Despite a slow start from John Lackey, he recovered from it and was strong the rest of the way. Unfortunately for him, the Boston Red Sox bullpen couldn’t hold the lead for him in last night’s 5-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

The Orioles started out with three straight hits and a sacrifice fly on him to take a 2-0 lead but J.D. Drew got a run back with the first of his two solo home runs. Lackey settled down after the first though relying mostly on his breaking ball to keep the O’s hitters at bay. It wasn’t a dominant outing but he kept the Red Sox in the game and left with the lead.

Lackey ended up throwing 120 pitches and knowing him he probably wanted to keep going. But Terry Francona summoned Daniel Bard from the bullpen and he came in and got the first two outs of the 8th. Then on a 1-2 pitch to Miguel Tejada, he threw a 98 mph fastball that ran back over the plate and Tejada crushed it to tie the game up at 4.

Terry Francona said on Friday that David Ortiz is going to get a chance to play a little more as the Orioles will have three righties going, including last night. Ortiz ended up going 0-4 to drop his average to .143 on the season. He didn’t get a ball out of the infield.

There doesn’t appear to be anything wrong with his swing but how much longer can the Red Sox suffer when Big Papi is at the plate. If he’s unable to get anything going this weekend with the chance to play, can the Red Sox afford to keep him in the lineup?

After this road trip ends, their schedule doesn’t get any easier. They certainly can’t afford to not get production from their DH spot in the lineup. He’s basically given them what a pitcher in the National League can do.

We may have to face fact that the Red Sox career of Big Papi is slowly coming to a close.

We’ll be back later with the lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day but for now enjoy the overnight links.

Things We Learned: Red Sox plagued by inconsistency in April [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]

Retire Nomar’s No. 5 Boston [Batter-up with Bruno]

Tejada’s knockout punch drops Red Sox in 10th [Boston Globe]

Beltre suffers a series of miscues [Boston Globe]

Wakefield’s new role a work in progress [Boston Globe]

Red Sox’ hex over Orioles ends in 10th [Boston Herald]

It’s May Day for David Ortiz [Boston Herald]

End of Alan Embree [Boston Herald]

‘Pen writes it wrong [Boston Herald]

Embree designated for assignment [CSN New England]

Sox prospect Wagner breaks bone in hand [CSN New England]

Quick hits: Orioles 5, Red Sox 4 [ESPN Boston]

Scouting minors for the next Darnell [ESPN Boston]

Beltre: I have been playing horrible [Extra Bases]

The woes against the O’s [Extra Bases]

Closing Time: Orioles 5, Red Sox 4 [Full Count]

Are Red Sox Getting Their Money’s Worth From Adrian Beltre? [NESN.com]

John Lackey’s Solid Outing a Bright Spot on Otherwise Disappointing Night [NESN.com]

Tejada’s two big hits send Red Sox to defeat in Baltimore [Providence Journal]

Red Sox hope rest will do Okajima good [Providence Journal]

Matsuzaka, Beckett have pivotal tests this weekend in Baltimore [Providence Journal]

Red Sox Journal: Wakefield-to-bullpen will be pure experiment [Providence Journal]

Red Sox lose catching option as Pawtucket’s Mark Wagner goes down to injury [Providence Journal]

Progress for Ellsbury, Cameron [RedSox.com]

Wakefield begins his bullpen tenure [RedSox.com]

Embree’s second stint with Boston ends [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.

And if you must read the enemy paper, head over to the Baltimore Sun website. Or you can check out our Bloguin brother, the Oriole Post.

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

UConn Football links

DC was busy answering questions in his mailbag [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Storm Looking Forward To Svetlana [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Some questions…. [Neill Ostrout – CT Post]

Calhoun to speak in Middlebury June 6 [Neill Ostrout – CT Post]

Other UConn related links

Baseball: Streak ends, but Huskies just beginning [ESPN.com]

The Boston Red Sox were hoping that John Lackey could carry the momentum over from the great starts of Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester in the three-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays in their three-game weekend set with the Baltimore Orioles. He ended up starting off a little slow but got into a nice little groove as the game went.

Unfortunately it wasn’t enough as Miguel Tejada manhandled the Red Sox bullpen with the game-tying and game-winning RBIs for the Orioles in a 5-4 win in 10 innings in front of 30,668 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

The loss for the Red Sox drops them 11-12 and halts a three-game winning streak. It’s just the fifth win of the season for the Orioles (5-18) and their second of the season against the Red Sox. They are 2-2 against the Red Sox and 3-16 against the rest of the league.

After J.D. Drew’s second home run of the night in the 8th gave the Red Sox a 4-3 lead, Daniel Bard couldn’t hold the lead as Tejada took a 98 mph fastball and planted it about 20 rows up in the left field seats.

Ramon Ramirez set the O’s down 1-2-3 in the 9th and was back out for the 10th. He got the lead-off hitter in Cesar Izturis but then allowed a double to Adam Jones. After an intentional walk to Nick Markakis, Terry Francona went to his bullpen for Hideki Okajima. Oki did his job as he struck out Matt Wieters.

Francona went back to the bullpen and summoned Manny Delcarmen to face Tejada. It didn’t work out though how Francona had hoped as Tejada laced a single up the middle to knock in Jones with the winning run.

