For the third straight week, a member of the Boston Red Sox has won the American League Player of the Week honors. Here’s the release from MLB:

Boston Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury has been named the American League Player of the Week for the period ending June 12th. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network.

In six games, Ellsbury batted .467 (14-for-30) with three doubles, one home run, four RBI and 10 runs scored on his way to earning his first career A.L. Player of the Week honor and the third in as many weeks for the Red Sox. Teammates Carl Crawford (week ending May 30th) and David Ortiz (week ending June 6th) each captured the award the previous two weeks. The fifth-year veteran led the A.L. in runs scored and hits, was tied for second in stolen bases (2), was third in batting average and was tied for fourth in on-base percentage (.500) and total bases (20).

On June 7th at Yankee Stadium, Ellsbury led off with a home run and later doubled as the Red Sox topped the Yankees, 6-4, in the opener of a three-game set. It was his fourth career leadoff home run and his first since September 26, 2008. On Thursday, the 23rd overall pick of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored as the Red Sox defeated the Yankees, 8-3, sweeping their rivals for the second time in 2011. 

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Boston has won eight of nine games this season against the Bronx Bombers, with Ellsbury hitting .371 (13-for-35) with four doubles, one home run, six RBI and seven runs scored against the Yanks this season. On June 10th, the Madras, Oregon native went 3-for-5 with a double and three runs scored as Boston topped the Blue Jays, 5-1, at the Rogers Centre. It was ninth time this season that Ellsbury has collected at least three hits in a game. On Sunday, the Oregon State University product singled twice and scored three runs as the Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 14-1, extending their current winning streak to nine games and completing their third consecutive sweep.

Ellsbury is in the midst of a 10-game hitting streak, batting .429 (21-for-49) with four doubles, one home run, six RBI and five stolen bases over the stretch, and has recorded multiple hits in six consecutive games. He has hit safely in 16 of his last 17 contests. Heading into play today, the 27-year-old leads the A.L. in stolen bases (24), is second in hits (84) and doubles (21), third in runs scored (49), sixth in batting average (.318) and 11th in on-base percentage (.376).

Other noteworthy performances from this past week include Ellsbury’s Red Sox teammates Adrian Gonzalez (.364, 4 2B, 10 RBI), David Ortiz (.320, 4 HR, 13 RBI) and Jon Lester (2-0, 2.57 ERA, 13 K); Yankees designated hitter Jorge Posada (.611, 11 H, .611 SLG, .600 OBP); Detroit Tigers outfielder Brennan Boesch (.419, 13 H, 3 HR, 7 RBI, .806 SLG); Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko (.393, 4 HR, 7 RBI, .857 SLG); and Minnesota Twins starting pitchers Scott Baker (2-0, 2.25 ERA, 16.0 IP, 1 CG, 12 K, 0 BB) and Francisco Liriano (1-1, 0.69 ERA, 13.0 IP, 16 K, carried no-hitter into 8th inning vs. Texas on Sunday).

The winner of the American League Player of the Week, Jacoby Ellsbury, will be awarded a watch courtesy of Game Time, the leader in licensed sports watches, available at MLB.com.

Photo credit: AP Photo

Lost in the nine-game winning streak the Boston Red Sox have after their sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays is the fact the starters have gotten the decisions in the last seven games. Sure the offense has been rolling over the length of this streak but it’s hard to overlook the starters.

Of course when the starters are staked to big leads, it is a lot easier for them to pitch. It allows them to pound the zone and let the defense do the work.

After a dominant April, Jon Lester had his struggles in the month of May. But he’s started to turn it back around again, especially after a dominant performance on Sunday.

The only mistake he made was to the probably the best home run hitter in baseball right now in Jose Bautista. Other than that, Lester was pretty much unhittable. He had great life and command of his fastball and used his cutter effectively. The greatest part of his outing was his efficiency.

Lester needed just 102 pitches to get through eight innings. He allowed just two hits, one walk and struck out eight while lowering his ERA to 3.73. With the win, he now has nine on the season which is tops in the American League and is also tied with Roy Halladay for the most in all of MLB.

The Red Sox offense put up 16 runs on Saturday afternoon and followed that up with 14 on Sunday.

Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz led the way for the visiting nine with four RBIs each. They each hit a home run with Big Papi hitting a three-run jack off of Jays starter Kyle Drabek. The three-run homer for Ortiz was his second in as many days. Youk’s home run was a two-run shot in the 9th off of Jon Rauch.

