Final, Rays 6-2:

Mid 9th, Rays 6-2: The Rays strung together a couple of hits, but the score remained the same. Jamey Wright will now try to finish off the Red Sox.

Evan Longoria and James Loney hit back-to-back singles against Pedro Beato with one down in the ninth inning. Beato bounced back to retire Wil Myers and Kelly Johnson.

Mike Napoli, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jonny Gomes are due up for Boston in the bottom of the ninth.

End 8th, Rays 6-2: Joel Peralta gave up the big blast to Jonny Gomes on Tuesday. He had no problem doing his job in the eighth inning.

Daniel Nava, Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz went down in order against the right-hander, and the Rays are now three outs from sneaking away with a victory in the series.

Nava put up an excellent at-bat against Peralta. He saw 10 pitches in the at-bat, and he fouled off three straight 3-2 offerings before flying out to center field.

Pedroia struck out looking when he got caught out on his front foot. It looked as if Pedroia was thinking fastball, but Peralta dropped a splitter on him.

Ortiz put good wood on a 1-2 fastball, but Sean Rodriguez, who pinch hit for Matt Joyce in the top half the inning, raced back to make the grab on the warning track in left field.

Pedro Beato will pitch the ninth inning for Boston.

Mid 8th, Rays 6-2: Franklin Morales was the new pitcher for Boston in the eighth. He made sure Tampa Bay didn’t extend its lead any further.

Morales made quick work of Jose Molina to begin the inning. He fired three straight fastballs en route to picking up a strikeout. Molina had been 3-for-3.

Yunel Escobar then smoked a comebacker right at Morales. The left-hander snatched it out of thin air and fired to first to complete the out.

Sean Rodriguez, pinch-hitting for Matt Joyce, made a little two-out racket with a single into left field, but Morales ended the inning the same way he started it — with a strikeout. Morales went upstairs to fan Desmond Jennings.

Daniel Nava, Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz are due up in the bottom of the eighth inning.

End 7th, Rays 6-2: Jose Iglesias’ two-out walk in the seventh inning may come at a price.

Iglesias reached base, but he still doesn’t have a hit, meaning his 18-game hit streak is in jeopardy. There’s still a chance he could get up again, but it’ll take some rallying from the Red Sox.

Prior to Iglesias’ walk, Jake McGee, who took over for Jeremy Hellickson, struck out Jonny Gomes and Stephen Drew.

Jacoby Ellsbury drilled a line drive right at Evan Longoria down at third base to end the inning. It was a weird play, because as Ellsbury smoked the line drive, he appeared to do something to his leg or foot. That caused him to hobble out of the batter’s box, and it brought out John Farrell and the team’s trainer. Ellsbury appears to be OK, though, and he’ll stay in the game.

Mid 7th, Rays 6-2: Craig Breslow had a rough go of it.

Breslow took over for Ryan Dempster, who went the first six innings, and he was charged with three runs as the Rays opened up a 6-2 lead.

Desmond Jennings got the seventh-inning attack going with a one-out single into left field. Ben Zobrist then flied out for the inning’s second out, but things got problematic from there.

Evan Longoria went down and got a low changeup, driving it into left field for a two-out RBI. James Loney then doubled down the left field line to chase Breslow from the game.

John Farrell called upon Alex Wilson, and he didn’t fare much better. Rookie Wil Myers greeted Wilson with a two-run single, and the Rays suddenly have a four-run lead.

End 6th, Rays 3-2: Jeremy Hellickson didn’t give the Red Sox an inch in the sixth.

Hellickson easily took care of David Ortiz, Mike Napoli and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Ortiz flied out to right field before Napoli and Saltalamacchia both struck out.

Hellickson took a little off to get Napoli. He fanned the slugger with a 3-2 changeup down in the zone.

Salty also ran the count full, but he went down looking at a 3-2 fastball.

Ryan Dempster’s night is indeed over. Craig Breslow will take over for Boston in the seventh inning.

Mid 6th, Rays 3-2: Ryan Dempster maneuvered through what was probably his last inning

Dempster, whose pitch count is at 108, needed to buckle down in the sixth inning to keep the deficit at one run.

James Loney grounded out and Wil Myers flied out, and it looked like Dempster was on his way to bouncing back from the fifth-inning hiccup. A walk and a single later, Dempster found himself in a high-stress situation.

Kelly Johnson walked, and Jose Molina sent him from first to third with his third hit of the game. Dempster then duked it out with Yunel Escobar, who fouled off two straight pitches and saw eight total before flying out to center field to end the threat.

End 5th, Rays 3-2: The potential tying run was 90 feet away, but Dustin Pedroia couldn’t push it across.

Jacoby Ellsbury drilled a one-out single into center after Jose Iglesias grounded to third base to lead off the inning. Ellsbury soon found himself going station to station.

Ellsbury moved up to second base when Daniel Nava struck out. Nava fanned on a changeup out of the zone, but the pitch got away from catcher Jose Molina, enabling Ellsbury to advance. Jeremy Hellickson was charged with his second wild pitch of the contest.

Hellickson was then called for a balk with Pedroia batting, as the right-hander started and stopped before stepping off the rubber. Hellickson didn’t agree with the call, but hey, it is what it is. Everyone loves a good balk, right?

Pedroia got into a hitter-friendly 3-1 count, but he ended up grounding to first base to end the inning with Ellsbury hung up on third.

Mid 5th, Rays 3-2: The Rays snatched the lead right back.

Jose Molina led off the fifth inning with his second hit of the game, and after back-to-back flyouts, Desmond Jennings walked. Ryan Dempster delivered a first-pitch strike to Jennings, but he missed with four straight pitches — three fastballs — to issue the free pass.

Ben Zobrist then stepped up, and he singled into center field. Jacoby Ellsbury came up firing to the plate, but Jose Molina — who is probably one of the slowest human beings on planet earth, rivaled only by his brothers — slid in under Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s tag.

Jennings advanced to third and Zobrist took second on Ellsbury’s throw, but Dempster avoided any additional damage. Evan Longoria popped out to Mike Napoli in foul territory with the two runners in scoring position to end the inning.

End 4th, 2-2: Evan Longoria has almost robbed Jonny Gomes on two separate occasions. Both instances ended with a run-scoring infield single.