Lackey went seven innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits and three walks with six strikeouts. He threw 120 pitches. Bard allowed a run on a hit with a strikeout in an inning while Ramirez took the loss as he was charged with a run on a hit and walk with a strikeout.

Drew got his average up to .197 with the two solo home runs. Adrian Beltre added three hits while Dustin Pedroia had two hits, including his team-leading sixth home run.

Daisuke Matsuzaka will make his 2010 debut on Saturday night when he’ll square off with Brad Bergesen who will be called up from Triple-A Norfolk. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m.

Boston Red Sox @ Baltimore Orioles 4.30.10 box score

According to John Tomase of the Boston Herald, lefty reliever Alan Embree was designated for assignment to make room for Daisuke Matsuzaka who is scheduled to start Saturday’s game.

After sigining late in spring training, Embree opened up the season in the minors with the Pawtucket Red Sox. In his original contract, he had an opt-out clause of April 15th if he wasn’t with the big club. He then extended it to April 30th and the Red Sox beat the deadline by calling him up on Tuesday night.

Embree was with the team for two games but didn’t make an appearance.

Boston Red Sox @ Baltimore Orioles 7:05 p.m Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD SP: John Lackey vs David Hernandez TV: NESN, MLB.tv Radio: Red Sox Radio Network

Afternoon Red Sox Delight – 4/30 [SOX & Dawgs]

I know most of the ones who are coming are regulars from Center Field. If you could please spread the word to the others who chatted during the games there, I would deeply appreciate it. I miss the old days like you do in those threads so let’s try to make it as good. Mi casa es su casa.

After a three-game sweep then a day off on Thursday, the Boston Red Sox are in the Charm City to take on the Baltimore Orioles in a 3-game weekend set.

Tonight’s game will start at 7:05 p.m. and will be shown on NESN in the Red Sox television market. The game can be seen in the Orioles television market on MASN. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2010 Red Sox radio network.

John Lackey looks to continue the success that Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester had in his second straight start against the Orioles. Last time out, he picked up the win after allowing three runs in seven innings in the Red Sox 7-6 win on 4/24. He’s made 13 career starts against the Orioles and is 9-3 with a 3.23 ERA. He’s made seven starts at Camden Yards and is 4-3 with a 3.72 ERA.

David Hernandez also makes his second straight start against the Red Sox. He was not a part of the decision as he allowed three runs in five innings in the Orioles 7-6 win in 10 innings. He’s made five starts in his career against the Red Sox, two of which are quality starts, and is 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA.

Lineups, batter/pitcher matchups, and links after the jump.

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

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

Who are these Red Sox? [Clubhouse Insider]

Pregame notes: On Ortiz, Wakefield, Ellsbury and more [Clubhouse Insider]

Notes: Will Embree or Schoeneweis get the ax? [CSN New England]

Breaking down the 1B class of 2011 [ESPN Boston]

Could Iannetta catch on with the Sox? [Extra Bases]

The trials of Victor Martinez [Extra Bases]

MLBPA takes stand on Arizona bill [Extra Bases]

Wakefield ready for bullpen duty [Extra Bases]

Will Sweep in Toronto Jump-Start Red Sox Rotation? [NESN.com]

Plenty of Time for Josh Beckett to Bounce Back [NESN.com]

Lars Anderson’s Hot Start, Promotion Helps Continued Rise Up Red Sox Prospect Rankings [NESN.com]

The Friday Nuggetpalooza [Nuggetpalooza]

Rest can only help overworked Okajima [Projo Sox Blog]

PawSox lose Wagner for 6-8 weeks [Projo Sox Blog]

Ortiz to see a little more playing time this weekend [Projo Sox Blog]

Ellsbury progressing, still no finish line in sight [Projo Sox Blog]

PawSox catcher Mark Wagner breaks hand, out 6-8 weeks; he swears it’ll be shorter [Projo Sox Blog]

Transaction still looming with Dice-K on the way [Projo Sox Blog]

Wakefield could make a scheduled spot start [Projo Sox Blog]

Lineup has been on shuffle play [Tony Massarotti – Boston Globe]

Here’s a press release from the Boston Red Sox about honoring Nomar Garciaparra on May 5th.

BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox will honor former shortstop Nomar Garciaparra at Fenway Park during a pre-game ceremony before the game on Wednesday, May 5.Those participating in the ceremonies will be Garciaparra, members of his family, and members of the Red Sox ownership and front office. The ceremony will begin at 6:45 p.m.

With the cryptic details in the press release, you have to wonder what exactly the Red Sox will be doing. Will they be retiring his number or will it just be a nice little ceremony with a plaque?

Hopefully some details leak out before the game but you can be sure that if there’s tickets available for that game, they will go quickly.

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

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Ashley Battle Doing Well In New Home (wnba.com) [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

San Diego Native Charde Houston Told 10News About Her Experience On Delta Flight 273 [News10.com]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Calhoun ‘Thrilled’ With New Recruits [David Borges – New Haven Register]

Report: NCAA finds violations at UConn [New Haven Register]

Rehashed news isn’t really news [The Republican-American]

Other UConn related links

Women’s Lacrosse: Seniors Look Toward Final Regular Season Home Game Against No. 14 Notre Dame [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball: Change in Baseball Series against Cincinnati [UConnHuskies.com]

Softball: Silva Walkoff Homer Helps Huskies Sweep Pirates [UConnHuskies.com]