After sweeping the Seattle Mariners over the weekend, the Boston Red Sox will now play their next 14 games against foes from the AL Central. They’ll start tonight as they finish up the seven-game homestand at Historic Fenway Park with the first of a four-game set against the Kansas City Royals.

Tonight’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and the game will be broadcast in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the Royals  television market, you can watch the game on FOX Sports Kansas City. And if you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2011 Red Sox Radio Network.

Here is the latest weather update from the Red Sox:

The current weather forecast (provided by the Red Sox private weather service, Telvent DTN) in the vicinity of Fenway Park calls for rain showers during the early evening hours. Conditions are expected to improve as the evening progresses. All Fenway Park gates opened as regularly scheduled. The Red Sox are hopeful that tonight’s game against the Kansas City Royals, which is scheduled to start at 7:10 p.m., will be played. However, the Red Sox want to alert our fans to the possibility of a delay. This forecast is of course subject to change as the evening progresses. Additional updates will be provided as necessary.

Jon Lester returns from the disabled list tonight to make his first since start since leaving his last start on July 5th with a lat strain. Lester has made 18 starts in 2011 and is 10-4 with a 3.31 ERA. Lester has made five career starts against the Royals and is 4-1 with a 1.22 ERA (5 ER/37 IP). Four of those starts have come at the Fens where he is 4-0 with a 0.28 ERA (1 ER/32 IP). One of those four starts at Fenway includes his only career no-hitter on May 19, 2008.

Kyle Davies looks for just his second win in his 14th start of 2011. In his previous 13 starts, Davies is 1-9 with a 7.32 ERA. He faced the Red Sox twice last season going 1-0 with a 6.55 ERA (8 ER/11 IP). He’s made three career starts against the Red Sox and is 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA (8 ER/16 IP). Two of those starts have come at the Fens where he is 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA (5 ER/10 IP).

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

Here are this evening’s lineups:

42-59		62-37
1. Alex Gordon	LF	1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF
2. Melky Cabrera	CF	2. Dustin Pedroia	2B
3. Billy Butler	DH	3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B
4. Eric Hosmer	1B	4. Kevin Youkilis	3B
5. Jeff Francoeur	RF	5. David Ortiz	DH
6. Mike Aviles	3B	6. Carl Crawford	LF
7. Brayan Pena	C	7. Josh Reddick	RF
8. Alcides Escobar	SS	8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C
9. Chris Getz	2B	9. Marco Scutaro	SS
Kyle Davies	SP	Jon Lester	SP

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

With Lester returning from the disabled list, J.D. Drew was placed on the disabled list with a left shoulder impingement. Kyle Weiland will head to the bullpen for the time being.

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

Clay Buchholz: ‘Biggest step in right direction so far’ [Clubhouse Insider]

J.D. Drew injury won’t impact how Red Sox approach trade deadline [Clubhouse Insider]

No incentive for Sox to pay for Beltran [CSNNE.com]

Nation STATion: Francona makes history [CSSNE.com]

Buchholz felt ‘better’ after bullpen session Monday [CSNNE.com]

Notes: Lester expected to throw 80-85 pitches [CSNNE.com]

Video: Stark on AL East trade possibilities [ESPN Boston]

Boston Red Sox’s Clay Buchholz says back feels better after bullpen session [ESPN Boston]

Boston Red Sox activate Jon Lester; J.D. Drew (shoulder) to DL [ESPN Boston]

Buchholz throws bullpen [Extra Bases]

Drew placed on the disabled list, Weiland to the bullpen [Extra Bases]

Buchholz: This is the biggest step in the right direction so far [Extra Bases]

Red Sox could look to address future needs at deadline [Full Count]

Red Sox still interested in Ubaldo Jimenez? [Full Count]

Red Sox reportedly have interest in Hiroki Kuroda [Full Count]

Advanced Statistics Don’t Tell Story of Dustin Pedroia’s Gold Glove Caliber Defense [NESN.com]

Red Sox’ J.D. Drew Hits Disabled List, Leaving Team Short on Position Players [NESN.com]

Clay Buchholz Has Successful Bullpen Session, Says He Feels ‘About 80 Percent’ [NESN.com]

Kyle Weiland already preparing for next role [Projo Sox Blog]

J.D. Drew placed on 15-day disabled list [Projo Sox Blog]

Buchholz feels like he’s 75-80 percent healthy after bullpen [Projo Sox Blog]

Lester ready for first start off DL with Royals in town [RedSox.com]

Photo credits: Getty Images, Getty Images

The Seattle Mariners were hoping to stop their 14-game losing streak on Sunday afternoon with All-Star Rookie Michael Pineda. Things were looking good as they got two runs in the first.