Jeremy Hellickson got two quick outs in the bottom of the fourth, but Jarrod Saltalamacchia kicked off a rally by planting a double off the center field wall. Desmond Jennings elected to back off and play the bounce this time around, rather than go into the leap like he did on David Ortiz’s double earlier in the game.

Hellickson then threw a pitch in the dirt with Gomes at the plate. It rolled all the way to the backstop, and catcher Jose Molina didn’t know where it was at one point. That allowed Saltalamacchia to take third, and he even took a wide turn before ultimately tossing on the brakes.

Gomes hit a hot smash down to third base with two outs. Longoria made a great leaping bid, but the ball popped out of his glove, allowing Gomes to reach at first and Salty to score from third.

Mid 4th, Rays 2-1: Ryan Dempster is starting to settle in after a shaky start to the game.

Dempster enjoyed his second straight 1-2-3 inning in the fourth. He struck out two hitters while doing so.

Dempster started the inning by striking out James Loney looking. The righty made good use of his slider during the at-bat, tossing two in a row to pick up the K after falling behind in the count 2-1.

After Wil Myers popped out to second base for the second out, Dempster struck out Kelly Johnson swinging to complete the frame. Johnson also went down on a slider.

End 3rd, Rays 2-1: Double plays are certainly a pitcher’s best friend.

Jacoby Ellsbury singled to lead off the third inning, and we all know how menacing he can be when he reaches base. Fortunately for the Rays, Jeremy Hellickson didn’t find out.

Daniel Nava grounded to shortstop Yunel Escobar, who stepped on second and fired to first for a double play.

Dustin Pedroia grounded out to second base to end the inning.

Mid 3rd, Rays 2-1: Ryan Dempster was very effective in the third inning.

Dempster mowed the Rays down bing, bing bing. Desmond Jennings grounded out, Ben Zobrist flied out and Evan Longoria popped out.

End 2nd, Rays 2-1: Desmond Jennings nearly added a highlight-reel catch to his first-inning home run. But he didn’t.

David Ortiz smoked a ball to deep center to lead off the second inning. Jennings raced back and leaped — the guy has some ups — to try to make a grab against the wall. The ball was just out of his reach, though, and Ortiz ended up with a double.

There was some thought as to whether the big fella could pick up another triple, as the ball ricocheted away from Jennings. Instead, Ortiz tossed on the brakes after reaching second base standing up.

Mike Napoli grounded to first base for the first out of the inning. It was a productive out, though. Ortiz advanced to third base, and he scored when Jonny Gomes reached on an infield single.

Evan Longoria made a nice diving stop on Gomes’ ground ball to the left side, but he couldn’t quite get a handle on the baseball upon popping up to his feet.

Stephen Drew singled with two outs to put runners at first and second. Jeremy Hellickson escaped without any further damage inflicted by getting Jose Iglesias, whose riding an 18-game hit streak, to ground into a forceout at second base.

Mid 2nd, Rays 2-0: The Rays’ offense went right back to work in the second inning. Fortunately for the Red Sox, Ryan Dempster induced a big ground ball.

Dempster started the inning by striking out Kelly Johnson. Dempster jumped ahead in the count 0-2, but Johnson laid off back-to-back pitches to even up the count. The right-hander eventually won the battle by tossing a good-looking slider in on the hands that caught the inside corner.

The momentum quickly shifted in Tampa’s favor, though. Jose Molina and Yunel Escobar — the team’s No. 8 and No. 9 hitters — hit back-to-back singles into center field.

Dempster escaped the first-and-second jam by inducing a huge double play. Matt Joyce grounded to Dustin Pedroia, who kicked off the 4-6-3, inning-ending twin killing.

End 1st, Rays 2-0: Night games haven’t been kind to Jeremy Hellickson this season. He started off on the right foot in this one, though.

Hellickson enjoyed a 1-2-3 first inning after the Rays’ offense jumped out to an early 2-0 edge.

Jacoby Ellsbury started the inning with a ground ball down to first. James Loney, who made an error in Game 1 on Tuesday, got dirty while making a nice pick, and he flipped to Hellickson to complete the out.

Daniel Nava and Dustin Pedroia each made some fairly decent contact, but they were retired on a pair of flyouts.

Hellickson entered Wednesday’s game with a strange split. The right-hander owns a 2-3 record and 7.09 ERA in 10 night games. He’s 2-0 with a 2.42 ERA in four day games.

Mid 1st, Rays 2-0: The Rays have already matched their run total from all of Tuesday — and they played 18 innings on Tuesday.

Desmond Jennings, who still hasn’t lived up to his immense potential since arriving in the bigs, put Tampa on the board in the first inning. He drilled a 1-2 Ryan Dempster offering right down the left field line for his ninth home run of the season.

Ben Zobrist immediately followed up with a single into center field on the third pitch of his at-bat. He advanced to third base when Evan Longoria delivered a hit into left-center.

Jonny Gomes came up firing to third on Longoria’s hit in an attempt to throw out Zobrist. The throw got by Jose Iglesias, who was charged with his first error. Zobrist wasn’t able to score on the mishandled throw, but runners ended up at second and third with one out.

James Loney struck a sacrifice fly to right field to give Tampa a 2-0 edge, and that’s where we stand with the Red Sox coming up for the first time.

7:10 p.m.: Ryan Dempster’s first pitch is a strike, and we’re underway on a beautiful night at Fenway.

6:58 p.m.: We all received some great news on Wednesday. Jerry Remy is nearing his return to the NESN broadcast booth.

Remy, who has been out of action since May 28 because of illness, said during a conference call that he’ll return to the booth on Tuesday, when the Red Sox host the Rockies at Fenway Park.

Remy sounded like he was in good spirits, and it’s clear that he’s excited to get back to work.

Click here to read about Remy’s return >>

6:43 p.m.: In addition to the live blog — which has been a constant in the NESN.com repertoire — we’ll also have a Bruins live chat going on for Wednesday’s Game 4. I apologize to you baseball fanatics who don’t care, but I figure there are a lot of B’s fans out there who might be interested in such. Check out the scene at the link below.

Click here for the Bruins live chat >>

6:39 p.m.: While I hope you all check in with the Red Sox live blog from time to time, I also encourage you to scope out our Bruins live blog. Mike Cole will be keeping you up to speed on all of Wednesday’s Game 4 Stanley Cup action.

Click here for the Bruins live blog >>

6:02 p.m.: Jonny Gomes’ walk-off home run on Tuesday capped an exciting day at the ballpark. There’s been no shortage of those types of days, though.

