for 3rd straight game [ESPN Boston]

Miller to start Thursday; Wake on Friday [ESPN Boston]

Buchholz says he’ll be back this year [ESPN Boston]

Scouting the opponent: Boston Red Sox [ESPN Dallas]

What to watch against the Red Sox [ESPN Dallas]

Ask Nick: Feeling their pain [Extra Bases]

Texas trouble for Red Sox in recent years [Extra Bases]

Plenty of pre-game news from Texas [Extra Bases]

Federowicz Adjusting Well After Trade [MiLB.com]

Sea Dogs Knuckleballer Charlie Haeger Looking to Follow Tim Wakefield, Make a Name for Himself With Red Sox [NESN.com]

Red Sox Might Need One Strong Showing in Texas Before October [NESN.com]

Andrew Miller to Start Thursday in Texas, Tim Wakefield to Make Sixth Attempt at Win No. 200 on Friday at Home [NESN.com]

J.D. Drew Expected to Start Rehab Assignment Friday, Be Activated by Red Sox Sept. 1 [NESN.com]

Erik Bedard Set to Face Stiffest Test as Member of Red Sox Against Potent Rangers Lineup in Texas [NESN.com]

Carl Yastrzemski Celebrating 72nd Birthday on Monday, Continues to Be Revered as a Boston Legend [NESN.com]

Video: Clay Buchholz Progressing Well in Rehab for Back Injury, Still Hoping to Contribute Again This Season [NESN.com]

Jacoby Ellsbury Expected to Return to Action Tuesday in Texas [NESN.com]

Video: Ryan Lavarnway Continues to Adjust to Life in Major Leagues With Help From Jason Varitek, Jarrod Saltalamacchia [NESN.com]

A Series Matter: Red Sox-Rangers and Playoff Previews [Projo Sox Blog]

Weaver extension takes possible Red Sox target off the table [Projo Sox Blog]

Chili Davis can understand what Ryan Kalish is going through [Projo Sox Blog]

Miller to start Thursday, Wakefield pushed to Friday [Projo Sox Blog]

Ellsbury aiming for Tuesday return [Projo Sox Blog]

Buchholz making progress, hopeful of return [Projo Sox Blog]

Drew scheduled for rehab games [Projo Sox Blog]

Top-notch offenses of Boston, Texas set to clash [RedSox.com]

Red Sox, Bedard draw potential playoff challenger [RedSox.com]

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

Photo credits: Reuters Pictures, AP Photo

You certainly couldn’t tell that the Boston Red Sox were without three of their All-Star players in David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury on Sunday afternoon. Especially when you’re getting contributions from Darnell McDonald, Ryan Lavarnway and Jason Varitek.

Those three players had strong afternoons in helping the Red Sox to a 6-1 win over the Kansas City Royals in the series finale. And even though the Red Sox won, they remain a ½ behind the New York Yankees since they also won on Sunday.

After achieving folk hero status in 2010, DMac has slipped off the radar a little bit. He had a poor start to the 2011 season but after a stint on the DL, his numbers have improved. After a single in the 4th, it looked like his bad ways would continue when he was made a baserunning error.

However, he would redeem himself in the 6th with a solo home run that gave the Red Sox a 2-0 lead. They had gotten the lead in the 5th when Varitek hit his first triple since 2007 to drive in Jed Lowrie who had led off the inning with an infield single.

Lavarnway may find himself back in Triple-A when Big Papi returns possibly during this four-game set in Texas. But once again he helped out with another two hits and added the second RBI of his young career. That RBI came in the 7th when he just missed his first career home run by about a foot or so. It ended up being a double that knocked in Adrian Gonzalez who had singled earlier in the inning to drive in a run.

Heck even Carl Crawford got in on the action with a solo home run, a monstrous 437 foot blast to right center.

