Philadelphia Phillies @ Boston Red Sox 4:10 p.m. Fenway Park – Boston, MA SP: Joe Blanton vs Daisuke Matsuzaka TV: FOX Radio: Red Sox Radio Network

Afternoon Red Sox Delight – 6/12 [SOX & Dawgs]

After beating up on Jaime Moyer and the Philadelphia Phillies last night, the Boston Red Sox will look do it again this afternoon at Fenway Park.

This afternoon’s game will start at 4:10 p.m. and will be shown on FOX. To find out if you’re getting the Red Sox vs Phillies game on FOX, click here. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2010 Red Sox radio network.

Daisuke Matsuzaka has been up-and-down all season long but has been throwing well as of late. In eight starts in 2010, Dice-K is 5-2 with a 4.59 ERA. He’s faced the Phillies once this season and had a no-hitter through 7 2/3 innings. He ended up picking the shut out win. He’s made two career starts against the Phillies and is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA (12 IP/4 ER).

Joe Blanton has struggled in his seven outings since returning from the disabled list. In those seven starts, he is 1-4 with a 6.07 ERA. Blanton has made nine career starts against the Red Sox and is 3-2 with a 3.61 ERA. In four career starts at the Fens, Blanton is 2-0 with a 4.26 ERA.

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

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

Here’s an update on the weather forecast for Fenway (Boston radar).

The current weather forecast (provided by the Red Sox private weather service, Telvent DTN) in the vicinity of Fenway Park calls for scattered showers in the area during the afternoon and early evening hours.

The Fenway Park gates will open at the regularly scheduled time of 2:10 p.m., and the Red Sox are hopeful that today’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies, which is scheduled to start at 4:10 p.m., will begin on time. However, the Red Sox want to alert our fans to the current forecast and to the possibility of delay.

This forecast is of course subject to change as the day progresses. Additional updates will be provided as necessary.

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Connecticut Split Between Red Sox, Yankees [SOX & Dawgs]

Beckett feels ‘terrific’ after Saturday workout [CSN New England]

Notes from Fenway: Nava is starting [Extra Bases]

Daniel Nava’s Long and Winding Road Leads Him to Shadow of Fenway Park’s Green Monster [NESN.com]

Beckett throws 30 pitches, making progress [Projo Sox Blog]

Reddick optioned back to Pawtucket [Projo Sox Blog]

Are you wondering if you’re going to be getting the Philadelphia Phillies vs Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park this afternoon?

Well if you are, here’s the breakdown regionally for today’s MLB on FOX Games:

Philadelphia Phillies @ Boston Red Sox – 73%
Announcers: Dick Stockton, Tim McCarver and Ken Rosenthal

MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Fort Myers, Greensboro, Greenville, Hartford, Houston, Jacksonville, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Norfolk, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Providence, Raleigh, Richmond, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Tulsa, Washington, West Palm Beach

Chicago White Sox @ Chicago Cubs – 26%
Announcers: Kenny Albert and Eric Karros

MARKETS INCLUDE: Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Louisville, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, St. Louis

The yearly favorite MLB team in Connecticut Quinnipiac Poll is out and it shows the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in a statisical dead heat in the state.

The Yankees were favored by 39% of the people polled while the Red Sox were liked by 38%. But due to the survey error margin being plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, it’s considered a tie.

By the way, 11% of Connecticut residents are fans of the New York Mets.

Here’s what Red Sox President/CEO Larry Lucchino had to say about the poll to Don Amore of the Hartford Courant:

“We recognize that baseball fans in the Nutmeg State have several teams vying for their support; therefore we are deeply grateful that our fan base in Connecticut continues to grow,” he said. “Connecticut is a cornerstone of Red Sox Nation and we thank the state for its loyalty to New England’s team.”

Here’s a look at the map with a breakdown by county.

Before we get to the 12-2 shellacking the Boston Red Sox put on the Philadelphia Phillies last night at Fenway Park, let’s play a little catch up on the news I missed while I was out for the day and evening taking care of some personal business.

Back on June 4th when third baseman Adrian Beltre collided with his second left fielder of the season in Jeremy Hermida, it looked as though Beltre may have taken the worst of it. Beltre ended up staying in the game while Hermida was eventually forced to leave. Hermida missed a few games then returned only to miss more time.

Now it turns out the Red Sox will be without Hermida for the foreseeable future as on Friday it was learned that Hermida has fractured ribs just like Jacoby Ellsbury. At this point, if you’re playing left field for the Red Sox you might want to wear a flak jacket or full body padding. Or if you’re running for a ball anywhere near Beltre, just let him try and get it.

The other news of the day was the return of Jonathan Papelbon from the bereavement list. The victim on the roster was Joe Nelson who’s struggled since being called up by the Red Sox.

The loss on Thursday night hurt but the Red Sox quickly put it behind them on Friday night. They roughed up the ageless wonder Jaime Moyer for five runs on five hits in the first inning and four runs on five hits in the second inning. Six of those hits were doubles while another was a home run off the bat of Mike Lowell.