The walk-0ff win was the Red Sox’ sixth of 2013. That’s double their total from all of last season and the most for the Red Sox through June since 1998, when Boston also had six.

5:12 p.m.: Jarrod Saltalamacchia is earning his paycheck. Salty caught both games of the doubleheader on Tuesday, and he’ll once again be in the starting lineup on Wednesday.

Will Middlebrooks will be out of the lineup, as the left side of Boston’s infield will consist of Stephen Drew and Jose Iglesias at shortstop and third base, respectively.

The complete lineups for Wednesday are below.

Red Sox (44-29)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Daniel Nava, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Jonny Gomes, LF
Stephen Drew, SS
Jose Iglesias, 3B

Ryan Dempster, RHP (4-7, 4.21 ERA)

Rays (36-35)
Matt Joyce, LF
Desmond Jennings, CF
Ben Zobrist, 2B
Evan Longoria, 3B
James Loney, 1B
Wil Myers, RF
Kelly Johnson, DH
Jose Molina, C
Yunel Escobar, SS

Jeremy Hellickson, RHP (4-3, 5.67 ERA)

4:35 p.m.: The Red Sox announced that they have signed first-round pick Trey Ball.

Ball, an 18-year-old left-hander from New Castle, Indiana, was the seventh overall pick in this year’s draft. He is with the Red Sox at Fenway Park now, and he’ll report to the Gulf Coast League Red Sox in Fort Myers next week.

8 a.m. ET: Tuesday marked a long day at the office for the Red Sox. It was also a very productive day, as the Sox swept their doubleheader with the Rays.

Game 1 took an eternity because of a three-hour rain delay, but Boston eventually emerged victorious, 5-1. Game 2, on the other hand, moved at a brisk pace, mainly because Felix Doubront pounded the strike zone en route to eight shutout innings. In the end, after Andrew Bailey blew a save in the ninth inning, Jonny Gomes capped off Game 2 and the eventful twin bill with a walk-off home run over the Green Monster.

With Tuesday’s two victories, the Red Sox are now a season high-tying 15 games over .500 with a 44-29 record. Ryan Dempster will try to keep moving Boston in the right direction on Wednesday.

Wednesday’s contest, which is the Red Sox’ last before going back out on the road, is scheduled to start up at 7:10 p.m. Be sure to tune in on NESN, and keep it right here.

Bailey, who blew another save opportunity in the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader, is in the midst of a rough patch. Manager John Farrell made it clear, however, that the closer’s job still belongs to Bailey, and that it’s simply a matter of the right-hander figuring some things out on the mound.

“Andrew Bailey is our closer, and yet we fully recognize that we have some work to do with him,” Farrell said Wednesday on WEEI’s Salk & Holley Show. “Right now, what has plagued him is that fastball has been up to his arm side, where left-handers have hurt him with the long ball. So getting him down in the strike zone consistently. And I think more than anything is just getting the breaking ball over in either the first pitch or fastball counts. That’s been where some of the issues have come in, because I think a hitter can go in the box looking for something hard up in the zone. That’s his signature pitch, and as he’s kind of drifted away from the rubber and repeating his delivery, he’s lost a little bit of that velocity and that second gear to his fastball that has really been his calling card. So when he’s gone to that fastball where he’s been successful in the past, that hasn’t been there for him.

“We’ve got to adjust off of what he’s currently throwing with right now,” Farrell added. “But for the time being, he is definitely our closer.”

Farrell’s use of the phrase, “for the time being,” leaves open the possibility that other options could be explored if Bailey continues to struggle. The Red Sox skipper seems confident in Bailey’s ability to bounce back, though.

We now at least know that the righty will be given an opportunity to work through his issues.

Have a question for Ricky Doyle? Send it to him via Twitter at @TheRickyDoyle or send it here.

The Red Sox had an off day Monday, but manager John Farrell was still dishing out some coaching expertise.

Farrell joined Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly, Boston College football coach Steve Addazio and Connecticut Sun coach Anne Donovan to discuss coaching and leadership at the second annual Coffee With the Coaches event at Fenway Park.

The event raised more than $95,000 for the Boston chapter of the Positive Coaches Alliance, a non-profit organization that works to “provide all youth and high school athletes a positive, character-building youth sports experience.”

To hear from each of the coaches, check out the video above.

The Red Sox are going for a sweep the night after a walk-off home run that included a helmet punt. Also, they’re second fiddles in Boston.

It’s a tough time to be a fan of Boston sports for those who only have access to one television at a time, as the Bruins fight on in the Stanley Cup Final and leave the first-place Sox on somewhat of a back burner. That’s not to say that the Sox haven’t had their moments … but the B’s certainly have as well.

NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette and Alison Smith break down the Boston fan’s conundrum in the above video.

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Jerry Remy

Remy has been out of action since May 28 because of illness, but the NESN analyst said on a conference call Wednesday that he will return to the booth on Tuesday, when the Red Sox host the Rockies at Fenway.

“I’ve always said that I would be honest and truthful about everything that goes on with me health-wise,” Remy said. “[The] last couple of weeks have been pretty tough. First of all, I went to the doctor [Wednesday] and I got the green light to go back to work on Tuesday. They didn’t want me to go to Detroit over the weekend — they didn’t want me flying to Detroit. So I’ll be able to return to the booth with no restrictions on Tuesday.”

Remy, who was in good spirits during the conference call, initially missed a few games because of allergies. The allergies, according to Remy, turned into pneumonia, and that elongated his absence from the booth.

“I was working a Sunday game [on May 26] and I had an allergy attack. I thought that that would improve within a couple of days. It actually got worse on the Monday night that I worked, so I went to the doctor the following day and I was told at that time I had pneumonia,” Remy said. “So at that point they put me on oral medication, which I thought would clear things up in a matter of days. Unfortunately, my body rejected the antibiotics that they put me on and continued to get worse.

“So from that point on they admitted me to Mass General, where I spent five or six days, I think five days and was on a heavy dose of IV antibiotic … within 48 hours that made a tremendous difference. When I got out of the hospital I was still pretty lethargic from the pneumonia and not ready to go to work. The club was on the road at the time and so they thought it best I not go on the road, and that’s pretty much the way it is.”

Remy was also diagnosed again with lung cancer prior to spring training, and he had radiation treatments during spring training. Remy said that the results have been very, very positive, though, and it’s clear that he’s itching to get back to work.