Jon Lester started this one for the Red Sox and while not spectacular, he got the job done. With a tight strike zone like the one Jim Reynolds had on Sunday afternoon, it was hard for Lester to be great. He uncharacteristically walked four batters as as result of the strike zone. But like a good pitcher, Lester kept battling and gave his team the chance to win.

He ran into some trouble in the 7th inning when he allowed a lead-off triple and a walk. He was chased from the game with a 3-1 lead after Mike Moustakas brought in KC’s first run of the game with a single. He gave way to Daniel Bard who inherited two runners. By the time all was said and done in the 7th, those two inherited runners were left stranded on the bases.

Although they were spanked 10-0 on Sunday, the Texas Rangers are still one of the hotter teams in the MLB right now. And we know the Red Sox would like none better than to exact some revenge on the Rangers who took the first three games of the 2011 season from the Red Sox.

Whether it might be an ALDS or ALCS preview remains to be seen right now. But you can bet that while the Red sox will look for the revenge factor, these upcoming four games should be fun to watch.

Hopefully the role players can do their jobs for the Red Sox and back up what we hope to be some strong starting pitching.

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

Stitched-up Sox [Boston Globe]

Varitek gets up to speed [Boston Globe]

If team can stay on track, Game 1 starter pick a real horse race [Boston Globe]

Shorthanded Sox get road boost from Jon Lester, Bard [Boston Herald]

Darnell McDonald delivers against lefty [Boston Herald]

Jarrod Saltalamacchia emerges as reliable No. 1 catcher [Boston Herald]

Under the microscope: Carl Crawford [Boston Herald]

Sox take series finale from Royals, 6-1 [CSN New England]

McDonald finds his groove vs. Royals [CSN New England]

Notes: Bard once again rock solid out of pen [CSN New England]

Ortiz takes BP, but not done with boot [ESPN Boston]

Rapid reaction: Sox 6, Royals 1 [ESPN Boston]

Varitek helps fill offensive void [ESPN Boston]

Josh Beckett on his new ’10-5′ rights: ‘It’s a pretty cool thing to have’ [Full Count]

Closing Time: Jon Lester, Darnell McDonald lead the way in Red Sox win over Royals [Full Count]

Daniel Bard showed once again why he loves these sort of moments [Full Count]

Video: Terry Francona Praises Darnell McDonald’s Ability to Provide Offensive Punch Against Left-Handers [NESN.com]

Video: Jon Lester Says Red Sox Bullpen Makes Life Easier for Starters, Discusses Importance of Players Picking Each Other Up [NESN.com]

Video: Jason Varitek Hits First Triple Since 2007, Jokes That He Likes to ‘Space Them Out’ [NESN.com]

Video: Ryan Kalish, Felix Doubront Among Triple-A Players Who Could Help Strengthen Red Sox Roster Down Stretch [NESN.com]

Red Sox Display Ability to Shrug Aside Issues, Show Up and Grind in Winning Series at Kansas City [NESN.com]

This time, Boston’s bullpen comes through [Providence Journal]

Red Sox have to show that they can compete in Texas [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Even while playing DH, Lavarnway works hard on his defense [Providence Journal]

Noting the Red Sox [Nuggetpalooza]

Why Erik Bedard might be a better fit in Boston than many imagined [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

For Red Sox, time to hone in on the Rangers [Tony Massarotti – Boston Globe]

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 Kansas City Star and the Topeka Capital-Journal websites.

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 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

Wreh-Wilson grows into Division I standout [GoErie.com]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Player Profile: DeAndre Daniels [UConn Huskies Basketball]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Auriemma Comments On Hathaway’s Departure [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Day Five in Italy; Team Moves on to Florence [UConnHuskies.com]

Other UConn related links

Paul Pendergast Named Interim Director of Athletics [UConnHuskies.com]

Field Hockey. Field Hockey Tops Boston College In Exhibition [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Volleyball. Volleyball Blue vs. White Match Time Change [UConnHuskies.com]

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