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 scored 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’ walkoff 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 on 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 and 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. He didn’t walk anyone, and he threw 93 pitches (58 strikes).

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)

Final, Red Sox 5-1:

The Sox came away from the first game of the doubleheader with a 5-1 victory after Craig Breslow pitched a scoreless ninth inning. It ended a game that included a very lengthy rain delay in the fifth inning.

Alfredo Aceves received the win for Boston, while Chris Archer suffered the loss for Tampa. Aceves pitched five innings, allowing one run on three hits while striking out two and walking three.

David Ortiz drove in three of Boston’s five runs on a pair of singles. Jacoby Ellsbury (3-for-5) and Shane Victorino (2-for-4) also had multi-hit games for the Red Sox.

There isn’t much time to digest this one. Game 2 of the doubleheader is scheduled for 8:05 p.m.

Click here to follow Game 2 >>

End 8th, Red Sox 5-1: The Red Sox went down 1-2-3 in the eighth inning, and it’s on to the ninth.

Will Middlebrooks, Stephen Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury were retired in the eighth.

That means Ellsbury’s quest for a cycle will come up short unless the Rays extend this game. Ellsbury, who is now 3-for-5, has a single, double and triple, but he lacks the home run necessary to complete the feat.

Craig Breslow will look to end Game 1 in the ninth inning.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 5-1: The eighth inning wasn’t easy for Koji Uehara — far from it, in fact. But 31 pitches later, he finished off the inning unscathed.

Matt Joyce started the inning with a bang. He drove a 2-2 fastball over Shane Victorino’s head and to the wall in right field for a double.

Desmond Jennings grounded out to short for the inning’s first out, during which Joyce advanced to third base. Joyce would end up being stranded there, although not before Uehara battled.

Ben Zobrist worked a nine-pitch walk to put runners at the corners before Evan Longoria popped out into foul territory along the first base line.

James Loney, whose error led to Boston’s fourth run, then saw nine pitches — fouling off seven off them — as Uehara closed the door with a big strikeout.

End 7th, Red Sox 5-1: Cesar Ramos took over for Tampa in the seventh inning. He worked around a one-out hit to keep the score the same.

David Ortiz struck out against Ramos to begin the inning. It took just three pitches for Ramos to take care of business. The third strike came on a pitch on the outside corner that had good downward movement.

Mike Napoli hit a sinking line drive to left field with one out. Matt Joyce went into a dive in an effort to make a play, but the ball hit his glove and landed for a hit.

Ramos kept Napoli at first base by retiring Daniel Nava and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Nava popped out to second baseman Ben Zobrist, and Saltalamacchia struck out swinging. Salty has struck out three times in this game.

Koji Uehara will pitch the eighth inning for Boston.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 5-1: Jose Molina tried to spoil Andrew Miller’s inning, but his home run bid hit high off the left-field wall.

Miller looked sharp in the seventh. He made good use of his slider, striking out both Wil Myers and Luke Scott to begin the inning. Myers went down looking, while Scott waved at a slider that was located low and away.

Molina nearly became strikeout victim No. 3. He hung around, though, and he ended up drilling a 2-2 slider off the Green Monster, missing a home run by a few feet. Since the ball was hit so hard and Molina is so slow, the Rays backstop was held to a long single.

Miller got Yunel Escobar to hit a slow grounder to second base to end the inning.

End 6th, Red Sox 5-1: It’s rare that you see back-to-back triples. Jacoby Ellsbury and Shane Victorino combined for that feat in the sixth inning.

Josh Lueke got two quick outs. Will Middlebrooks struck out swinging on a high fastball clocked at 95 mph, and Stephen Drew grounded out to second base.

Ellsbury changed the course of the inning by lining a triple down the right field line. Ellsbury, who is 3-for-4, is now a home run shy of the cycle. He hasn’t hit a home run since April 7 — a span of 250 at-bats — so he’s about due for one.

Victorino knocked Ellsbury in with a triple of his own. He also peppered the right field line, and the ball bounced off the tip of a hustling Wil Myers’ glove after falling in.

Dustin Pedroia struck out to end the inning and strand Victorino at third, but Boston’s lead is up to four runs. Andrew Miller will pitch the seventh inning.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 4-1: Junichi Tazawa looked sharp in his first inning of work.

Tazawa pitched a perfect sixth inning, retiring Ben Zobrist, Evan Longoria and James Loney in order.

Tazawa struck out both Zobrist and Longoria. The right-hander got Zobrist to fan on a pitch down, and he got Longoria looking at an 0-2 forkball.

Loney put good wood on a 2-1 pitch, but his line drive to left field hung up long enough for Daniel Nava to make a play.

End 5th, Red Sox 4-1: Jarrod Saltalamacchia got into a favorable 2-0 count, but Josh Lueke eventually struck him out with a 95-mph fastball to escape the bases-loaded jam.

It seems like three weeks ago, but the Red Sox actually scored a run in the fifth inning. David Ortiz singled into right field to bring home Shane Victorino, who reached on an error by first baseman James Loney.

Junichi Tazawa will indeed pitch the sixth inning for Boston. That means the book is officially closed on both starters.

Alfredo Aceves gave up one run on three hits while striking out two and walking three over five innings. All three walks came in the second inning, which is when Luke Scott gave Tampa Bay its lone run with an RBI double. Aceves threw 75 pitches (43 strikes).

Chris Archer pitched 4 2/3 innings for the Rays. He gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits while striking out five and walking five. He threw 109 pitches (64 strikes).

5:57 p.m.: And we’re back. Jarrod Saltalamacchia digs in.

5:54 p.m.: We’re about ready to start back up.

Josh Lueke will come in to pitch for the Rays, who were actually in the process of making a pitching change before the sky really opened up.

Junichi Tazawa is warming up in the Boston bullpen, and he’ll likely enter the game in the sixth inning.

5:28 p.m.: Good news. The game is expected to resume at 5:55 p.m.

In case you forgot, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is batting with the bases loaded in the fifth inning. The Red Sox lead 4-1.

5:20 p.m.: The Red Sox just announced that Game 1 is expected to resume later this afternoon and Game 2 is expected to begin 35-45 minutes following the conclusion of Game 1.

The Red Sox also said that those sticking around for the conclusion of Game 1 are invited to stay for Game 2 free of charge. Those with tickets to Game 2 can come check out the conclusion of Game 1.

The official start time for Game 2 will be announced immediately following the conclusion of Game 1.

4:57 p.m., Red Sox 4-1: While we continue to wait out this rain delay, I’d like to direct you to some news that may be of interest.

Kevin Youkilis, who was placed on the disabled list on Friday, will undergo back surgery on Thursday, according to the Yankees. He is expected to missed 10-12 weeks.

Youkilis’ first season in the Bronx has been disastrous, and there’s a chance it could already be over. That’s unfortunate to see, no matter how you feel about the Yanks.

4:51 p.m., Red Sox 4-1: Rain delays are the worst. They’re even more problematic, though, when they come during the first game of a doubleheader.

We’ll soon be nearing the two-hour mark of the current delay, and it really leaves the nightcap in question. As of right now, Game 2 is still on, but it’ll almost certainly be a delayed start — if it ends up being played.

For those wondering, MLB Rule 4.13b states: “After the start of the 1st game of a doubleheader, that game shall be completed before the 2nd game shall begin.”

3:52 p.m., Red Sox 4-1: Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day — like one when the Red Sox aren’t playing a doubleheader.

The rain is falling hard at Fenway. Me and some others up in the press box received a flash flood warning on our phones. That’s never a good sign.

A quick glance at the forecast shows that the thunderstorms and showers are expected to end by 6 p.m. Yikes. Doesn’t Mother Nature know that we’ve got two games to squeeze in?

Keep it right here, though. You never know what can happen when it comes to New England weather.

3:27 p.m., Red Sox 4-1: Well, the rain was letting up. It’s now coming down at a decent clip again.

Keep it right here for more updates, though. I’ll do my best to keep you in the loop.

3:14 p.m., Red Sox 4-1: The rain is starting to let up a bit. I’m no meteorologist, but I can’t see this delay lasting too long.

As long as the lightning goes away, we should be good. After all, we don’t need another repeat of this.

3:01 p.m., Red Sox 4-1: Almost immediately after I finished my last update, the rain started coming down in buckets.

The tarp is on the field at Fenway with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning. We’ve got ourselves a rain delay in Game 1 of this doubleheader.

2:58 p.m., Red Sox 4-1: David Ortiz gave the Red Sox their lead. In the fifth inning, he added to it.

Jacoby Ellsbury flied out to right field for the first out, and the offense got going when Shane Victorino hit a slow ground ball to first base. James Loney fielded it cleanly, but his flip to Chris Archer, who was covering the bag, was off the mark. It was a very careless play by Loney, who attempted a rather nonchalant, backhanded toss.

The Rays paid for the miscue, as Dustin Pedroia walked to put runners at first and second before Ortiz singled into right field. Ortiz has driven in three of Boston’s four runs.

Archer bounced back to strike out Mike Napoli with a 97-mph fastball upstairs, but he then walked Daniel Nava. Joe Maddon will turn to the bullpen with the bases loaded and two outs.

Rain has been coming down at Fenway, though, so we could see a delay.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 3-1: Alfredo Aceves has settled down nicely after some early control issues.

Aceves yielded a one-out single in the fifth, but he kept the two-run lead firmly intact. The right-hander is in much more control of this game than he was in the second inning, when he issued three walks as Tampa posted its only run.

Yunel Escobar singled into center field with one down, but Aceves retired Matt Joyce and Desmond Jennings to end the inning.

End 4th, Red Sox 3-1: Chris Archer turned in a good bounce-back inning in the fourth.

Archer, who surrendered two runs in the third, pitched a perfect inning in the fourth. He struck out both Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Stephen Drew in the process.

Salty struck out to begin the fourth inning. He worked a full count before coming up empty on a 3-2 slider.

Drew fanned to end the frame. He was also victimized by a slider, and Archer now has four strikeouts total.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 3-1: Alfredo Aceves was very effective in the fourth inning.

Aceves tossed a 1-2-3 inning, retiring James Loney, Wil Myers and Luke Scott in order.

Loney grounded to Mike Napoli, who flipped to Aceves to complete the first out. Myers, playing in his first big league game, flied out to right field. And Scott, who doubled in Tampa’s lone run, grounded out to Dustin Pedroia at second base.

Aceves needed just nine pitches to complete the fourth inning. He’s tossed 65 pitches (34 strikes) thus far.

2:24 p.m., Red Sox 3-1: It’s become very overcast at Fenway over the last few minutes. Something tells me we could see some T-storms roll in at some point.

End 3rd, Red Sox 3-1: David Ortiz regained the lead for Boston.

Jacoby Ellsbury and Shane Victorino hit back-to-back singles to lead off the third inning. Ellsbury singled into left field, and Victorino drilled a base hit into right field that enabled Ellsbury to go from first to third.

Victorino swiped second base with Dustin Pedroia batting. It marked his seventh stolen base of the season, and we saw once again just how difficult the Ellsbury-Victorino tandem can make life for opposing pitchers when the duo gets on base.

Ortiz delivered the inning’s big blow. After Dustin Pedroia lined out sharply to second base, Ortiz singled into center field to plate two runs.

Mike Napoli and Daniel Nava both struck out swinging to end the inning, but Boston is back on top.

Mid 3rd, 1-1: Ben Zobrist hammered a ball over Shane Victorino’s head with two outs, but Alfredo Aceves walked off the mound without any more blemishes.

Aceves got Matt Joyce to ground into the shift at second base to begin the inning, and he struck out Desmond Jennings for the second out. Jennings gave a half-hearted swing on a pitch up and in to complete the K.

Zobrist then smoked a double before Evan Longoria grounded out to his counterpart, Will Middlebrooks, down at third base.

End 2nd, 1-1: The wildness is contagious.

Just minutes after Alfredo Aceves issued three walks in the top of the second inning, Rays starter Chris Archer handed out three free passes in the bottom half of the frame.

The Rays at least put up a run against Aceves, though.

Mike Napoli and Daniel Nava walked to begin things in the second, but a mound visit paid off — as it did for Boston in the top of the inning. Jarrod Saltalamacchia made good contact, but it was right at first baseman James Loney, who fired to second base to kick off a 3-6-1 double play.

The twin killing alleviated a lot of the pressure, although the Red Sox still had an opportunity to score with a runner on third. Will Middlebrooks couldn’t do any damage, as Archer walked him on four pitches, and Stephen Drew grounded to second base to end the inning. Despite three walks, Boston came away empty-handed.

The second inning was certainly a long one. It’s amazing that only one runner crossed the plate.

Mid 2nd, 1-1: Alfredo Aceves was all over the place in the second inning, yet the Rays have just one run to show for it.

Aceves issued three walks in the inning before escaping a bases-loaded situation with a 6-4-3 double play.

Evan Longoria and James Loney walked to begin the second inning. Wil Myers then flied out to shallow center field in his first major league at-bat.

Luke Scott didn’t go down as easily, though. Scott hammered a 3-1 fastball down the right field line for an RBI double.

Aceves followed up the double by walking Jose Molina, which drew a conference at the mound. Whatever was said paid off, as Aceves got Yunel Escobar to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to avoid any additional trouble.

We’re suddenly tied, but the Rays really missed out on a chance to do some serious damage.

End 1st, Red Sox 1-0: The Red Sox made good contact against Chris Archer in the first inning.

Jacoby Ellsbury led off Boston’s offensive attack with a double off the left-field scoreboard. It was Ellsbury’s 14th double of the season, and he continues to swing the bat well.

Ellsbury tagged up and moved to third base when Shane Victorino drilled a ball to center field. Desmond Jennings needed to range back toward the warning track to make the play, and that made things very easy for Ellsbury.

Ellsbury scored when Dustin Pedroia also smoked a ball to center field. Jennings hauled that one in as well, but it was plenty deep for Ellsbury to tag up and score.

David Ortiz lined out to left field to end the inning. It sounded like he may have broken his bat.

Mid 1st, 0-0: The Rays went down in order in the first inning.

Will Middlebrooks provided the inning’s highlight. He made a nice lunging play down at third base on a sharply hit bouncer by Desmond Jennings. Middlebrooks needed to stretch out to his left to snag the hard-hit ball, and he delivered a strong throw to first base to complete the out.

Prior to Middlebrooks’ play, Alfredo Aceves struck out Matt Joyce. Aceves almost lost him after jumping ahead 0-2, but he froze Joyce with a 3-2 fastball to pick up the strikeout.

Ben Zobrist flied out to right field to end the inning.

1:06 p.m.: The first pitch of Game 1 is a strike. Let’s do this.

1:02 p.m.: There was some slight confusion a few minutes ago, as Franklin Morales jogged out to the bullpen while Alfredo Aceves was nowhere in sight. Aceves eventually took the field to throw, though, so perhaps he was a little late. Who knows, really?

12:56 p.m.: On the Rays’ side of the fence, Wil Myers will make his major league debut on Tuesday. That’s exciting stuff, as Myers is considered one of the top prospects in baseball.

Myers, who the Rays acquired in a trade with the Royals involving James Shields, was selected from Triple-A Durham on Tuesday after the Rays optioned Ryan Roberts on Sunday.

12:48 p.m.: Clay Buchholz’s much-anticipated throwing session has been pushed back. The right-hander is now scheduled to throw in between games.

If Buchholz feels good while throwing, he’ll throw a bullpen session. Manager John Farrell said that Buchholz would need to throw two bullpen sessions before making a start on Saturday.

There exists the possibility, however, that Buchholz will feel discomfort, at which point the Red Sox would place him on the disabled list.

If Buchholz goes to the DL, the team will have an interesting decision to make regarding whether Rubby De La Rosa or Allen Webster makes a spot start. If the Sox go with Webster, Buchholz’s DL stint can be backdated to June 9 (the day after Buchholz’s last start). If the Sox got with De La Rosa, Buchholz’s DL stint will need to be backdated to June 15 since De La Rosa has been on the active roster since Buchholz last pitched.

In other words, a lot of variables are going into Boston’s decision regarding Buchholz. We should have a clearer picture by the end of Tuesday.

11:57 a.m.: While we await word on Clay Buchholz, the Red Sox did get a double dose of good news on Tuesday morning. Both Mike Napoli and Mike Carp are available.

Napoli, who left Thursday’s game with illness, will start the first game, while Carp, who left Sunday’s game with hamstring tightness, could find himself in the second game.

The complete lineups for Game 1 are below.

Red Sox (42-29)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Daniel Nava, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Stephen Drew, SS

Alfredo Aceves, RHP (3-1, 5.58 ERA)

Rays (36-33)
Matt Joyce, LF
Desmond Jennings, CF
Ben Zobrist, 2B
Evan Longoria, 3B
James Loney, 1B
Wil Myers, RF
Luke Scott, DH
Jose Molina, C
Yunel Escobar, SS

Chris Archer, RHP (1-2, 4.80 ERA)

11:30 a.m.: We’re getting closer to knowing Clay Buchholz’s fate.

Buchholz was scheduled to throw at 11 a.m., and the Red Sox will soon determine whether or not he’ll be placed on the disabled list. Buchholz, of course, has been dealing with neck tightness, and he hasn’t pitched since June 8.

If Buchholz feels good after throwing this morning, he’ll throw a bullpen session, which would allow him to start on Saturday. If he’s placed on the disabled list, either Allen Webster or Rubby De La Rosa will be called up to make a spot start on either Friday or Saturday.

11:15 a.m. ET: The Red Sox had the day off on Monday. They’ll have a long day of baseball on Tuesday, though.

The Red Sox and Rays will play a day-night doubleheader on Tuesday, with the first game kicking off at 1:05 p.m. and the second game starting up at 7:10 p.m. Tuesday’s matinee is the make-up game for April 12′s postponed contest.

This is the third doubleheader of the season for the Red Sox. They were swept in two games against the Royals on April 21, and they split a day-night twin bill against the Angels on June 8.

Alfredo Aceves will take the ball for the first game on Tuesday. He was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket to make the spot start, and he’s been added as the 26th player on the active roster for the doubleheader. (Teams are allowed to do such for doubleheaders these days.)

Aceves was very shaky early on this season after beginning the year with the big league club. He’s been showing his value as a depth starter, though, turning in back-to-back wins during two separate stints with the Red Sox. Aceves went six innings and allowed just one run while picking up a victory against the Rays last Wednesday.

Felix Doubront will get the start in Game 2, but the focus right now is on Game 1. Be sure to tune in on NESN, and keep it right here with the live blog.

Final, Orioles 6-3:

Shane Victorino, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Will Middlebrooks went down in order against the Orioles closer, and Baltimore finishes the series with a 6-3 win. The O’s took three of four from the Red Sox, and they’re now just 1 1/2 games back in the American League East.

Jon Lester suffered the loss on Sunday, and he’s now winless in his last six starts — going 0-4 in that stretch. Lester’s control was better on Sunday, as he didn’t walk anyone, but the Orioles jumped all over the left-hander.

Lester threw 106 pitches (75 strikes) over five innings. He surrendered five earned runs on nine hits while striking out eight.

The Orioles scored three runs with two outs in the third inning. Adam Jones drove in the first run with an RBI double, and Chris Davis added two runs to the lead with his major league-leading 23rd home run of the season. The O’s added two runs in the fifth inning and one more in the seventh.

Nick Markakis powered Baltimore’s offense with a 4-for-5 effort. He had two doubles and scored three runs out of the leadoff spot while Miguel Gonzalez turned in a solid performance on the mound.

All three of the Red Sox’ runs came on a three-run homer by Will Middlebrooks. Jose Iglesias extended his hit streak to 17 games.

The Red Sox will be off on Monday, and they’ll then play a doubleheader on Tuesday against the Rays. See you all then.

Good night, everyone.

End 8th, Orioles 6-3: Nick Markakis is doing it with the glove and the bat.

Markakis hit a two-out single into center field, giving him four hits for the game. He has also scored three runs, although he didn’t come across in the eighth inning.

The Orioles had runners at the corners, but Andrew Miller exited the inning unharmed.

Orioles closer Jim Johnson will now take over. Shane Victorino, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Will Middlebrooks are due up in the ninth inning.

Mid 8th, Orioles 6-3: Jose Iglesias extended his hit streak to 17 games.

Surprise, surprise; Iglesias’ eighth-inning single was an infield hit — something we’re used to seeing out of the hot-hitting infielder.

That was the only offense the Red Sox had in the eighth, although Nick Markakis made a couple of nice plays on balls that had the potential to drop.

After Daniel Nava flied out to the edge of the warning track in left field, David Ortiz struck a sinking line drive to right. Markakis came in and made a sliding grab to take away a hit.

Tommy Hunter then replaced Brian Matusz on the mound, and he needed just one pitch to end the inning. Jonny Gomes drilled a hooking line drive to right field, but Markakis made a running grab.

End 7th, Orioles 6-3: Will Middlebrooks’ home run gave the Red Sox some momentum, but the Orioles snatched it right back.

Junichi Tazawa started the bottom of the seventh inning, and the O’s quickly got to him for a run.

Nick Markakis led off with a double over Jonny Gomes’ head in left field, and he moved up to third base when Manny Machado dropped down a sacrifice bunt. J.J. Hardy plated Markakis with a single into left field.

Adam Jones put up an eight-pitch battle against Tazawa before hammering a ball deep to right-center field. Both Jacoby Ellsbury and Shane Victorino gave chase, but the ball got down and then bounced up into the seats for a ground-rule double.

Andrew Miller took over for the struggling Tazawa, and he struck out both Chris Davis and Matt Wieters with runners at second and third. The Red Sox caught a break by Jones’ double bouncing up into the seats, but the Orioles are certainly in the driver’s seat after posting another run.

Mid 7th, Orioles 5-3: Middlebrooks’ home run has the Red Sox back in this thing.

It came after Mike Carp doubled down the left field line and Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled into right field.

Unfortunately for the Red Sox, Carp exited the game after advancing to third base on Salty’s single. He appeared to pull up a bit while coasting into second base on his double, and he clearly wasn’t running at full speed while taking third base.

Shane Victorino entered the game for Carp. He’ll head out to right field, while Daniel Nava will join the infield and play first base.

3:54 p.m., Orioles 5-3: There’s the Will Middlebrooks that Red Sox fans came to love last season.

Middlebrooks drove a three-run blast over the right field wall, and we suddenly have ourselves a ballgame.

End 6th, Orioles 5-0:  Pedro Beato, who was called up earlier in the day, took over for Jon Lester in the sixth inning.

Beato has shown an ability down in Triple-A to go multiple innings, and that could be the case in this one, especially since he needed just nine pitches to get through the sixth.

Beato struck out Danny Valencia to begin the inning. Steve Pearce flied out and Alexi Casilla popped out to third base.

Beato featured a heavy dose of offspeed stuff while facing Valencia before eventually going upstairs with a fastball to record the strikeout.

Lester exited after going five innings. He surrendered five earned runs on nine hits while striking out eight. He didn’t walk a batter, and he threw 106 pitches (75 strikes).

Lester’s control was there this time around, which is encouraging after his recent command issues, but the Orioles simply smacked him around.

Mid 6th, Orioles 5-0: The Red Sox had a chance to chip away in the fifth inning, and they let it slip through their fingertips.

Jacoby Ellsbury reached with a one-out single into right field, but the threat really received a boost when Jose Iglesias grounded to third base. The usually sure-handed Manny Machado couldn’t field the ball cleanly, and Iglesias reached at first while Ellsbury took second.

Daniel Nava almost cut into Baltimore’s lead with a drive to left-center field. Steve Pearce made a nice running grab at the warning track.

David Ortiz still had a chance to take some cuts with a couple of runners on, but he grounded out to first base to end the inning.

End 5th, Orioles 5-0: Jon Lester hasn’t walked anyone. It doesn’t matter. The Orioles have still gotten to the left-hander.

Lester, whose command has been the biggest issue of late, has now surrendered five runs after the O’s struck for two more in the fifth inning.

Nick Markakis led off with a double, and he scored when Manny Machado singled into center field. The play was even more disastrous, though, because Machado ended up on third base.

Jacoby Ellsbury came up firing to the plate as Markakis headed home. Machado took off for second on the throw, which Mike Carp cut off. Carp made the right decision, but his attempt to throw out Machado at second sailed into center field, enabling Machado to move up to third base.

Jon Lester struck out the next two hitters — J.J. Hardy and Adam Jones. Chris dropped a two-out double down the left field line, though, and Machado came across with Baltimore’s fifth run.

Lester’s day may be done, as Boston had action up in the bullpen. The lefty has thrown 106 pitches in what has been a struggle throughout.

Mid 5th, Orioles 3-0: Mike Carp represented a rare baserunner for the Red Sox. But he wasn’t out there very long.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia flied out to right field with one down in the inning.

Will Middlebrooks, who flashed some leather in the bottom of the fourth, then grounded into an inning-ending, 6-4-3 double play.

Miguel Gonzalez is cruising right along for the Orioles right now.

End 4th, Orioles 3-0: Jon Lester did a nice job of bouncing back in the fourth inning, although he received some help from Will Middlebrooks.

Danny Valencia, who singled in his last at-bat, grounded out to Middlebrooks at third base for the inning’s first out.

