Ryan Lavarnway took a tough shot from Ryan Doumit on Saturday night at the plate, and he impressively held on as the Twins catcher attempted to jar the ball loose from the Red Sox catcher’s mitt.

On Sunday afternoon, Lavarnway took some tough questions from Smithfield, R.I., little leaguers. The young players grilled Lavarnway on why he likes catching, what gear he uses and how he hits a pitcher that throws over 90 mph.

To hear Lavarnway answer the young players, check out the video above or on NESN’s YouTube channel.

Ryan Dempster wasn’t able to pick up the win on Saturday night in the Red Sox’ matchup against the Minnesota Twins because he was pulled before the requisite five innings. The Sox went on to best the Twins 11-5, but Dempster struggled in the first three innings.

The right-hander is 0-1 in his last two starts with a 10.24 ERA — much different from how he performed in his first seven starts. Dempster said his biggest struggle on Saturday night was consistency.

Check out the video above to hear what else Dempster had to say, or check it out on NESN’s YouTube channel.

The Red Sox haven’t let the road crowds get the best of them. The team’s 12-7  road record is tied with the Yankees for the best in the AL.

Even with an lineup struggling with injuries, the Sox have managed a 3-1 record on their most recent road trip. Manager John Farrell has an idea why his team has been so successful on the road, and it has to do with depth in the bullpen.

To hear what Farrell had to say, check out the video above or on NESN’s YouTube channel.

Not even a foul ball to the head could affect Andrew Miller on Friday night.

The Red Sox reliever was getting some gum in the top of the ninth inning when Jarrod Saltalamacchia fouled a line drive into Boston’s dugout. The ball ricocheted off the wall and hit Miller in the head, but the lefty said he was fine.

Miller went back out in the bottom of the ninth and retired two batters to conclude a perfect 1 2/3 innings. To hear Miller’s reaction to the scare, check out the video above or on NESN’s YouTube channel.

Shane Victorino is not afraid to sacrifice his body in order to track down fly ball in right field. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, Victorino’s body has indeed taken a beating this season.

The right fielder tweaked his back while running into the outfield wall Thursday night in Tampa Bay, an injury he says is unrelated to back troubles that caused him to miss nine games earlier this season. He was also shaken up when he slammed hard into the bullpen wall during the Sox’ most recent homestand, though that hit did not cause him to miss any games.

Peter Abraham joined Red Sox GameDay LIVE on Friday to give his take on Victorino’s style of play and discuss how he compares to Bryce Harper, another outfielder known for giving 100 percent on every play.

Check out the video above or on NESN’s YouTube channel.

Andrew Bailey has that closer mentality when it comes to pitching. He didn’t want to have any rehab outings after recovering from a biceps strain. He wanted to get sent right back into the fires of major league baseball.

John Farrell and the Red Sox overruled him on that, however, instead choosing to send the closer to Triple-A Pawtucket for one game on Satuday to make sure that he’s fully ready to take back the reins in the back end of the Boston bullpen. Bailey, to his credit, came around on the idea and is now promising NESN’s Jenny Dell that he’ll be “ready to go” in the big leagues come Monday.

Check out what else Bailey had to say on Red Sox GameDay LIVE.

The Red Sox really needed that one.

After losing nine of 11 games and falling all the way to third place in the American League East, Boston’s offense finally came through Wednesday night, pouring in nine runs in a 9-2 rout of Tampa Bay.

Jon Lester was strong again on the mound, allowing two runs on eight hits over seven innings to run his record to 6-0, and he credited the Red Sox’ bats for taking some of the heat off him.

“It’s big,” Lester said. “We haven’t scored a bunch of runs lately, and that just takes a lot of pressure off of [the pitchers] to go out there and execute pitches.”

See more from Lester’s postgame comments in the video above.

Since his 27-game hitting streak was snapped last Wednesday, David Ortiz has struggled at the plate.

Starting that night against the Twins, Ortiz proceeded to go 1-for-17 over four games, dropping his average more than 80 points (to .333) before manager John Farrell gave him a night off  on Sunday. Big Papi went just 1-for-4 in his return to the lineup on Tuesday, but that one hit was a three-run homer that provided Boston’s only offense of the night.

Ortiz revealed Tuesday that he has been hampered by an oblique injury for the better part of a week, leading to his lack of production, but The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham thinks the slugger is now fully recovered as the Sox continue their nine-game road trip.

See more from Abraham in the video above.

David Ortiz didn’t look like an injured man in the first inning of Tuesday’s Red Sox-Rays matchup. The slugger pulled a high inside fastball into the right field seats for a three-run homer, but ESPN.com reports that he has been battling a sore oblique muscle for the last few games. Ortiz says he should be feeling better and hitting again soon.

Red Sox manager John Farrell confirmed the injury after Tuesday night’s loss and said the team has tried to give Ortiz a break so he can heal.

To hear what Farrell had to say, check out the video above.

Jonny Gomes started his career with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2003 and stayed to see a name change, a uniform change and a change in attitude at Tropicana Field. The outfielder agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal with the Red Sox in 2012 and has made solid contributions to the team this season.