But as they’ve done all season long, the offense for the Boston Red Sox made another good pitcher look bad when they got to him for five runs. From there it was almost smooth sailing the rest of the way in a 12-8 win to extend Seattle’s losing streak to 15 games.

The win for the Red Sox keeps them three games ahead of the New York Yankees and 9.5 games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.

Tim Wakefield‘s knuckleball looked like it needed to consult Google maps early on as he was having trouble finding the strike zone. And when he did at least in the 1st inning, the knuckler appeared flat. Seattle took advantage of that getting two runs on a Miguel Olivo home run.

Wake however settled down after that as he made some adjustments. Before allowing another run in the 5th, he allowed just one hit. He even picked up his 2000th career strikeout in a Red Sox uniform becoming just the second Red Sox player to accomplish the feat. Roger Clemens is the other. The funny thing about it was that Wake didn’t even know he had done it until his catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia told him as they were heading back to the dugout.

The 7th inning turned out to be Wake’s undoing though. Fortunately for him, the Red Sox held an 11-3 lead at the time.

After getting the first out of the inning, he gave up three straight singles. The last batter he faced for the day turned out to be Brendan Ryan who ended Wake’s outing with a grand slam. Despite giving up that grand slam, Wake left the game as he got his second standing ovation of the game. Only in Boston do you see that.

Normally the Red Sox offense does most of its collective damage in the 7th inning. Sure they got a run in the 7th yesterday but it was a five-run 1st inning and a five-run 5th inning that helped them to the win.

They jumped on Pineda early as Jacoby Ellsbury continued his tear at the top of the lineup with a double. After a Dustin Pedroia fly out, Adrian Gonzalez brought home Ellsbury with a single. The next batter, Kevin Youkilis, got the Red Sox in front for good with a two-run blast into the Green Monster. The Red Sox didn’t stop there though.

David Ortiz had a wall ball single and went to third on a Carl Crawford double. After Josh Reddick struck out, Jarrod Saltalamacchia continued his rise at the plate with a 2-run single.

They had more fun in the 5th when Gonzo reached on a one-out single. A walk to Youk would end Pineda’s afternoon. Aaron Laffey came in and struggled as he gave up an infield single to Big Papi. Crawford continued his hot hitting ways since returning from the DL with a two-run single which was followed by a Reddick single that scored Ortiz. Salty chased Laffey from the game with a double that brought in his third and fourth RBIs of the afternoon.

The only bad news of the day came after the game when it was reported that J.D. Drew will head to the disabled list with a left shoulder impingement. It’ll be interesting to see what the Red Sox do as far as calling somebody up to replace him. With Jon Lester returning from the DL tonight, they could just make the swap that way. Or they can also send Kyle Weiland down and possibly bring up Drew Sutton to provide a little outfield depth.

It’s definitely fun watching this team right now. It really doesn’t matter if they get behind early on as they have the utmost confidence in their offense to get themselves back from any deficit. And as a pitcher who might be struggling early, that can only help their confidence going forward. If a pitcher can keep them in the game, the offense and bullpen can definitely be relied upon to get the job done.

Since starting the season 2-10, the Red Sox are 60-27. Yes you are reading that right. Unreal huh? Just imagine the possibilities what their record would be like if they hadn’t started that way.

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

A deadline catch: One year after deal, Saltalamacchia flourishes [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

High marks [Boston Globe]

Crawford contributes any way he can [Boston Globe]

All eyes to be on Lester tonight [Boston Globe]

Red Sox pound 17 hits to sink lowly M’s to new depths [Boston Herald]

Setting a torrid pace [Boston Herald]

Red Sox on course for history [Boston Herald]

Carl Crawford quick to recover [Boston Herald]

Jarrod Saltalamacchia is driving force with 4 RBI [Boston Herald]

2,000 K’s: Tim Wakefield odyssey [Boston Herald]

Red Sox explode at the plate to sweep M’s, 12-8 [CSNNE.com]

