After having the last three days off for the All-Star break, the Boston Red Sox return to action tonight as they’ll host the Texas Rangers in the first game of four at Fenway Park

Tonight’s game will start at 7:10 p.m. and will be shown on NESN in the Red Sox television market. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Southwest in the Rangers television market. If you’re lucky enough to live in the Dodgers or Cardinals television markets, you can catch the game on the MLB Network. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2010 Red Sox radio network.

Tim Wakefield gets the ball from Terry Francona to kickoff the unofficial start to the second half of the season. Wake has made 18 appearances (14 starts) in 2010 and is 3-6 with a 5.22 ERA. He’s made one start against the Rangers this season back on 4/20 where he took a no decision after allowing six runs in six innings. Overall in his career, he’s made 34 appearances (27 starts) against the Rangers and is 10-15 with four saves and a 6.09 ERA.

Tommy Hunter will make his just his seventh start of the 2010 season tonight. In his previous six starts, he is 5-0 with a 2.34 ERA. He’s made two career appearances against the Red Sox and is 1-1 with an 11.74 ERA. He’s made just one start at Fenway where he took the loss after allowing nine runs in 1 2/3 innings back in 2008.

Keep reading for lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and pregame links.

Here’s the hitters have fared against this evening’s starting pitchers in their careers:

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Beltre out [Clubhouse Insider]

Pregame Red Sox notes: Beltre on the sidelines [CSN New England]

Pregame quick hits [ESPN Boston]

Duquette thinks more to come on Clemens steroid use [Extra Bases]

Big Papi pushing the products [Extra Bases]

Duquette: Expect more Clemens steroid evidence [Full Count]

Beckett to get 85 pitches to prove he’s ready [Full Count]

Beltre MRI turns out ‘pretty good’ [Full Count]

Red Sox Welcome New-Look Rangers to Fenway Park [NESN.com]

Annual ‘Sox for Socks’ Drive to Help Boston’s Homeless at Fenway Park Taking Place This Weekend [NESN.com]

Red Sox Must Limit Rangers on Basepaths, Get to Cliff Lee Early to Win Series [NESN.com]

Red Sox Farmhand Casey Kelly Ranks 21st Among Top 25 Prospects in Baseball [NESN.com]

Josh Beckett Will Pitch Second Rehab Start in Pawtucket Saturday [NESN.com]

Boston Sports Clubs and Red Sox Conditioning Staff Team Up to Teach Strength Training [NESN.com]

Yankees, Rays Highlight Top 10 Most Important Second-Half Series for Red Sox [NESN.com]

Red Sox won’t rush Bowden to bigs [Projo Sox Blog]

PawSox loading back up [Projo Sox Blog]

Building up pitch count all that’s left for Beckett [Projo Sox Blog]

Hermida could rejoin Red Sox next weekend [Projo Sox Blog]

Photo credit: AP Photos, Getty Images

After being off for three days, the Boston Red Sox return to action tonight as the AL West-leading Texas Rangers come to Beantown for four games. They won’t be the only ones playing as some of the DL crew will also start getting back to action.

The Red Sox announced yesterday that reliever Manny Delcarmen and outfielder Jeremy Hermida will be coming to my neck of the wood here in Connecticut with the Portland Sea Dogs as they take on the New Britain Rock Cats. Also, Clay Buchholz will make a rehab start for the Pawtucket Red Sox on Friday night in Syracuse followed by Josh Beckett on Saturday night.

Declarmen will start for the Sea Dogs tonight and throw one inning while Hermida will DH tonight,  play the outfield on Friday and then DH on Saturday before heading back to Boston to be checked out by the medical staff.

Other than that it was relatively quiet as far as the Red Sox news went so for now enjoy the overnight links after the jump.

