The last time the Boston Red Sox faced Seattle Mariners starter Charlie Furbush, he was pitching for the Detroit Tigers and shut them down. For the most part on Sunday afternoon, the song remained the same as the Red Sox would only get to him for a run in their 5-3 loss.

In that outing for Detroit in May, the Red Sox managed just two hits off of him while striking out six times in five innings. On Sunday, they once again had six strikeouts (five of them came in the first three innings) and managed just four hits in seven innings off of Furbush who grew up in South Portland, ME rooting for the Red Sox.

Career win No. 200 is going to have to wait again for Tim Wakefield as he took the complete game loss on Sunday. A rough third inning did him on Sunday afternoon although the umpires may have helped him out (not in a good way) as well.

Leadoff walks will kill ya and the one he issued to Casper Wells to start the third did. With Jack Wilson at the plate, Wells stole second and took third on Jarrod Saltalamacchia‘s throwing error. He came into score on Wilson’s infield single. Kyle Seager followed that up with a single.

Wake then got Ichiro to hit a grounder to Adrian Gonzalez who went to second with the Jed Lowrie covering to try and get the front end of a possible double play. It was thought that Lowrie got the out at second but the second base umpire ruled that Lowrie never touched the bag as he had gotten out of the way of the slide.

This left the bases loaded for the M’s and they would capitalize getting two more runs in the inning. With the way Furbush was pitching, that would be all they needed.

The Red Sox did cut the lead to 5-3 in the 8th on a Kevin Youkilis homer but that’s as close as they would get.

With the New York Yankees being rained out on Sunday, the Red Sox remain a ½ game ahead of them for first place in the AL East. The local nine is off today but the Yankees are in action so it’s quite possible that when the Red Sox take the field tomorrow afternoon in the first game of a day-night doubleheader, they’re tied for first place.

With the Red Sox off for the day, we’ll be back in a short while with the pitching matchups for the three-game, two-day set with the Tampa Bay Rays. 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

Why Ryan Lavarnway became one who didn’t get away from Red Sox [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

With Lowrie off base, Sox tagged with a loss [Boston Globe]

Youkilis back with a bang [Boston Globe]

Wait is starting to get heavy for Wakefield [Boston Globe]

Tim Wakefield watch continues [Boston Herald]

David Wright knows how Clay Buchholz feels [Boston Herald]

Red Sox just above average this month [Boston Herald]

Jed Lowrie gets safe-ty squeezed [Boston Herald]

Sox fall to M’s again, 5-3 [CSN New England]

‘Wake Watch’ now in full effect [CSN New England]

Notes: Lowrie, Francona baffled by ump’s safe call [CSN New England]

Rapid reaction: Mariners 5, Sox 3 [ESPN Boston]

Youk homers in return to lineup [ESPN Boston]

Tim Wakefield, Boston Red Sox try to refocus their efforts [ESPN Boston]

Red Sox draftee Senquez Golson flying to Boston [Full Count]

Tim Wakefield Falls Short in Fourth Attempt at Win No. 200, But Still Gives Red Sox Quality Effort Despite Loss [NESN.com]

Video: Tim Wakefield Staying Focused on Giving Red Sox Quality Innings, Not Concerned With Pursuit of 200th Win [NESN.com]

Video: Terry Francona Says Red Sox Just Need to Play Better, Score More Runs When Calls Don’t Go Their Way [NESN.com]

Video: Outfielder Trayvon Robinson Surprised by Trade to Mariners, But Proud to Be Part of Rebuilding Process [NESN.com]

Charlie Furbush Proving to Be Thorn in Red Sox’ Side Early in Major League Career [NESN.com]

Questionable call costs Wakefield 200th career win [Providence Journal]

Wakefield’s road to milestone takes another detour [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Workhorse Albers deserved an even break [Providence Journal]

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 Oregonian, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle Times and Tacoma Tribune websites. You can also check out our Bloguin brother, Mariner Mayhem.

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.