Ever since speaking his mind in New York about his lack of playing time or a role on the Red Sox for that matter, Lowell’s stayed quiet while remaining on the bench. He hadn’t been seen in a week before taking over for Kevin Youkilis on Thursday night and was in the starting lineup for Youk on Friday night. Lowell’s two-run homer in the 1st was his only hit of the night but he also worked two walks.

David Ortiz spent most of the seven-game road trip scuffling at the plate but the friendly confines of Fenway Park were all he needed to see. Big Papi had three hits, including two doubles, and knocked in four runs.

Lost in the shuffle of the nine-run explosion in the first two innings by the Red Sox was the start of John Lackey, who had been up-and-down all season long in his starts. But last night was a different story.

He pounded the strike zone as he good command of his fastball and had probably his breaking ball of the season. Of course it helps when he’s spotted the nine-run lead which allowed him to attack the strike zone.

After the rough loss on Thursday night to close out the road trip, it was nice to see the Red Sox respond against the Phillies, who’ve been struggling as of late. The last time these two teams met, the Phillies were in first place in the NL East. They now find themselves in third place 2½ games behind the Atlanta Braves.

And speaking of standings, the Red Sox picked up a game on the first place Tampa Bay Rays and are now four games out of first. They do trail the New York Yankees by three games for second place.

We’ll be back later with this afternoon’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups, news and any links from the day but for now enjoy the overnight links after the jump.

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Last hurrah for Lowell as a Red Sox? [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Lackey in command [Boston Globe]

League of their own [Boston Globe]

Gill defends team’s care for Ellsbury [Boston Globe]

Lowell showcases his value [Boston Globe]

Now Hermida forced on DL [Boston Globe]

Recap: Red Sox 12, Phillies 2 [Boston Herald]

Jacoby Ellsbury may return by All-Star break [Boston Herald]

Red Sox swing shift [Boston Herald]

Jeremy Hermida joins Jacoby Ellsbury on DL [Boston Herald]

Phil in Mike Lowell’s corner [Boston Herald]

Red Sox roll over Phillies, 12-2 [CSN New England]

Quick hits: Sox 12, Phillies 2 [ESPN Boston]

Closing Time: Red Sox 12, Phillies 2 [Full Count]

Red Sox craft themselves a good win [Full Count]

Just What Doc Ordered [Hit and Run with Dan Roche]

Red Sox Looking for Answers to Outfield Injury Problems [NESN.com]

Red Sox Unload Early on Jamie Moyer, Cruise to Win [NESN.com]

John Lackey’s Stellar Performance Lost in Shuffle of Friday Night Fireworks [NESN.com]

Should Red Sox Look to Trade for Another Outfielder? [NESN.com]

Former Red Sox Pitcher Jerry Stephenson Leaves Lasting Impact on Organization [NESN.com]

Sox batters drub Moyer [Providence Journal]

Sox bullpen springing leaks everywhere [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Doctor says Ellsbury could be out till break [Providence Journal]

Hermida placed on DL with fractured ribs [RedSox.com]

Papelbon returns to Boston’s bullpen [RedSox.com]

Pedroia’s knee checks out; Youk rests back [RedSox.com]

Gill defends treatment of Ellsbury’s injury [RedSox.com]

Easy night for Lackey as Red Sox go wild [RedSox.com]

Beckett not the only person battling back [RedSox.com]

Lamenting the plight of Mike Lowell [Tony Massarotti – Boston Globe]

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

And if you must check out the enemy papers, head over to the Philadelphia Daily News and Philadelphia Inquirer websites.

According to Mike Andrews of SoxProspects.com, the Boston Red Sox will call up outfielder Daniel Nava from Triple-A Pawtucket. He will take the place of outfielder Josh Reddick who will be optioned back to Pawtucket.

In 54 games for the PawSox this season, Nava is hitting .294 with eight home runs, 38 RBIs and three stolen bases. He has an OBP of .364 and slugging percentage of .492.

Nava wasn’t drafted out of Santa Clara University and eventually signed with the Chico Outlaws of the independent Golden League. The Red Sox signed him as a minor league free agent in the fall of 2007.

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UConn Football links

DC answered a few questions in his mailbag [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Dolson, Hartley are U-18 finalists [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Renee steps up [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Two UConn Recruits Finalists For U.S. Under-18 Team [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Lobo’s Case At The Hall Takes Shape [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Hartley, Dolson Headline U-18 Finalists; Numerous Recruits Make Teams Too [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Dailey Has Eyes On Her Own Hall Of Fame [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Lobo fits perfectly in women’s hall [Journal Inquirer]

Lobo to be inducted into Hall of Fame tonight [The Day]

Lobo: I’m just 1st of many Huskies heading to Hall [MSNBC.com]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Kevin Ollie’s Road Back To UConn [Hartford Courant]

Frustration. Frustration. Frustration.

Normally I would have more to say about last night’s disappointing loss by the Boston Red Sox to the Cleveland Indians but some personal errands will take me away from the site for the day. I do apologize for the inconvenience.

Before we go though, don’t forget to show Kevin Youkilis some love in the 2010 MLB All-Star Game voting.

We’ll be back later with tonight’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups, news and any links from the day.

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

And if you must read the enemy papers, check out the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Akron Beacon Journal websites.