Steve Pearce then struck out swinging against Lester, who went to the curveball to pick up the K.

The inning’s highlight came when Alexi Casilla, who made a nice play to end the top of the third inning, hit a hot shot to the left side. Middlebrooks, who was playing in on the grass, made an excellent diving stop, popped up and fired to first to record the out.

Lester needed just eight pitches to get through the fourth inning. That’s huge after a 31-pitch third inning.

Mid 4th, Orioles 3-0: While Jon Lester struggles to find his way, Miguel Gonzalez is cruising along.

Gonzalez enjoyed a 1-2-3 inning in the fourth.

Daniel Nava tried to bunt his way on to lead off the inning, but Gonzalez came off the mound to make a play.

Gonzalez then retired David Ortiz and Jonny Gomes on a flyout and groundout, respectively.

End 3rd, Orioles 3-0: Jon Lester’s afternoon has taken a turn for the worse.

Lester, who worked around a few baserunners through the first two innings, surrendered three runs in the third, and the Orioles have seized control of the series finale.

The first run came on a bloop double by Adam Jones. Nick Markakis singled to lead off the third, and he moved up to second when Manny Machado flipped a fly ball to the warning track in left. Markakis scored when Jones dropped a ball down the left field line.

The big blow of the inning came off the bat of Chris Davis. The hot-hitting slugger belted a two-run jack into the right field seats, giving him a major league-leading 23 home runs on the season. Lester fell behind 3-1 against Davis, and he left a fastball right over the inside half of the plate. You can’t do that, folks.

Lester threw 31 pitches in the inning, and his pitch count is now up to 71.

Mid 3rd, 0-0: Sometimes, when things are going bad, you just can’t catch a break.

Will Middlebrooks, who has been mired in a season-long slump, made solid contact after Jarrod Saltalamacchia walked to lead off the third inning. He drilled Miguel Gonzalez’s pitch toward the right-center field gap. Unfortunately for Middlebrooks, it hung up long enough for Nick Markakis to make a play.

Stephen Drew flied out for the second out, and Jacoby Ellsbury kept the inning going with a single into center.

Jose Iglesias, who is riding a 16-game hit streak, then hit a slow grounder to second base. Alexi Casilla made an excellent barehanded play and tossed to first to record the out.

Chris Davis, who initially charged after Iglesias’ grounder as well, needed to run back over to first base late to field Casilla’s throw. Upon doing so, he and Iglesias collided, although everyone seems OK.

End 2nd, 0-0: A couple of singles forced Jon Lester to the stretch in the second inning.

After Lester struck out Chris Davis to begin the second, Matt Wieters dropped a single into left field. Jonny Gomes was playing very deep, so while Wieters’ sinking liner probably would have been caught with a normal defensive alignment, it was able to get down in this particular instance.

Danny Valencia, who homered earlier in the series, then added a single of his own. He went the other way into right field to put runners at first and second with one out.

Lester, as he did in the first inning, worked around the baserunners to escape the inning unscathed.

Lester struck out Steve Pearce swinging for the second out. Pearce put up a good battle, fouling off three straight pitches before chasing a changeup down and out of the zone.

Alexi Casilla grounded to second base to end the inning.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Miguel Gonzalez has retired the first six batters he’s faced.

Gonzalez took care of David Ortiz, Jonny Gomes and Mike Carp in the second inning. Ortiz hit a slow grounder to first base for the first out, and Gonzalez struck out Gomes and Carp to end the inning.

Gomes and Carp were both blown away by fastballs. Gomes fouled off a 1-1 fastball before fanning on the fourth pitch of the at-bat, and Carp struck out despite jumping ahead in the count 3-1.

End 1st, 0-0: Jon Lester needed to overcome a horrendous call in the first inning.

Manny Machado picked up his major league-leading 32nd double of the season with one out. The only problem was that the ball was clearly foul.

The ball bounced down the third base line and into the left field corner, but it was foul all the way. However, third base umpire Jeff Nelson ruled that the ball traveled over the bag and was fair. The missed call immediately brought out John Farrell, who had a very animated chat with Nelson. It looked at one point like Farrell might get ejected for the first time as Red Sox manager, but Nelson refrained from tossing the Boston skipper. Perhaps he realized that he made the wrong call.

Lester did a nice job of making sure the “double” didn’t cost him. He struck out both J.J. Hardy and Adam Jones swinging. Both K’s came on four-seamers.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Bing, bing, bing. Down in order they go.

Miguel Gonzalez started his afternoon off on the right foot. He easily retired the Red Sox’ new-look top of the order in the first inning.

Jacoby Ellsbury popped out to short, Jose Iglesias grounded out to second and Daniel Nava flied out to center.

Alexi Casilla, getting the start at second base, was credited for an assist on the second out of the ballgame. He’ll be looking to bounce back in this one after a horrific baserunning blunder to end Saturday’s game.

1:37 p.m.: Miguel Gonzalez’s first pitch is a strike. Let’s get the ball rolling here.

1:05 p.m.: I’d like to wish a happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there.

12:58 p.m.: If Jon Lester is going to right the ship, this game might be a good place to start.

Lester is 14-1 in 21 career starts against the Orioles. His only loss came in his last start against the O’s on Sept. 21, 2012.

Lester is 7-0 with a 2.52 ERA in 10 career starts at Camden Yards.

12:40 p.m.:  You probably noticed that Mike Napoli is once again out of the Red Sox’ lineup. Napoli has been battling illness, and he was sent back to Boston to undergo tests on Saturday.

Mike Carp is playing in place of Napoli, and he’s been on an absolute tear of late. Carp enters the game with five home runs and 11 RBIs in his last 10 games, and he’s hitting .400 in June.

Carp hit a rough patch in May, but he started the season hot, and his overall numbers are excellent despite sporadic playing time. Carp enters Sunday’s contest hitting .320 with eight home runs and 25 RBIs in 41 games (113 plate appearances).

Looking for an interesting stat? Carp’s .680 slugging percentage is the second-highest mark among major leaguers with at least 100 plate appearances. He trails only Orioles slugger Chris Davis (.684).

David Ortiz even said after Saturday’s game that he thinks Carp has the make-up of an everyday player, and he said that Carp reminds him a little bit of himself. For more on that relationship, check out the link below.

Click here to read about Mike Carp and David Ortiz >>

11:05 a.m.: Dustin Pedroia will finally get a day off. He has started every game this season, but John Farrell has decided to give his All-Star second baseman some rest in the series finale.

The Red Sox’ lineup is rather interesting with Pedroia out. Jose Iglesias will start at second base, and he’ll bat second — it’s his first time starting in either capacity.

Shane Victorino will also be out of the lineup, which means Daniel Nava will play right field. Nava will bat third as part of the lineup shakeup.

The rest of Sunday’s lineup are below.

Red Sox (42-28)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Jose Iglesias, 2B
Daniel Nava, RF
David Ortiz, DH
Jonny Gomes, LF
Mike Carp, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Stephen Drew, SS

Jon Lester, LHP (6-3, 4.12 ERA)

Orioles (39-20)
Nick Markakis, RF
Manny Machado, 3B
J.J. Hardy, SS
Adam Jones, CF
Chris Davis, 1B
Matt Wieters, C
Danny Valencia, DH
Steve Pearce. LF
Alexi Casilla 2B

Miguel Gonzalez, RHP (4-2, 3.71 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: After one inning on Saturday, it looked as if the Orioles were going to roll to their third straight win over the Red Sox. Eight innings later, however, it was the Red Sox who stood tall.

John Lackey overcame a shaky first inning in which he gave up two runs on four hits before ever recording an out. He ended up going seven innings while limiting Baltimore’s offense to just those two runs, and Boston staved off a ferocious ninth-inning rally to earn the victory.

Jon Lester will try to salvage a split for Boston on Sunday. He’s really been struggling of late, but the Red Sox absolutely need him to get back on track, especially with Clay Buchholz’s status still up in the air because of a neck injury.

Lester enters Sunday’s series finale with an 0-3 record and 6.90 ERA in his last five starts. He hasn’t won since May 15, after which his record improved to 6-0 and his ERA stood at 2.72. The left-hander now owns a 6-3 record overall and a 4.12 ERA.

Lester needs to bounce back in order to prove he’s a legitimate ace — or at least a legitimate No. 2 starter behind Buchholz — but Sunday’s start is about more than that. The Orioles have jumped ahead of the struggling Yankees in the American League East, and every matchup between these two clubs is meaningful.

Sunday’s first pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. Tune in on NESN, and keep it right here for some added fun.

Final, Red Sox 5-4:

The Sox benefited from a boneheaded baserunning blunder to end the game. Ryan Flaherty, batting in a one-run game with a runner on first, lined out to Shane Victorino in right field. It was only the second out of the inning, but pinch-runner Alexi Casilla must have thought that there were already two outs, because he immediately took off running. While Casilla coasted into third base, Victorino easily tossed the ball to first base, where Mike Carp stepped on the bag to complete a game-ending double play.

The double play was huge, as Andrew Bailey got himself into a world of trouble in the ninth. Adam Jones singled into left field, and Matt Wieters went deep two batters later to make it a one-run ballgame. J.J. Hardy followed up Wieters’ long ball with a single before the unique double play closed the book on Boston’s win.

John Lackey picked up the victory for Boston after a very resilient performance. He gave up two runs on four hits in the first inning, but then bounced back to shut out the Orioles over the next six innings before handing the ball over to the bullpen.

Mike Carp and Jonny Gomes each went deep for the Sox, and Gomes’ sixth-inning blast — which made the score 5-2 at the time — ended up being the difference.

The win is a big one for the Red Sox, who dropped the first two games of the series. They’ll now look to salvage a split on Sunday, when the two teams battle beginning at 1:35 p.m.

Good night, everyone.

Mid 9th, Red Sox 5-2: Jose Iglesias tried to make something happen with two outs, but catcher Taylor Teagarden answered the call.

After Jarrod Saltalamacchia grounded out and Stephen Drew struck out, Iglesias worked a walk. Iglesias then tried to steal second base, but Teagarden made an awesome throw to gun him down.

Andrew Bailey will now enter the ballgame with the Red Sox three outs away from their first win of this series.

End 8th, Red Sox 5-2: Koji Uehara should be extra fired up about this outing.

Uehara took over for John Lackey in the eighth inning, and he quickly struck out the side.

Nate McLouth, Manny Machado and Nick Markakis all went down by way of the K against Uehara, who showed his usual enthusiasm upon returning to the Red Sox’ dugout.

Andrew Bailey is warming up in Boston’s bullpen, and he’ll likely pitch the ninth inning. The Red Sox will look to add to their lead before that.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 5-2: The Red Sox went down quickly in the eighth inning.

T.J. McFarland sat down David Ortiz, Mike Carp and Jonny Gomes in order, and it required just nine pitches. Ortiz flied out, Carp grounded out and Gomes struck out.

Koji Uehara will pitch the eighth inning for Boston, meaning John Lackey’s day is officially done. You can’t say enough about his effort in this one, though.

Lackey settled down after a very shaky first inning that saw Baltimore grab a 2-0 lead. His outing ends after seven innings, during which he gave up just the two runs on seven hits. Lackey struck out four and walked one while throwing 101 pitches (61 strikes).

End 7th, Red Sox 5-2: John Lackey is through seven innings, which is a miracle considering how his start began.

J.J. Hardy singled into center field to lead off the seventh, but the Orioles can’t catch a break. Ryan Flaherty smoked a line drive, but it was right at Mike Carp, who made the play and stepped on first for the unassisted double play.

Lackey finished the inning by retiring Taylor Teagarden on a groundout to short.

That could do it for Lackey, who has thrown 101 pitches. But it was a heck of an outing. After giving up two runs on four hits in the first inning, Lackey shut out the Orioles while giving up just three hits over the next six innings.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 5-2: Shane Victorino’s body has really been beaten up this season.

Victorino shot a two-out single into right field, and he subsequently stole second base. While diving into second, however, Victorino appeared to smack his head off either the elbow or knee (perhaps both) of a crouched-down J.J. Hardy. John Farrell and the medical staff checked on Victorino, but it appears that he’s OK, and The Flyin’ Hawaiian will keep on flyin’.

Unfortunately for the Red Sox, they couldn’t make Victorino’s theft count. Dustin Pedroia grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

End 6th, Red Sox 5-2:  It’s been a resilient effort by John Lackey thus far.

Lackey gave up two runs on four hits in the first inning, and things really looked like they were on the verge of getting out of control. Somehow, the right-hander settled down, and he’s been very effective since.

Lackey retired the side in order in the sixth inning. He began the inning by striking out Adam Jones on a slider low and away, and he ended the inning by getting Chris Davis and Matt Wieters to fly out and ground out, respectively.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 5-2: Jonny Gomes drove a ball out of the yard, and drove Freddy Garcia from the game in the process.

Gomes crushed a 1-2 pitch over the center field fence with one out to extend Boston’s lead to 5-2. The home run was Gomes’ fourth of the season, and it forced the Orioles to turn to the bullpen.

T.J. McFarland took over for Garcia. He struck out both Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Stephen Drew.

End 5th, Red Sox 4-2: A rare defensive miscue by Dustin Pedroia opened the door for the Orioles. It didn’t stay open for very long, though.

Taylor Teagarden led off the inning with a sharply hit grounder to Jose Iglesias at third base. The ball ate up Iglesias, and Teagarden was able to reach on what was ruled a hit.

Pedroia’s miscue came on what had the potential to be a double-play ball. Nate McLouth hit a ground ball right at Pedroia, but it snuck past the sure-handed second baseman and into right field, allowing Teagarden to advance all the way to third base. The error was Pedroia’s first of the season.

The inning-changing play came with Manny Machado at the plate. McLouth, who is second in the American League in stolen bases, attempted to swipe second base, which would have put two runners in scoring position with no outs. Saltalamacchia delivered a perfect throw to second, though, and McLouth was gunned down while Teagarden was left standing at third.

Machado then hit a hard comebacker that John Lackey snagged. Lackey looked Teagarden back and fired to first for the second out.

Nick Markakis gave a ball a pretty good ride to left field with two down in the inning, but Jonny Gomes retreated to haul it in at the edge of the warning track.

Talk about a golden opportunity going by the board. The Orioles had a great chance to not only score, but also grab some momentum. Instead, the Red Sox escaped trouble, much to the delight of a fired up Lackey.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 4-2: The Red Sox played some small ball en route to adding a run in the fifth inning.

Jacoby Ellsbury led off the fifth by lining a first-pitch breaking ball into right field. He swiped second base moments later with Shane Victorino at the dish.

Following Ellsbury’s steal, Victorino dropped down a sacrifice bunt, which moved Ellsbury to within 90 feet of home plate.

Ellsbury scored when Dustin Pedroia grounded to shortstop J.J. Hardy for the second out of the inning.

A “let’s go Red Sox” chant started up at Camden Yards in the fifth inning, which forced Orioles fans to drown it out with boos.

End 4th, Red Sox 3-2: Orioles manager Buck Showalter might be walking on thin ice right now.

Showalter appeared to give home plate umpire Jeff Nelson an ear full during the fourth inning, which prompted Nelson to take off his mask and have a brief chat with the O’s skipper, who was shouting from the dugout. It’s unclear what Showalter was arguing about, but it may be in regards to the foul tip call that was made with Dustin Pedroia batting in the top of the fourth inning.

In terms of actual on-field action, John Lackey handled the fourth inning pretty well. He issued a two-out walk to J.J. Hardy on a borderline 3-2 pitch, but he made sure it didn’t snowball into anything further.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 3-2: The Red Sox’ offense finally broke out.

It took until the fourth inning, but after being shut down at the tail end of Thursday’s game and shut out in Friday’s game, the bats have come alive.

Dustin Pedroia nearly struck out on a 2-2 curveball in the dirt. It appeared that he swung and missed, but home plate umpire Jeff Nelson ruled that it was a foul tip, and Pedroia singled into center field on the next pitch.

David Ortiz then struck out swinging as Pedroia swiped second base — his 10th steal of the season. It didn’t matter where Pedroia was located on the bases, though, because Mike Carp blasted a two-run homer into the right field seats to tie the game.

Jonny Gomes and the Red Sox weren’t satisfied. Gomes hit a first-pitch single into left field and he scored two batters later.

After Jarrod Saltalamacchia flied out to deep center, Stephen Drew hit a ball right down the right field line. Gomes, who was hustling from the onset, managed to score all the way from first base. He crossed the plate with a head-first dive, and Drew took third base on the throw.

The Sox couldn’t add another run, as Jose Iglesias grounded to third base and stumbled over his bat while getting out of the box. The Red Sox will certainly take a three-run outburst, though.

End 3rd, Orioles 2-0: Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s defense, particularly as it pertains to throwing out runners, continues to improve.

Manny Machado went the other way with a first-pitch fastball for a leadoff single. But when he tried to swipe second base, Saltalamacchia made a perfect throw to gun him down.

John Lackey retired Nick Markakis and Adam Jones on a pair of popouts to end the inning.

Mid 3rd, Orioles 2-0: Jose Iglesias extended his hit streak to 16 games in the third inning.

Iglesias hit a little chopper to the left side. Shorstop J.J. Hardy charged in and tried to throw him out, but Iglesias got out of the box very quickly and he beat out Hardy’s toss at first base.

Freddy Garcia worked around the leadoff hit, though.

Jacoby Ellsbury, who is almost impossible to double-up because of his blazing speed, hit a hard ground ball right at second baseman Ryan Flaherty. It resulted in a 4-6-3 double play.

Garcia ended the inning by striking out Shane Victorino. Victorino chased a 1-2 splitter in the dirt.

End 2nd, Orioles 2-0: John Lackey settled down at the tail end of the first inning, and the momentum carried over into the second inning.

Lackey enjoyed a quick, 1-2-3 second. He struck out both Ryan Flaherty and Taylor Teagarden to begin the inning, and he got Nate McLouth to hit a slow roller to first base to end the inning.

Lackey struck out Flaherty looking on a good four-seam fastball. He got Teagarden to fan on a pitch down and away.

Mid 2nd, Orioles 2-0: The Red Sox’ offense actually got something going in the second inning, yet Boston has nothing to show for it.

David Ortiz started the inning with a triple — yes, a triple. He smoked a fly ball to center field that bounced off the wall, just out of the reach of a leaping Adam Jones. Because the ball ricocheted so far away from Jones, Ortiz coasted into third base.

Mike Carp followed up with a six-pitch walk to put runners at the corners with no outs. The Red Sox couldn’t cash in, though.

Jonny Gomes popped out to Chris Davis in foul territory along the first base line, Jarrod Saltalamacchia struck out swinging and Stephen Drew popped out to his counterpart at short.

It’s now up to John Lackey to settle down after his shaky first inning.

End 1st, Orioles 2-0: The Orioles already had the Red Sox up against the ropes.

Nate McLouth started the first inning with a bang — right off John Lackey’s leg. McLouth drilled a comebacker that ricocheted off Lackey and over to short. The speedy outfielder reached easily with a leadoff single.

Manny Machado wasted no time in getting the O’s on the scoreboard. He yanked a pitch that was down and in right down the left field line for an RBI double.

The double was Machado’s major league-leading 31st of the season, and if you’re a fan of fun facts, you’ll dig this one. Entering Saturday’s game, Machado’s 30 doubles were the most all time for a 22-year-old through 68 games — more than Ted Williams’ 25 in 1939 and Joe DiMaggio’s 24 in 1936.

Nick Markakis added to Baltimore’s fun by singling into right field, and he moved up on a wild pitch from Lackey. Machado scored from third base when Adam Jones hit a slow ground ball to the left side that resulted in an infield single.

Lackey retired the next three hitters — Chris Davis, Matt Wieters and J.J. Hardy. That’s huge considering how out of control the inning could have become. The Orioles will certainly take the two runs, though, especially since the Red Sox’ offense is struggling to do anything right now.

Mid 1st, 0-0: It seems like an eternity since the Red Sox last scored.

Freddy Garcia cruised through a 1-2-3 first inning, and the Sox are now in the midst of a 3-for-52 stretch.

Jacoby Ellsbury rolled an 0-2 changeup over to second base for the first out. Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia each popped out to shortstop J.J. Hardy in the middle of the infield.

John Lackey now punches in.

4:06 p.m.: Freddy Garcia’s first-pitch curveball is a strike. Late-day baseball has officially begun.

3:42 p.m.: This is a pretty big start for John Lackey.

While it’s still early in the season, Lackey has a chance to play the role of stopper. A good outing would certainly be very encouraging for the Red Sox, who suddenly find themselves with questions in the rotation.

Jon Lester has been struggling of late, and it now appears that Clay Buchholz, who has been battling neck stiffness, will not be ready for Tuesday’s start.

“Clay threw today, feels a little bit better than he did yesterday, but not the point where he’s going to throw a bullpen tomorrow,” manager John Farrell told reporters in Baltimore. “What we do have is the benefit of the off-day where we can keep guys on turn with Felix [Doubront] going on Tuesday, [Ryan] Dempster Wednesday and stay on turn from there. Right now, we haven’t announced the other starter for Tuesday.”

Lackey has had a very solid season, allowing two runs or fewer in eight of his 10 starts. That’s very good production, especially for a back-end starter, but Lackey really has a chance to flex his muscle against a tough Orioles lineup on Saturday.

2:12 p.m.: How long can Jose Iglesias keep up his current tear?

Iglesias, who is in Saturday’s starting lineup, had two of Boston’s three hits on Friday. He has now hit safely in a career-high 15 straight games with an at-bat, hitting .444 (24-for-54) in that span.

Iglesias’ emergence and Xander Bogaerts’ promotion from Double-A to Triple-A really mean that Will Middlebrooks and Stephen Drew are under more pressure to produce. To read more about that, check out the link below.

Click here to read about the Red Sox’ infield situation >>

1:44 p.m.: Lineups here!

Mike Napoli, who left Thursday’s game because of illness, will miss his second straight game. Mike Carp will start at first base and bat fifth.

Jonny Gomes, playing left field and batting sixth, will also be in the lineup, while Daniel Nava will get the day off. Will Middlebrooks will sit, with Jose Iglesias and Stephen Drew manning third base and shortstop, respectively.

Saturday’s complete lineups are below.

Red Sox (41-28)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Carp, 1B
Jonny Gomes, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Stephen Drew, SS
Jose Iglesias, 3B

John Lackey, RHP (3-5, 3.14 ERA)

Orioles (39-29)
Nate McLouth, LF
Manny Machado, 3B
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Chris Davis, 1B
Matt Wieters, DH
J.J. Hardy, SS
Ryan Flaherty, 2B
Taylor Teagarden, C

Freddy Garcia, RHP (3-3, 4.47 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: The Red Sox have put together a tremendous season. There’s no denying that. Against the Orioles, however, life hasn’t been so easy.

Chris Tillman and three others shut out the Red Sox on Friday night, and Baltimore has now taken four of five from Boston this season, including two straight to kick off the current four-game set. John Lackey will be the one tasked with stopping the bleeding on Saturday.

Fortunately for the Red Sox, they’ll be in much better shape for Saturday’s game than they were for Friday’s game. Not only did the Sox lose on Thursday, but the game lasted 13 innings and the bullpen pitched eight of those innings. The lengthy night for the ‘pen was the second in four nights, as Boston also played 14 innings on Monday, during which Red Sox relievers combined to throw 8 1/3 innings. In other words, the Sox really needed a quality start from Ryan Dempster, and the veteran provided just that, working into the eighth inning despite the 2-0 loss.

But a rested bullpen won’t mean much unless the Red Sox’ offense shows up on Saturday. The Sox’ bats were shut down on Friday, although they had a few chances early on because of four walks by Tillman. Perhaps the lackluster display by Boston’s offense was a carry-over from Thursday, when Baltimore’s bullpen provided 6 1/3 perfect innings at the end of the game before Chris Davis’ single sent O’s fans home happy.

On Saturday, Lackey will go up against veteran Freddy Garcia, who owns a 10-4 record and 4.51 ERA in 25 career games (22 starts) against the Red Sox. This season, the 36-year-old Garcia is 3-3 with a 4.47 ERA overall.

Saturday’s action is scheduled to kick off at 4:05 p.m. It’ll be a perfect appetizer to Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, so tune in on NESN, and keep it right here with NESN.com.

Final, Orioles 2-0: 

Jim Johnson struck out Mike Carp to begin the ninth inning. He then plunked Daniel Nava, but any potential rally was snuffed out before it got off the ground. Jose Iglesias grounded a first-pitch fastball to short, where J.J. Hardy kicked off a game-ending double play.

Orioles starter Chris Tillman twirled six shutout innings to earn his seventh win of the season. He walked four batters and gave up three hits, but the Red Sox’ offense couldn’t generate any momentum against the right-hander, and Baltimore grabbed a 2-0 victory.

Darren O’Day, Tommy Hunter and Johnson combined to finish off the Red Sox, who received a gritty pitching performance from Ryan Dempster.

Dempster nearly tossed a complete game, as he pitched into the eighth inning and recorded two outs before Koji Uehara entered to escape a bases-loaded jam. Dempster gave up two earned runs on five hits while walking five and striking out four. He threw 122 pitches (69 strikes) in the losing effort.

