Justin Verlander shut down the Boston Red Sox for eight innings and Ryan Raburn knocked in the only runs in the Detroit Tigers 2-0 win in front of 37,556 in afternoon baseball at Fenway Park on Thursday afternoon.

The Red Sox fall to 65-49 and are now 6 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East pending the outcome of their game on Thursday night in Seattle. The Red Sox lead in the wild card over this weekend’s opponent, the Texas Rangers, is back down to a half game. The Tigers (60-54) have a 2.5 game lead over the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central.

Clay Buchholz was a tough-luck loser on Thursday afternoon as he had his finest outing in a Red Sox uniform in 2009. He made just one mistake and that was to Raburn who took him deep. He went 7 innings, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3.

Manny Delcarmen walked one in his inning of work and Fernando Cabrera struck out all three batters he faced in his inning of work out of the Red Sox bullpen.

Verlander was filthy this afternoon as his velocity was there all afternoon. His last three pitches of the afternoon were clocked at 99 MPH, 100 MPH and 100 MPH in a strikeout of Jason Bay. Verlander allowed just 4 hits and had a walk while striking out 8 on the afternoon.

Fernando Rodney struck out one in the 9th to pick up his 24th save of the season.

Victor Martinez led the way for the Red Sox with 2 hits against his former AL Central rivals. Martinez also had just the second stolen base of his career. Jacoby Ellsbury and Josh Reddick had the other Red Sox hits.

It was the second straight outing that Buchholz didn’t receive any run support and you really hope that doesn’t weigh on his mind in his next start.

Big series for the Red Sox this weekend as they had to Texas to take on the Rangers. Jon Lester starts for the Red Sox tomorrow night and he’ll be opposed by Kevin Millwood.

Detroit Tigers @ Boston Red Sox 8.13.09 box score

After taking the first three games of the series, the Boston Red Sox look to finish the brief homestand with a sweep of the Detroit Tigers.

The game this afternoon will start at 1:35 PM EDT and will be televised in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the Tiger’s television market, you can catch the game on Fox Sports Detroit. If you don’t live in either market you’re in luck as the game will also be broadcast on the MLB Network. And if the television isn’t your cup of tea, you can catch the game on one of the many affiliates of the Red Sox Radio Network.

Clay Buchholz will look to build upon his last outing against the New York Yankees to try and help the Red Sox gain a sweep of the Tigers. Buchholz has made 5 starts this season for the Red Sox and is 1-2 with a 5.33 ERA. He’s faced the Tigers just once in his career and gave up 5 runs in 4 innings back on May 7, 2008. He wasn’t involved in the decision as the Red Sox lost that game 10-9.

Jim Leyland turns to his Justin Verlander to try and end the futility against the Red Sox this season. Verlander has made 24 starts this season and is 12-6 with a 3.45 ERA. He leads all pitchers with 186 strikeouts in the AL. Verlander has faced the Red Sox three times in his career and is 1-2 with a 5.49 ERA. He’s made two career starts against the Red Sox at the Fens and is 1-1 with a 4.61 ERA.

Pedroia gets day off [Extra Bases]

Epstein on trade deadline, Ortiz, and more [Extra Bases]

Tickets for Troops Ceremony [Extra Bases]

Sox go to battle without four regulars [Projo Sox Blog]

My Feelings about Having my Number Retired [Ask 14]

And here is how the hitters have fared against this afternoon’s starting pitchers.

UConn Football links

Wednesday’s Practice [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

How Will The RB situation Play Out? [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Where will Big East teams get their kicks? [Big East Blog – ESPN.com]

The Facebook Files From UConn Camp [Rob Lunn – NESN.com]

Quick Look At UConn Football Practice [Hartford Courant]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

What now that Renee has walked away? [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Seattle’s Cash has been money since surgery [New Haven Register]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Ben Gordon Week [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Lake Clifton coach Herman Harried on Josh Selby [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

UConn-Duke Potential Tip-Off Final Nov. 27; Ben Gordon Week [Hartford Courant]

Huskies, Bulldogs could be in for a dogfight during preseason NIT [New Haven Register]

Other UConn related links

Getting Back in the Game — Thanks to EA Sports [Rob Lunn – NESN.com]

Men’s Soccer: BIG EAST Picks UConn to Finish Second in Blue Division [UConnHuskies.com]

Field Hockey: UConn’s Melissa Gonzalez Helps Lead USA Past Chile 4-0 [UConnHuskies.com]

Josh Beckett was his usual dominating self while Mike Lowell and Jason Bay continue to mash the ball as the Boston Red Sox went on to an 8-2 win last night over the Detroit Tigers.