“I can’t think of anything else that I might be missing except that I miss doing my job,” Remy said. “I’m thankful for NESN for being so understanding about everything that I’ve been through and [I’m] looking very much forward to getting back in the booth and following this club into the playoffs.

It’ll be great to have the RemDawg back. He’s certainly been missed.

Jonny Gomes will start his second game in a row against a right-hander. He was the hero of the night on Tuesday when he hit a two-run walk-off home run off Joel Peralta in the bottom of the ninth. Gomes is batting .207 on the season against righties with two home runs and eight RBIs.

Shane Victorino and Will Middlebrooks will get the night off. Victorino played both sets of the doubleheader while Middlebrooks went 0-for-3 in the afternoon game.

Check out the starting lineup for both teams below.

Boston Red Sox (44-29)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Daniel Nava, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Jonny Gomes, LF
Stephen Drew, SS
Jose Iglesias, 3B

Ryan Dempster, RHP

Tampa Bay Rays (36-35)
Matt Joyce, LF
Desmond Jennings, CF
Ben Zobrist, 2B
Evan Longoria, 3B
James Loney, 1B
Wil Myers, RF
Kelly Johnson, DH
Jose Molina, C
Yunel Escobar, SS

Jeremy Hellickson, RHP

The Red Sox announced Wednesday that they have signed Ball, whom they selected in the first round (seventh overall) of this year’s MLB draft. The 18-year-old left-handed pitcher was one of 11 signings announced on Wednesday by Red Sox director of amateur scouting Amiel Sawdaye.

Ball, who was the Red Sox’ earliest draft pick since Boston selected Trot Nixon seventh overall in 1993, reported to Fenway Park on Wednesday, but he’ll head to the Gulf Coast League Red Sox in Fort Myers next week.

Ball was drafted out of New Castle High School in Indiana, and he brings plenty of potential to the franchise. He excelled as both a pitcher and an outfielder, but he ultimately decided to focus on pitching during the spring. The southpaw went 6-0 with a 0.76 ERA, 93 strikeouts and 13 walks in 46 innings during his senior season.

The Red Sox also announced on Wednesday that they have signed Forrestt Allday (outfielder, eighth round), Kyle Martin (right-hander, ninth round), Taylor Grover (right-hander, 10th round), Carlos Asuaje (infielder, 11th round), Jake Romanski (catcher, 14th round), Bryan Hudson (outfielder, 15th round), Joe Gunkel (right-hander, 18th round), Reed Gragnani (infielder, 21st round), Jantzen White (infielder, 24th round) and Daniel Bethea (catcher, 34th round).

Have a question for Ricky Doyle? Send it to him via Twitter at @TheRickyDoyle or send it here.

After the game, the Red Sox posted the below picture to Instagram, and it’s pretty amazing. The image captures the Red Sox bench watching Gomes’ home run clear the fence (or possibly just his helmet up in the air) with the wide-eyed wonder that only playing a kid’s game can bring.

However, taken out of context, the photo also has some comedic value. So NESN wants you to submit your hilarious captions, and we’ll post the best ones on NESN.com later in the week.

Check out the photo below, and submit your questions by tweeting at @NESN using the hashtag #NESNcaption, or dropping it in the comments below.

Photo via Instagram/redsox

Having put 71 students in college, suffice it to say the Red Sox Scholars is a successful program. Jenny Dell recently caught up with three representatives of the program — including Felix Doubront‘s wife, Kimberly — to get their take, and they were all effusive in their praise for the opportunities it gives.

In short, Red Sox Scholars provides mentoring and hands-on opportunities for students to help them through school. The program is actually a family atmosphere and provides emotional support beyond just financial assistance.

Check out the video above to learn more about the program, which is a part of the Red Sox Foundation.

The questions earlier this season about who would close for the Red Sox have faded away now that Joel Hanrahan is gone for the year and Andrew Bailey is back from the disabled list. Bailey still hasn’t had a good, long stretch to prove that he is the closer that Boston was hoping for when the Sox traded for him a couple of offseasons ago, though. That could change as the weather gets warmer and Bailey gets the ball more often.

Can Andrew Bailey survive as the Red Sox’ closer, or do they need to go get someone to fill in the back of the bullpen? Bailey never seems to be able to close it out without dramatics.
– Neil Axelrod

I think the more save opportunities he gets, the less dramatic they will become. He went through a stretch where he only pitched twice in 11 days, and John Farrell kept trying to find the right spot for him to get some work. I think it set him back. I don’t think it was anyone’s fault. You just have some stretches where there is nothing to close.

Maybe you have insight on this — I’ve searched everywhere and have come up empty. Why is the Sox dugout on the third base side at Fenway South and not on the first base side like it is here in Boston?
– Jimmy Eaton

The reason it is at third base in Fort Myers is because the clubhouse was built behind the monster in left field. So the dugout connects from a hallway off the third base side. All the workout areas and fields are behind that area.

How do you and Jerry learn how to pronounce all the players’ names? So many players, so many teams.
– Teri Cannavino Morin

Usually we have a pretty good idea about guys on the major league rosters. It’s some of the spring training guys who are not prospects from other teams that we struggle with. Generally, we ask the other teams’ announcers how a guy likes to pronounce his name, and they rely on us for our guys as well.

What inspired you to become a baseball broadcaster?
– Carly Tefft

Listening to Ken Coleman do Red Sox games on the radio as a kid. I loved listening to him during the summer nights at home and on the road. I thought he had the coolest job in the world. He got to go to every Red Sox game, and everyone felt like they knew him, and he was their friend. It was incredible to me. Later I would have the chance to work for him in the booth as his intern and sat next to him for his final season.

Where did you grow up, and how did you get your start in broadcasting?
– Mathew Stanford

I was born in Melrose, Mass., and I grew up in Madison, N.H. I went to Northeastern University. I had the chance to work 10 seasons in minor league baseball and five in minor league hockey. Working for the Pittsfield Mets of the New York-Penn League was my first job.

When you announce, do watch the game live or on the TV next to you?
– Kevin Noel

I watch the majority of the game live and refer to the monitor for replays. Also, the monitor helps to see pitches. Sometimes the booth vantage point is too high in some parks to get a feel for a pitch. I refer to the monitor for sponsored elements and the bullpen. The rest of the time, my eyes are on the field.