Baltimore’s first run came on a second-inning home run by Chris Davis. It was Davis’ major league-leading 22nd of the season, and he continues to solidify himself as one of the biggest power threats in baseball.

The O’s second run came on a little dribbler in the third inning. Dempster made a pretty good pitch to Adam Jones, but Jones hit a slow ground ball to third base that plated Nate McLouth.

The Red Sox will look to bounce back on Saturday after dropping the first two games of the four-game set. John Lackey will go up against Freddy Garcia in a game that’s scheduled to kick off at 4:05 p.m.

Good night, everyone.

End 8th, Orioles 2-0: Koji Uehara needed just three pitches to strike out J.J. Hardy with the bases loaded. We’ll head to the ninth inning with the score still 2-0.

Manny Machado led off the eighth inning with a double. It was his second double of the game and his league-leading 30th of the season.

Machado advanced to third when Nick Markakis grounded out to second base. At that point, the Red Sox pulled the infield in. It’s a move that benefited them, as Adam Jones grounded to second base, but Machado couldn’t score from third because of Boston’s defensive alignment.

Dempster walked Chris Davis intentionally to set up a showdown with Matt Wieters. The right-hander walked Wieters to end his night and load the bases, but Uehara took care of business upon entering the game.

Mike Carp, Daniel Nava and Jose Iglesias are due up against Orioles closer Jim Johnson in the ninth inning.

9:41 p.m., Orioles 2-0: Ryan Dempster really battled. He’ll exit with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth inning.

Dempster was left in to face Matt Wieters, but he missed high with a 3-1 pitch, and his night will end after 122 pitches.

Koji Uehara will enter to try and keep Boston’s deficit at two runs.

Mid 8th, Orioles 2-0: Tommy Hunter was excellent on Thursday, and he was equally as impressive in this one.

Hunter took care of Shane Victorino, Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz in order in the eighth, and the Red Sox are now three outs away from being shut out by the Orioles.

Victorino popped out in the infield before Pedroia and Ortiz each flied out. Ortiz actually gave one a pretty good ride, but Adam Jones sized it up in center field right off the bat.

Mike Carp, Daniel Nava and Jose Iglesias are due up for Boston in the ninth inning. It’s important that the deficit doesn’t grow.

Ryan Dempster will start the bottom of the eighth, although with action in the bullpen and his pitch count climbing, he’ll likely be on a short leash.

End 7th, Orioles 2-0: Ryan Dempster has turned in a nice performance, and it’s much-needed.

Dempster has given the Red Sox seven solid innings a night after the bullpen was taxed during a 13-inning loss. When you also factor in Monday’s 14-inning game against the Rays, it was crucial for Dempster to work deep into this game, and he’s done just that.

Dempster retired the Orioles in order in the seventh inning. The highlight came on the inning’s final out.

Nate McLouth lifted a fly ball down the left-field line. Daniel Nava ranged over, went into a slide and made a great grab in foul territory.

Dempster’s solid pitching performance and the club’s good defense will go for naught, however, if the bats don’t wake up. Shane Victorino, Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz are due up in the eighth.

Mid 7th, Orioles 2-0: Chris Tillman has a chance to pick up the win.

Darren O’Day took over after Jose Iglesias’ good piece of hitting resulted in a leadoff double, and he retired the three hitters he faced.

Will Middlebrooks, who is really struggling to drive the ball, popped out into shallow center field beyond the second base bag for the first out.

O’Day, who features a funky side-arm delivery, then struck out David Ross for the second out. Ross has struck out twice in this game, and he didn’t seem to stand much of a chance against the nasty O’Day.

Jacoby Ellsbury got a pretty good piece of a first-pitch sinker with two outs. His bid to pepper the left-center field gap came up short, though. Adam Jones coasted over and hauled the fly ball in for the third out.

9:04 p.m., Orioles 2-0: Chris Tillman, who had retired eight in a row, came back out to begin the seventh inning. He’ll depart after giving up a leadoff double to Jose Iglesias.

Tillman threw 106 pitches in the outing, and Buck Showalter will now turn to Darren O’Day and the Orioles’ bullpen.

End 6th, Orioles 2-0: Ryan Dempster breezed through the sixth inning.

Dempster made quick work of Chris Davis, Matt Wieters and J.J. Hardy.

Davis, who homered in the second inning, struck out swinging for the first out. Wieters and Hardy then grounded out to second base and third base, respectively.

Dempster is now up to 91 pitches after needing just eight to get through the sixth inning.

Mid 6th, Orioles 2-0: Chris Tillman is finding a rhythm. He has now retired eight in a row.

Tillman sat down David Ortiz, Mike Carp and Daniel Nava in the sixth inning. Ortiz and Carp both flied out, and Nava struck out.

Tillman actually fell behind Nava 3-1 after throwing a first-pitch strike. He regained his composure, though, and he fanned Nava on a fastball up in the zone.

Tillman has three strikeouts and four walks in this contest. He’s really settling in, and a big reason is his offspeed stuff. Tillman’s curveball has become very effective.

End 5th, Orioles 2-0: Baltimore’s third run was 90 feet away, but it never came across.

Nate McLouth, who is always dangerous once he gets on the basepaths, walked to begin the inning. McLouth has walked twice in this contest, and that’s one thing you most definitely want to avoid as a pitcher.

Ryan Dempster struck out Manny Machado for the first out. Then, the Red Sox called for a first-pitch pitchout with Nick Markakis batting. It was the right decision, as McLouth was indeed running, but David Ross delivered an uncharacteristically bad throw to second base.

McLouth moved to third base when Markakis grounded out to Mike Carp at first. Dempster stranded him there by getting Adam Jones to lift a fly ball to Jacoby Ellsbury in center.

Mid 5th, Orioles 2-0: Chris Tillman has given the Red Sox some chances throughout this game. He wasn’t so kind in the fifth inning.

Tillman took care of the top of the Red Sox’ order rather quickly during a 1-2-3 frame.

Jacoby Ellsbury struck out swinging to begin the fifth. Tillman went with five straight fastballs before dropping a filthy hook on Ellsbury to pick up the strikeout.

Shane Victorino then flied out to center field, and Dustin Pedroia grounded out to short.

End 4th, Orioles 2-0: The O’s didn’t cash in with a runner in scoring position.

Matt Wieters kicked off the bottom of the fourth inning with a ground ball back to the mound that Ryan Dempster took care of.

Dempster then put himself into trouble. He walked J.J. Hardy with one out, and he subsequently threw a wild pitch that enabled Hardy to move up to second base.

Fortunately for the Sox, Dempster found his control after the wild pitch. He struck out Chris Dickerson for the second time, and he got Ryan Flaherty to ground out to first.

Mid 4th, Orioles 2-0: Chris Tillman has given the Red Sox baserunners. The Sox just haven’t done anything with them.

Tillman issued a leadoff walk to Mike Carp, marking the right-hander’s fourth walk of the contest. It ended up going the same way Tillman’s other three walks went, as the Red Sox failed to score yet again.

This particular threat was Boston’s most substantial. After Carp advanced to second base on Daniel Nava’s groundout, Jose Iglesias dropped down a bunt. Iglesias failed on a bunt attempt in his first at-bat, but this bunt did the trick. Manny Machado made a nice barehanded play, but his throw to first wasn’t delivered in time.

Iglesias’ bunt single set up runners at the corners with one out. It was a golden opportunity for Boston to get on the board and establish some momentum. Tillman snuffed out the rally, though.

Tillman jammed Will Middlebrooks, who shattered his bat while flying out to shallow right field. The ball wasn’t hit deep enough to plate Carp from third base.

Tillman exited the inning by striking out David Ross, who just looked overmatched.

End 3rd, Orioles 2-0: The Orioles’ second run came in much different fashion than the first run.

Ryan Dempster started the inning off by retiring Ryan Flaherty on a ground ball to second base. Things got more difficult as the inning went on.

Nate McLouth, who ranks second in the American League in stolen bases behind Jacoby Ellsbury, walked with one out. Manny Machado then singled to put runners at first and second.

Dempster didn’t make a bad two-strike pitch to Machado, but the 20-year-old did an excellent job of protecting the plate. He went the other way with a fastball on the outside corner.

Nick Markakis flied out to center field for the second out, but the speedy McLouth tagged up and advanced to third. That was big, as McLouth scored on Dempster’s next pitch.

Dempster threw a pretty good slider low and away to Adam Jones, but Jones went up hacking and hit a little dribbler down the third base line. Will Middlebrooks charged in to make a barehanded play, but his throw to first wasn’t in time, and Markakis crossed the plate with Baltimore’s second run.

Chris Davis, who homered in the third inning, hit a ball right on the screws with two outs. Fortunately for the Red Sox, it was right at Dustin Pedroia, and Dempster avoided any additional damage.

Mid 3rd, Orioles 1-0: Chris Tillman isn’t letting his brief lapses in control get to him.

Tillman walked Shane Victorino with one out, giving him three walks for the game, but he again worked around it to keep the Red Sox off the scoreboard.

Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out to second base to begin the inning. After Victorino’s walk, Dustin Pedroia popped out into foul territory along the first base line and David Ortiz flied out lazily to left field.

End 2nd, Orioles 1-0: Man, is Chris Davis a powerful specimen or what?

The Red Sox played Davis to pull in the second inning, and what does the slugger do? He flips a little four-seam fastball on the outside corner into the left field seats to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead.

The home run was Davis’ 22nd of the season, and it continues what has been a special season for him. It’s amazing how much he’s improved his plate presence since his days in Texas.

Ryan Dempster, to his credit, settled down to retire the next three hitters in order. He struck out Chris Dickerson looking to end the inning.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Chris Tillman issued a leadoff walk to Daniel Nava. It didn’t come back to haunt him.

Tillman got ahead of Nava 1-2. Nava showed the great discipline that’s been a hallmark of his game this year, though, and he ended up laying off a high, 3-2 fastball to earn the free pass.

Tillman retired the next three hitters — Jose Iglesias, Will Middlebrooks and David Ross — in order.

Iglesias made solid contact, but Manny Machado used all of his 6-foot-3 frame to make a lunging grab down at third base.

David Ross then put a charge into one and sent Nick Markakis running toward the right field corner with two outs, but Markakis also took care of business.

End 1st, 0-0: The Orioles also threatened a bit in the first inning.

Manny Machado, who continues to develop into one of baseball’s best young players, doubled down the left field line with one out to get things going.

Machado advanced to third when Nick Markakis rolled a ground ball over to first base. Ryan Dempster made sure he didn’t cross the plate with the game’s first run, though. Dempster retired Adam Jones on a groundout to short.

Catcher David Ross deserves credit for his effort in the first inning. Ross, who missed time with a concussion this season, took another foul ball off the mask, and he made a great block on a pitch in the dirt with Jones batting to save a run.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Mike Carp, who is playing in place of the sick Mike Napoli, almost made it two straight games with a home run.

Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out to begin the game, and Shane Victorino followed with a sinking single into center field.

Orioles starter Chris Tillman then retired Dustin Pedroia on a flyout to right field before losing a battle with David Ortiz.

Tillman, whose velocity was below what it typically is in the first inning, jumped ahead of Ortiz with a first-pitch strike, but he threw four straight balls to award the slugger first base. Tillman’s fastball has been sitting around 88-90 mph, and he missed with three straight changeups to Ortiz.

Mike Carp, who homered on Thursday after replacing Napoli in the third inning, nearly got the Red Sox off to a big start. He hammered a fly ball to deep right field, but Nick Markakis retreated and made the play right before the wall.

7:07 p.m.: Chris Tillman’s first pitch is a ball, and we’re underway.

6:50 p.m.: Before we go any further, I’d like to wish a happy birthday to the U.S. Army and the American Flag. Happy Flag Day, everyone.

Since words don’t really do my enthusiasm any justice, I’ll let Hacksaw Jim Duggan take it away.

6:42 p.m.: John Farrell certainly has his hands full nowadays.

Managing the bullpen, which continues to receive a heavy workload, is a challenge, as is managing the left side of Boston’s infield.

Jose Iglesias just keeps producing, and by doing so, it’s difficult to take him out of the lineup. The result is some major — albeit friendly — competition among Iglesias, Will Middlebrooks and Stephen Drew.

Iglesias enters Friday’s game with a hit in 14 straight games in which he’s had an at-bat. He’s batting .440 (22-for-50) and has eight multi-hit games during that stretch.

6:12 p.m.: Anyone else excited to see Rubby De La Rosa in action? The kid has tremendous stuff.

Click here to read about De La Rosa >>

5:46 p.m.: Friday’s lineups have been posted.

Jose Iglesias will get the start at shortstop, while Will Middlebrooks will stay in the lineup down at third base. That means Stephen Drew is the odd man out for this one.

Mike Carp will get the start at first base. Mike Napoli left Thursday’s game in the third inning because of illness, so Carp will take his place and bat fifth on Friday.

The rest of Friday’s lineups are below.

Red Sox (41-27)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Carp, 1B
Daniel Nava, LF
Jose Iglesias, SS
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
David Ross, C

Ryan Dempster, RHP (4-6, 4.40 ERA)

Orioles (38-29)
Nate McLouth, LF
Manny Machado, 3B
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Chris Davis, 1B
Matt Wieters, C
J.J. Hardy, SS
Chris Dickerson, DH
Ryan Flaherty, 2B

Chris Tillman, RHP (6-2, 3.89 ERA)

5:03 p.m.: There’s some Red Sox news to report before game time. The club made a couple of transactions.

The Red Sox announced that they have traded infielder Pedro Ciriaco to the Padres in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Ciriaco played well during the 2012 season, but he struggled out of the gate this year. With Jose Iglesias’ emergence, Ciriaco, who was designated for assignment on Monday, became expendable. The versatile 27-year-old hit .216 (11-for-51) in 28 games for the Sox this season.

The Red Sox also announced that they have called up hard-throwing right-hander Rubby De La Rosa. De La Rosa will take the place of reliever Alex Wilson, who was optioned back to Triple-A Pawtucket following Thursday’s game.

De La Rosa, who has tremendous potential, will bring some nasty stuff to the Red Sox’ pitching staff. He was being stretched out as a starter down at Triple-A, but he’ll likely be available out of the bullpen.

Wilson, who has pitched well for the Red Sox this season, was shipped back to the minors out of necessity. The Red Sox really need a fresh arm, and Wilson became the roster casualty because he has options available.

Click here to read about the Red Sox’ bullpen >>

8 a.m. ET: Thursday’s loss stings, if you’re the Red Sox.

Not only did the Sox miss out on an opportunity to extend their lead in the American League East, but they battled for 13 innings in the defeat. That’s grueling for a team that also had a 14-inning contest on Monday.

The Red Sox’ bullpen has been worked, to say the least. The combination of extra innings and questions in the rotation has John Farrell in a difficult situation when it comes to managing the pitching staff. His life will become a whole lot easier, though, if the starters can give the Red Sox solid innings throughout the rest of this weekend series against the Orioles.

It starts with Ryan Dempster on Friday. Dempster, who enters with a 4-6 record and 4.40 ERA, has had an up-and-down season. He’s had some shaky outings, but he’s also put together some solid efforts. The right-hander went six innings and allowed three runs on six hits while striking out six in his last start against the Angels on Sunday. Boston won that game, 10-5.

On Friday, Dempster will go up against Chris Tillman, who has been Baltimore’s best starter this season. Tillman enters with a 6-2 record and 3.89 ERA for a pitching staff that has been unimpressive thus far.

Friday’s first pitch at Camden Yards is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Tune in on NESN, and follow along right here with NESN.com’s live blog. It should be a blast.

Final, Orioles 5-4:

Davis dropped a base hit into left field that scored Nick Markakis from second base, and the Orioles take the series opener, 5-4, in 13 innings.

Alex Wilson, pitching his third inning of relief, got two quick outs in the 13th, but Markakis worked a walk t0 kick off the rally. Markakis advanced to second base when Adam Jones singled into right field, and he scored when Davis inside-outed a 1-1 fastball from Wilson.

T.J. McFarland earned the win and Wilson suffered the loss, but both bullpens pitched well. After Brian Matusz surrendered two runs in seventh inning, the O’s ‘pen tossed 6 1/3 no-hit innings to give the offense a chance to eventually win it.

Will Middlebrooks was the only Red Sox hitter with more than one hit, although David Ortiz and Mike Carp each went deep in the losing effort.

Felix Doubront lasted 4 2/3 innings in another up-and-down outing by the left-hander. He allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits, a walk and two hit batters.

The Red Sox and O’s will be back in action on Friday, and Ryan Dempster and Chris Tillman will go toe-to-toe. Friday’s game is scheduled to kick off at 7:05 p.m. See you all then.

Good night, everyone.

Mid 13th, 4-4: The Red Sox offense was held down again in the 13th.

T.J. McFarland tossed a 1-2-3 inning, easily retiring Stephen Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury and Shane Victorino in order.

Drew struck out swinging for the first out, and Ellsbury and Victorino followed up with a groundout and flyout, respectively.

Victorino made pretty good contact, but it hung up long enough for Adam Jones to glide over and make the play in left-center field.

Alex Wilson will go back to work in the 13th inning. I wonder if he envisioned this happening when he was recalled earlier in the day.

End 12th, 4-4: To the 13th inning, we go.

Chris Dickerson dropped a two-out double down the left field line, but Alex Wilson retired Ryan Flaherty to extend this game even further.

Dickerson pinch hit for Danny Valencia after Matt Wieters flied out to center and J.J. Hardy grounded out to second. He shot a 1-1 fastball down the line, and by the time Jonny Gomes corralled it, Dickerson was cruising into second.

Flaherty failed to cash in with the potential winning run in scoring position. He lifted a lazy fly ball to right field that Shane Victorino came in and handled to end the 12th.

T.J. McFarland will pitch the 13th inning for Baltimore. Stephen Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury and Shane Victorino are due up for Boston.

Mid 12th, 4-4: Jim Johnson hasn’t been as sharp this season, but he handled the 12th inning just fine.

Johnson, who is Baltimore’s closer, tossed a 1-2-3 inning, even flashing some leather in the process.

Daniel Nava grounded out to second base for the first out, and Johnson then picked up assists on the next two outs.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia grounded back to Johnson, who made a clean play and fired to first. Johnson nearly threw the ball away, but Chris Davis hauled in the high throw to complete the out.

Johnson’s second play of the inning was more along the lines of self-defense. Will Middlebrooks drilled a comebacker that Johnson knocked down before flipping to first base for the third out.

Alex Wilson will again take the mound for Boston.

End 11th, 4-4: Nick Markakis brought Orioles fans to their feet. But his bid to end the ballgame came up a few feet short.

Markakis smacked a first-pitch fastball from Alex Wilson toward the wall in left field. Jonny Gomes, who just entered the game, backtracked to the warning track to make the grab.

Wilson then retired Adam Jones and Chris Davis. Jones popped out to Jarrod Saltalamacchia in front of the plate, and Chris Davis struck out swinging.

Orioles closer Jim Johnson will take over for Baltimore in the 12th. He’s scheduled to face Daniel Nava, Saltalamacchia and Will Middlebrooks.

Mid 11th, 4-4: Two Orioles pitchers combined for a perfect 1-2-3 inning in the 11th.

Dustin Pedroia grounded out to J.J. Hardy at short to begin the inning. That ended Darren O’Day’s night, as the O’s turned to left-hander Troy Patton with David Ortiz coming up.

Ortiz took a big hack at Patton’s first pitch, and he gave it a ride to deep center field. Adam Jones retreated to haul it in, though, and O’s fans were able to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

John Farrell called upon Jonny Gomes to pinch hit for Mike Carp with a lefty on the hill, and Gomes ended up grounding down to Manny Machado at third base.

Alex Wilson, who was just recalled on Thursday, will pitch the 11th inning. He’s scheduled to face Nick Markakis, Adam Jones and Chris Davis.

Gomes will remain in the game and play left field, while the versatile Daniel Nava will shift to first base.

End 10th, 4-4: Craig Breslow sent this game to the 11th inning.

Breslow struck out Ryan Flaherty to begin his night. Flaherty fouled off a couple of fastballs before Breslow caught him looking with a backdoor slider on the inside corner.

Breslow walked Nate McLouth with two outs, which had the potential to be dangerous, seeing as how McLouth ranks second in the American League with 22 stolen bases. Breslow retired Manny Machado on a first-pitch ground ball, though, so McLouth never had an opportunity to attempt a stolen base.

Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and Mike Carp are due up for the Sox in the 11th inning.

10:45 p.m., 4-4: Junichi Tazawa recorded the first out of the 10th inning. The Red Sox will now turn to Craig Breslow.

Mid 10th, 4-4: Darren O’Day was cruising along until a catcher’s interference call made things interesting.

O’Day retired Will Middlebrooks and Stephen Drew to begin the 10th inning. Middlebrooks struck out and Drew flied out to left field.

O’Day then went to a full count against Jacoby Ellsbury before Matt Wieters was called for catcher’s interference on the eighth pitch of the at-bat. Ellsbury fouled off a sinker down and in, and, in the process, his bat nicked Wieters’ glove.

Ellsbury was thus awarded first base, and he quickly moved up into scoring position on a first-pitch steal. O’Day has a very long delivery, and Wieters, who threw down to second base from his knees, had no chance of throwing out Ellsbury.

O’Day managed to escape the trouble, though. Shane Victorino put up a nice battle, but O’Day struck out The Flyin’ Hawaiian with a 3-2 slider.

End 9th, 4-4: The Red Sox will play extra innings for the sixth time this season.

It isn’t before some tense moments in the bottom of the ninth inning, though.

Junichi Tazawa took over in the ninth, and he got two quick outs. Adam Jones and Chris Davis each popped out to Stephen Drew.

Matt Wieters and Shane Victorino made things rather interesting, though. Wieters pulled a hit down the right field line. Victorino ranged over to gather it, but he bobbled the ball, and that allowed Wieters to advance to second. Victorino was charged with an error.

J.J. Hardy stepped in with the potential winning run on second base, but he couldn’t cash in. Hardy popped up the second pitch he saw, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia hauled it in behind the plate.

The side-arm slinging Darren O’Day will pitch the 10th inning for the O’s.

Free baseball!

Mid 9th, 4-4: Tommy Hunter certainly did his job.

Hunter pitched a 1-2-3 top of the ninth, and the Orioles’ offense will come up in a tie game with a chance to walk off with a win.

Hunter started the ninth inning by striking out Mike Carp. He went upstairs with a fastball, and home plate umpire Jim Joyce gave him the benefit of the doubt.

Daniel Nava tried to check his swing on a 1-1 pitch from Hunter, but he made contact. It resulted in a slow roller down to third base, where Manny Machado took care of the out.

Hunter fanned Jarrod Saltalamacchia to end the inning. Hunter reared back and delivered a 99 mph heater to pick up the K, which finished off 2 1/3 perfect innings from the right-hander.

Junichi Tazawa will take the mound for Boston in the ninth inning. He’ll face Adam Jones, Chris Davis and Matt Wieters.

End 8th, 4-4: Andrew Miller gave the Red Sox two very good innings, and we head to the ninth inning with the score tied.

Miller walked his second batter of the game in the eighth, but he made sure the Orioles couldn’t build on the free pass.

Ryan Flaherty grounded out before Miller walked Nate McLouth. The left-hander battled back from there to retire both Manny Machado and Nick Markakis.

Machado made good contact, but it resulted in a line drive right at Jacoby Ellsbury in center. Miller blew a 97 mph fastball by Markakis to end the inning.

Mike Carp, Daniel Nava and Jarrod Saltalamacchia are due up for Boston in the ninth. Tommy Hunter will head back to the mound for Baltimore.

Mid 8th, 4-4: Tommy Hunter, who recorded the final out of the seventh inning, came back out to pitch the eighth. He easily retired the Red Sox in order.

Shane Victorino, who was batting when Jacoby Ellsbury was caught stealing to end the seventh, led off the eighth inning with a groundout to first.

Dustin Pedroia then lifted a fly ball to right field for the second out, and David Ortiz ended the inning with a pop up to third.

Andrew Miller, who recorded three strikeouts in the seventh, will come back out for a second inning of work.

End 7th, 4-4: Andrew Miller was very impressive in the seventh inning.

He walked J.J. Hardy with two outs, but he otherwise struck out the side.

Chris Davis went down swinging, while Matt Wieters and Danny Valencia went down looking against Miller.

The left-hander blew a high, 97-mph fastball by Davis. Miller then froze Wieters with a backdoor slider, before going back to a 97 mph heater to catch Valencia looking.

Mid 7th, 4-4: Turning a double play is an art form, and the slightest miscue can prove costly.

The Orioles found that out in the seventh inning. Jacoby Ellsbury nearly grounded into an inning-ending double play, but second baseman Ryan Flaherty’s flip to shortstop J.J. Hardy was slightly off the mark. That gave Ellsbury just enough time to beat out Hardy’s throw on a bang-bang play at first base. And in the process, the tying run crossed the plate.

The seventh inning started with three straight singles by Daniel Nava, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Will Middlebrooks.

Stephen Drew then stepped up with the bases loaded and no outs, and he gave one a ride toward the left-center field gap. The fly ball took Adam Jones all the way to the warning track, but the Orioles center fielder showed great range to track it down. Nava scored with Boston’s third run, and Saltalamacchia tagged up and advanced to third.