The Red Sox still sit 5.5 games out of first place in the AL East and hold a 1.5 games lead over the Rangers and 4.5 games lead over the Rays in the wild card standings. After this afternoon’s game against the Tigers, the Red Sox do head to Arlington to take on the Rangers over the weekend.

If Beckett continues this pace for the rest of the season, he could very well be on his way to the Cy Young Award.  Last night, he picked up his MLB-leading 14th win while allowing 2 runs over 7 innings on 3 hits and a walk while striking out 6. One thing to remember is that Beckett started out the season slowly but has been just about lights out since the end of the April.

It was the third straight win for the Red Sox over the Tigers this series and they still haven’t lost to them yet this season.

The resurgence of the Red Sox offense can be attributed to the bats of Bay and Lowell. Since returning to the lineup after his hamstring injury, Bay has hit 4 home runs while Lowell has had 3 homers in the past two games. Even though Lowell has the hip issue, Terry Francona needs to find a way to get his bat in the lineup on a more regular basis once Kevin Youkilis returns from suspension.

It’s definitely a lot easier to talk about the Red Sox when they are winning but given their play of late on the road, there is cause for concern. Hopefully a good game this afternoon carries over into the trip to Texas. That trip to Texas could change the way this season goes. But first, let’s take finish off the Tigers this afternoon.

And if you missed Jerry Remy back in the booth for a night last night, be sure to check out the video.

Links coming up after a 10-second pause for station ID on the Red Sox blogging network.

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NEW YORK – Marking its 25th anniversary, the 2009 Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament field was announced today by C.M. Newton, chair of the NIT Selection Committee.

“Anyone who is a fan of college basketball knows the storied history behind this tournament – the foundation of the great fields started with the first NIT in 1985, when three of the NCAA Final Four® teams that played in March met in the NIT Season Tip-Off championships at Madison Square Garden, a kind of “First Four^TM,” commented Newton, who is in the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

The 2009 Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off teams and brackets are as follows:

In the North Regional, the University of Connecticut, twice a third-place finisher in the NIT Season Tip-Off (1997, 2003), is the host against the Patriot League’s, Colgate University, while Hofstra University, from the Colonial Athletic Association faces Yale University. Those games will take place at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs.

The East Regional will take place at Duke University where the Blue Devils, three time champions of the NIT Season Tip-Off (1985, 2000, 2005), will play the Big South Conference’s Coastal Carolina University, while the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, from the Atlantic 10 Conference, will face Southern Conference representative Elon University.

In the West Regional, Arizona State University, a 1997 fourth-place finisher in the NIT Season Tip-Off, is the host site for its game against Texas State University-San Marcos out of the Southland Conference, and for the Texas Christian University (TCU) vs. Cal State Northridge matchup.

The Southeastern Conference’s Louisiana State University is the site for the South Regional, and the Tigers will tip against Indiana State University from the Missouri Valley Conference, while Western Kentucky University, who finished second in the 1986 NIT Season Tip-Off, will play the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, from the Horizon League.

The regional games will be played on November 16 and 17, the consolation bracket will take place on November 23 and 24 (sites to be determined), and the Championship round comes to New York City’s Madison Square Garden for the “First Four” semifinal and final doubleheaders, November 25 and 27.

The NIT Season Tip-Off assures every participating team four games once again this year. First- and second-round games will be played at the home campus of the four highest-seeded teams. The winners of those sites will move onto New York City. The remaining 12 teams will play third- and fourth-round games on the home campus sites of the three highest remaining seeds. Participating teams will not play any team twice, and the third and fourth rounds will be assigned to the most geographically compatible site possible.

ESPN will provide coverage throughout the event, televising games on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU. Games on ESPN and ESPN2 will be simulcast on ESPN360.com

For a full look at the bracket, click here.