How hard is it to figure out exactly what Eck is talking about when he starts using a new phrase like “cheese”?
– Laura McGondel

I have been around him the last 13 years, and I think I know all the terms he uses or can figure out the various adjectives. That said, “educated cheese” was a new one for me. Basically, that’s an older veteran pitcher who does not throw hard but can spot a fastball.

The Red Sox looked ready to put an end to a long, rain-soaked Tuesday when they entered the final inning of their nightcap with the Rays up 1-0. But Bailey, who has put some fear into Boston fans due to his unevenness in the closer role, quickly gave up a home run that guaranteed a prolonged night.

This year’s Red Sox team appears to enjoy dramatic finishes, though, and a walk-off opportunity was too much to pass up for Jonny Gomes. The left fielder was 0-for-3 on the night, including two strikeouts, but he didn’t hesitate with Daniel Nava on first and the game in the balance.

Gomes unleashed a wicked swing that sent the ball over the Green Monster and himself around the bases, where his teammates — including Bailey — capped off the win with a celebration.

Check it out in the video below.

The Red Sox overcame fatigue, rain, their own shortcomings and even traffic en route to sweeping Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Rays. The Sox notched a 5-1 win in an elongated Game 1, and they finished off the action-packed twin bill with a 3-1 walk-off victory in the nightcap.

It was an interesting day for an interesting team.

“I think it’s out of cups. It’s more ounces,” outfielder Jonny Gomes said when asked how much coffee he drank during Tuesday’s marathon doubleheader. “During the end, all these refills. [It was] a long day at the yard, and two wins kind of sums it all up. Go home, pack, hopefully get one more [win on Wednesday], and then go on the road.”

Sure, “two wins” sums up the doubleheader for Boston, and the victories are all that really matter. But before Gomes punted his helmet in jubilation following his walk-off homer in Game 2, we were treated to an all-around wacky day at Fenway.

It didn’t take long before the news cycle started ramping up Tuesday, as manager John Farrell said Clay Buchholz’s disabled list fate would be determined after the right-hander threw at 11 a.m. That throwing session was eventually pushed back to between Games 1 and 2, but the news led to speculation, anticipation and, before long, a very highly anticipated bullpen session, during which a few reporters covering the Red Sox even began using the hashtag “#BuchholzWatch2013” on Twitter. (The Red Sox announced shortly after the start of Game 2 that Buchholz had been placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to June 9.)

Farrell putting everyone on “Buchholz Watch” only set the tempo for Tuesday’s day at the park. Reporters in the press box were left briefly scratching their heads before Game 1 even started up. Alfredo Aceves was the scheduled starter for Game 1, but prior to game time, Franklin Morales made his way out to the bullpen. Aceves, meanwhile, was nowhere in sight, and that led to confusion, as some even wondered if a last-minute change was in effect. Aceves eventually emerged, but not before the polarizing right-hander had everyone a bit perplexed. Farrell later revealed that a traffic issue led to a late arrival for the man known as “Ace.”

Then there was Mother Nature’s emphatic arrival. Daniel Nava had just walked to load the bases in the bottom of the fifth inning in Game 1, and Rays manager Joe Maddon was in the process of turning to his bullpen when it started raining cats and dogs. The downpours led to a delay of almost three hours, during which it was determined that fans with tickets to Game 1 could stay for Game 2 free of charge, while those with tickets to Game 2 could enter the ballpark early to catch the conclusion of Game 1.

Buchholz’s trip to the DL wasn’t the only roster move the Red Sox made between games. It was also announced that David Ross was placed on the seven-day concussion list for the second time this season. Both Ryan Lavarnway and Alex Wilson were called up, but given the late moves, Jarrod Saltalamacchia was forced to catch all 18 innings of the doubleheader.

Tuesday had no shortage of actual on-field excitement, either. David Ortiz drove in three runs to propel Boston to a victory in Game 1, and the Red Sox nearly let Game 2 slip away. Felix Doubront pitched eight shutout innings in the second game before closer Andrew Bailey surrendered a game-tying, ninth-inning home run that threatened to put a damper on Boston’s day. Fortunately for the Red Sox, their familiar resilience kicked in at exactly the right moment, and Gomes launched a first-pitch fastball over the Green Monster in the bottom of the ninth to send the Fenway Faithful home happy with two wins in their pockets.

Even Bailey, who almost cost the Red Sox a win, couldn’t help but smile as Gomes kicked his helmet into the air while celebrating his dramatic dinger. Gomes, who labeled his big boot “The Fenway Punt,” joked that he was impersonating former Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri.

“I thought his punt was awesome. That put a smile on my face,” Bailey said. “Obviously, you don’t want to go out there and give up runs, but there’s a lot of positives about today — the way that Doubront threw the baseball, eight strong, and obviously Nava’s at-bat and Jonny’s homer. There’s a lot of good things about this team, and we just need to keep rolling.”

The Red Sox certainly have been rolling this season, and Tuesday’s effort spoke volumes about the team’s focus. Not only did the Sox complete a doubleheader sweep, which is something that’s becoming harder and harder for teams to accomplish these days, but the Sox did so despite all sorts of other things going on, including Bailey’s blown save.

“To be where we are and then to be where teams are late in the season at the top of the standings, we have to pick each other up,” Gomes said. “He’s picked us up. We’re going to pick him up, and we’ve done a great job of guys shining in the lineup covering for some guys that are kind of struggling and vice versa. It’s definitely the character of this clubhouse, picking each other up.”

Call it what you want, but there’s something unique going on with this year’s Red Sox. Nothing seems to faze them. We saw a late arrival by the Game 1 starter, a three-hour rain delay, an injury to the backup catcher, a DL trip for the team’s ace, a blown save and a “Fenway Punt.” Still, the Red Sox remained focused on the task at hand.

“You’re probably going to see a lot of stuff you haven’t seen before,” Gomes said after Tuesday’s doubleheader.

That certainly sounds like a safe bet. Yet through it all, the Red Sox keep on trucking.

Have a question for Ricky Doyle? Send it to him via Twitter at @TheRickyDoyle or send it here.

Doubront, a man notorious for running up high pitch counts, struggling with control and walking a tightrope, was in complete control against the Rays. The lefty twirled eight shutout innings in what was, without question, the best start of his big league career.