Salty advancing to third proved to be big, as it allowed him to score on the Ellsbury forceout. Orioles manager Buck Showalter came out to contest the close call at first base following the near-double play, but replays show that Ellsbury did beat out Hardy’s throw. It was extremely close, though.

Showalter made a pitching change with Ellsbury at first base and two outs. Tommy Hunter took over as Shane Victorino dug in. Victorino never completed his at-bat, though, as Ellsbury was caught trying to steal second base on the second pitch.

End 6th, Orioles 4-2: It wasn’t a pretty inning, by any means. But the Orioles didn’t do any more damage.

Franklin Morales plunked Nate McLouth with one out in the sixth, and Manny Machado followed up with an infield single down to third base.

Will Middlebrooks, who made an error in the fifth inning, charged the ball, but he couldn’t come up with it near the third base bag. Since it was a rather difficult play, it was ultimately scored a hit.

Morales buckled down from there. He retired Nick Markakis on a sharp line drive to right-center field, and he struck out Adam Jones swinging to end the inning.

Brian Matusz, who recorded the final two outs of the sixth inning, will come on to start the seventh for Baltimore.

Mid 6th, Orioles 4-2: Kevin Gausman exited in the sixth inning, and he received a nice ovation.

Shane Victorino led off the inning by flying out to the warning track in right field. Once Dustin Pedroia singled into left field, however, Gausman’s night was done.

Buck Showalter called upon Brian Matusz as the first reliever out of Baltimore’s ‘pen. Matusz retired David Ortiz and Mike Carp — who are responsible for Boston’s two runs via back-to-back homers in the fourth inning.

Ortiz tried to jump on a first-pitch fastball, but he popped it up to J.J. Hardy at short. Carp worked the count full, but he didn’t let it rip on a 3-2 fastball on the inside corner, and Matusz picked up a strikeout.

Gausman gave up two earned runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out five and didn’t walk a batter.

End 5th, Orioles 4-2: You can’t give the Orioles’ offense any extra chances. Case in point: the fifth inning.

Manny Machado flied out to right field to begin the inning, but an error by Will Middlebrooks allowed Nick Markakis to reach.

Perhaps rattled by Middlebrooks’ miscue, Felix Doubront let a 2-2 fastball get away from him while facing Adam Jones. He drilled Jones on the back side, which put runners at first and second with one out.

Doubront bounced back to strike out the dangerous Chris Davis, but Matt Wieters pulled a single through the hole on the left side. It plated Markakis with Baltimore’s fourth run.

Doubront then faced J.J. Hardy and quickly got ahead in the count 0-2. He gradually lost Hardy, though, and he ended up walking him on seven pitches.

John Farrell saw enough at that point, and he took out Doubront, who threw 103 pitches, in favor of another left-hander, Franklin Morales. Morales escaped the bases-loaded jam by getting Danny Valencia to pop out to short.

Doubront gave up four runs (three earned) over 4 2/3 innings. He surrendered seven hits, walked one and struck out five.

Mid 5th, Orioles 3-2: Will Middlebrooks reached second base on a strange play with one out. It didn’t lead to anything further.

After Jarrod Saltalamacchia flied out to Adam Jones in center field, Middlebrooks lifted a lazy fly ball down the left field line. It initially looked as if the ball was headed toward foul territory, and J.J. Hardy, Manny Machado and Nate McLouth all ran over near the line. The ball ended up tailing back into fair territory, though, and it dropped in between the three O’s.

Middlebrooks, who also thought the ball was headed foul, didn’t run out of the box. He stood by and watched it before eventually taking off for first base. Once he realized that the ball dropped, Middlebrooks threw on the jets, and he dived into second base just in time.

Kevin Gausman exited the inning with a one-run lead still intact, as Stephen Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury were both retired to end the inning.

Drew drilled a comebacker that Gausman snatched out of thin air. The right-hander tried to double-up Middlebrooks at second base, but his throw sailed into center field. Middlebrooks couldn’t advance, though, and Gausman took care of Ellsbury via a groundout to first base.

End 4th, Orioles 3-2: That was a big inning for Felix Doubront.

Danny Valencia, who kicked off Baltimore’s scoring with a third-inning home run, doubled with one out in the fourth. Doubront made sure it didn’t hurt, though, and the Red Sox’ offense will go back to work with the deficit still at one run.

J.J. Hardy popped out for the first out before Valencia drilled a ball toward the right-center field gap. Jacoby Ellsbury gave chase, but the ball kept tailing away from him and he was unable to haul it in on a diving attempt.

Doubront stranded Valencia at second base by striking out the next two hitters. Both Ryan Flaherty and Nate McLouth went down swinging at curveballs.

Doubront has four strikeouts total, and Boston’s offense will now look to build on its two-run fourth.

8:23 p.m., Orioles 3-2: The Red Sox announced that Mike Napoli exited the game because of illness.

It’s unfortunate that Napoli is feeling under the weather, but Sox fans should be breathing a sigh of relief that it isn’t something more serious.

Mid 4th, Orioles 3-2: The Red Sox answered in a big way in the fourth inning.

It was Big Papi who delivered the first big blow. David Ortiz got a 97-mph fastball he could drive, and the slugger hammered his 14th home run of the season into right-center field with two outs.

Mike Carp, who entered the game for Mike Napoli in the third inning, liked what he saw, and he also went deep with two down in the inning. Kevin Gausman got ahead of Carp 0-2, but Carp laid off a couple of pitches and ended up driving a blast to straightaway center field.

End 3rd, Orioles 3-0: One swing by Danny Valencia in the third inning changed the complexion of Felix Doubront’s outing.

Valencia, who played in 10 games with Boston last season, smacked a leadoff homer into left field to give the Orioles a 1-0 advantage.

Doubront stumbled even further from there, as the Baltimore offense just kept trucking along.

Ryan Flaherty dropped a blooper down the left field line and ended up with a double. He advanced to third when Nate McLouth laid down a sacrifice bunt, and he scored when Manny Machado fought off a cutter in on the hands to deliver an RBI single into center field.

Nick Markakis made it back-to-back singles for the O’s with a base knock of his own. He was wiped off the basepaths, however, when Adam Jones grounded into a forceout. Mike Carp fielded Jones’ ground ball cleanly and looked to start up a double play, but Jones was simply too fast for the Sox to turn it.

Chris Davis stepped up with runners at the corners and two outs. He drilled the third pitch he saw into center field to plate Machado with Baltimore’s third run.

Doubront finally escaped the inning by striking out Matt Wieters. This game has changed quickly, though, and it comes after Doubront looked pretty sharp through the first two innings.

7:45 p.m., 0-0: Mike Napoli has come out of this game. He has been replaced by Mike Carp at first base.

Napoli doubled in the second inning, but it didn’t look like he sustained an injury. Clearly, something is wrong, though, as Napoli headed back down to the clubhouse.

Mid 3rd, 0-0: Kevin Gausman has been sharp.

The 22-year-old retired the Red Sox in order in the third inning, picking up his fourth strikeout along the way.

Will Middlebrooks began the inning by grounding out to his counterpart at third base, and Stephen Drew hit a deep flyout to left field for the second out.

Gausman ended the inning by striking out Jacoby Ellsbury, who is now 0-for-2 after entering the game riding an 11-game hit streak. Gausman got Ellsbury to wave at what looked like a forkball.

Gausman can dial it up with his fastball, but his secondary stuff has really been working for him thus far.

End 2nd, 0-0: Felix Doubront has been aggressive in the early going. That’s encouraging.

Doubront hit Chris Davis, who is having a monster year, with one out in the second inning. He retired the other three hitters he faced, though, and this has probably been the quickest two innings of any Doubront start this season.

Adam Jones grounded out to short for the first out, and, after Doubront hit Davis, Matt Wieters hit a popup down the right field line. Both Dustin Pedroia and Mike Napoli gave chase over near the tarp, and Pedroia eventually made the grab.

J.J. Hardy hit the ball hard with two outs. But it was right back at Doubront, and the lefty made a nifty play to end the inning.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Kevin Gausman yielded a one-out double to Mike Napoli, but he was otherwise nasty in the second inning.

Gausman struck out David Ortiz, Daniel Nava and Jarrod Saltalamacchia in the frame.

Ortiz, who was buzzed inside during the at-bat, gave a halfhearted swing at an offspeed pitch in the dirt. Nava also fanned on an offspeed pitch down, while Saltalamacchia, who struck out on three pitches, was frozen by a 96-mph fastball.

Gausman has been shaky through his first four big league starts, but he’s really showing off his filthy repertoire in this one.

End 1st, 0-0: Felix Doubront isn’t known for quick innings, but he tossed one in the first.

Doubront retired the Orioles in order. Nate McLouth popped out to Jarrod Saltalamacchia in foul territory, Manny Machado grounded out to Stephen Drew at short and Nick Markakis struck out looking.

Doubront nearly took Markakis’ head off with his 1-2 pitch. Fortunately, Markakis ducked out of the way in time. He might have been a bit rattled, however, as Doubront froze him with a 92 mph fastball on the next pitch.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Oh, the perils of sending the runner.

Jacoby Ellsbury, who has been scorching of late, grounded out to second base to kick off the ballgame.

Shane Victorino then followed up with a one-out single into right field.

Dustin Pedroia hopped ahead in the count 2-0 against Kevin Gausman, who can really bring it. Gausman battled back, forcing Pedroia to foul off a couple of pitches, before going with a 3-2 slider. Pedroia was all over it, hammering a line drive down to third base, but Manny Machado was there to make the grab.

John Farrell opted to send the runner with Pedroia up, the count full and just one out. So after making the play down at third, Machado easily fired to first base to double-up Victorino.

7:08 p.m.: Kevin Gausman’s first pitch is a strike. We’re off and running at Camden Yards.

7:01 p.m.: The weather hasn’t been great in Baltimore, and the tarp has been on the field for most of the day. It has cleared up a bit, though, and it looks like we’ll have baseball on time.

6:44 p.m.: Is Daniel Nava an All-Star? That’s one of the questions discussed on this week’s Red Sox/MLB podcast. If you’re interested in checking that out, click the link below.

Click here for this week’s Red Sox podcast >>

6:23 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury comes in riding a 11-game hit streak. He began the streak before missing five games with a groin injury, and he has picked up right where he left off since returning.

Ellsbury is hitting .440 (22-for-50) during the 11-game stretch, and he has multiple hits in seven of those 11 games.

Ellsbury has also been a menace on the basepaths lately, and he has really become the ideal leadoff hitter during his resurgence. The Red Sox certainly need to ride the wave while they can.

Click here to read more about Ellsbury’s hot streak >>

6:10 p.m.: The Red Sox enter this four-game set with the Orioles having won each of their last four series.

Boston also enters Thursday’s game with the best road record in the majors at 20-12 (.625 winning percentage).

5:32 p.m.: Thursday’s lineups have been posted. Take a look below.

Red Sox (41-26)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Daniel Nava, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Stephen Drew, SS

Felix Doubront, LHP (4-3, 4.84 ERA)

Orioles (37-29)
Nate McLouth, LF
Manny Machado, 3B
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Chris Davis, 1B
Matt Wieters, C
J.J. Hardy, SS
Danny Valencia, DH
Ryan Flaherty, 2B

Kevin Gausman, RHP (0-3, 8.84 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: The Red Sox are handling their difficult stretch of games well thus far. It won’t get any easier on Thursday, though, as the Sox travel to Baltimore to open up a four-game set with the Orioles.

The O’s enter Thursday’s contest trailing the Sox by three games in the American League East. They, like the Red Sox, boast one of the AL’s most potent offenses. But while the Orioles’ defense has been tremendous, their pitching has been suspect, and that will obviously need to change if they expect to be contenders again this season.

This series is a huge opportunity for both teams to prove themselves. Right now, the Red Sox look like the most balanced team in the AL East and one of the best teams in all of baseball. A good showing against the O’s will allow them to flex their muscle even more. The Orioles, meanwhile, would like to show that they’re still very much a force to be reckoned with.

Felix Doubront will take the ball on Thursday. The left-hander gave up three earned runs over six innings in a 9-5 loss to the Angels on Saturday. He’ll need to continue improving, especially with Jon Lester going through some struggles and Clay Buchholz battling an injury issue.

Thursday’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Tune in on NESN, and keep it right here with NESN.com.

Final, Red Sox 2-1:

James Loney singled to begin the bottom of the ninth, and Bailey fell behind the next hitter, Desmond Jennings, 3-0. Bailey got Jennings to lift a lazy fly ball into center field on a 3-1 pitch, though, and that helped turn the inning around.

Sam Fuld, who pinch ran for Loney, stole second base with two outs after Bailey struck out Luke Scott. That put the potential tying run into scoring position, but Bailey fanned Jose Lobaton on a nasty pitch low and inside to end the ballgame.

Alfredo Aceves earned the victory, while Chris Archer suffered the loss. Bailey’s save is his seventh of the season, and it’s a big one considering he couldn’t nail down Monday’s game.

Aceves, while wild at times, turned in a pretty decent performance overall. He gave up four hits and walked four, but he allowed just one run over six innings, which is exactly what the Red Sox needed out of him in his spot start.

Both of Boston’s runs came on Daniel Nava’s two-run homer in the third inning. Nava put up a 10-pitch battle against Archer before hammering a hanging slider into the right field seats.

The Red Sox now travel to Baltimore for four games against the Orioles. Felix Doubront will start the series opener on Thursday.

Good night, everyone.

Mid 9th, Red Sox 2-1: To the bottom of the ninth, we go.

Alex Torres tossed a 1-2-3 inning in the ninth, and the Rays’ offense will come up in the home half with the deficit still at one run.

Will Middlebrooks struck out, Stephen Drew popped out and Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out in the top of the ninth.

The Red Sox will now turn to Andrew Bailey. James Loney, Desmond Jennings and Luke Scott are due up for Tampa.

End 8th, Red Sox 2-1: Kelly Johnson set the table for Evan Longoria with two outs. But the All-Star slugger wasn’t ready to feast.

Craig Breslow started the eighth inning off in impressive fashion. He struck out both Matt Joyce and Ben Zobrist swinging.

Joyce saw eight pitches and ran the count full, but he swung and missed on a 3-2 pitch that was low and out of the strike zone.

Zobrist also chased a ball down. It looked like a slider from Breslow.

At that point, Johnson made some noise by lining a double off the base of the wall in left-center field. John Farrell then decided to go with Koji Uehara with the right-handed hitting Longoria coming up. The moved paid off.

Uehara struck out Longoria, who homered in the sixth inning, on three pitches. The first two were called strikes, and Uehara pulled the string with an 0-2 pitch in the dirt to complete the strikeout.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 2-1: Yunel Escobar was a busy man in the eighth inning.

David Ortiz began the inning by lifting a popup down the left field line in foul territory. Escobar needed to run a long way, but he managed to track it down for the first out. The play was impressive not only because of the range that Escobar showed, but also because he had to deal with the bullpen mound while making the play.

Escobar showed off his range again when the next batter, Mike Napoli, lifted a ball to left field. The Rays shortstop ranged all the way out to haul it in while tumbling to the ground. It was a nice play, but Escobar probably should have yielded to left fielder Kelly Johnson in that situation. It would have been a much easier play for Johnson, who was coming in on the ball.

Mike Carp kept the inning alive with a single into right field, and he was then lifted for a pinch-runner in Shane Victorino. The inning ended four pitches later, though, when Jarrod Saltalamacchia also popped out to Escobar at short.

Victorino will remain in the game as the new right fielder, while Daniel Nava will shift to left field. Craig Breslow will pitch the eighth inning for Boston.

End 7th, Red Sox 2-1: Junichi Tazawa was the first reliever out of the Red Sox’ bullpen, and he was very impressive in the seventh inning.

Tazawa struck out two while enjoying a 1-2-3 frame.

Tazawa’s first strikeout came against Luke Scott, who went down hacking at a pitch in the dirt.

Jose Lobaton flied out to Jacoby Ellsbury in center field for the second out, and Tazawa capped off the effective inning by striking out Yunel Escobar.

Escobar fouled off three straight pitches, but Tazawa finally put him away in the same manner he put Scott away. Escobar chased a pitch in the dirt.

Aceves’ night ended after six innings. He had some brief moments of wildness, but it’s hard to complain with the overall results. Aceves allowed just one run, and it came on a sixth-inning homer by Evan Longoria. The right-hander walked four, surrendered four hits and struck out three while throwing 84 pitches (50 strikes).

Mid 7th, Red Sox 2-1: The Red Sox pride themselves on working deep into counts and wearing down pitchers. All three hitters did that in the seventh inning, although all three were retired at the end of their respective at-bats.

Jacoby Ellsbury led off the seventh with an eight-pitch battle. He laid off a 1-2 curveball before fouling off three straight pitches. Jamey Wright, who finished the sixth inning, finally struck out Ellsbury with a changeup.

That was Wright’s last batter. Joe Maddon turned to hard-throwing lefty Jake McGee to finish the inning.

McGee’s first opponent was Daniel Nava, who is responsible for Boston’s two runs. Nava saw seven pitches, but McGee ended up striking him out on a 98 mph fastball that Nava foul tipped into the catcher’s mitt.

Dustin Pedroia flied out to end the frame. He saw 11 pitches, though, which is amazing considering he fell behind 0-2 after two pitches. Pedroia fouled off six pitches during the full count before skying a 97 mph fastball to left.

End 6th, Red Sox 2-1: Evan Longoria was tired of looking at a goose egg. He launched a solo homer in the sixth inning, and the Rays have cut their deficit in half.

Longoria drove a fastball from Alfredo Aceves to straightaway center field. Jacoby Ellsbury attempted to scale the wall, but he didn’t stand a chance. Longoria’s blast is his 13th of the season.

Aceves bounced back to retire James Loney and Desmond Jennings — both on groundouts — but the Rays finally have some momentum.

That’ll likely be it for Aceves, as John Farrell just went over to the right-hander in the dugout to seemingly offer some congratulations.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 2-0: Kyle Farnsworth started the sixth inning, and Jamey Wright finished it. Both pitchers did their job, and Tampa’s deficit is still two runs.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia made solid contact to begin the inning, but his line drive was right at second baseman Ben Zobrist for the first out.

Farnsworth then struck out Will Middlebrooks to cap off his 1 2/3 innings of relief. Farnsworth doesn’t throw quite as hard as he used to — he used to reach triple digits — but he still got it up to 95 mph to strike out Middlebrooks.

Wright retired Stephen Drew on a popout to Drew’s counterpart at short upon entering the game.

Alfredo Aceves is coming back out for the sixth inning. We’ll see how long John Farrell sticks with his starter in this one.

9:09 p.m., Red Sox 2-0: The Bruins are also off to a good start. The B’s lead 1-0 through one period of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. Milan Lucic scored the goal.

For those looking to keep up on the B’s, I highly encourage that you check out NESN.com’s Bruins live blog. It can be found at the link below.

Click here for the Bruins live blog >>

End 5th, Red Sox 2-0: Jarrod Saltalamacchia will always be lauded more for his offense, but his defense has drastically improved lately. His D may have kept a run off the scoreboard in the fifth.

Yunel Escobar singled with one out. He was gunned down by Saltalamacchia when he tried to take second base, though, and it proved to be a big out.

Matt Joyce hooked a double down the right field line with two outs, and it almost certainly would have plated Escobar had he not been wiped off the basepaths by Saltalamacchia.

Ben Zobrist threatened to tie the game with a long fly ball to left field. Mike Carp tracked it down at the warning track, though, and the score remains the same.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 2-0: Unfortunately, we’ll no longer get to see Chris Archer jump all over the mound like a mad man. Kyle Farnsworth took over for Archer in the fifth inning.

Farnsworth got two quick outs. Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz each grounded back to the mound, where Farnsworth took care of business.

The inning got a little bit interesting, though, when Farnsworth drilled Mike Napoli. It might not have been intentional given the two-run deficit that the Rays face, but it certainly gets you thinking. There were two outs and the bases were empty, so who knows?

Napoli followed up the plunking with a rare steal of second base. Mike Carp couldn’t drive him, though, and the game is still 2-0.

End 4th, Red Sox 2-0: Alfredo Aceves, who has been up-and-down in this game, turned in a quick inning in the fourth.

Aceves needed just 10 pitches to sit down the Rays in order. It was his second quick inning of the game, as Aceves needed just nine pitches to assemble a 1-2-3 first inning.

James Loney and Desmond Jennings each grounded out, and Luke Scott struck out swinging. Aceves went with a changeup to finish off the three-pitch strikeout against Scott.

Aceves has been all over the place at times, but you’ve got to give him credit. He’s kept the Rays’ offense scoreless thus far.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 2-0: Chris Archer just won the lottery. Or at least that’s what it looked like in his reaction to striking out Daniel Nava with the bases loaded.

Mike Carp kicked off the Red Sox’ quest to eventually load the bases. He singled into into left field to begin the fourth inning.

Archer was then all over the place en route to walking two and striking out two. Will Middlebrooks and Jacoby Ellsbury each walked, while Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Stephen Drew each struck out swinging.

Nava, who homered in the third inning, came up with the bases loaded. He worked the count full before fanning on a slider to end the threat.

Archer literally jumped off the mound after striking out Nava. He then stared back in toward Nava, while Nava returned the favor with a staredown of his own.

End 3rd, Red Sox 2-0: Matt Joyce and Ben Zobrist immediately got something going for the Rays, but their efforts proved fruitless.

Joyce walked on five pitches to begin the third inning. That marked Alfredo Aceves’ fourth walk of the contest, as control has clearly been an issue.

Zobrist added to the threat with a single into right field, but Aceves — who has been up-and-down in this game — escaped the inning two batters later.

Kelly Johnson struck out looking for the first out, and Evan Longoria then grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Stephen Drew made a nice stop to kick off the 6-4-3 twin killing.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 2-0: Chris Archer threw a pitch that he immediately regretted.

Daniel Nava put together a fantastic two-out at-bat against the right-hander. Then, Archer left a slider over the inner half of the plate on his 10th pitch of the AB, and Nava drove it into the right-field seats for a two-run homer.

Jacoby Ellsbury got the attack going with a two-out single. He then swiped his second base of the game — and AL-leading 29th of the season — before Nava put the Red Sox on the scoreboard with his ninth home run of the year.

Dustin Pedroia hit an infield single and David Ortiz walked to try and kick off another round of damage, but Archer struck out Mike Napoli to end the inning.

Archer was very animated in the inning. He was (understandably) very angry after surrendering the long ball to Nava, and he was also (again understandably) fired up after sitting down Napoli.

End 2nd, 0-0: Alfredo Aceves has made trips to both ends of the spectrum in this game.

Aceves, who needed just nine pitches to retire the Rays in order in the first inning, labored through the second inning before escaping a bases-loaded jam unscathed.

Aceves walked three batters — Evan Longoria, Desmond Jennings and Jose Lobaton — in the inning. It was clear that he and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia weren’t on the same page, and Aceves’ wildness almost cost the Red Sox.

The right-hander escaped the inning, however, by getting Yunel Escobar to ground to the left side. Will Middlebrooks made the play and delivered a strike to first base on the run to put an abrupt end to Tampa’s rally.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Chris Archer was in control in the second inning.

Archer, who pitched out of the stretch for most of the first inning after issuing a leadoff walk to Jacoby Ellsbury, retired the Red Sox in order.

Archer first struck out Mike Napoli swinging. Napoli fouled off a couple of pitches before getting too far ahead of a slider.

Mike Carp lined out before Archer picked up another strikeout against Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Salty jumped ahead in the count 2-0, but Archer battled back and froze him with a 2-2 fastball.

Archer dialed it up to 97 mph while striking out Saltalamacchia.

End 1st, 0-0: Alfredo Aceves made quick work of the Rays in the first inning.

Aceves needed just nine pitches to retire Matt Joyce, Ben Zobrist and Kelly Johnson in order.

Joyce grounded harmlessly to second base, Zobrist flied out to right field and Johnson popped out into shallow left.

Stephen Drew covered a lot of ground to retire Johnson, but he did so relatively easily. In other words, no catwalks came into play, which is always a plus.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Jacoby Ellsbury continued his game-changing ways in the first inning. Old friend James Loney stole the show, though.

Ellsbury walked to lead off the ballgame. He promptly swiped his AL-leading 28th base of the season, putting a runner into scoring position with no outs.

The Red Sox couldn’t capitalize on the early scoring chance, however.

Daniel Nava flied out into left-center field, and Dustin Pedroia, despite working a full count, struck out looking on a slider right over the plate.

The highlight of the inning came when David Ortiz ripped a hot smash to the right side. If it got through, Ellsbury likely would have scored, but Loney made a tremendous diving stop. Loney flipped to pitcher Chris Archer, who was covering the bag, for the inning’s final out.

Alfredo Aceves will now head to the mound to begin his night.

7:10 p.m.: Chris Archer’s first pitch is in there for a strike, and we’re underway.

6:53 p.m.: We’ll see if any tension boils over into Wednesday’s rubber match. After all, Alfredo Aceves is pitching. Just something to keep in mind.