Drew (shoulder) headed to the disabled list [CSNNE.com]

Crawford finally coming around [CSNNE.com]

Notes: Wakefield gets strikeout No. 2,000 [CSNNE.com]

Wakefield on 2,000 K’s: ‘Pretty special’ [ESPN Boston]

Lester set to return; Drew to DL? [ESPN Boston]

Pedroia on Hall of Fame path? [ESPN Boston]

Red Sox interested in Ian Desmond? [Full Count]

Closing Time: Offense carries Sox to sweep of Mariners [Full Count]

How Tim Wakefield nearly missed his latest milestone [Full Count]

Lester on DL-induced rest: ‘Usually, you don’t feel this good’ [Full Count]

Terry Francona celebrates with a grilled cheese [Full Count]

Carl Crawford looks like himself again and Red Sox are pretty happy about it [Full Count]

Video: Tim Wakefield’s 2,000th Strikeout With Red Sox, Fenway Crowd’s Standing Ovation Gives Jarrod Saltalamacchia Goosebumps [NESN.com]

Video: Tim Wakefield Praises Terry Francona’s Character, Says He’s a Great Manager Who Gets Most Out of His Players [NESN.com]

Carl Crawford Benefiting From Recent Time Off, Making Early-Season Struggles a Distant Memory [NESN.com]

Tim Wakefield Enjoys Emotional Day at Fenway As He Becomes Second Pitcher in Red Sox History to Record 2,000 Strikeouts [NESN.com]

Video: Red Sox Pitching Coach Curt Young Says Jon Lester’s ‘Ready to Go,’ Will Likely Throw 80-85 Pitches in Return Start Monday [NESN.com]

Video: Dustin Pedroia’s Success in First Five Seasons Reminiscent of Hall of Fame Second Baseman Roberto Alomar’s [NESN.com]

Quantifying the defense of Ryan Lavarnway [Projo Sox Blog]

Sox just too hot to touch [Providence Journal]

Crawford’s bat showing signs of life [Providence Journal]

Retired Lowell starts small with coaching gig [Providence Journal]

Roster moves playoff driven [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: 2,000th strikeout a surprise to Wakefield [Providence Journal]

For the Red Sox, no sense in rushing to this deadline [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 Oregonian, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle Times and Tacoma Tribune websites. You can also check out our Bloguin brother, Mariner Mayhem.

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 Men’s Basketball links

Player Profile: Roscoe Smith [UConn Huskies Basketball]

CBB Summer Buzz: UConn Huskies [ESPN Insider]

UConn’s Jeremy Lamb looks to be more consistent, confident in 2011-12 [Examiner.com]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Recruits get glimpse of future on U.S. U-19 team [New Haven Register]

Other UConn related links

UConn issues statement on athletic department review [CT Post]

After extending the Seattle Mariners losing streak to 14 games last night, the Boston Red Sox look to push it to 15 as they go for the sweep in the finale of a three-game set at Historic Fenway Park this afternoon.

Tonight’s first pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. and the game will be broadcast in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the Mariners  television market, you can watch the game on ROOT Sports. If you don’t live in either market, you’re in luck as well as TBS will have coverage of the game. 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 again for career win No. 199 in his 13th start (22nd appearance) of 2011. In his previous 21 appearances (12 starts), Wake is 5-3 with a 4.80 ERA. He’s made one start against the Mariners this season and picked up a no decision after allowing one run in 5.2 innings back on May 1st. He’s made 28 appearances (18 starts) against the Mariners in his career and is 4-10 with a 4.08 ERA.  17 of those appearances (12 starts) have come at the Fens where he is 3-6 with a 3.61 ERA.

Mariners All-Star rookie Michael Pineda will look to try and stop the 14-game losing streak in his 20th start of 2011. In his previous 19 starts, Pineda is 8-6 with a 3.24 ERA. He has not faced the Red Sox in his career.