Doubront didn’t factor into the decision Tuesday, as Kelly Johnson smacked a game-tying home run off Andrew Bailey in the top of the ninth inning before Jonny Gomes eventually responded with a walk-off blast in the bottom of the inning. But lack of decision aside, there was a lot to love about Doubront’s effort.

Doubront’s eight innings were a career high, and he allowed just three hits, all of which came in the first three innings. The lefty retired the final 17 batters he faced en route to turning in his first career scoreless start of any length. Manager John Farrell even admitted after the game that he considered sending Doubront back out for the ninth before ultimately deciding to go with Bailey.

“Yeah, there was some thought of that, particularly knowing that [James] Loney’s gonna come up in that inning,” Farrell said. “He handled everyone in that lineup well tonight, but that’s [Andrew Bailey’s] job, and Felix more than did his work in an outstanding effort on his part tonight.”

It was more than just a day at the office for Doubront. He gave the Red Sox a fantastic start at a time when they need him to step up. With Jon Lester struggling and Clay Buchholz battling a neck injury that forced the right-hander to the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday, the Sox need their No. 3-5 starters to provide quality innings on a consistent basis. Doubront not only provided quality innings, but he also showed that he might be on the verge of turning a corner.

Doubront walked at least two batters in eight of his 11 starts before Tuesday, and even that doesn’t quite encapsulate his season-long control issues. For much of the year, Doubront has seen his pitch count skyrocket early on in starts because of an inability to put hitters away, and that, in turn, has limited his innings potential. On Tuesday, Doubront took advantage of Tampa Bay’s aggressiveness at the plate, and he constantly pounded the strike zone, not walking a single batter while tossing a very efficient 93 pitches.

“A lot of strikes. He didn’t have that stretch of hitters where he lost the strike zone where he issued a couple of base on balls. He attacked the zone all night,” Farrell said. “Fastball command. I thought he threw a number of cutters tonight to keep the right-handers honest with some balls breaking in on them, and he was able to slow them down with his curveball and his changeup. So it was a four-pitch mix that he had command of, and he did a very good job for us.”

Doubront must prove that Tuesday’s start wasn’t a fluke by stringing together some more good outings. The 25-year-old is already beginning to take that step, though, as his ERA over his last seven starts sits at 2.81 (13 earned runs in 41 2/3 innings), and he’s allowed three earned runs or fewer in each start during that span.

Tuesday was a long day at the ballpark, so weary Red Sox fans probably gave a double take while watching Doubront spin a gem. Rest assured that your eyes did not deceive you.

Have a question for Ricky Doyle? Send it to him via Twitter at @TheRickyDoyle or send it here.

The Red Sox appeared headed for extra innings yet again Tuesday, when Kelly Johnson‘s ninth-inning home run off closer Andrew Bailey tied Game 2 of the team’s doubleheader with Tampa Bay at one run apiece. The score didn’t remain tied for long, though, as Jonny Gomes launched a homer of his own in the bottom of the inning to allow the Sox to walk off victorious after a very long day of baseball.

After the game, Gomes spoke about the need for teammates to pick each other up when one struggles.

“There’s two people in this league who aren’t going to struggle this year,” he said. “One’s going to be the MVP and the other’s going to be the Cy Young. Everyone else is going through peaks and valleys. So, if you’ve got 24 other guys picking [up] the guy that’s down, you’ll be successful.”

Hear more from Gomes in the video above.

Gomes saved the Red Sox from spoiling Felix Doubront‘s stellar outing and rescued Andrew Bailey with his two-run blast in the bottom of the ninth. As he rounded third, the outfielder was so psyched, he took off his helmet and punted it into the air in celebration. After the game, he called it “The Fenway Punt.”

Check it out in the animation below.

Andrew Bailey owes Jonny Gomes a steak dinner. Or something.

After Bailey blew yet another save to fire up the closer controversy machine for another go, Gomes sent the fans hope happy after all with a two-run walk-off home run. The blast over the Monster capped off a doubleheader sweep for the Sox, who outlasted the Rays in Game 1 and outpitched them in Game 2.

Felix Doubront had the best game of his big-league career on Tuesday night, but he won’t have the win to go with it. That’s probably OK in the end, because his team won, and the players will tell you that’s what really matters.

NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette is naming Gomes our “Closing Argument” player of the game. Who’s yours?

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Final, Red Sox 3-1:

Gomes launched a first-pitch fastball over the Green Monster for a two-run homer, and the Red Sox walked off with a 3-1 victory in the nightcap of their doubleheader with the Rays.

Felix Doubront was excellent in eight shutout innings for the Red Sox, who also took Game 1 of the twin bill. He struck out six, didn’t walk anyone and retired the last 16 batters he faced. John Farrell even said after the game that he considered leaving Doubront in for the ninth — the lefty only threw 93 pitches — but he ultimately decided to go with Bailey, who he made clear is still the team’s closer despite the right-hander’s recent rough patch.

Prior to the ninth inning, the only run of the game came on a second-inning home run from Daniel Nava. The score stayed 1-0 until Kelly Johnson smacked a solo homer off Bailey on the closer’s second pitch in the ninth inning. That set up Gomes’ walk-off heroics in the bottom half of the inning.

Game 1 of the doubleheader was a lengthy affair, but Game 2 was relatively quick. Both yielded the same result for the Red Sox, however, and that’s all that matters to them at the end of the day.

The Red Sox and Rays will go at it again Wednesday before Boston heads back out on the road.

Good night, everyone.

Mid 9th, 1-1: Andrew Bailey took over for Felix Doubront to begin the ninth inning. Two pitches later, we had a tie game.

Kelly Johnson drilled a 1-0 fastball over the right field fence to wash away all of Doubront’s hard work.

Doubront, who tossed eight shutout innings before handing the ball over to Bailey, will not factor into the decision despite pitching a gem. It’s now up to the Red Sox’ offense to make sure that a win is still in the cards.

The Red Sox are actually fortunate that the game is tied going into the bottom of the ninth. After Ben Zobrist walked with two outs, Evan Longoria drilled a hard ground ball to the left side. Jose Iglesias made a sensational diving play at third base, popped up and tossed a rocket to second base to complete the inning-ending forceout.

Daniel Nava, Jonny Gomes and Jarrod Saltalamacchia are due up in the ninth inning.

End 8th, Red Sox 1-0: Felix Doubront won’t have a chance to finish what he started. But what an effort.