6:26 p.m.: Speaking of Jacoby Ellsbury, he currently owns a 10-game hit streak.

Ellsbury is hitting .447 (21-for-47) over that stretch, which includes seven multi-hit games. He has reached safely in his last 15 games overall — racking up a .406 average and .486 on-base percentage in that span.

6:14 p.m.: Jose Iglesias won’t be in the lineup on Wednesday, but he’s been red hot. The whole Iglesias-Will Middlebrooks-Stephen Drew trio — and how Farrell handles the situation — is a very intriguing storyline going forward.

Iglesias enters Wednesday’s game having hit safely in a career-high 14 straight games with an at-bat. The last Red Sox rookie with a single-season hit streak of at least that length was Jacoby Ellsbury, who had an 18-game streak from Sept. 5-28, 2008.

5:33 p.m.: Tuesday’s lineup cards have been posted. Have a look below.

Red Sox (40-26)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Daniel Nava, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Mike Carp, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Stephen Drew, SS

Alfredo Aceves, RHP (2-1, 6.57 ERA)

Rays (35-29)
Matt Joyce, RF
Ben Zobrist, 2B
Kelly Johnson, LF
Evan Longoria, 3B
James Loney, 1B
Desmond Jennings, CF
Luke Scott, DH
Jose Lobaton, C
Yunel Escobar, 2B

Chris Archer, RHP (1-1, 4.91 ERA)

2:30 p.m.: The Red Sox officially announced the roster move involving Alfredo Aceves. Jose De La Torre was optioned to Triple-A following Tuesday’s game, and Aceves has been recalled to take his place on the 25-man roster.

8 a.m. ET: Monday’s game took a while. But you can bet the Red Sox would rather play 14 innings and walk away victorious than play nine innings and stumble to a defeat.

Jon Lester continued his slump on Tuesday with what he described as a “terrible” performance. It was far and away Lester’s worst outing of the season, as he walked a career-high seven and allowed seven earned runs on eight hits over 4 2/3 innings. Making matters worse was that the Red Sox really needed Lester to give them innings after Monday’s lengthy affair.

If there was a silver lining for Boston in Tuesday’s 8-3 defeat, it was the performance of Jose De La Torre, who gave the Sox 3 1/3 innings of solid relief work. De La Torre allowed just one run on two hits and three walks in his outing, and the lone run came on a home run by Desmond Jennings, who happened to be the first batter the right-hander faced.

De La Torre is Pawtucket-bound, though. He’s been optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket, and Alfredo Aceves is expected to be recalled and start Wednesday’s game. Wednesday’s action kicks off at 7:10 p.m.

Final, Rays 8-3: Jake McGee shuts the door, and the Red Sox drop the second game of this three-game series.

Jon Lester did not show his best stuff for Boston tonight, walking a season-high seven batters and surrendering seven runs in just 4 2/3 innings of work.

On the other side, Roberto Hernandez was very solid for Tampa Bay. Hernandez, who was known in the baseball world as Fausto Carmona until recently, allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks over seven innings, striking out seven.

These two teams will face off in the rubber match Wednesday night at 7:10 p.m., with Boston’s Alfredo Aceves opposing highly touted Rays prospect Chris Archer.

Thanks for joining me tonight. Goodnight, everyone.

End 8th, Rays 8-3: Some overeager baserunning by Sean Rodriguez (who steals up five runs? C’mon now) wiped a leadoff single off the basepaths, and Jose De La Torre was able to complete what has been an overall solid relief outing.

Rodriguez was caught in a rundown between first and second and eventually tagged out by Stephen Drew after being chased around a bit by David Ross — which was a sight you don’t see everyday.

De La Torre then walked Ben Zobrist but struck out Evan Longoria and induced an inning-ending groundout to close out the home half of the eighth.

The Red Sox now have a five-run hole to climb out of in the ninth with Tampa Bay reliever Jake McGee on the mound.

Mid 8th, Rays 8-3: After 122 pitches, Roberto Hernandez’s night is finally done.

Joe Maddon sent his starter back out for the eighth inning, but Hernandez failed to record an out before being lifted in favor of Joel Peralta.

Herandez opened the eighth by hitting Dustin Pedroia in the elbow area, which caused both dugouts to tense up after last night’s shenanigans. This beanball did not seem to be intentional, though, and Hernandez looked like he regretted it as soon as it left his hand.

David Ortiz then reached when Ryan Roberts couldn’t handle his ground ball, sending Hernandez to the showers.

Peralta retired all three batters he faced, though, allowing the Rays to take a five-run lead into what they hope will be their final at-bats.

End 7th, Rays 8-3: After allowing a home run to the first batter he faced, Jose De La Torre has settled down. He completed his second straight inning of scoreless relief, with a little help from Jose Iglesias on the defensive end.

With nobody out, Iglesias lunged to his left to get his glove on a ball hit sharply by Ryan Roberts. After knocking it down, he jumped to his feet and — flat-footed — fired to first to retire the second baseman with time to spare.

After a Jose Molina strikeout, Matt Joyce walked, stole second and took third when David Ross’ throw sailed high into center field. Ross may have tweaked something on the play, as he could clearly be seen grimacing after letting the ball go.

Desmond Jennings grounded out to end the inning.

Mid 7th, Rays 8-3: Jose Iglesias notched his second base hit of the night, but that’s all the Red Sox would get against Roberto Hernandez.

After Iglesias led off the seventh with a single, Jacoby Ellsbury grounded into a 3-6-3 double play and Shane Victorino flied out to shallow left-center field to quickly put a bow on the inning.

End 6th, Rays 8-3: The Red Sox finally completed their first 1-2-3 inning of the night, with Jose De La Torre rebounding from a rocky fifth to sit the Rays down in order.

De La Torre retired Evan Longoria (via strikeout), Yunel Escobar (via flyout) and James Loney (via groundout) on just nine pitches.

Rays starter Roberto Hernandez returns for a seventh inning of work, though Joel Peralta is now warming in the bullpen.

Mid 6th, Rays 8-3: Roberto Hernandez retires the side on his 104th pitch of the night.

Hernandez has not surpassed the 105-pitch mark since his third start of the season way back on April 16, so it will be interesting to see if Joe Maddon chooses to send him out for a seventh inning of work.

David Ortiz singled through the Papi shift to open the sixth, breaking a streak of seven consecutive outs for Hernandez.

The righty then struck out Mike Napoli and got Daniel Nava to fly out to center before walking Stephen Drew and inducing an inning-ending popup off the bat of David Ross, who has yet to reach base tonight.

End 5th, Rays 8-3: And that’ll do it for Lester.

The Sox starter managed to get the second out of the inning after catching Ryan Roberts in a rundown, but he then served up his third home run of the night, this one a two-run shot by Matt Joyce, to officially drop the curtain on his outing.

Lester’s final line: 4 2/3 innings, seven runs, eight hits, seven walks, three home runs, three strikeouts. Not ideal.

Joyce has been the centerpiece of the series for the Rays, homering twice in two games and triggering last night’s benches-clearing scrum after being plunked by John Lackey.

Newly promoted Jose De La Torre, the only fresh arm in the Red Sox bullpen, relieved Lester. The rookie did not fare much better than his predecessor, though, allowing a home run to Desmond Jennings, the first batter he faced, and walking Sean Rodriguez on four pitches before getting Ben Zobrist to fly out to right to end the inning.

Though he would normally be pulled after that performance, the sorry state of the Boston ‘pen likely means De La Torre will return to the mound in the sixth.

Bottom 5th, Rays 5-3: Jon Lester had surpassed his season high for walks, and the bullpen phone is starting to ring.

After James Loney lined out to open the bottom of the fifth, Lester walked Ryan Roberts and Jose Molina consecutively, prompting pitching coach Juan Nieves to get right-hander Jose De La Torre up in the ‘pen.

Mid 5th, Rays 5-3: The Red Sox again get nothing against Roberto Hernandez, who has retired the last seven batters he’s faced.

Two of the outs in the top of the fourth were routine enough (groundouts to shortstop and second base), but they bookended a highlight-reel grab by Sean Rodriguez, who laid out to haul in a sinking liner off the bat of Shane Victorino.

End 4th, Rays 5-3: For the third straight inning, the Rays score with two outs.

This latest run came via the long ball, as Evan Longoria took Jon Lester deep to extend Tampa Bay’s advantage to 5-3. Longoria’s homer came on the same pitch as Desmond Jennings’ bomb back in the second — a mid-90s sinker over the middle of the plate.

Lester induced a pair of infield popups to open the inning and rebounded from Longoria’s home run, getting Yunel Escobar to ground out to shortstop.

Mid 4th, Rays 4-3: Three up, three down, as Roberto Hernandez strikes out the side in order in the fourth.

The right-hander sat down Stephen Drew and David Ross swinging before getting Jose Iglesias looking for his fifth K of the night.

Sean Rodriguez, Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria are due up next for the Rays.

End 3rd, Rays 4-3: No team wants to hold a lead in this one.

After falling behind in the top of the third, the Rays plated two more runs in the home half to take the lead for the second time tonight.

Ben Zobrist opened the inning with a single up the middle. Jon Lester then sandwiched a pair of strikeouts around a walk to Yunel Escobar to set up men on first and second with two outs.

The Rays then followed with three straight singles. Ryan Roberts drove in Zobrist with the tying run, and Jose Molina’s soft line drive drive fell out of the reach of Jacoby Ellsbury to plate Escobar.

Matt Joyce also reached on an infield single, beating out the throw by Stephen Drew, but Desmond Jennings grounded out with the bases loaded to end the frame.

John Farrell will almost certainly have to go to his bullpen early in this one, as Lester has already thrown 70 pitches (with just 37 strikes) and walked five batters — one shy of his season high.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 3-2: Jose Iglesias has now hit safely in 14 consecutive games.

The third baseman reached on a leadoff single and quickly found himself on third.

Jacoby Ellsbury dribbled a slow grounder down the first-base line, and James Loney poorly decided to try to snipe Iglesias at second. His throw was off the mark and way late, and the Red Sox had two men on with no outs.

Shane Victorino then dropped down a sac bunt to advance the runners — his team-leading third sacrifice of the season.

Roberto Hernandez stuck out Dustin Pedroia swinging and intentionally walked David Ortiz, setting up a bases-loaded situation for Mike Napoli. The first baseman has been on fire with the bases chucked this season, and he came through again, driving in Iglesias and Ellsbury with a bloop single to center field.

Daniel Nava almost brought home another pair of runs, but center fielder Desmond Jennings was able to run down his sinking fly ball in the right-center-field gap to retire the side.

End 2nd, Rays 2-1: The scoreboard may not seem too dire right now, but things have gone from bad to worse for Jon Lester.

Lester struck out Jose Molina looking and got Matt Joyce to fly out to the warning track to record a pair a quick outs.

But he then hung a sinker right down the pipe to Desmond Jennings, and Jennings responded by hitting it out of the park.

After two innings, Lester has already thrown 44 pitches. That, especially tonight, is not good.

Mid 2nd, 1-1: The Sox put the leadoff man on again, but the Rays bailed themselves out with a twin killing of their own.

Daniel Nava singled to open the second, continuing his fortnight-long tear, but Stephen Drew grounded into a double play to wipe him off the basepaths.

Roberto Hernandez then struck out David Ross to retire the side, and we head to the bottom of the second tied at one run apiece.

End 1st, 1-1: This is not the start the Red Sox need.

The Rays plated just one run in their half of the first — a well-timed double play made sure of that — but Jon Lester is having serious trouble locating with any of his pitches.

Lester walked four batters in the opening frame and threw just nine of his 26 pitches for strikes.

Desmond Jennings led things off by beating out an infield single that Dustin Pedroia charged but could not relay to first in time.

Lester then walked Sean Rodriguez on five pitches before Ben Zobrist grounded into a key 4-6-3 double play. Lester followed this up with three consecutive walks, though, including one to James Loney to bring home the tying run.

Ryan Roberts grounded out to the pitcher with the bases loaded to end the threat, but this start could spell trouble for the Sox. Boston’s bullpen is already severely taxed after working overtime last night, and John Farrell could really use a long outing from his starter.

Mid 1st, Red Sox 1-0: It wasn’t quite the offensive explosion we saw yesterday, but the Red Sox got on the scoreboard first again in the opening frame.

Jacoby Ellsbury opened the game with a base hit and stole second with Shane Victorino at the plate. Victorino also singled, advancing Ellsbury to third.

Dustin Pedroia then brought the lead runner home with a sacrifice fly to right field, giving the Sox an early 1-0 lead.

Victorino stole second, as well, but Roberto Hernandez struck out David Ortiz and got Mike Napoli to ground out to third base to end the inning.

This is the first season in Tampa Bay for the pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona, who spent spent the first seven years of his career in Cleveland.

Hernandez — at the time going by the name he used to obtain a visa after emigrating from the Dominican Republic — was at times dominant for the Indians, but he was wildly inconsistent. He posted ERAs of 3.06 and 3.77 in 2007 and 2010, respectively, earning an All-Star nod in the latter, but finished each of other five seasons with an ERA above 5.03.

The right-hander also holds a particularly undesirable place in the history books. As the Tribe’s Opening Day starter in 2011, he became the first starter to allow 10 runs or more in his team’s first game since the 1940s.

The Rays will send Desmond Jennings, Sean Rodriguez and Ben Zobrist to the plate first against Jon Lester.

7:10 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury takes ball one from Roberto Hernandez and we are underway.

6:50 p.m.: If you’re looking to get your fill of flying fists and can’t wait for tomorrow’s Bruins-Blackhawks game, you might want to keep your eyes on Tropicana Field tonight.

John Lackey’s beaning of Matt Joyce last night emptied both benches and led Rays manager Joe Maddon to question Lackey’s status as a good teammate.

That scuffle was tame by Sox-Rays standards, but this series is just getting started. Don’t be surprised if tensions boil over again before the Red Sox head back up north.

6 p.m.: Last night’s five-and-a-half-hour affair taxed the pitching staffs of both clubs.

Franklin Morales, who was scheduled to start Wednesday night, was pressed into emergency relief deep into extra innings, wiping him out of the equation for tomorrow’s series finale.

That dilemma has led to some roster finagling on the part of the Red Sox, who place Clayton Mortensen on the 15-day disabled list earlier today and activated reliever Jose De La Torre.

De La Torre will bolster a depleted Boston bullpen tonight, but his second career stint in the majors will likely last just one day. John Farrell announced in his pregame press conference that the team will call up Alfredo Aceves to start in Morales’ place Wednesday night, likely sending De La Torre back to Triple-A.

5:05 p.m.: Mike Napoli spent last night’s series opener in the dugout after struggling (2-for-14, eight strikeouts) in three games against the Angels over the weekend. His bat will be back in the middle of the order against Roberto Hernandez tonight, though, and Jose Iglesias’ will be back at the bottom.

John Farrell has said he plays to give Iglesias, who is hitting a team-leading .446 in 23 games, at least three starts a week now that Will Middlebrooks has returned from the disabled list.

Middlebrooks got the start last night and struggled at the plate, singling in the first then going hitless in his final six at-bats.

The Rays, meanwhile, have given their batting order the full shuffle. Only Evan Longoria, playing third base and batting cleanup, will hit in the same slot as last night.

Check out the full starting lineups for both teams below.

Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Daniel Nava, LF
Stephen Drew, SS
David Ross, C
Jose Iglesias, 3B

Jon Lester, LHP

Rays 
Desmond Jennings, CF
Sean Rodriguez, LF
Ben Zobrist, RF
Evan Longoria, 3B
Yunel Escobar, SS
James Loney, 1B
Ryan Roberts, 2B
Jose Molina, C
Matt Joyce, DH

Roberto Hernandez, RHP

8 a.m. ET: Monday night was a long one at Tropicana Field.

The Red Sox and Rays played nearly five and a half hours of baseball, with the Red Sox giving away a six-run lead in regulation and another two-run lead in extra innings before Daniel Nava finally won it with an RBI single in the top of the 14th.

The game was so long, in fact, that the fact that the teams nearly came to blows in the sixth inning was almost forgotten by the time the Trop closed up shop early Tuesday morning. That scuffle surely has not been forgotten by the players, though, and the longstanding tension between these two teams will be a storyline to watch as this series continues.

With both teams completely emptying their bullpens in the 14-inning affair (the Rays even had infielder Ryan Roberts warming up in the late stages), it will be increasingly important for Tuesday’s starters to eat up innings. Jon Lester (6-2, 3.60 ERA) takes the mound for Boston while Tampa Bay counters with Roberto Hernandez (3-6, 5.03).

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m., with coverage beginning at 6 p.m. on NESN.

Final (14 innings), Red Sox 10-8: It’s over!

A 6-4-3 double play ended the 14th inning and allowed the Red Sox to claim a 10-8 win in Monday night/Tuesday morning’s marathon affair.

The Sox coughed up a 6-0 lead early in the ballgame and an 8-6 lead in the 10th inning, but an RBI single by Daniel Nava in the top of the 14th allowed them to walk away victorious after nearly five and a half hours of action in Tampa Bay.

These two teams will get right back at it Tuesday night, with the second game of this three-game set scheduled to start at 7:10 p.m.

Props to everyone who stuck with this one until the end. Get some sleep. We’ll see you back here again later tonight.

End 14th, Red Sox 10-8: For the second time in extra innings, the Red Sox have taken the lead.

Shane Victorino singled to open the 14th and took second on Dustin Pedroia’s deep flyout.

The Rays then elected to intentionally walk David Ortiz to set up the three-way force. The walk would prove inconsequential, though, as Daniel Nava singled to center to score Victorino from second.

After Jonny Gomes flied to left for the second out, Jarrod Saltalamacchia drove in an insurance run, scoring pinch runner Jose Iglesias from second with a base hit.

Will Middlebrooks flied out to right fielder Matt Joyce to end the inning, and now it’s time to see if the Sox can hang on to this two-run lead — a feat they were unable to accomplish in the 10th.

End 13th, 8-8: Franklin Morales walks pinch hitter Ryan Roberts but is otherwise perfect, adding two strikeouts to shut down the Rays in the 13th.

Both the Red Sox and Rays have now exhausted their bullpens, which means we may get to see some position players on the mound if this game continues much longer.

Mid 13th, 8-8: Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Stephen Drew both singled in the 13th, but they were sandwiched around a 6-4-3 double play that killed any chance for momentum.

Jacoby Ellsbury flied out to left field to end the inning.

Franklin Morales, who was scheduled to start Wednesday against these Rays, has come on in relief for the Red Sox. That means Boston will likely need to call up a pitcher from Pawtucket (likely either Alfredo Aceves or Allen Webster) to fill the void.

End 12th, 8-8: Matt Joyce almost left the yard for the second time tonight, but Jacoby Ellsbury was able to settle under his deep fly ball at the warning track for the second out of the 12th.

Koji Uehara completed his second perfect inning by striking out Ben Zobrist, and the scoreboard now reads lucky number 13.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who drove in what were thought to be the game-winning runs back in the 10th, will bat first for the Red Sox.

Mid 12th, 8-8: After four and a half hours, some of the hitters seem to be growing impatient.

Cesar Ramos retired David Ortiz and Daniel Nava on two total pitches (a popout to third and a bunt attempt popped out to the catcher, respectively).

It took a little longer to retire Jonny Gomes, who entered as a pinch hitter for Mike Carp, but Ramos struck out the former Ray looking to end the inning.

Gomes will move to left field in the home half of the inning, with Nava shifting into Carp’s spot at first.

End 11th, 8-8: That was quick.

Koji Uehara retired the side in order, inducing a groundout and two weak fly balls. Uehara needed just seven pitches to get through the 11th, six of which he threw for strikes.

Time for the 12th. Get excited, people.

Mid 11th, 8-8: Nothing doing for the Red Sox in their half of the 11th.

After Stephen Drew struck out to open the inning — his fourth K of the night — Jacoby Ellsbury drew a walk.

A pair of stolen bases put him on third with two outs — Shane Victorino flied out for the second — but that’s as far as the leadoff man would get.

Home-plate umpire Tom Hallion rung up Dustin Pedroia looking on a pitch that the second baseman was none too pleased about. It could have been juuust a bit outside, and Hallion waited a split-second before launching into his enthusiastic strike-three call, but it stood nonetheless.

Time for the bottom of the 11th here at a rapidly emptying Tropicana Field.

End 10th, 8-8: This is not the closers’ night.

After Fernando Rodney allowed a pair of runs in the top of the 10th to give the Red Sox an 8-6 lead, Andrew Bailey did the same.

The Rays put their first five batters on base against the Boston closer (two hits, three walks), allowing a leadoff homer to Jose Lobaton and loading the bases with no outs.

But after walking in Tampa’s second run of the inning, Bailey managed to escape with the winning run 90 feet away.

With the bases still loaded and nobody out, Bailey got Evan Longoria — who homered back in the first — to ground into a 5-2-3 double play. Pinch hitter Sam Fuld then dropped down a two-out bunt, but it was too strong, allowing time for Dustin Pedroia to field the ball and fire to first for the final out.

After more than four hours of action, we head to the 11th.

Mid 10th, Red Sox 8-6: Fernando Rodney was lights-out in the ninth inning. Joe Maddon elected to send his closer back out for the 10th, but the results weren’t nearly as favorable for the Rays.

Rodney walked Dustin Pedroia to open the inning. David Ortiz then grounded into what should have been a double play, but the “Papi shift” prevented the Rays from turning two. Ben Zobrist elected to throw out Ortiz at first base, allowing Pedroia to advance to second.

Pedroia then stole third as Daniel Nava walked. Nava was allowed to reach second on defensive indifference, and — after Mike Carp struck out for the second out– both runners came home on Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s line drive to center.

That did it for Rodney, who was lifted in favor of Jamey Wright. Wright struck out Will Middlebrooks looking to end the inning.

Tampa Bay now finds itself staring at a two-run deficit in the bottom of the 10th.

End 9th, 6-6: Free baseball in Tampa Bay!

Clayton Mortensen allowed a one-out single to James Loney but otherwise worked a flawless ninth, and we head to extra innings with the Sox and Rays tied up at 6-6.

Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and Daniel Nava are due up first for Boston in the 10th.

Mid 9th, 6-6: Fernando Rodney slams the door shut in the ninth, and the Rays will have a chance for the walk-off.

The Tampa closer, operating in a non-save situation, struck out Stephen Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury before getting Shane Victorino to ground out to second.

Drew has especially struggled tonight, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

End 8th, 6-6: Yep, we’re tied.

Junichi Tazawa’s wild pitch allowed Yunel Escobar — who had doubled with one out — to score from third, knotting this game up at six runs apiece.

After Matt Joyce grounded out to Dustin Pedroia, Ben Zobrist also doubled, his fourth hit of the game.

With two outs, what appeared to be a routine popup almost proved disastrous, as every Red Sox infielder converged on Kelly Johnson’s weak fly just behind the mound.

Pedroia came up with the sliding grab, though, and this game will stay tied heading into the ninth inning.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 6-5: Jake McGee sits the Sox down in order, including a pair of strikeouts, and we enter the bottom of the eighth with Boston clinging to a one-run lead.

Jose Lobaton, Yunel Escobar and the top of the order are due up first against Junichi Tazawa.

End 7th, Red Sox 6-5: Remember that six-run lead? Well, it’s now down to one.

James Loney homered off Andrew Miller with one out in the seventh to bring the Rays to within one run after trailing 6-0 earlier tonight.

Tampa Bay could not put the potential tying run on base — thanks in part to Shane Victorino’s running catch at the warning track of a Luke Scott fly ball — but momentum is now clearly on the side of the home team as we head to the eighth.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 6-4: In the first inning, the Red Sox clubbed seven hits, batted around and scored six runs. Since then? Two hits, two walks, zero runs and no innings with more that four batters.

The Sox went down scoreless again in the seventh, with Dustin Pedroia drawing a leadoff walk but having it wiped away when David Ortiz grounded into a 6-3 double play.

Daniel Nava flied out to center for the third out.

Craig Breslow’s night is done after just one batter, as Andrew Miller comes on to work the home half of the seventh.

End 6th, Red Sox 6-4: Things just got very interesting here in the sixth.

John Lackey retired Jose Lobaton and Yunel Escobar on consecutive groundouts before plunking Matt Joyce right between the numbers, which the leadoff man did not take kindly too.

Joyce had some choice words for Lackey as he strolled to first, prompting Jarrod Saltalamacchia to get between batter and pitcher.

The confrontation escalated to some minor shoving, and both benches emptied out onto the field. It ended up being little more than a “baseball fight,” though, with no punches thrown and a lot of guys standing around.

For teams with a surprisingly violent history together, including this classic Pedro Martinez-Gerald Williams brawl, tonight’s will barely register.

No players were ejected, but John Lackey lasted just one more pitch. Ben Zobrist ripped a double to right field on the first pitch he saw, sending Joyce to third and Lackey to the showers. Tampa was again unable to capitalize with men in scoring position, though, as Craig Breslow struck out Kelly Johnson swinging to end the inning.

Joel Peralta will come on to pitch the seventh for the Rays.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 6-4: The Red Sox have put a runner on in five of six innings tonight, but they have been unable to update the scoreboard since their six-run opening frame.