Adrian Gonzalez continues to light up AL pitching as he had two more hits and two RBIs. The two RBIs gives Gonzalez a MLB-leading 60. The amazing part of that is the fact that he’s done that in just 65 games. Dustin Pedroia continues to get out of his slump since missing the game on Thursday night as he added a two-run homer.

The earlier maligned Jarrod Saltalamacchia added three hits and an RBI while Jacoby Ellsbury and Marco Scutaro both had two hits. The only member of the starting nine who went without a hit was J.D. Drew who picked up the golden sombrero of the day with four straight strikeouts.

The Red Sox ended up outscoring the Jays 35-6 over the course of the three-game set. During the nine-game winning streak, the Red Sox have outscored the Oakland A’s, New York Yankees and Jays by a margin of 83-36.

At 39-26, the Red Sox have the best record in the AL and the second best overall record in MLB, just a ½ behind the Philadelphia Phillies who are 40-26. They hold a two-game lead over the Yankees and four-game lead over their next opponent, the Tampa Bay Rays, who took two games from the Red Sox in April at Fenway Park.

But this is a different Red Sox team than in April. This is the team we expected to see all season long. So now it’s on to Tropicana Field where the Red Sox have struggled as of late. Hopefully those struggles are a thing of the past during the upcoming three-game set that starts on Tuesday at Tropicana Field.

With the Red Sox being off today we’ll be back later with the pitching matchups for the series with the 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.

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Business booming for red-hot Red Sox [Boston Globe]

Thinking ahead aids Gonzalez on RBIs [Boston Globe]

Lester appreciates support [Boston Globe]

Red Sox bats keep making noise to cap sweep [Boston Herald]

David Ortiz locked, loaded [Boston Herald]

Lester on top of game [Boston Herald]

Crawford a big hit in sixth spot [Boston Herald]

Red Sox crush Blue Jays, 14-1 [CSNNE.com]

Sox looking like the cream of the A.L. [CSNNE.com]

Notes: Gonzalez driving in runs at record pace [CSNNE.com]

Red Sox trade catcher McKenry to Pirates [CSNNE.com]

Crawford preps for return to Tampa [ESPN Boston]

Rapid reaction: Sox 14, Jays 1 [ESPN Boston]

Pedey power: Hits longest HR of career [ESPN Boston]

No need to worry about Pedroia [ESPN Boston]

Hard-hitting Red Sox get to take it easy [ESPN Boston]

Rampage on the road for Red Sox [Extra Bases]

Closing Time: Red Sox overpower Jays to win ninth straight [Full Count]

Dustin Pedroia: Just keeping his eyes on the ball [Inside Track]

Video: Mike Cameron Shares His Baseball Secrets With North Reading Twins, Astros Little League Teams [NESN.com]

Red Sox Finish Sweep in Toronto, Maintain Marvelous Run Away From Home [NESN.com]

Video: Jon Lester Enjoying Red Sox’ Offensive Success, Says It Gives Pitchers Opportunity to Attack Hitters More [NESN.com]

Video: David Ortiz Likes Bruins’ Chances in Game 6, Says ‘Why Not?’ About Winning Game 7 in Vancouver [NESN.com]

Sutton optioned to Pawtucket; McDonald likely to be recalled [Projo Sox Blog]

Red Sox deal catcher McKenry to Pirates [Projo Sox Blog]

All-out assault continues [Providence Journal]

Sox stuck to plan in keeping Bautista quiet [Providence Journal]

Red Sox journal: Crawford hopes fans know he had to go [Providence Journal]

High-powered offense clicking on all cylinders [RedSox.com]

Adrian continues torrid tear in Sox’s win streak [RedSox.com]

Bruised left shoulder keeps Lowrie on bench [RedSox.com]

Morales makes first rehab stint for PawSox [RedSox.com]

For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSNNE,  ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.

And if you must check out the enemy papers, head oGetty Imagesver to the Toronto Star, Toronto Sun and the Globe and Mail websites.

Photo credits: 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.

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 Women’s Basketball links

Connecticut Sun cornering market on Alaskan players [Norwich Bulletin]

Happy Birthday To Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi And Nonna [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Other UConn related links

Baseball. Video: George Springer Gets His Willie Mays On [SOX & Dawgs]

Baseball. UConn’s Run Ends with 8-2 Loss at South Carolina [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball. Connecticut’s NCAA Run Ends In Super Regional [BigEast.org]

Baseball. UConn Baseball Team Loses To South Carolina; NCAA Run Ends In 8-2 Defeat [Hartford Courant]

Baseball. With a Harvest of Prospects, UConn Baseball Makes Its Mark [NY Times]

Baseball. South Carolina heads back to CWS with 8-2 win over UConn [College Baseball Daily]

Baseball. UConn baseball run ended by South Carolina [CT Post]

After pounding the Toronto Blue Jays 16-4 on Saturday afternoon, the Boston Red Sox will go for the sweep in the finale of a three-game set this afternoon at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

This afternoon’s first pitch is scheduled for 1:07 p.m. and you can watch the game on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Blue Jays television market, you can catch the game on SNET. And if you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2011 Red Sox Radio Network.