Doubront exits after eight fantastic innings. Andrew Bailey is now coming on to try to record the save.

Dustin Pedroia walked with two down in the eighth inning, but David Ortiz grounded sharply into the shift to send us into the ninth inning with a one-run game.

Doubront gave up just three hits — all in the first three innings — while striking out six.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 1-0: Felix Doubront is tossing a gem right now.

Doubront enjoyed another perfect inning in the eighth, and he has now retired 16 straight. He has only allowed three hits in the game, and all three came in the first three innings.

Doubront sat down Wil Myers, Luke Scott and Matt Joyce, who pinch hit for Jose Lobaton, in the eighth inning.

Doubront struck out Scott swinging with a 91 mph fastball. He now has six strikeouts total.

The left-hander has only thrown 93 pitches through eight innings, so we could see Doubront come out to try and finish this one off, although Andrew Bailey is warming up in the bullpen.

End 7th, Red Sox 1-0: Daniel Nava’s second-inning home run is still the difference.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia worked a one-out walk in the seventh inning, but Alex Torres worked around the free pass to once again keep the Red Sox’ offense off the scoreboard.

Torres struck out Jonny Gomes to begin the seventh. He went with all offspeed stuff, and Gomes fouled off a couple of pitches before fanning on a changeup low and out of the zone.

After Salty’s walk, both Jose Iglesias and Stephen Drew flied out to left field.

It’s now back to work for Felix Doubront, who has been excellent through seven innings.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 1-0: Felix Doubront has been sensational. The Red Sox’ offense now needs to add some insurance so that this game doesn’t slip away.

Doubront spun his third straight 1-2-3 inning in the seventh. He has given up just three hits while striking out four and, most importantly, walking no one. The lefty has thrown 82 pitches (52 strikes), so he’s really in great shape right now.

Doubront took care of Ben Zobrist, Evan Longoria and Yunel Escobar in the seventh inning. Zobrist and Longoria both flied out, and Escobar struck out.

Doubront started Escobar off with a couple of offspeed pitches before going with a fastball to pick up the second strike. The left-hander then went back to his secondary stuff to freeze the Rays shortstop.

End 6th, Red Sox 1-0: David Ortiz welcomed Alex Torres to the game with a two-out double. Daniel Nava couldn’t make it count.

Jake Odorizzi started the sixth inning. He got Shane Victorino to fly out to center and Dustin Pedroia to ground out to third before Joe Maddon summoned Torres from the bullpen.

Ortiz wasted no time in greeting Torres. He hit a first-pitch changeup into the right-center field gap for a double.

Nava, who homered in the second inning, failed to produce with a runner in scoring position, though. He grounded to Evan Longoria, who made a nice rangy play before firing to first, where Sean Rodriguez made an excellent stretch while keeping his foot on the bag to complete the out.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 1-0: Felix Doubront is rolling.

Doubront enjoyed his second straight 1-2-3 inning, and he’s now through six innings without a single blemish in the runs column. The lefty is also at just 71 pitches, which is extremely low compared to his previous outings.

Kelly Johnson, Desmond Jennings and Sean Rodriguez went down in order in the sixth inning.

Johnson grounded to first base, where Daniel Nava made the play before flipping to Doubront for the out. Jennings then flied out to shallow center field before Rodriguez popped out to catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia in foul territory.

Saltalamacchia, who also caught Game 1, was forced to catch the second game of the doubleheader because of David Ross going on the seven-day concussion list. You can bet that Salty will sleep well after this day of work, and you can also bet that John Farrell will in all likelihood give Ryan Lavarnway the start behind the dish on Wednesday.

End 5th, Red Sox 1-0: Jose Iglesias extended his hit streak to 18 games. How did he do it? Take a guess.

Iglesias, king of the infield single, extended his hitting streak by grounding back up the middle. Yunel Escobar made the play on the run, but the ball was well placed, and Escobar had no chance of throwing out Iglesias.

That put runners at first and third with one out, as Stephen Drew preceded Iglesias’ streak-extending hit with a double off the left field wall.

Jacoby Ellsbury couldn’t cash in on the scoring chance, though. He grounded to Escobar near second base, and the shortstop took it to the bag himself before firing to first to complete the inning-ending double play.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 1-0: Felix Doubront is pitching very well.

Doubront made quick work of the Rays in the fifth inning, striking out two in the process. He needed 13 pitches to take care of business.

Doubront struck out Wil Myers and Jose Lobaton in the inning. Myers went down looking on a 3-2 fastball, and Lobaton fanned on a 2-2 heater.

End 4th, Red Sox 1-0: The Red Sox’ offense generated some activity in the fourth — nothing too crazy, though.

Dustin Pedroia smoked a ball down the third base line with one out. In many ballparks, Pedroia would have had extra bases. Instead, the ball ricocheted off the wall down the line and ended up in shallow left field, resulting in a single.

David Ortiz added to the action by singling into right field, setting up runners at first and second for Daniel Nava, who is responsible for the game’s only run. Nava couldn’t duplicate his second-inning production this time around, as he was instead retired on a sky-high fly ball to center.

Jonny Gomes flied out to center field as well to end the inning.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 1-0: Shane Victorino saw his counterpart make a nice running grab in the third inning, so he decided to provide one of his own in the fourth.

Yunel Escobar made solid contact with two outs. He sent a ball deep to right field that looked like it had a chance to get up over Victorino’s head. The Flyin’ Hawaiian got a good jump and used his speed to track it down, though.

Felix Doubront is actually working at a brisk pace right now, which is very uncharacteristic of the lefty. Doubront is throwing strikes, and his pitch count, which is typically an issue, is staying down as a result.

Doubront has thrown 46 pitches (30 strikes) through four innings of work.

End 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: Wil Myers picked up his first big league hit in the second inning. He enjoyed his first nice grab in the third inning.

After Stephen Drew popped out to begin the frame, Jose Iglesias drove a ball toward the right-center field gap. Initially, it looked as if it had a chance to get over Myers’ head, but the rookie raced back to make a running grab.

Jake Odorizzi ended the inning by getting Jacoby Ellsbury to fly out harmlessly to left field.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: Felix Doubront is through three innings, and we haven’t seen any control issues yet.

Doubront, who typically endures a hiccup at some point, allowed a leadoff single to Kelly Johnson in the third, but he benefited from a big double play.