Jacoby Ellsbury reached on a two-out single, but Alex Torres retired Jarrod Saltalamacchia via groundout, Stephen Drew via strikeout and Shane Victorino via flyout to complete a second scoreless inning of relief.

End 5th, Red Sox 6-4: John Lackey finally enjoys a stress-free inning, retiring the side in order for the first time tonight.

James Loney grounded out to Mike Napoli, who flipped to Lackey for the first out.

Luke Scott then flied out to left field and Desmond Jennings grounded to Dustin Pedroia, sitting the Rays down in 1-2-3 fashion.

The fifth inning marked the first time all game that Tampa Bay did not either score or put a runner in scoring position.

Alex Torres returns for a second inning on the mound for the Rays.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 6-4: Impressive inning by Alex Torres, as the 25-year-old southpaw strikes out the side.

Torres got both David Ortiz and Daniel Nava looking to open the inning. Mike Carp then singled, making him the first Red Sox batter to tally two hits tonight, but Jarrod Saltalamacchia struck out swinging to close out the frame.

James Loney will come to the plate first against John Lackey in the home half.

End 4th, Red Sox 6-4: The Red Sox have seen their six-run lead dwindle down to four runs, then to three, and now to just two.

Jose Lobaton singled to open the inning, advanced to second on Yunel Escobar’s base hit and — after Matt Joyce popped out in foul territory — scurried home on Ben Zobrist’s single to left field.

Escobar and Zobrist tagged up into scoring position on a deep flyout by Kelly Johnson, but Evan Longoria was unable to bring them home, lining out to Daniel Nava to end things in the fourth.

Alex Cobb’s night is over, as left-hander Alex Torres takes over for Tampa Bay. Torres has made just five appearances for the Rays this season, allowing only one hit and zero runs over 11 2/3 innings. He faced one batter during a May 16 loss to Boston, inducing a groundout.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 6-3: This looks a lot more like the Alex Cobb that brought a 2.39 ERA into tonight.

After striking out both Stephen Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury, Cobb walked Shane Victorino, marking the third time this season the righty has walked three batters in a game.

An error by first baseman James Loney on a pick-off attempt allowed Victorino to advance to second and a wild pitch sent him to third, but Cobb struck out Dustin Pedroia looking to strand the runner.

The Red Sox have recorded seven hits tonight, but all came in the first inning. Only two batters have reached since, both via base on balls.

End 3rd, Red Sox 6-3: The Rays continued to chip away at Boston’s early advantage.

The inning’s first three batters — Ben Zobrist, Kelly Johnson and Evan Longoria — all singled to load the bases with no outs.

Longoria, who homered in the first, reached on a broken-bat fly ball that fell in front of left fielder Daniel Nava, who had been positioned near the warning track.

James Loney lined out to Mike Carp, but the first baseman narrowly missed tagging out Longoria for the second out.

Dustin Pedroia was similarly unable to turn two, as Luke Scott’s fielder’s choice allowed Zobrist to score from third for the Rays’ third run of the night.

John Lackey struck out Desmond Jennings to end the frame. Both starters have racked up high pitch counts early on tonight. Lackey sits at 53 after the third inning while Alex Cobb has thrown 73.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 6-2: Alex Cobb is looking to put that six-run first inning behind him, and he’s not doing a bad job of it so far.

Cobb retired Mike Carp, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Will Middlebrooks in order for his first 1-2-3 inning of the game, striking out Salty for his first K.

These next few games will be pivotal for Middlebrooks. John Farrell has already said that Jose Iglesias — who remained with the big league club after Middlebrooks’ return but is not in the lineup tonight — will start at least three games a week, and that number could increase if Middlebrooks cannot break out of the slump that has plagued him for much of the season.

He got off to a good start tonight, though, singling and driving in a run in his first plate appearance since returning from the disabled list.

End 2nd, Red Sox 6-2: John Lackey looked a bit shaky again in the second, but the Rays were unable to touch him for any more runs.

After Luke Scott flied out to open the inning, Desmond Jennings singled up the middle and swiped second base.

Jose Lobaton grounded out weakly to the pitcher, but Lackey needed seven pitches to record the out, and the soft ground ball allowed Jennings to reach third.

No. 9 hitter Yunel Escobar walked to put runners on the corners, but Matt Joyce — who homered to open the Rays’ half of the first — couldn’t push them across. Joyce absolutely demolished a 3-0 pitch from Lackey, but it sailed foul, and he dribbled the next pitch to second baseman Dustin Pedroia for the inning’s final out.

Mid 2nd, Red Sox 6-2: Alex Cobb issued a walk to David Ortiz, his second of the night, but the second inning was otherwise much smoother for the young right-hander.

Cobb got both Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia to ground out to second baseman Ben Zobrist to open the frame. He then walked Big Papi but induced a center-field popup from Daniel Nava to retire the side.

Noted Red Sox enthusiast Luke Scott will be the first to come to the plate against John Lackey in the bottom of the second.

End 1st, Red Sox 6-2: Tampa Bay needed just two pitches to take a bite out of the Red Sox’ early lead, as Matt Joyce sent John Lackey’s second offering into the right-field seats for a solo homer.

Lackey then struck out Ben Zobrist looking and got Kelly Johnson to fly out to Jacoby Ellsbury in center, but he was again victimized by the long ball.

Evan Longoria saw just one pitch from Lackey (a 92-mph fastball) and sent it over the wall for Tampa’s second solo shot of the inning.

James Loney flew out to center before the Rays could do any further damage. It looks like we could be in store for an old-fashioned slugfest between these two division rivals.

Mid 1st, Red Sox 6-0: As ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian pointed out via Twitter prior to first pitch, the Red Sox have been a dangerous team in the first inning this season. But even by their standards, this first inning was something else.

The Sox caught fire early again tonight, putting the first eight batters of the game on base to rack up a 6-0 lead against Tampa Bay’s Alex Cobb.

Jacoby Ellsbury got things started with an excellent at-bat, fouling off four pitches before singling up the middle.

Shane Victorino then doubled down the first-base line, and Dustin Pedroia brought them both home on a base hit up the middle of his own.

Cobb, who was actually born in Boston but grew up as a Red Sox fan in Florida, employs a bit of an unorthodox windup, pausing slightly with his left knee raised before delivering to the plate.

Still with nobody out, Cobb walked David Ortiz on four pitches. Daniel Nava then doubled off the wall, missing a home run by mere feet, to score Pedroia and Papi and increase Boston’s cushion to 4-0.

Mike Carp — starting at first in place of Mike Napoli, who struggled this past weekend against the Angels — promptly brought Nava home with a single to left field. Carp advanced to third on Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s double into the left-field corner, and then came home with the Sox’ sixth run of the inning when Will Middlebrooks singled to left in his first at-bat since returning from the disabled list.

Cobb finally got a break when Stephen Drew — the ninth batter of the frame — popped out to shortstop, and Ellsbury grounded into a 6-3 double play to mercifully end the inning.

It looks like the Sox have decided to give starter John Lackey some run support tonight. He’ll face Matt Joyce, Ben Zobrist and Kelly Johnson in the bottom of the first.

7:12 p.m.: Sick of Tebow talk already? Good, me too. Let’s play some baseball.

Jacoby Ellsbury takes strike one right down the middle from Alex Cobb and we are underway from Tampa Bay.

5 p.m.: John Lackey endured his worst outing of the season the last time he pitched at Tropicana Field, but the loss he took on May 14 was more a result of the Trop’s “quirks” than a poor performance on the mound.

Lackey was yanked after 4 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on nine hits and a walk in a 5-3 Tampa Bay win. All five of those runs came in the fifth inning, though, with the final two coming home when Mike Napoli lost sight of a Matt Joyce popup amid the catwalks and speakers hanging high above the infield.

Lackey also had the misfortune of opposing Rays ace Matt Moore in that contest, against whom Boston managed just three hits. Poor run support has plagued the right-hander throughout this season. In Lackey’s three wins, the Red Sox have scored a combined 19 runs, but in his other six starts (five losses and a no-decision), they have totaled just 12.

Here is the lineup Tampa Bay will be fielding tonight, with Joyce leading things off:

Matt Joyce, RF
Ben Zobrist, 2B
Kelly Johnson, LF
Evan Longoria, 3B
James Loney, 1B
Luke Scott, DH
Desmond Jennings, CF
Jose Lobaton, C
Yunel Escobar, SS

Alex Cobb, RHP

2:50 p.m.:  Here’s who the Red Sox are starting tonight:

Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Daniel Nava, LF
Mike Carp, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Stephen Drew, SS

John Lackey, P

2:45 p.m.: Will Middlebrooks is back, and the odd man out, as has been speculated, is Pedro Ciriaco.

Ciriaco had his shining moments last season on a team that had little else to offer, but he hasn’t been anything but an average fill-in on the big league roster this year. With Jose Iglesias playing some truly inspired baseball in Middlebrooks’ absence, it only made sense to keep Iglesias around as the utility infielder.

Ciriaco has been designated for assignment, and he is out of options, meaning any team can scoop him up. Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe and others, though, think there’s a good chance he could clear waivers and stay with the team.

Middlebrooks, meanwhile, returns to the lineup and will start tonight at third base. The Red Sox have said the corner bag is his spot going forward, although he was in quite a slump when he hit the 15-day disabled list with a lower back strain.

2:30 p.m.: John Lackey has put up quality numbers in the Red Sox rotation this season, but he hasn’t always had the wins to show for them. That could change Monday night.

The Red Sox (39-25) are hitting the road for a seven-game stretch against American League East opponents. The first three games will be in Tampa Bay against the Rays (34-28), with the final four coming in Baltimore against the Orioles (35-28). The Red Sox lead the AL East going into Monday, but the Yankees are just a game and a half back, with the Rays and O’s close behind.

Lackey (3-5, 2.79 ERA) has put up some stellar starts this season, but he hasn’t always had the run support he’s needed to get the W, including last Wednesday’s six-inning, one-earned-run effort against the Rangers. One team that has gotten to Lackey this season, though, was the Rays. Tampa tagged him for five earned runs the last time they met, on May 14 — the highest run total allowed and least amount of innings pitched (4 1/3) by Lackey this year. Since then, though, Lackey has been stellar, giving up just four earned runs in four games.

The Red Sox will face a pitcher they’ve beat before this season in Alex Cobb (6-2, 2.39 ERA). In their two meetings this year, the Sox have come up winners both times, 5-0 on April 14 and 4-3 on May 16. Cobb is 2-0 with a 1.21 ERA and 17 strikeouts in his last three starts, though.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m., with more news to come here in the meanwhile.

Final, Red Sox 10-5:

Jarrod Saltalamacchia crushed two home runs as part of Boston’s 11-hit attack. David Ortiz and Mike Carp each went deep as well, and the Red Sox take two of three from the Angels.

Ryan Dempster went six innings while grabbing the win. He allowed three runs on six hits while striking out six, walking two and hitting a batter. Overall, he was pretty solid, especially considering he gave up a long ball to Albert Pujols in the first inning.

The Red Sox will now travel to Tampa Bay to start up a seven-game road trip. John Lackey will get the start in the first game of the series on Monday. That contest will start up at 7:10 p.m.

Good night, everyone.

End 8th, Red Sox 10-5: Mike Napoli will want to forget about this one from a personal standpoint.

Napoli struck out again in the eighth inning, and he’s now struck out four times in the game.

Napoli’s fourth K capped off a scoreless inning for Kevin Jepsen, who also retired Pedro Ciriaco and David Ortiz in the frame.

Andrew Bailey will pitch the ninth inning for Boston in a non-save situation.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 10-5: Koji Uehara typically throws nothing but strikes. That wasn’t the case in the eighth inning, though.

Uehara plunked Howie Kendrick up around the shoulder and walked two other hitters to load the bases for J.B. Shuck. Shuck made Uehara pay for his control issues by grounding a two-run single into center field.

Uehara was a strike away from retiring Shuck, but he couldn’t put him away, and John Farrell decided that he had seen enough. Farrell turned to Andrew Miller.

Mike Trout shot a base hit into right field against Miller, but the Red Sox caught a break. Shuck took too wide of a turn around second base, and he was tagged out by Stephen Drew.

End 7th, Red Sox 10-3: Scott Downs retired Daniel Nava upon entering the game, but the damage was done. The Red Sox are rolling in this one.

Saltalamacchia’s two home run game is the fourth of his career. The last time he launched two dingers in the same contest was on Aug. 26, 2012, against the Chicago White Sox.

Koji Uehara will pitch the eighth inning for Boston.

4:28, Red Sox 10-3: It looks like batting practice for Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Salty, who crushed a ball onto the black tarp in center field in the sixth inning, launched his second home run of the game in the seventh inning. The second blast also traveled to center field, and it landed in the seats just to the right of the tarp.

Saltalamacchia’s second home run was a three-run shot, as David Ortiz and Mike Napoli walked before.

Stephen Drew singled and Jose Iglesias smoked a double off the left field wall with two outs. The Angels will make a pitching change with runners at second and third.

Scott Downs is entering the contest to replace Robert Coello, who simply didn’t have it.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 7-3: Mike Trout is fun to watch.

Trout doubled for the second straight at-bat in the seventh inning. He lifted a fly ball off the Green Monster scoreboard that was just out of Mike Carp’s reach.

The double followed an unsuccessful bunt attempt by J.B. Shuck. Shuck popped it up into the air, and Jose Iglesias came streaking in to make the play on the fly.

After Trout’s double, Josh Hamilton grounded out to short, which allowed Trout to take third base. Albert Pujols, who drove in the Angels’ first run via a first-inning home run, couldn’t cash in, though. He popped out in foul territory.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Mike Napoli nearly collided on Pujols’ popout, but disaster was averted at the last second.

The book is officially closed on Dempster’s outing. The right-hander gave up three earned runs on six hits over six innings. He struck out six, walked two and threw 110 pitches (66 strikes).

End 6th, Red Sox 7-3: Michael Kohn took over for Joe Blanton, and the defense didn’t provide much help.

Howie Kendrick let a ball eat him up at second base. That allowed Stephen Drew to reach with no outs in the inning.

Then, with Jose Iglesias batting, a passed ball charged to Chris Iannetta allowed Drew to advance to second base.

Kohn did a good job of escaping the jam, though. He got both Iglesias and Jacoby Ellsbury to fly out to right field, and Daniel Nava struck out swinging to end the inning.

Blanton, who exited after surrendering back-to-back home runs in the sixth, gave up six earned runs on eight hits over his five innings of work. He threw 95 pitches (63 strikes), and he’s currently on the hook for the loss if this score holds up.

Craig Breslow will take over for Ryan Dempster in the seventh inning.

3:45 p.m., Red Sox 7-3: The Red Sox started teeing off in the sixth inning.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Mike Carp each took Joe Blanton deep, and the Angels will now turn to the bullpen. Michael Kohn will enter the game.

Salty and Carp each went deep to center field. Saltalamacchia’s blast landed on the black tarp straight away, while Carp’s dinger found its way into the seats.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 5-3: Ryan Dempster followed Joe Blanton’s 1-2-3 inning with a perfect frame of his own.

Dempster sat down Alberto Callaspo, Erick Aybar and Chris Iannetta in order. He struck out Callaspo and Iannetta in the process, which gives Dempster six strikeouts in the game.

The strikeout of Callaspo was the 2,000th of Dempster’s career. The guy’s been getting it done for a while.

End 5th, Red Sox 5-3: It’s been a struggle at times for Joe Blanton, but he’s through five innings in this one.

Blanton was actually pretty sharp in the fifth inning, too. He retired Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and Mike Napoli in order.

Ortiz and Napoli both struck out. Ortiz went down looking on a somewhat high strike call, and Napoli went down hacking at a four-seamer.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 5-3: The Angels answered again in the fifth inning.

Mike Trout — who is just really, really good at baseball — led off the inning with a double over Mike Carp’s head in left field. It landed near the base of the Green Monster, and Trout, who runs very well, slid safely into second with time to spare.

Ryan Dempster bounced back after Trout’s leadoff two-bagger. He struck out Josh Hamilton, and got Albert Pujols to fly harmlessly to center field. Mark Trumbo proved to be a tough out, though.

Trumbo fell behind 0-2 after waving at two straight sliders. Dempster couldn’t put him away, however, as Trumbo smacked an RBI single into center field.

End 4th, Red Sox 5-2: Jacoby Ellsbury has really been seeing the ball well.

Ellsbury lined a triple down into the right field corner to push Boston’s advantage back up to three runs. The hit followed a rather interesting sequence.

Alberto Callaspo, who homered in the top half of the inning, started the bottom half off with a defensive miscue. His error allowed Mike Carp to reach base.

Carp then showed off some hustle two batters later. Joe Blanton threw a pitch in the dirt with Jose Iglesias at the dish. It bounced near the front of the plate and bounced a mile into the air. Carp took off immediately. By the time catcher Chris Iannetta tracked down the wild pitch at the backstop, Carp was on his way to third base.

Iglesias ended up popping out in foul territory along the first base line, but Ellsbury made sure the Red Sox didn’t let Joe Blanton off the hook.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 4-2: Alberto Callaspo wasted no time in answering for David Ortiz’s home run.

Fours were wild for Callaspo. He ripped the fourth pitch of the fourth inning down the right field line and into the seats for his fourth home run of the season.

Ryan Dempster responded by retiring the next three hitters — Erick Aybar, Chris Iannetta and J.B. Shuck — in order. Callaspo’s home run may help stop Boston’s momentum, though. Now, it’s up to Joe Blanton to bounce back in the fourth after a shaky third inning.

End 3rd, Red Sox 4-1: Albert Pujols sent one into the Red Sox’ bullpen in the first inning. It was David Ortiz’s turn in the third inning.

Ortiz, a decorated slugger in his own right, lifted a three-run jack over the wall and into the ‘pen in right-center field to cap off a four-run inning for the Red Sox.

Jose Iglesias got the offensive attack going with a ground ball into the hole. Shortstop Erick Aybar made a very nice backhanded play, but he was unable to deliver a strong enough throw in time to record the out. The infield single extended Iglesias’ hit streak to 13 games.

Jacoby Ellsbury then grounded into a forceout, which, as it turned out, wasn’t the worst thing that could happen. Ellsbury swiped his American League-leading 24th base, and he scored to give Boston its first run when Daniel Nava singled into right field.

The big blast in the inning came from Ortiz, though. After Dustin Pedroia singled into left field, Ortiz jumped on an inside changeup. At first, it looked like Ortiz may have gotten under it a bit, but it ended up carrying out of the yard.

Mid 3rd, Angels 1-0: Ryan Dempster can thank Stephen Drew for this game still being 1-0.

Drew made an excellent sliding, backhanded play to end the third inning with the bases loaded.

The inning kicked off with J.B. Shuck connecting on a double into the left-center field gap. The ball just kept tailing away from a hustling Jacoby Ellsbury, and it eventually landed in between him and Mike Carp.

Mike Trout then smacked a sharply hit comebacker that Dempster snatched up. Dempster looked Shuck back at second base, and he then fired to first for the first out.

Josh Hamilton lined out to right field for the second out, and then things got a little bit interesting. Dempster went inside and hit Albert Pujols on the second pitch of his at-bat. Pujols, who homered back in the first inning, gave Dempster a little bit of a stare while taking a few steps along the infield grass en route to first base.

Mark Trumbo stepped up, and while he was batting, Dempster thew a pitch in the dirt that allowed Shuck to take third. Trumbo eventually walked, which loaded the bases for Howie Kendrick.

Kendrick drilled a 1-1 slider into the hole, where Drew made his nice stop. Drew quickly popped to his feet and tossed to second base to complete an inning-ending forceout.

End 2nd, Angels 1-0: The second inning was a mixed bag for Joe Blanton.

Blanton put two runners on and struck out two in what ended up being a scoreless frame.

David Ortiz, who crushed a 434-foot home run off Angels reliever Jerome Williams on Saturday, began the second inning with a sharply hit single into right field.

Blanton immediately settled down to pick up back-to-back strikeouts. The righty fanned Mike Napoli and Jarrod Saltalamacchia swinging, with each getting out in front of a changeup.

Mike Carp followed the strikeouts with a four-pitch walk, and Blanton ended the inning by getting Stephen Drew to pop out in foul territory along the third base line. Third baseman Albert Callaspo and shortstop Erick Aybar both gave chase, but Callaspo called for it at the last second and made the play.

Mid 2nd, Angels 1-0: Ryan Dempster issued a leadoff walk, but was overall sharper in the second inning.

Dempster, who was victimized by an Albert Pujols home run in the first inning, walked Alberto Callaspo on five pitches. It wouldn’t haunt the right-hander, though, as he quickly got Erick Aybar to ground into a 4-6-3 double play.

Dempster capped the inning with a strikeout of Chris Iannetta. Dempster went with a slider to pick up the strikeout — just as he did against Mike Trout in the first inning.

End 1st, Angels 1-0: The Red Sox squared up a couple of balls in the first inning. They just weren’t well-placed.

Jacoby Ellsbury led off the inning by hitting a hard line drive into left field. It looked off the bat like it would fall in for a hit, but J.B. Shuck came in and made a nice sliding catch for the first out.

Daniel Nava also made solid contact against Joe Blanton. He drilled a line drive into center field that hung up just long enough for Mike Trout to coast in and make a play.

Dustin Pedroia ended the inning by grounding to third base, where Albert Callaspo took care of business.

Mid 1st, Angels 1-0: Albert Pujols is having a hard time running the bases because of a foot issue. The easiest way to avoid pushing it too hard is to hit the ball out of the ballpark.

That’s exactly what Pujols did in the first inning. Pujols tattooed a 2-1 fastball into the Red Sox’ bullpen to give the Angels an early 1-0 lead.

Ryan Dempster struck out Mike Trout with a 3-2 slider, and then retired Josh Hamilton via a ground ball to short before Pujols took the right-hander deep.

Mark Trumbo followed up Pujols’ long ball with a line-drive single over the head of a leaping Dustin Pedroia. Dempster bounced back to strike out Howie Kendrick swinging.

1:42 p.m.: Ryan Dempster’s first pitch misses for a ball, and we’re underway on an absolutely perfect day at Fenway.

1:32 p.m.: The Red Sox just held an on-field ceremony for this year’s batch of Red Sox scholars.

In an interesting twist, they played Macho Man Randy Savage’s theme song.

12:22 p.m.: Fenway really has been friendly to the Red Sox of late. The Sox have won seven of their last 10 games at Fenway, outscoring opponents 68-38 during that stretch.

The Red Sox enter Sunday’s contest with a solid track record in day games this season as well. Although they dropped Saturday’s matinee, the Sox lead the majors with a .667 winning percentage (12-6) in day games this year.

11:28 a.m.: The lineup cards have been posted, and Shane Victorino will get the day off Sunday.

Victorino, who was activated off the 15-day disabled list before the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, really had to push his hamstring in the first inning of the win. Jonny Gomes drilled a double off the left-center field wall, and Victorino motored all the way around from first base to score. Victorino walked back to the dugout rather gingerly, and while he played the rest of the game, he’ll get Sunday off as the Red Sox look to avoid any further complications.

Victorino’s absence means Daniel Nava will bat second and play right field. With a right-hander on the mound, Mike Carp will start in left field.

The rest of Sunday’s lineups are below.

Red Sox (38-25)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Daniel Nava, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Mike Carp, LF
Stephen Drew, SS
Jose Iglesias, 3B

Ryan Dempster, RHP (3-6, 4.39 ERA)

Angels (27-35)
Mike Trout, CF
Josh Hamilton, RF
Albert Pujols, DH
Mark Trumbo, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Erick Aybar, SS
Chris Iannetta, C
J.B. Shuck, LF

Joe Blanton, (1-9, 5.53 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: The Red Sox needed Clay Buchholz to step up in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader. The right-hander responded by pitching into the seventh inning to help give the Sox a 7-2 victory, which salvaged a split of the twin bill.

Now, the Red Sox will turn to Ryan Dempster in the series finale. They’ll be seeking to not only win the series, but also end their six-game homestand on a positive note. The Sox head to Tampa Bay after Sunday’s game to kick off a seven-game road trip.

Dempster enters Sunday’s start on the heels of a victory his last time out. He allowed three runs over seven innings in that contest, although life was much easier for him because of the 17 runs that the Sox racked up against the Rangers. Dempster’s season record sits at 3-6, and his ERA checks in at 4.39.

Dempster will go up against Joe Blanton on Sunday, and Blanton has been one of the worst pitchers in baseball this season. The 32-year-old owns a 1-9 record and 5.53 ERA. He actually pretty well in his last start, allowing two runs in eight innings against the Astros on Monday, but the Angels fell 2-1 in that game.

Sunday looks like it’s shaping up to be a beautiful day — a great day for baseball. The action will start up at 1:35 p.m.

Final, Red Sox 7-2:

The Sox fell to the Halos 9-5 in the first game of the twin bill, but Boston controlled the second game from start to finish. Clay Buchholz was once again fantastic, although he exited the game in the seventh inning with what is being described as neck stiffness.

The Red Sox, who scored three runs in the ninth inning of Game 1, got off to a hot start in Game 2. They put up two runs in the first inning and one more in the second inning en route to the victory.