The Sox are in Tampa on Tuesday night for Game 1 in a three game series, and Gomes talked about the homecoming on Red Sox GameDay LIVE with Jenny Dell.

Check out the video above to hear Gomes talk about what it feels like to be back and where he thinks the Sox are headed this season.

There is no disputing what David Ortiz has done for the Red Sox franchise and what he has accomplished during his time with the team.

Big Papi has been part of two World Championship teams, is a nine-time All-Star and has become an important part of the community through his charitable work. Through it all, there is one person he wishes he could share his accomplishments with — his mother.

This Mother’s Day, Ortiz invited a number of inspirational women and mothers to Fenway Park to celebrate. Hear their stories in the video above.

The fun had to come to an end at some point, and after experiencing a successful April, the Red Sox have gotten their first few tests of the season.

The Sox have won just four games in their last 12 dating back to May 1, a period in which they also suffered their first sweep of the season at the hands of the Rangers. On Sunday the Sox dropped a 12-4 decision to the Blue Jays. The recent struggles haven’t fazed starter Ryan Dempster and he says he is sure his teammates plan to fight to “get back on that winning track we’re used to.”

To hear what else Dempster had to say after the loss, check out the video above.

Will Middlebrooks was in the hot seat this week on Red Sox Small Talk. And he took the tough questions from young Red Sox fans all over New England.

Middlebrooks was taught the “Gangnam Style” dance by some of the youngsters. He also discussed who his favorite football players are, who the best dancer on the team is and he gives advice on how to talk to girls. Middlebrooks also accuses Dustin Pedroia of having “little man’s syndrome” because of  his penchant for pulling pranks.

Check out Middlebrooks’ answers in the video above.

Before she caught up with David Ortiz prior to the Red Sox game, Erin Asselin told her Red Sox “Fan Story” to NESN’s Jenny Dell down on the field at Fenway Park.

Asselin is in Boston celebrating Mother’s Day with her family and their cancer survivor mom. Watch the video above to hear their story.

Tune in to Red Sox postgame coverage and NESN Daily at 10 p.m. to hear more great Red Sox “Fan Stories.”

On Wednesday, May 15, you have the chance to eat under the stars at Fenway Park.

Chefs Ming Tsai and Ken Oringer came up with the idea behind “Boston Bites Back,” an event at Fenway Park that brings 100 of the city’s best chefs together to raise money for The One Fund. There are 5,000 total tickets that cost $200 per head. The chefs will be showcasing their creativity by cooking in the concession stands.

Check out the video above of NESN’s Jenny Dell touching base with Tsai and Oringer on this week’s Ultimate Red Sox Show and go to BostonBitesBack.org for more details.

Clay Buchholz put the cheating accusations behind him and had a solid start against the Blue Jays on Saturday. The Red Sox right-hander is 6-0 on the season with a 1.69 ERA.

Buchholz pitched through eight innings on Saturday, but his performance did not factor into the Sox’ 3-2 loss. After working through a grind the first few innings, Buchholz was able to turn out a strong outing.

Check out the video above to hear what Buchholz had to say after the game.

With news coming down on Saturday morning that Joel Hanrahan will need season-ending surgery, the Red Sox’ biggest need has finally emerged. Boston needs to bolster its bullpen.

How the team chooses to do so remains to be seen. They could either try to pull someone up from the minors like Rubby De La Rosa, or address the need via trade.

To hear how WEEI’s Rob Bradford and Mike Salk think the Red Sox will address the need, watch the video above.

Heading into Friday night, the Red Sox, Orioles and Yankees sat tied for first place in the American League East — though New York technically held an edge by percentage points. Boston’s recent struggles, coupled with the O’s season-long consistency and the Yankees’ surprising success despite a glut of injuries, have created some intense competition in one of baseball’s most balanced divisions.

Tampa Bay and Toronto have underperformed thus far, but both certainly have the talent necessary to pull a midseason turnaround.

An all-star panel of Tom Caron, Tim Wakefield, Peter Abraham and Nick Cafardo sat down to discuss the state of the AL East prior to Friday night’s Red Sox-Blue Jays matchup at Fenway Park. Check out what they had to say in the video above.

With a 5-2 loss to the Twins on Thursday, the Red Sox lost sole possession of first place in the American League East for the first time since Opening Day. It was Boston’s third straight defeat — all at home — and its sixth in the last seven games.

Manager John Farrell sat down with Tom Caron during Friday Night Fenway before the Sox opened their series with the Blue Jays to discuss how his team has reacted to the first real “rough stretch” of the season.

See what he had to say in the video above.

After allowing just one run through the first 5 1/3 innings Thursday night, one mistake brought John Lackey‘s promising outing crumbling down.

With men on first and second and one out in the top of the sixth, Lackey appeared to be in prime position to start an inning-ending double-play when he fielded a ground ball off the bat of Trevor Plouffe. But his throw to Dustin Pedroia sailed into center field, allowing Joe Mauer to score all the way from second. A sac fly and a two-run home run later, the Red Sox found themselves in a 5-2 hole that they were unable to climb out of.

Hear Lackey’s critique of his performance in the video above.