Following Johnson’s single, Doubront got Desmond Jennings to fly out to right field. Sean Rodriguez then grounded to second base, where Dustin Pedroia kicked off a 4-6-3, inning-ending double play.

8:44 p.m., Red Sox 1-0: The Red Sox have announced some roster moves.

Clay Buchholz was placed on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to June 9). That means he’s eligible to return next Tuesday at the earliest.

The Red Sox also placed David Ross on the seven-day concussion list. This marks Ross’ second stint on the concussion DL this season.

Catcher Ryan Lavarnway and reliever Alex Wilson have been recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket.

End 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: Daniel Nava is getting a rare start at first base in this one. While his glove hasn’t been tested yet, his bat is doing some talking.

Nava drove his 10th home run of the season into the Boston bullpen in right-center field in the second inning. Nava went 0-for-2 but walked twice in Game 1 of the doubleheader.

Nava’s blast was Boston’s first hit of the ballgame. It was also the Red Sox’ only hit of the second inning, as Jake Odorizzi retired David Ortiz, Jonny Gomes and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Welcome to the majors, Wil Myers.

Myers played in the first game of the doubleheader, but he was hitless in four at-bats. He singled in his first at-bat of Game 2.

Myers dropped an 0-1 changeup in front of Jonny Gomes in left field. That came with one out in the inning, and Doubront settled back down to retire the next two hitters.

Doubront finished off the Rays in the second inning by striking out Jose Lobaton. Doubront went with a fastball to catch Lobaton looking.

End 1st, 0-0: Jake Odorizzi breezed through the first inning.

Odorizzi retired Jacoby Ellsbury, Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia in order.

Ellsbury grounded out, and Victorino and Pedroia both flied out.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Desmond Jennings didn’t wait around very long to get Tampa’s offense going.

Jennings singled into left field on the first pitch of the game. Felix Doubront bounced back, though.

Doubront worked around the leadoff single to retire the next three hitters — Sean Rodriguez, Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria. Doubront did deliver a wild pitch with Longoria batting, but the left-hander didn’t let it hurt him.

Rodriguez and Zobrist each flied out. Longoria struck out swinging to end the inning.

8:07 p.m.: Felix Doubront’s first pitch is grounded into left field. We’re underway in Game 2.

8:05 p.m.: Notre Dame football coach and Assumption College alum Brian Kelly threw out the first pitch, for all you scoring at home.

8:01 p.m.: Clay Buchholz, as expected, threw between games, and he ended up throwing a bullpen session off a mound. That’s encouraging.

7:52 p.m.: Game 1 of the doubleheader just finished up, and Game 2 will be starting up shortly. The first pitch is set for 8:05 p.m. ET.

Alfredo Aceves pitched five innings to earn the win in Game 1, which took a while because of a lengthy rain delay in the fifth inning. David Ortiz had two hits and drove in three of Boston’s five runs. Jacoby Ellsbury went 3-for-5 and finished a home run shy of the cycle, while Shane Victorino added two hits, including a triple.

Click here to read the Game 1 live blog >>

Let’s take a look at the Game 2 lineups.

Red Sox (43-29)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Daniel Nava, 1B
Jonny Gomes, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Stephen Drew, SS
Jose Iglesias, 3B

Felix Doubront, LHP (4-3, 4.91 ERA)

Rays (36-34)
Desmond Jennings, CF
Sean Rodriguez, 1B
Ben Zobrist, 2B
Evan Longoria, 3B
Yunel Escobar, SS
Wil Myers, RF
Luke Scott, DH
Jose Lobaton, C
Kelly Johnson, LF

Jake Odorizzi, RHP (0-0, 8.03 ERA)

Daniel Nava isn’t on the All-Star ballot this year, but that’s nothing new. After all, the outfielder has been under-appreciated and overlooked his entire career — until now.

Nava’s breakout campaign has forced the world to see him for the success story that he is, and that story will hopefully include a new chapter from Citi Field this summer. While Red Sox fans are writing in Nava for the Midsummer Classic, there’s no guarantee that will be enough to sneak him into the big game. If he keeps hitting like he has been, however, it just might be.

Check out the above video, where NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette has more.

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The Red Sox placed the right-hander on the 15-day disabled list with a neck strain Tuesday afternoon, activating catcher Ryan Lavarnway from Pawtucket in his place. Since Buchholz has not pitched since June 8, his move to the DL is retroactive to June 9, making his earliest possible return date next Tuesday against Colorado.

Buchholz has put up stellar numbers when healthy, posting a 9-0 record with a 1.71 ERA in 12 starts this season. He was scheduled to start Saturday night in Detroit, but those duties will now likely fall to 23-year-old Allen Webster. Webster has allowed 10 earned runs in 7 2/3 innings over two major league starts.

Buchholz threw a bullpen session between the two games of Boston’s doubleheader with Tampa Bay on Tuesday, but manager John Farrell determined that he was not yet ready to return to the rotation.

Lavarnway gives the Red Sox much-needed depth behind the plate, as the team placed catcher David Ross on the seven-day concussion DL on Tuesday for the second time this season. Ross’ previous stint was a result of taking multiple foul balls off the mask.

Reliever Alex Wilson was recalled from Triple-A in Ross’ place. Wilson is 1-1 with a 3.71 ERA in 17 big-league appearances out of the bullpen this season.

The Red Sox conclude their four-game series with the Rays on Wednesday before traveling to Detroit for four games against the AL Central-leading Tigers.

Will Middlebrooks

Jose Iglesias will get the start at third in Middlebrooks’ place for the nightcap, with Daniel Nava filling in for Napoli at first.

The Red Sox will be looking to sweep the doubleheader after outlasting the Rays in Game 1, which featured a three-hour rain delay in the fifth inning. David Ortiz was the hero for the Sox in that one, driving in three runs. He’ll be in the cleanup spot.

Check out the starting lineup for both teams below.

Boston Red Sox (43-29)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Daniel Nava, 1B
Jonny Gomes, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Stephen Drew, SS
Jose Iglesias, 3B

Felix Doubront, LHP

Tampa Bay Rays (36-34)
Desmond Jennings, CF
Sean Rodriguez, 1B
Ben Zobrist, 2B
Evan Longoria, 3B
Yunel Escobar, SS
Wil Myers, RF
Luke Scott, DH
Jose Lobaton, C
Kelly Johnson, LF

Jake Odorizzi, RHP