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

UConn Football links

UConn defensive coordinator Don Brown proves himself to be a two-faced genius [The Hour]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Player Profile: Shabazz Napier [UConn Huskies Basketball]

Other UConn related links

M. Soccer. Men’s Soccer Downs NJIT In Exhibition, 2-0 [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Soccer. Women’s Soccer Defeats Boston College in Final Exhibition Game, 2-1 [UConnHuskies.com]

M. Ice Hockey. Men’s Hockey Adds Rich McKenna To Coaching Staff [UConnHuskies.com]

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

After falling last night, the Boston Red Sox look to take the rubber game in the finale of a three-game set with the Seattle Mariners this afternoon at Safeco Field.

Today’s first pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. and will be broadcast in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the Mariners broadcast area, you can catch the game on ROOT Sports. 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 makes his fourth attempt at career win No. 200 in his 17th start (26th appearance) of 2011. He’s made two starts against the Mariners this year and is 1-0 with a 6.00 ERA (8 ER/12 IP). In his previous 25 appearances (16 starts), Wake is 6-4 with a 4.92 ERA. He’s made 29 appearances (19 starts) against the Mariners in his career and is 5-10 with a 4.32 ERA. 11 of those appearances (six starts) in the Emerald City, Wake is 1-4 with a 4.89 ERA.

Charlie Furbush makes his fourth appearance (third start) for the Mariners since coming over from the Detroit Tigers in a trade. Between both teams, Furbush has made 20 appearances (four starts) and is 2-4 with a 4.46 ERA. His lone career appearance against the Red Sox came on May 27th as a member of the Tigers. In that appearance, he didn’t allow any runs while giving up two hits with six strikeouts over five innings.

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 lineups:

73-45		51-67
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Ichiro Suzuki	RF
2. Dustin Pedroia	2B	2. Franklin Gutierrez	CF
3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B	3. Dustin Ackley	2B
4. Kevin Youkilis	3B	4. Mike Carp	1B
5. David Ortiz	DH	5. Wily Mo Pena	DH
6. Jed Lowrie	SS	6. Miguel Olivo	C
7. Carl Crawford	LF	7. Casper Wells	LF
8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C	8. Jack Wilson	SS
9. Darnell McDonald	RF	9. Kyle Seager	3B
Tim Wakefield	SP	Charlie Furbush	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

Tim Wakefield goes way back with Mariners bench coach Robby Thompson [Clubhouse Insider]

Notes: Buchholz open to a bullpen role [CSN New England]

Wakefield takes another try at 200th career win [ESPN Boston]

Quiet morning in Seattle [Extra Bases]

Rays shuffle rotation after rainout [Extra Bases]

Will Tim Wakefield’s No. 49 Be Retired by the Red Sox Someday? [NESN.com]

Red Sox Put Streak of Road Dominance On Line at Seattle [NESN.com]

Video: Red Sox Manager Terry Francona Trusts Bench Coach DeMarlo Hale at Helm After Ejection [NESN.com]

Video: Red Sox Focused on Signing Amateur Draftees as Deadline Approaches [NESN.com]

Albers gets back on track after breather [Projo Sox Blog]

Rich Hill ahead of schedule — but not too far ahead of schedule [Projo Sox Blog]

Red Sox set rotation for Tampa Bay doubleheader [Projo Sox Blog]

Wakefield goes after elusive 200th win in Seattle [RedSox.com]

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

Photo credits: Getty Images, Getty Images

With Josh Beckett on the hill for the Boston Red Sox last night, we knew it might be another one of those nights for the offense since they had averaged 3.17 runs in Beckett’s starts this season. They did get four runs for him but unfortunately it wasn’t enough as they fell 5-4 to the Seattle Mariners.

The reason four runs wasn’t enough for the Red Sox is the fact that Beckett had an uncharacteristic bad 1st inning. And by bad, I mean awful.

Ichiro Suzuki took the first pitch he saw from Beckett and took it out of the park for a home run. The Mariners followed that up with three straight hits and just like that it was 3-0. Two batters later, it was 5-0 when Casper Wells hit a two run blast.