Jonny Gomes, Dustin Pedroia and Mike Napoli each had two hits in the win. Ortiz, who finished with three RBIs, launched a mammoth two-run homer in the sixth inning.

The Red Sox and Angels will go toe-to-toe again on Sunday. Ryan Dempster will get the start, and the game is scheduled to start up at 1:35 p.m.

Good night, everyone.

End 8th, Red Sox 7-2: Brad Hawpe showed everyone how not to play a fly ball in the eighth inning.

Jerome Williams, who was pitching his third inning, got two quick outs before David Ortiz stepped up and lifted a fly ball into left field. Hawpe ran over toward the line, but there was one problem — he ran a little bit too far.

Ortiz’s fly ball dropped out of Hawpe’s reach and in fair territory, allowing the slugger to get all the way to second base.

Williams made sure the miscue didn’t hurt by striking out Mike Napoli, who has fanned three times in this game.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 7-2: Craig Breslow, who entered the game in the seventh inning when Clay Buchholz departed, came back out to pitch the eighth. He retired all three hitters he faced.

The highlight of the inning came when Josh Hamilton grounded to the right side. Dustin Pedroia made an excellent stop in shallow right field with the shift on, and he fired to first to complete the out.

Hamilton went into a head-first dive in an effort to beat out Pedroia’s throw, but it proved to be a fruitless effort. I’m sure the Angels would prefer that their $125 million man not dive into first base too much going forward.

Albert Pujols and Mark Trumbo each flied out to end the inning.

10:24 p.m., Red Sox 7-2: Clay Buchholz’s injury is being described as neck stiffness. Hopefully, we’ll get some more information after the game.

End 7th, Red Sox 7-2: The Red Sox put a couple of runners into scoring position in the seventh inning, but they couldn’t extend their lead.

Jerome Williams, who gave up three runs in the sixth inning, got two quick outs in the seventh. Daniel Nava struck out and David Ross flied out to center field.

The Sox made a little noise at that point, though.

Stephen Drew smacked a line-drive single into right field. Jose Iglesias followed up by doing the same, and Drew, who was running on the pitch, ended up going from first to third.

Iglesias kicked things up a notch by swiping second base, even with the Angels calling a pitch out. Shane Victorino couldn’t cash in with runners at second and third, though. He grounded out to first baseman Mark Trumbo.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 7-2: The big news in the seventh inning was obviously Clay Buchholz exiting. It might just be a precautionary move, but the right-hander still looked bothered by something.

Once Buchholz exited, Craig Breslow took over and retired Mike Trout via a groundout to third base.

9:59 p.m., Red Sox 7-2: Clay Buchholz is coming out of this ballgame.

John Farrell and the trainer came out to check on Buchholz, who could be seen stretching out his right arm during the seventh inning. It’s unclear what is wrong with the right-hander, but Farrell certainly isn’t going to take any chances.

Craig Breslow will enter the game with a runner on first and two outs.

End 6th, Red Sox 7-2: Jerome Williams took over on the mound in the sixth inning, and the Red Sox gave him a not-so-warm welcome.

Jose Iglesias reached to start the inning, and some sloppy defense allowed him to advance all the way to third base. Iglesias took second when Mark Trumbo couldn’t handle Williams’ pickoff attempt, and he took third on a passed ball by Hank Conger with Dustin Pedroia batting.

Pedroia worked the count full, and then inside-outed a single into right field. Iglesias crossed the plate with Boston’s fifth run.

The Red Sox weren’t done, though.

David Ortiz absolutely crushed an inside fastball into the seats in right field. It was a moonshot by Ortiz, who just keeps raking. The Red Sox now have their biggest lead of the night.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 4-2: The Angels added a run in the sixth inning, and it accompanied another quick scare involving Clay Buchholz.

Josh Hamilton, who has had a difficult year to date, shot a double into the left-center field gap. He advanced to third base when Albert Pujols grounded out to short, and he scored when the powerful Mark Trumbo lifted a sac fly to right field.

The scare involving Buchholz came with two down in the inning. Howie Kendrick smoked a line drive right back at Buchholz. The right-hander got his glove up, but the ball appeared to hit near his palm. Buchholz ditched the glove and chased the ball down in an effort to record the out, but Kendrick beat out Buchholz’s throw.

John Farrell and the team trainer checked on Buchholz following the comebacker, and it appears that disaster was averted. It wasn’t without a few tense seconds, though.

Buchholz struck out Brad Hawpe for the third time to end the inning. Hawpe went down looking on a sick four-seamer on the inside corner.

End 5th, Red Sox 4-1: C.J. Wilson is probably a little frustrated after that half inning.

Mike Napoli grounded down the third base line with one out. Alberto Callaspo, who has been playing tremendous defense down at the hot corner in this game, made an excellent backhanded stop. His throw to first base was in the dirt, though, and Mark Trumbo couldn’t pick it.

Napoli hustled and slid into second base safely following Callaspo’s errant throw. That was big, as it allowed Napoli to score two batters later.

After Daniel Nava flied out to right field for the second out, David Ross hit a little blooper into left-center. Three Angels players converged on it, but it dropped in between them, resulting in an RBI single.

Wilson really hung a curveball on the pitch that Ross put in play, so the lefty is actually lucky that the Boston backstop didn’t send it into the seats.

Stephen Drew struck out swinging to end the inning.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 3-1: Clay Buchholz has once again been very sharp. The only hiccup thus far came back in the third inning.

Buchholz enjoyed another 1-2-3 inning in the fifth. Hank Conger, Erick Aybar and Mike Trout were taken down in order.

Conger and Trout were both retired via flyouts, and Aybar grounded out to second.

Buchholz has thrown 77 pitches (57 strikes) through five innings of work.

End 4th, Red Sox 3-1: C.J. Wilson finally enjoyed an easy inning.

Wilson retired Shane Victorino, Jonny Gomes and Dustin Pedroia in order in the fourth.

Victorino flied out to left field, Gomes grounded out to third base and Pedroia grounded back to the mound.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 3-1: The top of the fourth inning brought some crazy defense.

First, it was Shane Victorino who made a great play. Howie Kendrick drilled a ball toward the triangle, but Victorino sprinted back and made a running catch to rob Kendrick of an extra-base hit.

Clay Buchholz then struck out Brad Hawpe before turning in a very eventful — for lack of a better word — play to end the inning.

Alberto Callaspo chopped a ball to the right side. Buchholz ran off the mound and attempted to make the play, which should have been relatively routine. He dropped the ball, though, and he ended up hitting the deck while trying to corral it. Eventually, Buchholz gained control of the baseball and reached out while on his back to tag Callaspo just in time.

John Farrell’s heart probably skipped a beat when he saw his ace rolling on the ground, but Buchholz appears to be just fine.

End 3rd, Red Sox 3-1: Nothing has been easy for C.J. Wilson.

Daniel Nava, who had three hits in the first game, singled into left field to get the Red Sox’ offense going. Wilson ended up working around the hit, but he labored a little bit while holding Boston scoreless. The southpaw tossed 23 pitches, and he’s now thrown 78 pitches through three innings.

Nava moved up to second base when David Ross dropped down a successful sacrifice bunt. Ross almost reached safely, but third baseman Alberto Callaspo made a sensational barehanded play to record the out at first.

Stephen Drew struck out for the second out. Drew thought the pitch was low, and he let home plate umpire Marvin Hudson know it.

Jose Iglesias flied out to center field to end the inning.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 3-1: Clay Buchholz’s command wasn’t quite the same in the third inning, and the Angels have begun chipping away.

Hank Conger led off the inning with a double down the right field line. He moved up to third base when Erick Aybar capped off a terrific at-bat with a ground ball to the right side.

Aybar fouled off three straight pitches, laid off a ball in the dirt, and then fouled off three more pitches before finally grounding out to first base. It was a very productive out, as it advanced the runner and helped elevate Buchholz’s pitch count.

Conger scored when Mike Trout, who had three hits in Game 1 of the doubleheader, singled into right field.

Josh Hamilton put good wood on a first-pitch changeup, but Daniel Nava sized it up and put it away for the second out of the inning.

Buchholz and the Red Sox thought that they were out of the inning when Albert Pujols, who was fooled on the pitch, foul tipped a two-strike curveball. It bounced off the plate, though, and Pujols stayed alive long enough to earn a walk.

Pujols’ free pass put the tying run on base, but Buchholz retired Mark Trumbo on a fly ball to deep center.

End 2nd, Red Sox 3-0: C.J. Wilson looked poised for a bounce-back inning, but the Red Sox’ offense started clicking with two outs.

Jonny Gomes, who hammered an RBI double in the first inning, picked up his second hit of the night. He ripped a base hit into left field that sailed just over a leaping attempt by shortstop Erick Aybar.

Wilson, who has already thrown 55 pitches, then walked Dustin Pedroia to put David Ortiz in a position to do damage.

Ortiz responded by drilling a line-drive double down the left field line. Gomes crossed the plate with Boston’s third run, while Pedroia scampered into third base.

The Red Sox could have done even more damage, but Mike Napoli struck out for the second time to end the inning.

Mid 2nd, Red Sox 2-0: The Angels got their first hit of the game, but Clay Buchholz ensured it didn’t amount to much.

Buchholz struck out Mark Trumbo swinging to begin the inning. Howie Kendrick then shot a single into right field that ricocheted off the wall.

Buchholz retired the next two hitters, Brad Hawpe and Alberto Callaspo, via a strikeout and a flyout. Hawpe was frozen on a filthy cutter that tailed back over the plate.

Shane Victorino will bat second in the third inning, so that should give us a good indication of how he’s feeling after limping briefly in the first inning.

End 1st, Red Sox 2-0: It looks like that momentum that the Red Sox’ offense started gaining in the ninth inning of Game 1 has indeed carried over into Game 2.

Shane Victorino, playing in his first game since May 20, was forced to test his hamstring right away, and it looks to be bothering him a little bit.

Victorino singled into left field on C.J. Wilson’s second pitch of the game, and he came around to score when Jonny Gomes doubled high off the left field wall. Victorino really had to push it to score from first base, and he walked back to the Red Sox’ dugout rather gingerly before then heading down the tunnel with the trainer.

Dustin Pedroia gave the Red Sox a two-run lead with an RBI double into right field. Pedroia did a nice job of going the other way, and his hit streak is up to 12 games. Pedroia’s on-base streak extends to 17 games.

After a mound visit, David Ortiz threatened to add to Boston’s run total. He made solid contact but got under it a little bit, and he was retired via a flyout to left field.

Mike Napoli struck out swinging for the second out. Wilson buzzed Napoli up and in with a 93-mph fastball in an 0-2 count, which really caught the slugger’s attention. Napoli stared back toward the mound before striking out on the next pitch. The up-and-in offering put Napoli on his toes, but he couldn’t catch up to a fastball on the outside corner.

Wilson really labored from there. He walked both Daniel Nava and David Ross to load the bases, but Stephen Drew couldn’t extend the lead any further. Drew struck out swinging on a high fastball.

Wilson threw 32 pitches in the very lengthy first inning.

It looks like Victorino will remain in the game, but it’s worth keeping an eye on him to see if his hamstring tightens up at all as this game rolls on.

Mid 1st, 0-0:  Clay Buchholz hit the ground running in the first inning, shutting down the Angels’ potent, top-of-the-order trio.

Buchholz retired Mike Trout, Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols in order.

Trout popped out to Jose Iglesias along the third base line. Hamilton grounded into the shift on the right side. Pujols popped out to Dustin Pedroia in the middle of the infield.

The Red Sox’ bats will now head up to the dish looking to build on the momentum they generated in the ninth inning of Game 1.

7:18 p.m.: Clay Buchholz’s first pitch is right down the pike for a strike. Let’s get it on!

7:02 p.m.: It definitely makes sense to give Jacoby Ellsbury the night off, seeing as how he just returned from a groin injury. The Red Sox could miss his bat atop the order, though.

Ellsbury owns a seven-game hit streak (dating back to before the injury), during which he’s hitting .500 (16-for-32). He has at least two hits in five of those seven contests.

6:24 p.m.: The lineups are posted, and Shane Victorino will indeed get the start.

Victorino will start in center field rather than right field, though, as Jacoby Ellsbury is getting the night off. Victorino will bat leadoff in Ellsbury’s absence.

The complete lineups are below.

Red Sox (37-25)
Shane Victorino, CF
Jonny Gomes, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Daniel Nava, RF
David Ross, C
Stephen Drew, SS
Jose Iglesias, 3B

Clay Buchholz, RHP (8-0, 1.62 ERA)

Angels (27-34)
Mike Trout, CF
Josh Hamilton, RF
Albert Pujols, DH
Mark Trumbo, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Brad Hawpe, LF
Albert Callaspo, 3B
Hank Conger, C
Erick Aybar, SS

C.J. Wilson, LHP (2-2, 4.19 ERA)

6:15 p.m.: The Red Sox didn’t get off on the right foot in their day-night doubleheader against the Angels.

The Sox dropped Game 1 of the twin bill, 9-5, behind a shaky performance from the bullpen. Felix Doubront wasn’t too bad in his start, allowing three runs over six innings, but Franklin Morales was charged with four runs as the Angels blew the game open in the seventh inning.

If you’re looking for positives from Game 1, you can start with Mike Carp, who went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs. Daniel Nava (3-for-5) and Jose Iglesias (2-for-4 plus a walk) each had a good game, too.

The Red Sox actually swung the bats well, but they just couldn’t cash in on their scoring chances. They can, however, take some solace in the fact that they started to put everything together in the ninth inning, scoring three runs and showing some fight that they hope will carry over into the nightcap.

Shane Victorino will return to Boston’s lineup, as it was announced between games that he has been activated off the 15-day disabled list. Jackie Bradley Jr. has been optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket.

Clay Buchholz and C.J. Wilson will toe the rubber.

Click here to read the Game 1 live blog >>

Final, Angels 9-5:

The Red Sox strung together five straight hits with two down. Mike Napoli, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Mike Carp connected on three straight singles, resulting in Boston’s third run. Stephen Drew then doubled off the wall in left-center field to bring home two more.

After Jose Iglesias singled to put the potential tying run in the on-deck circle, the Angels turned to their closer, Ernesto Frieri. Frieri ended the game by striking out Jacoby Ellsbury.

The Red Sox’ ninth-inning rally didn’t mean much, but perhaps it’ll give the club some momentum going into the night cap of Saturday’s day-night doubleheader.

Felix Doubront allowed three runs on six hits over six innings. The Red Sox’ bullpen then struggled from there. Franklin Morales was charged with four earned runs as the Angels broke the game open in the seventh inning.

The second game of the doubleheader is scheduled to kick off at 7:15 p.m.

Mid 9th, Angels 9-2: The Red Sox’ bullpen simply doesn’t have it in this game. The Angels added two runs to their total in the ninth inning.

Howie Kendrick and Alberto Callaspo started the ninth with back-to-back singles into left field. Chris Iannetta then popped out, and John Farrell turned to left-hander Andrew Miller.

Miller was erratic. He walked Erick Aybar to load the bases, and he issued a two-out walk to Mike Trout to give Los Angeles its eighth run.

Prior to Trout’s walk, the Red Sox had an opportunity for an inning-ending double play. J.B. Shuck grounded to Mike Napoli, and the first baseman immediately threw home. His toss was off the mark, though, and Boston could only record one out.

Napoli then had another mishap after Trout’s walk. Josh Hamilton grounded to first base and the ball slipped past Napoli, allowing Hamilton to reach and Aybar to score.

Garrett Richards will come back out to pitch the ninth inning with a seven-run lead.

End 8th, Angels 7-2: The Red Sox have put at least one runner on base in seven of their eight at-bats, yet they still have just two runs to show for it.

Boston threatened and came up empty again in the eighth inning.

Garrett Richards took over, and he got two quick outs before running into trouble. Mike Carp grounded out and Stephen Drew struck out.

Jose Iglesias then singled, breaking up a string of seven straight retired by Angels pitchers. It also continued Iglesias’ torrid streak, as he’s really developed into an on-base machine.

Jacoby Ellsbury reached on a catcher interference call. Ellsbury’s bat hit Chris Iannetta’s mitt on his swing, and the outfielder was thus given first base while Iglesias shifted up to second. As is the case with catcher interference calls, Iannetta was assessed an error.

Daniel Nava couldn’t cash in on the scoring chance, though. He grounded out to end the inning.

Mid 8th, Angels 7-2: Mike Trout is really showcasing his skills.

Trout hammered a single into right field to lead off the eighth inning, and that gives him three hits in the contest.

Fortunately for the Red Sox, Clayton Mortensen settled down after the leadoff hit. He retired the next three hitters in order to keep the deficit at five runs.

Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols each grounded out, and Mark Trumbo flied out to left field.

End 7th, Angels 7-2: The Red Sox need to get to work if they plan on coming back in this one. After another scoreless inning in the seventh, they’re six outs away from dropping Game 1 of the day-night doubleheader.

David Ortiz, Mike Napoli and Jarrod Saltalamacchia were retired in order in the seventh.

Ortiz and Napoli each flied out, while Saltalamacchia struck out swinging against Scott Downs. Salty whiffed on a nasty slider in the dirt, and catcher Chris Iannetta tossed down to first base to complete the inning-ending out.

Mid 7th, Angels 7-2: Clayton Mortensen needed to play a little damage control with the bases juiced, and he escaped the inning after giving up one more run.

Erick Aybar struck a ground ball back up the middle. Dustin Pedroia made a nice diving play while ranging to his right, but by the time he sprung to his feet and fired to first, Aybar was aboard safely. That allowed Howie Kendrick to score L.A.’s seventh run.

J.B. Shuck flied out to center field to end the inning.

3:47 p.m., Angels 6-2: Franklin Morales was very shaky, and he won’t make it through the seventh inning.

After J.B. Shuck grounded out to first base, Mike Trout smoked a ball off the Green Monster for a double. It’s the second dent that Trout has put into the left field wall in this game, as he also doubled back in the third inning.

Josh Hamilton flied out for out No. 2, but the third out proved to be elusive.

Morales intentionally walked Albert Pujols with first base open, and Mark Trumbo went right down the right field line for a double. Trout crossed the plate with Los Angeles’ fourth run while Pujols stopped at third base.

Morales then struggled mightily with his control. He issued three straight walks, resulting in two more runs. John Farrell decided at that point that he’s seen enough, and Clayton Mortensen will take over.

End 6th, Angels 3-2: The Red Sox have knocked on the door in every inning, but only once have they been let in.

The Sox put two runners on in the sixth inning before Michael Kohn put an abrupt stop to the threat via a 6-4-3 double play.

Jose Iglesias, who has been extremely patient during his big league stints this year, walked to lead off the inning. He then showed some hustle in sliding hardly into second base to break up a potential double play.

Following Jacoby Ellsbury’s forceout, Daniel Nava singled over Howie Kendrick’s head and into right field. That set up runners at first and second with one out, but Dustin Pedroia grounded into a double play.

Pedroia made solid contact — as the ball exploded on Erick Aybar at short — but it was an easy twin killing to end the inning.

Franklin Morales will take over for Boston in the seventh.

Mid 6th, Angels 3-2: The Angels’ fourth run was 90 feet away, but it never crossed the plate.

Alberto Callaspo lined a one-out double down into the left field corner, and he moved up to third base when Chris Iannetta flied out to right field.

Felix Doubront buckled down with two outs, getting Erick Aybar to ground out harmlessly to first base.

Michael Kohn will enter the game and pitch the sixth inning for the Angels.

End 5th, Angels 3-2: Tommy Hanson will exit with a lead, but it was a battle all afternoon.

Hanson, despite giving up just two runs, labored through all five innings, including the fifth inning. He’ll leave on a positive note, though, as he kept the Red Sox’ offense in check in the fifth.

Mike Napoli flied out to center field and Jarrod Saltalamacchia grounded out to first base. Mike Carp, who homered in the fourth inning, then tried to get a little something going with a single into right field.

Hanson, who featured a ton of offspeed pitches in the fifth, struck out Stephen Drew with a curveball to end the inning.

Hanson is up to 114 pitches, which is why I assume his day is done.

Mid 5th, Angels 3-2: Felix Doubront had a very up-and-down inning.

J.B. Shuck walked on five pitches, but Doubront then struck out both Mike Trout and Josh Hamilton. Trout fanned on a fastball from Doubront, while Hamilton went down waving at a changeup.

Albert Pujols then drilled a ball into left field. He took a wide turn around first base before throwing on the brakes, and Shuck scampered over to third base.

Doubront avoided any damage by getting Mark Trumbo to ground out to second base. We’ll now see if the Red Sox’ offense can build on its solid fourth inning.

End 4th, Angels 3-2: The Red Sox finally broke through against Tommy Hanson.

The Sox failed to capitalize on a few scoring chances in the first three innings, but Mike Carp didn’t wait around in the fourth. Hanson jumped ahead in the count 0-2, but Carp drove a 1-2 fastball over the bullpens in right field to put the Red Sox on the scoreboard.

Hanson got both Stephen Drew and Jose Iglesias to pop out, but Jacoby Ellsbury kicked off a two-out rally with a walk.

Ellsbury stole second base easily, and he scored when Daniel Nava delivered a base hit into right field. Josh Hamilton charged in to field Nava’s hit, but it scooted past him. It looked as if Hamilton was thinking about throwing to the plate before corralling the hit cleanly.

Nava advanced to third base when Hanson tossed a pitch in the dirt, but David Ortiz failed to knock him in. Ortiz grounded into the shift to end the inning.

Hanson tossed 31 pitches in the lengthy fourth inning. He’s thrown 91 overall.

Mid 4th, Angels 3-0: Felix Doubront enjoyed a very quick inning in the fourth.

Alberto Callaspo flied out into right-center field for the first out. Chris Iannetta then struck out swinging on a changeup in the dirt, and Erick Aybar lined out to Jose Iglesias at third base to end the inning.

Doubront has thrown 65 pitches (43 strikes) thus far.

End 3rd, Angels 3-0: It’s been a frustrating game for the Red Sox thus far. They keep making some noise, but they have nothing to show for it.

Daniel Nava, who is really having a special season, kicked off Boston’s third-inning threat with a single into center field. Dustin Pedroia built on the threat by grounding a base hit back up the middle.

Tommy Hanson settled down from there, though. He retired the next three hitters to keep the shutout intact.

David Ortiz and Mike Napoli struck out, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia popped out in the infield. Ortiz went down swinging on a curveball down and out of the zone — as he did back in the first inning — and Napoli went down looking at a deuce.

Mid 3rd, Angels 3-0: The Angels built a threat, and they then benefited from two very productive outs to increase their lead to 3-0.

Mike Trout started the inning by going high off the wall in left. It was fielded cleanly off the bounce, but Trout, who has great speed, was able to slide in safely at second base.

Josh Hamilton, who has had a difficult year to date, then walked, setting up runners at first and second with no outs for the always dangerous Albert Pujols.

Trout and Hamilton each moved up a base via a double steal. It was an aggressive play put on by manager Mike Scioscia, but both Trout and Hamilton run well, so why not?

Pujols ended up driving in Los Angeles’ second run with a sac fly to center. The Angels’ third run came across when Mark Trumbo struck a ground ball to short. Stephen Drew knocked down Trumbo’s ground ball on a diving attempt and Dustin Pedroia threw to first to complete the out, but Hamilton crossed the plate to extend the lead.

End 2nd, Angels 1-0:  The Red Sox threatened for the second straight inning, but they again came up empty-handed.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Stephen Drew each worked a walk against Tommy Hanson to put runners at first and second with one out.

Prior to Drew’s walk, Mike Carp gave one a ride to center field. Off the bat, it looked like it had a chance to get out of the yard, but Mike Trout ended up making the grab up against the wall.

Saltalamacchia took third when when Jose Iglesias flied out to Josh Hamilton in right-center field, but the inning ended when Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out to second base.

Mid 2nd, Angels 1-0: Felix Doubront’s big issue this season has been putting hitters away and putting innings away. The Angels struck for a two-out RBI in the second inning.

Howie Kendrick, who has been on fire of late, led off the inning with a single into left field. He moved up to second base when Mike Napoli couldn’t quite handle a ground ball from Alberto Callaspo cleanly. Napoli took care of the out at first base, but the ball hit the palm of his glove and bounced off, so he was unable to start up a double play.

Chris Iannetta then grounded to third base, where Jose Iglesias made the play before flipping over to first base for the second out.

Erick Aybar put the Angels on the scoreboard with a single into left field. Mike Carp came up firing to the plate, but his throw wasn’t in time. Aybar took second on the toss, but he didn’t end up crossing the plate in the frame, as J.B. Shuck struck out to end the inning.

End 1st, 0-0: The Red Sox threatened in the first inning. They couldn’t push across a run, though.

Jacoby Ellsbury, who had four hits in his first game back on Thursday, started off the doubleheader on a positive note. He lined a base hit into right field, and he then stole second base. The steal was his 22nd of the season, moving him into a tie atop the American League.

But while Ellsbury’s steal made life a little bit more difficult for Tommy Hanson, it didn’t prove to be too problematic.

Daniel Nava grounded to third base, and Ellsbury got caught up in no man’s land. He was eventually tagged out for the first out of the inning as Nava reached at first.