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

Here are this afternoon’s lineups:

43-57		61-37
1. Ichiro Suzuki	RF	1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF
2. Brendan Ryan	SS	2. Dustin Pedroia	2B
3. Dustin Ackley	2B	3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B
4. Miguel Olivo	C	4. Kevin Youkilis	3B
5. Justin Smoak	1B	5. David Ortiz	DH
6. Mike Carp	LF	6. Carl Crawford	LF
7. Franklin Gutierrez	CF	7. Josh Reddick	RF
8. Jack Cust	DH	8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C
9. Chone Figgins	3B	9. Marco Scutaro	SS
Michael Pineda	SP	Tim Wakefield	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

Notes: Lester on track to start Monday vs. Royals [CSNNE.com]

Tito would rather talk team than 1,000 wins [ESPN Boston]

Francona recalls Hall of Fame inductees [ESPN Boston]

Pregame notes from Fenway Park [Extra Bases]

Red Sox out on Carlos Beltran? [Full Count]

Terry Francona shares memories of newest Hall of Fame inductees [Full Count]

Jon Lester is ‘completely pain-free’ [Full Count]

Red Sox notes: Terry Francona wants RJ to speak up [Full Count]

How Many Times Would Tim Wakefield Strike You Out in Five At-Bats? [NESN.com]

Terry Francona Takes 1,000 Wins Milestone in Stride, Humbled by Those Ahead of Him [NESN.com]

Video: Actors Mike O’Malley of ‘Glee,’ John Slattery of ‘Mad Men’ Support Red Sox Picnic in the Park [NESN.com]

Video: Kevin Youkilis Recalls Cape Cod League As Chance to Prove He Belonged [NESN.com]

Widening Wild Card Races May Impact Landscape as Trade Deadline Approaches [NESN.com]

Thank heaven you’re not a Mariners fan [Projo Sox Blog]

The absolute best thing about Ted Williams hitting .406 in ’41 [Projo Sox Blog]

Seattle rookie Dustin Ackley followed in footsteps of Daniel Bard, Andrew Miller [Projo Sox Blog]

Francona recalls HoF encounters [Projo Sox Blog]

Sox eye sweep while Wake works toward milestone [RedSox.com]

Terry Francona’s path might very well end with a stop in Cooperstown [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]

Red Sox sign veteran knuckleballer Charlie Haeger [SoxProspects.com]

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

At UConn, Social Media A New Tool In Football Recruiting [Hartford Courant]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

After 10 Years At George Washington, Karl Hobbs Is Back At UConn [Hartford Courant]

Jim Calhoun’s Staff [Hartford Courant]

UConn Play Of The Year: A Step-Back In Time, It’s Kemba In A Landslide [Hartford Courant]

Jeremy Lamb ready to take leadership role with Huskies [New Haven Register]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Stewart, DeShields deliver for U.S. again [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Bird, Taurasi among WNBA’s “Top 15” [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Stewart Leads U.S. To Another Easy Win At U-19s [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Postgame Comments From Rizzotti, Dolson, Stewart And Tuck [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi Honored as Two of Top-15 WNBA Players of All-Time [UConnHuskies.com]

Other UConn related links

Sources: UConn negotiating buyout with athletic director [New London Day]

W. Ice Hockey: The puck is her priority [Minneapolis Star-Tribune]

Report: Herbst working to buy out Hathaway’s contract [CT Post]

UConn’s Herbst: University can rival the best in the nation [CT Post]

I WAS THINKING … Will Jeff Hathaway go that-a-way? [New Haven Register]

While the heat wave has been reaching milestone highs this week in New England, there were some other milestones reached on Saturday night at Fenway Park.

Dustin Pedroia extended his hitting streak to a career-high 20 games, Terry Francona got his 1000th win as an MLB manager and oh yeah, the 3-1 win for the Boston Red Sox extended the Seattle Mariners losing streak to 14 games. That 14-game losing streak ties a Mariners franchise record.

For about seven innings with the Red Sox offense being shutdown by Mariners rookie Blake Beavan, it didn’t look like Tito was going to get that 1000th win. And with Josh Beckett on the mound it was probably no surprise to anyone out there that the Red Sox weren’t scoring runs.

The Red Sox always seem to struggle with pitchers they’ve never faced before and giving Beckett just 3.71 runs of support in his starts this season, it looked like more of the same. But they would finally breakthrough in the 7th inning to provide Beckett with his 9th win of 2011.

Over the first six innings, the Red Sox managed six hits off of Beavan. In the 7th inning though it was a different story after Mike Carp had hit a solo home run, his second home run in as many as nights, in the top half of the 7th.