After picking up a quality start and a win his last time out, Jon Lester looks for his ninth win of 2011 in his 14th start. In his previous 13 starts, Lester is 8-2 with a 3.98 ERA. He’s made two starts against the Jays already in 2011 going 1-0 with a 4.76 ERA (6 ER/11.1 IP). He’s made 15 career starts against the Jays and is 8-4 with a 3.59 ERA. Nine of those starts have come north of the border at Rogers Centre where he is 4-3 with a 4.07 ERA.

Kyle Drabek looks to stop the bleeding and prevent the sweep this afternoon in his 14th start of the season. In his previous 13 starts, Drabek is 4-4 with a 4.98 ERA. The Blue Jays are 9-4 in his starts though. He’s made one career start against the Red Sox and that came back on May 10th. In that start, he picked up a no decision after allowing four runs in five innings in the game that was eventually won by the Jays 7-6.

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

Here are today’s lineups:

38-26		32-33
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Yunel Escobar	SS
2. Dustin Pedroia	2B	2. Corey Patterson	LF
3. Adrian Gonzalez	1B	3. Jose Bautista	RF
4. Kevin Youkilis	3B	4. Adam Lind	1B
5. David Ortiz	DH	5. J. P. Arencibia	C
6. Carl Crawford	LF	6. Edwin Encarnacion	DH
7. Jarrod Saltalamacchia	C	7. Aaron Hill	2B
8. J.D. Drew	RF	8. Rajai Davis	CF
9. Marco Scutaro	SS	9. Jayson Nix	3B
Jon Lester	SP	Kyle Drabek	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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We’ve seen this before from Dustin Pedroia [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

A rousing victory for sleep-deprived Red Sox [Boston Globe]

Breaking out a new strategy [Boston Globe]

On his homer, Varitek wasn’t caught napping [Boston Globe]

Cheers from (no) peanut gallery [Boston Globe]

Bombs away, Sox [Boston Herald]

Tek takes mighty hack [Boston Herald]

Something to build on [Boston Herald]

Once busts, now best [Boston Herald]

Red Sox rock Blue Jays pitching, 16-4 [CSNNE.com]

Red Sox bats finally live up to the hype [CSNNE.com]

Notes: Pedroia confident in knee and raking [CSNNE.com]

Rapid reaction: Red Sox 16, Blue Jays 4 [ESPN Boston]

Rough start for Barnes in NCAA tournament [Extra Bases]

Closing Time: Red Sox pound Blue Jays for eighth straight win [Full Count]

Video: Clay Buchholz Shows His Back Is 100 Percent With Dominant Friday Outing [NESN.com]

Clay Buchholz’s Seven Solid Innings Versus Blue Jays Earns Him Amica Pitcher of the Week Honors [NESN.com]

Video: John Lackey Continuing to Make Adjustments, Build Arm Strength Upon Return from Disabled List [NESN.com]

David Ortiz Homers Again in Red Sox Rout, Continues to Hearken Back to Days of Dominance [NESN.com]

Video: Terry Francona Encouraged by John Lackey’s Performance, Jason Varitek’s Production in 16-4 Win Over Blue Jays [NESN.com]

Red Sox First-Round Pick Matt Barnes Struggles, But Shows Promise in UConn’s 5-1 Loss to South Carolina [NESN.com]

Video: Peter Gammons Discusses Felix Doubront, Red Sox Prospects with Ben Cherington [NESN.com]

Scutaro starts for Lowrie [Projo Sox Blog]

Hit parade rolls on [Providence Journal]

No easy outs in Red Sox potent lineup [Providence Journal]

Red Sox journal: Rookie hurler Hottovy put to test [Providence Journal]

Francona unsure when Jenks will rejoin ‘pen [RedSox.com]

Lester, Red Sox go for third straight sweep [RedSox.com]

For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSNNE,  ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.

And if you must check out the enemy papers, head over to the Toronto Star, Toronto Sun and the Globe and Mail websites.

Photo credits: Reuters Pictures, AP Photo