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Minor stops along the way [Boston Globe]

They’ve leaned on Lester [Boston Globe]

Let record show, Sox pretty good [Boston Globe]

Theo Epstein not thinking big [Boston Herald]

Red Sox’ time now [Boston Herald]

5 keys to Red Sox success [Boston Herald]

Minor step back to Clay Buchholz [Boston Herald]

Source: Royals would have to “win the trade” for DeJesus [Clubhouse Insider]

Red Sox off-day notes: Epstein looks to deal [CSN New England]

Lowell expected to rejoin Red Sox soon [ESPN Boston]

Top draft picks get first look at Fenway [Extra Bases]

Updates on the injured Red Sox [Extra Bases]

Francona on D&H: Ellsbury was ‘worried’ about being a distraction [Full Count]

Theo remembers the Steinbrenner who hated to lose [Full Count]

Red Sox up for exams [Full Count]

Theo Epstein’s take on the MLB trade market [Full Count]

Erin Andrews Still a Stranger, But That May Be Good Thing for Daniel Nava [NESN.com]

Jayson Werth, Kerry Wood Among Potential Trade Targets for Red Sox [NESN.com]

Terry Francona, Theo Epstein Reflect on George Steinbrenner [NESN.com]

Red Sox Practicing Patience as Injured Players Work Their Way Back to Health [NESN.com]

All-Star Nuggetpalooza (Part 2) [Nuggetpalooza]

Sox could make move to bolster relief corps [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Buchholz in line for rehab start Friday [Providence Journal]

Barrage of injuries not keeping Boston down [RedSox.com]

Buchholz has Pawtucket start awaiting him [RedSox.com]

Delcarmen feeling good, set to rehab [RedSox.com]

Beckett to throw rehab start on Saturday [RedSox.com]

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

Photo credit: AP Photos

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 and by 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

QB Zach Frazer: On Unitas Golden Arm Watch List [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

The Davey O’Brien QB Award: Big East 2, UConn 0. [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Five games to earn respect for the Big East [ESPN.com – Big East Blog]

Five games to fear in the Big East [ESPN.com – Big East Blog]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi Take Home 2010 ESPYs [SOX & Dawgs]

Auriemma opens practice to the press [Norwich Bulletin via the AP]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Video Evidence [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Mike Anthony answered a few questions in his mailbag [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Late night at the Greater Hartford Pro-Am [Neill Ostrout – CT Post]

Hasheen Thabeet Summer League Interview [UConn Huskies Basketball]

Freshman Napier Learning From Walker [Hartford Courant]

Other UConn related links

Baseball: Elliot to Play in NECBL All-Star Game [UConnHuskies.com]

Women’s lacrosse: Top of the world: Pippitt, Christie take their lacrosse talents to college [NCAdvertiser.com]

The UConn Huskies women’s basketball team is used to winning and not losing like they did at Wednesday night’s 2010 ESPYs at the Nokia Theatre LA Live in Los Angeles.

The UConn women’s basketball program had garnered eight nominations for the ESPYs but only came away with two.

Former Husky and current Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi was named as the Best WNBA Player. And if you blinked at all during the ESPYs telecast, you missed Maya Moore being named the Best Female College Athlete. Moore also won the award in 2009.

But like always, I’ve got you covered with the video:

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If you missed the telecast, I definitely suggest you try to catch at least the opening part and Seth Meyer’s monologue. Absolutely hilarious. Also be sure to check out the presentations for the Arthur Ashe Courage Award and the Jimmy V Award for Perserverance. Both of those moments were very moving.

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 and by 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

Easley And McClain At Autograph Signing In CT Saturday [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Big East mailbag [ESPN.com – Big East Blog]

Ex-Trojan Shoemate: ‘Hardest decision of my life’ [Orange County Register]

D.J. Shoemate Transfers to UConn:  Here Is What You Don’t KNow [Thoughts From a Fat White Guy]

Rivers’ Allen a Husky, not a Husker [ESPN Boston]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Taking a look back [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Auriemma Back On The UConn Recruiting Trail [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Team USA Hopes For Same All-Star Format Next Year [Hartford Courant]

Huskies recruiting sights set on U.S. U-17 team [New Haven Register]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Player Profile: Alex Oriakhi [UConn Huskies Basketball]

Other UConn related links

Branford’s Olt hits second homer in minor leagues [New Haven Register

Baseball: Ferriter Named MVP of ACBL All-Star Game [UConnHuskies.com]