The Red Sox had a run taken away from in the 4th inning on a disputed call at home plate. Before I describe the play, I will say that without a doubt, the umpires ended up getting the call right. Some Red Sox fans won’t agree with me but honestly the umpires got it right.

Dustin Pedroia hit a fly ball to right field to Ichiro. Jacoby Ellsbury tagged up and made his way home colliding with Josh Bard after Ichiro’s throw was perfect. As Bard was laying on the ground, home plate umpire Mark Ripperger called Ellsbury safe. Mariners starter Felix Hernandez along with manager Eric Wedge protested the call.

After some consultation with his fellow umpires, Ellsbury was ruled out on the play. This brought out Terry Francona to argue the call and eventually find himself tossed from the game. He would eject the umpire on his way out. Francona said after the game he never received an explanation of why the call was reversed.

With watching the game on television at home, we were privy to some slo-mo replays of the play at the plate. You could see Bard showing the ball to Ripperger who must have initially thought Bard dropped the ball. The replay showed he did drop the ball on his chest protector but that was AFTER he had shown the ball to Ripperger.

It would end up that the disputed call would turn out to be the difference in the game.

In the 6th inning, the Red Sox would finally get to King Felix when Ellsbury and Pedroia would each hit two-run homers. But that’s all they would get as Jamey Wright and Brandon League would shut them down the rest of the way.

Tough loss for the Red Sox even if the umpire got the call right. It was definitely not what expected from Beckett either. The good thing that despite his high pitch count early on, Beckett settled down and kept the score where it was. In the end, it just wasn’t enough.

The loss coupled with the New York Yankees win over the Rays cuts the lead in the AL East back to a game over the Yankees. A win today would be a nice thing before heading into tomorrow’s off day.

We’ll be back in a while with this afternoon’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. 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

Sox can’t recover [Boston Globe]

Ortiz sure looks like a keeper [Boston Globe]

Blasts from the past [Boston Globe]

Sox can’t climb out [Boston Herald]

Phocus needed as Sox near October [Boston Herald]

Beckett gets Sox off to a rough start [Boston Herald]

Wily Mo back with a bang [Boston Herald]

Drew mulls surgery [Boston Herald]

Wake goes back [Boston Herald]

Beware the Rays [Boston Herald]

Jacoby Ellsbury: ‘From my angle, it looked like he got the call right’ [Clubhouse Insider]

Beckett’s blue after a rare rough outing [CSN New England]

J.D. Drew will play through pain [CSN New England]

Notes: Sox again cross paths with Wily Mo [CSN New England]

Rapid reaction: Mariners 5, Red Sox 4 [ESPN Boston]

Reversed call adds to Red Sox troubles [ESPN Boston]

Beckett gives up 5 in first, and Sox can’t make up the difference [Providence Journal]

Reddick delivers with 2 strikes [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Trayvon Robinson knew it wasn’t meant to be [Providence Journal]

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 Oregonian, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle Times and Tacoma Tribune websites. You can also check out our Bloguin brother, Mariner Mayhem.

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.

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

UConn Football links

Expansion: Now I get it [John Silver – Journal Inquirer]

Chasing Orlovsky: Can UConn QBs come close to its finest QB’s numbers? [CT Post]

UConn Reserve Corners Waiting Their Turn [Hartford Courant]

UConn seeks solutions for shrunken receiver corps in football [Norwich Bulletin]

Reyes wants to make that leap from UConn to NFL [Nashua Telegraph]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Iverson to Visit Syracuse [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Incoming freshman DeAndre Daniels finds his footing [New Haven Register]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Banks opening some eyes; a little recruiting update [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Recruiting Update [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Bria Hartley returns with poise after international experience [Norwich Bulletin]

Other UConn related links

M. Soccer. Men’s Soccer Exhibition Cancelled Due To Inclement Weather [UConnHuskies.com]

WE WERE THINKING: Remembering Dave Solomon [New Haven Register]

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