Beavan had actually gotten the first two outs of the inning before giving up a single to Jason Varitek. Marco Scutaro followed that with a ground rule double to right field that got Tek to third. Had an idiot fan not reached over to grab the ball, Tek would have possibly scored to tie the game up.

But Jacoby Ellsbury made sure that Red Sox Nation wouldn’t vilify the stupidity of the fan as his single brought in Tek and Scutaro to give the Red Sox a 2-1 lead and chase Beavan from the game. Former Red Sox pitcher David Pauley came in and gave up a single to Dustin Pedroia that moved Ellsbury to third.

Aaron Laffey came in and allowed Pedroia to steal second with Adrian Gonzalez at the dish. A wild pitch by Laffey allowed Ellsbury to score and make it 3-1.

Daniel Bard took over for Beckett and made things interesting. But after loading up the bases with no outs, he worked himself out of the jam and extended his scoreless streak to 24 innings over his last 23 appearances. Jonathan Papelbon allowed a hit to start the 9th but retired the next three batters to pick up his 23rd save and his second in as many nights.

Another solid effort by Beckett as he was pretty much in control all night long. He mixed up his pitches well and made the right pitches when he needed too. He did get himself in trouble but as he would say, he executed the pitch he wanted at the right time to help himself out.

Now in a few hours, the Red Sox will look to extend the Mariners futility before the Kansas City Royals come to the Fens for a four-game set.

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

Video: Mike Lowell Throws Out First Pitch at Fenway [SOX & Dawgs]

Video: Jerry Remy Calls Mike Lowell an “Arrogant Athlete” [SOX & Dawgs]

Special delivery [Boston Globe]

Francona has managed nicely [Boston Globe]

Beckett holds the fort [Boston Globe]

Lucchino: Sox not shy about making first move [Boston Globe]

No waiting around [Boston Herald]

Josh Beckett cool in duel again [Boston Herald]

Clay Buchholz concerns fuel trade rumors [Boston Herald]

Jarrod Saltalamacchia preps for knuckler [Boston Herald]

Roster equation has ‘X’ factor in Josh Reddick [Boston Herald]

Daniel Bard streaks on [Boston Herald]

What deals should the Red Sox make before trading deadline? [Boston Herald]

Beckett finally gets support, 3-1 [CSNNE.com]

Lowrie working toward return [CSNNE.com]

Ellsbury an MVP candidate [CSNNE.com]

Red Sox notes: Francona wins 1000th [CSNNE.com]

From 0 to 60? Not quite, but Ellsbury on notable HR pace [ESPN Boston]

Rapid reaction: Red Sox 3, Mariners 1 [ESPN Boston]

Bard (barely) keeps scoreless streak alive [ESPN Boston]

Sox manager downplays 1,000-win milestone [ESPN Boston]

Closing Time: Jacoby Ellsbury two-RBI single in seventh gives Red Sox, Josh Beckett win [Full Count]

Josh Beckett, Red Sox offense have mutual understanding [Full Count]

Why Daniel Bard is just nasty good [Full Count]

Trade Deadline: Only Minor Moves Likely For Red Sox, Yankees [Hartford Courant]

Video: Clay Buchholz’s Return Date Still Uncertain, But Strong Play Could Keep Red Sox From Dealing for Pitcher [NESN.com]

Video: Jon Lester Ready to Make Return on Monday, Says There Are No Lingering Issues From Injury [NESN.com]

Video: Seven-Year-Old Kyler Quelch Gets to Live Out Dream During NESN’s Red Sox Telecast [NESN.com]

Video: Heidi Watney Rappels Down Building in Downtown Boston to Help Raise Money for Special Olympics [NESN.com]

Video: Daniel Bard Praises Another Fine Josh Beckett Outing, Says It’s What Team Has ‘Come to Expect’ [NESN.com]

Josh Beckett Dominates Mariners Long Enough for Red Sox Offense to Pick Him Up, Reward Him With Win [NESN.com]

Beckett brilliant; Ellsbury again key to win [Providence Journal]

Chasing .400: Williams’ feat in ’41 has stood for 70 years, and players doubt it will be repeated [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Francona notches 1,000th win as manager [Providence Journal]

Francona earns 1,000th managerial win [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 Oregonian, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle Times and Tacoma Tribune websites. You can also check out our Bloguin brother, Mariner Mayhem.

Photo credit: Getty Images, AP Photo