Dustin Pedroia then added to the threat by drilling a double off the Green Monster scoreboard in left field. It was hit hard, but Nava only advanced to third base, and the Red Sox came up empty from there.

David Ortiz struck out swinging on a good-looking curveball down and in, and Mike Napoli grounded out to third base.

Mid 1st, 0-0: It’s been a tough year for Josh Hamilton, but he beat the shift for a double in the first inning.

Mike Trout kicked off the ballgame by grounding out to short. Hamilton then doubled into right field, although the Angels didn’t do much with the opportunity.

Albert Pujols made solid contact, but he drilled a line drive right at Mike Napoli, who took care of business for out No. 2.

Mark Trumbo then grounded out to short to end the inning.

1:06 p.m.: Felix Doubront’s first pitch is a strike, and we’re underway.

12:45 p.m.: Since it’s a doubleheader, we might as well bust out the fun facts.

When playing two games on one day, the Red Sox all-time have swept 495, split 831 and have been swept 445 times. In that time, 23 times one of the games ended in a tie.

12:36 p.m.: The important thing is that the Red Sox are in first place. But a true indication of their roll is that they’re a season-high tying 13 games above .500. They haven’t been 14 games above .500 since the conclusion of the 2011 season, which they finished with a 90-72 record.

12:24 p.m.: Some good news came out of the Red Sox clubhouse on Saturday. Shane Victorino is expected to be activated before Game 2 of the doubleheader. No roster move has been announced, but Victorino will be a nice addition to the top of the Red Sox’ order.

Will Middlebrooks, meanwhile, is continuing his rehab with the PawSox. John Farrell is encouraged by his progress, though.

11:55 a.m.: The lineup card is posted. Have a looksie.

Red Sox (37-24)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Daniel Nava, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Mike Carp, LF
Stephen Drew, SS
Jose Iglesias, 3B

Felix Doubront, LHP (4-2, 4.88 ERA)

Angels (26-34)
Mike Trout, CF
Josh Hamilton, RF
Albert Pujols, DH
Mark Trumbo, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Chris Iannetta, C
Erick Aybar, SS
J.B. Shuck, LF

Tommy Hanson (2-2, 4.19 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: It’s a great — well, better, at least — day. Let’s play two.

Mother Nature restricted us from playing baseball on Friday, but she won’t win Saturday’s battle. We’ve got two games on tap as part of a day-night doubleheader, and it starts with a matinee showdown.

Felix Doubront and Tommy Hanson will square off as the Red Sox and Angels kick off a three-game weekend set. The Sox are certainly hoping that this doubleheader goes a lot smoother than their first of the year. They lost both games of a day-night twin slate back on April 21.

Doubront enters the contest on the heels of a solid performance against the Yankees last Saturday. He went six innings and allowed just one run in that contest, and the left-hander is suddenly trending in the right direction after an up-and-down start to the year.

The first game of Saturday’s doubleheader will kick off at 1:05 p.m., while the second clash will commence at 7:10 p.m. Keep it right here with NESN.com for both games. We’ll have you covered every step of the way.

Final, Red Sox 6-3: David Ortiz wasted no time in sending everyone home happy.

Jonny Gomes ripped a double into the left-center field gap to lead off the ninth inning. The Rangers then decided to walk Dustin Pedroia with first base open, and it appears Ortiz took offense to the move.

Ortiz jumped all over the first pitch he saw from Michael Kirkman, and he sent it into the Rangers’ bullpen for a walk-off, three-run homer.

The Red Sox trailed 3-0 in the game, but they showed the fight that they’ve shown all season. Dustin Pedroia smacked a two-run double in the third inning, and Mike Napoli’s RBI forceout tied the game in the seventh inning.

Jacoby Ellsbury had four hits, including two doubles, in his first game back after missing the last five with a groin injury. Gomes also had four hits, and Jose Iglesias reached base four times via a single and three walks.

The Red Sox will open up a three-game series with the Angels on Friday. Felix Doubront will get the start, and the action is scheduled to kick off at 7:10 p.m.

Good night, everyone.

Mid 9th, 3-3: Andrew Bailey scattered a hit, and the Rangers put a runner into scoring position. He escaped unscathed, though, and the Red Sox will come up in the bottom of the ninth inning needing just one run to walk away winners.

Jurickson Profar led off with a bloop single into center field, and he moved up when Elvis Andrus finally got down a sacrifice bunt.

Profar wouldn’t advance any further, though. David Murphy popped out in foul territory along the third base line, and Lance Berkman struck out to end the inning.

Jonny Gomes, Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz are due up for Boston in the ninth.

End 8th, 3-3: Tanner Scheppers did something that no one else has been able to do all game — retire Jacoby Ellsbury.

Scheppers entered the game, and John Farrell immediately called upon a pinch hitter. Mike Carp batted for David Ross.

Scheppers took care of Carp for the first out of the inning. Carp laid off a 98-mph fastball, but he couldn’t lay off a curveball in the dirt, and Scheppers picked up the strikeout.

Jose Iglesias then walked with one down, but the free pass didn’t really materialize into a threat.

Stephen Drew pinch-hit for Pedro Ciriaco, and he, like Carp, chased a two-strike pitch out of the zone. Drew fanned on a curveball low and inside for the second out.

Jacoby Ellsbury, who was 4-for-4, strolled up, and Scheppers managed to retire him via a ground ball to short.

Andrew Bailey will pitch the ninth inning for Boston in the hopes of keeping the game tied. If the Red Sox win this one, it’ll be in walk-off fashion, so fasten the ol’ seatbelt.

Drew will remain in the game as the new shortstop as Iglesias shifts to third base. Jarrod Saltalamacchia will take over behind the plate.

Mid 8th, 3-3: Koji Uehara was excellent in the eighth inning.

Uehara struck out both A.J. Pierzynski and Jeff Baker to begin the inning, and Leonys Martin flied out harmlessly to center field for the final out.

Pierzynski went down waving at a splitter, while Baker struck out looking on a sneaky quick fastball. Uehara needed just three pitches to dispose of Baker.

End 7th, 3-3: The Red Sox were one step away from failing to cash in on another huge opportunity. Mike Napoli beat out the back end of a double play bid, though, and we’re all tied up.

Jacoby Ellsbury started the seventh inning with a double down the right field line. Ellsbury has four hits, including two doubles, in his first game back after missing five games because of a groin injury. It’s also worth noting that all four hits came against left-handers, which marks the first time in Ellsbury’s career that he’s done that.

Ellsbury’s seventh-inning double came against Robbie Ross, who replaced Derek Holland before the start of the inning. Ross stuck around for three more batters after Ellsbury.

Jonny Gomes ripped a line drive into left field. David Murphy charged in hoping to catch it on the fly, but it ended up dropping in front of him for a base hit. Ellsbury moved up to third base, giving the Red Sox runners at the corners with no outs — again.

Dustin Pedroia, who has had a strange night offensively, struck out for the first out, and David Ortiz walked to load the bases. That’s when the Rangers turned Jason Frasor.

Frasor came on and nearly got an inning-ending double play. Mike Napoli hit a ground ball to first base. Lance Berkman made the play despite a tough hop and fired to second for the first out. Napoli managed to beat out Elvis Andrus’ throw to first with Frasor covering, though, and Ellsbury scored with Boston’s third and tying run.

The Red Sox could have added more in the inning, but Daniel Nava struck out swinging on a pitch upstairs.

Mid 7th, Rangers 3-2: Junichi Tazawa didn’t make it easy on himself, but the reliever managed to escape a jam with the one-run deficit intact.

Tazawa got leadoff man Elvis Andus to fly out to the warning track in right to open the frame.

David Murphy then picked up his first hit of the night — a double into the left field corner — to put a runner in scoring position with one out.

Lance Berkman was retired on a soft liner to Pedro Ciriaco, and Ciriaco then had a shot to end the inning but had Adrian Beltre’s sharp line drove deflect off his glove.

Murphy advanced to third, but that’s where he would stay. Nelson Cruz flied out to center field to end the inning. — ZC

End 6th, Rangers 3-2: The Red Sox put a pair of runners in scoring position but could not push one across against Derek Holland, whose pitch count is climbing dangerously high.

Mike Napoli flied out to center to begin things in the sixth, and after Daniel Nava worked a one-out walk, David Ross popped out harmlessly to first baseman Lance Berkman.

Jose Iglesias then reached on a base hit to left field, and both runners advanced on Holland’s wild pitch.

The righty settled down, though, striking out Pedro Ciriaco with a high fastball to retire the side. That may do it for Holland, who has thrown 115 pitches tonight.

Jon Lester’s night is done, as Junichi Tazawa comes out to work the seventh for Boston. — ZC

Mid 6th, Rangers 3-2:  A.J. Pierzynski led off the sixth inning with his second double of the game, but Jon Lester made sure he didn’t advance any further.

Lester got some help in the inning via a diving play by Pedro Ciriaco. The southpaw also struck out two, though.

Jeff Baker went down looking at a sinker, which capped off an eight-pitch battle, and Jurickson Profar was victimized by one of Lester’s trademark cutters.

End 5th, Rangers 3-2: The Red Sox just watched a huge opportunity go by the board.

Jacoby Ellsbury led off the inning by hitting a ball toward the triangle. It kicked up off the dirt of the warning track and into the Red Sox’ bullpen for a ground-rule double.

Even though Ellsbury is coming off a groin injury, the ball bouncing into the bullpen was still a huge break for the Rangers. If that ball rolled into the triangle, Ellsbury would have been running for a while, and he likely would have ended up with a triple.

Jonny Gomes added to Boston’s threat by ripping a base hit into left field. At that point, with runners at first and third and no outs, it looked as if the Red Sox were destined to at least tie the game. But a big play at the plate changed everything.

Dustin Pedroia chopped a ball down to first base. Ellsbury immediately broke for home, and Lance Berkman, who was playing in, came up firing to the plate. Ellsbury almost slid under A.J. Pierzynski’s tag, but home plate umpire Joe West made the out call.

That was crushing for the Red Sox, but they still had runners at first and second with one out. The threat didn’t last much longer, though, because David Ortiz grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Ortiz’s ground ball traveled over the mound, and Elvis Andrus — who was positioned differently because of the shift — gobbled it up, stepped on the second base bag and chucked to first.

Mid 5th, Rangers 3-2: You’ve got to crawl before you can walk.

Jon Lester enjoyed his first 1-2-3 inning of the game in the fifth inning. He retired Lance Berkman, Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz in order.

Berkman popped out to first, Beltre struck out and Nelson Cruz grounded out to short.

Beltre, of course, homered back in the third inning and had been 2-for-2. He found himself in a good hitter’s count at 2-0, but Lester battled back and ultimately fanned him with a pitch down in the zone.

End 4th, Rangers 3-2:  The bottom of the Red Sox’ order made a little bit of noise, but it quickly fizzled out.

Derek Holland retired Mike Napoli and Daniel Nava on a couple of fly balls to Nelson Cruz in right field to kick off the fourth.

David Ross then singled, and Jose Iglesias, who just keeps doing his thing at the big league level, walked for the second time.

Unfortunately for Boston, Pedro Ciriaco couldn’t cash in. He grounded out lazily to shortstop for the final out of the inning.

Mid 4th, Rangers 3-2:  The Rangers hit some balls hard in the fourth inning, but the score remained the same.

The highlight of the inning came when Jurickson Profar scorched a ball toward the left-center field gap. Jonny Gomes raced back toward the wall and made an excellent lunging grab before falling down and crashing into the Monster.

Not only was it a nice play, but it was also important. Craig Gentry, who has good speed, was on first base because of a walk, but he couldn’t advance.

Elvis Andrus tried to escalate the rally with a single into center field, but Gomes made another nice — albeit much easier — play in left field to end the inning.

8:20 p.m., Rangers 3-2: Just a quick note for all of you interested in the MLB draft. The Red Sox have selected left-hander Trey Ball will the seventh overall pick.

Ball is both a pitcher and an outfielder, and he’s considered by many to be the best two-way player in this year’s draft.

The Red Sox drafted Ball out of New Castle High School.

For more information on Ball, and to see a video of him in action, check out the link below. I recommend it. After all, the kid is now a big part of Boston’s future.

Click here to read about Trey Ball >>

End 3rd, Rangers 3-2:  Dustin Pedroia extended his hit streak to 10 games in the third inning, and, more importantly, the Red Sox are now nipping at the Rangers’ heels.

Jose Iglesias, who has reached base safely in 17 of his 18 games this season, walked to lead off the inning. He entered the game with the best average of all major leaguers with at least 50 plate appearances (.426, 26-for-61).

Jacoby Ellsbury, who missed the last five games, further proved he’s healthy and ready to roll. Ellsbury hit a line drive single into right-center field with one out, giving him two hits on the night.

Jonny Gomes made solid contact with runners at first and second and one out, but his line drive to right field was hauled in by Nelson Cruz. It did, however, allow Iglesias to tag up and move to third.

Pedroia then did his damage. He absolutely tattooed a ball off the center field wall. Both Iglesias and Ellsbury scored, and Pedroia coasted into second base with a two-run double.

David Ortiz grounded out to first base to end the inning, but the Red Sox will take an inning like that. Now, it’s up to Jon Lester to settle into a groove and allow the offense to get back up there.

Mid 3rd, Rangers 3-0:  Adrian Beltre has really squared some balls up in this series. And he’s gone deep for the second straight night.

Beltre smoked a home run into the Monster seats with one out in the third inning to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead.

Beltre’s homer would have been of the two-run variety, but Lance Berkman was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double the hitter before. Berkman hit a ball high off the Monster, and Jonny Gomes dropped the bounce, but Gomes still had time to throw out Berkman because he’s, well, slow and old.

Jon Lester got Nelson Cruz to ground back to the mound and A.J. Pierzynksi to ground out to first to end the inning. The damage was done for the second straight inning, though.

End 2nd, Rangers 2-0:  The Red Sox thought they were off to a hot start in the second inning. Instead, it was just the start of a quick, 1-2-3 frame.

Mike Napoli drilled a ball toward the gap in right-center field. Most hitters probably would have ended up with a double, but Napoli, who doesn’t run too well, was thrown out by a mile at second base.

That meant any potential inning-starting momentum was out the window, and Derek Holland then retired Daniel Nava and David Ross.

Ross fanned on a pitch in the dirt, and catcher A.J. Pierzynski blocked it before completing the out.

Mid 2nd, Rangers 2-0:  Jon Lester’s last three starts haven’t gone too smoothly, and he’s off to a shaky start in this one.

Lester escaped a first-inning jam in which he allowed two runners to reach, but he was touched for two runs in the second inning.

A.J. Pierzynski led off by ripping a ball over Daniel Nava’s head in right field. It landed on the edge of the warning track and kicked up into the seats for a ground-rule double.

Jeff Baker, who has had a very good season at the plate, then opened up the scoring with a home run to left field. Lester bounced back after falling behind 3-0 to Baker, but he left a 3-2 fastball out over the plate and paid for it. Baker pounced on the offering and drilled it over everything.

Craig Gentry flied out to center field for the first out of the inning, but Lester struggled with his control again while facing talented rookie Jurickson Profar. Profar walked on four pitches.

David Ross went out and had a chat with Lester, and the left-hander eventually settled down to escape the inning with just the two runs coming across. This isn’t the type of start Lester wanted to get off to while trying to break out of his current skid, though.

End 1st, 0-0:  Jacoby Ellsbury wasted no time getting back into the swing of things. He singled in his first at-bat.

Ellsbury and Jonny Gomes connected on back-to-back singles against Derek Holland to immediately get the Red Sox’ offense moving in the right direction. Holland then benefited from a pitcher’s best friend, though, and the entire complexion of the inning changed.

Dustin Pedroia pounded a sinker into the ground, and the Rangers turned a big 6-4-3 double play. That left a runner at third base with two outs for David Ortiz.

Ortiz put good wood on the baseball, but the Rangers had the shift on, and second baseman Jurickson Profar took care of it in shallow right field to end the inning.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Adrian Beltre extended his hitting streak to 11 games by planting a ball off the Green Monster. But Jon Lester succeeded in keeping the Rangers off the scoreboard.

Elvis Andrus, who hit a big two-run double in the seventh inning on Wednesday, grounded out to short, and David Murphy lined out to center. Things got a little more complicated for Lester, though, as Lance Berkman walked with two down.

Beltre then yanked a sinker off the standings portion of the left field wall. Jonny Gomes got it back in quickly, however, so Beltre was held to a single and Berkman only advanced to second base.

Nelson Cruz struck out hacking to end the inning.

7:10 p.m.: Jon Lester wheels, deals, and we’re underway.

7:02 p.m.: Former Boston Celtics big man Jason Collins, who recently became the first active athlete to come out as openly gay, just threw out the first pitch at Fenway.

6:46 p.m.: Thursday marks a big day for the Red Sox.

Not only are the Sox battling the Rangers for American League supremacy, but the MLB draft is taking place. The first two rounds kick off at 7 p.m., and this season is much different, because the Red Sox own the seventh overall pick.

There are no guarantees, but the Sox should be able to add an impactful player with that pick, if history is any indication. Matt Harvey (2010), Clayton Kershaw (2006) and Prince Fielder (2002) are among those picked seventh overall in previous years.

This is the earliest the Red Sox have picked since 1993, when they selected Trot Nixon No. 7 overall.

Boston will also have the No. 45 selection on Thursday.

Click here for the Red Sox’ draft strategy >>

Click here for the best No. 7 picks in MLB draft history >>

6:34 p.m.: As mentioned, Daniel Nava will bat sixth, which really speaks to how versatile he is within the Red Sox’ lineup. He was obviously out of place a bit while batting leadoff, but he handled the situation pretty well overall.

Nava enters Thursday’s game leading all American League outfielders in on-base percentage (.395) and at-bat per RBI ratio (4.76). He ranks second in OPS with an .882 mark.

5:29 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury missed five straight games with a groin injury. But fortunately for the Red Sox, he has avoided a DL stint. Ellsbury will be back in the lineup on Thursday.

Jackie Bradley Jr. will assume a bench role now that Ellsbury is back. He’ll likely remain in that capacity until Shane Victorino returns, at which point Triple-A seems like a likely destination for Bradley.

Ellsbury will bat in his customary leadoff spot on Thursday, which means that Daniel Nava, who filled in quite admirably in Ellsbury’s absence, will drop down. Nava will bat sixth while Jonny Gomes bats second with a left-hander on the mound.

Pedro Ciriaco will also get a rare start. He’ll bat ninth and play third base, while Jose Iglesias shifts over to his natural position at shortstop.

Thursday’s complete lineups are below.

Red Sox (36-24)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Jonny Gomes, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Daniel Nava, RF
David Ross, C
Jose Iglesias, SS
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B

Jon Lester (6-2, 3.53 ERA)

Rangers (36-22)
Elvis Andrus, SS
David Murphy, LF
Lance Berkman, 1B
Adrian Beltre, 3B
Nelson Cruz, RF
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Jeff Baker, DH
Craig Gentry, CF
Jurickson Profar, 2B

Derek Holland (5-2, 2.81 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: The Red Sox’ offense has been excellent this season. It does have a tendency to come and go from time to time, though.

The latest example came in the last two games. The Red Sox scored 17 runs on 19 hits against the Rangers on Tuesday night, but they were limited to just two runs on five hits on Wednesday.

The Sox failed to cash in on some chances on Wednesday, and that spoiled another solid outing from John Lackey, who is really becoming a consistent contributor at the back end of Boston’s rotation. We’re now set up for a rubber match on Friday, with Jon Lester and Derek Holland squaring off in a battle of southpaws.

Lester will be looking to end a brief skid. He has allowed at least four runs in each of his last three starts, going 0-2 in that span, which includes last Friday’s game in New York, when he was outpitched by Yankees ace CC Sabathia.

Overall, Lester has had a very good season, but he’ll need to get back on track for the Red Sox to keep rolling. He’ll have his work cut out for him on Thursday. Not only will Lester face a tough Texas lineup, but Holland is having a solid season on the hill.

Thursday’s action is slated to get going at 7:10 p.m. Be sure to tune in on NESN, and keep it right here with the live blog for some extracurricular activities.

Final, Rangers 3-2:

Elvis Andrus’ two-run double in the seventh inning proved to be the crucial blow. Dustin Pedroia tied the game 1-1 the half-inning prior, but Andrus gave the Rangers a 3-1 lead by drilling Koji Uehara’s first pitch of the night into the left-center field gap.

The Red Sox had a few chances to come back after Andrus’ double, but couldn’t capitalize. They had two runners on with no outs in the seventh inning, and the runners ended up getting stranded at second and third. Then, the Sox had the potential tying run at second base in the eighth inning after Jarrod Saltalamacchia cut the deficit in half with an RBI double, but Stephen Drew couldn’t cash in with two outs.

The loss spoils another strong outing by John Lackey. Lackey went six innings, allowing one run on five hits. He struck out five and didn’t walk a batter while throwing 108 pitches (75 strikes).

Neal Cotts picked up the win, while Craig Breslow, who put two runners on before Andrus’ double, suffered the loss.

The Red Sox and Rangers will finish their series with a rubber match on Thursday. Jon Lester and Derek Holland will go toe-to-toe in a battle of southpaws. The action is scheduled to start up at 7:10 p.m.

Good night, everyone.

Mid 9th, Rangers 3-2:  The Rangers squared up a couple of balls against Andrew Bailey in the ninth inning. But they were long outs, and the right-hander survived a two-out walk to keep the deficit at one run.

Jeff Baker and Jurickson Profar both hit the ball well. Unfortunately for the Rangers, they hit it right at guys, and the end result was two flyouts.

Craig Gentry then walked, marking his second walk since entering the game. He tried to steal, but David Ross, who entered the game before the start of the inning, gunned him down with ease.

Jose Iglesias, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Daniel Nava are due up for the Red Sox in the last of the ninth. They’ll face Rangers closer Joe Nathan.

End 8th, Rangers 3-2: The Red Sox cut the deficit in half.

Tanner Scheppers took over for Texas in the eighth inning. He started off on a positive note, but he ran into some two-out trouble.

Dustin Pedroia flied out to center, and David Ortiz grounded out to short. Mike Napoli then walked on four pitches, though, and the Sox were able to cash in this time around.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia stayed back on a curveball and ripped it right down the right-field line. The ball got caught up near the wall beyond the tarp in right field, and that allowed Napoli to motor all the way around from first base.

The Red Sox brought in Pedro Ciriaco to pinch-run for Saltalamacchia, who represented the potential tying run, but Stephen Drew grounded out to end the inning.

The run cuts into the lead, but it also means the Red Sox will have some work to do in the ninth inning. Andrew Bailey will try to keep this a one-run game.

Mid 8th, Rangers 3-1: The heart of the Red Sox order will come up in the eighth inning with the deficit still at two runs.

Junichi Tazawa pitched the eighth inning, and he retired the side in order.

Adrian Beltre grounded out to short, Nelson Cruz struck out swinging and A.J. Pierzynski flied out to center field.

Boston will send up Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and Mike Napoli in the eighth.

End 7th, Rangers 3-1:  The Red Sox put the tying run into scoring position, but they ultimately came away with nothing.

The bottom third of Boston’s order kicked off the seventh-inning rally. Stephen Drew walked against Neal Cotts and Jose Iglesias singled into right field against Robbie Ross.

Jackie Bradley Jr. failed to get a bunt down, and he ended up striking out swinging, which was a big out for Texas.

Daniel Nava then hit what was essentially a swinging bunt. It allowed Drew and Iglesias to each move up a base, setting the table for Jonny Gomes, who pinch-hit for Mike Carp.

Gomes couldn’t cash in, though. He flied out to center field and left the two men in scoring position.

Mid 7th, Rangers 3-1:The Rangers are back in front.

Craig Breslow allowed a couple of runners to reach before the Red Sox turned to Koji Uehara. Uehara was then greeted with a two-run double by Elvis Andrus.

Mitch Moreland got the seventh-inning attack going with a double down the right-field line. The ball rolled along the wall and should have been a triple, but Moreland pulled something going around the bases, and he limped his way into second base. Moreland came out of the game, and he was replaced by Jeff Baker.

Jurickson Profar attempted to move Baker to third base via a sacrifice bunt. But even though Profar got the bunt, Baker didn’t move up. Breslow came off the mound, made the play and fired to first while holding Baker at second base.

Craig Gentry pinch-hit for Leonys Martin and he walked, which ended Breslow’s night.

Andrus then stepped up and jumped all over Uehara’s first pitch, sending it into the left-center field gap. Uehara had stranded eight of 10 inherited runners before the outing. He wasn’t so fortunate this time around.

End 6th, 1-1: That stings if you’re Alexi Ogando.

Ogando entered the sixth inning on a roll, and he made quick work of Daniel Nava and Mike Carp. Nava flied out to right field, and Carp hit a ball right at Leonys Martin in center.

Ogando’s night ended abruptly, though.

Dustin Pedroia took a big cut at a high fastball and lifted it to left field. The ball just kept carrying, and when it landed, it did so inside the light tower on top of the Green Monster.

Pedroia’s home run was his fourth of the season, and Rangers manager Ron Washington immediately turned to the bullpen to grab a lefty with David Ortiz coming up.

Neal Cotts entered the game and walked both Ortiz and Mike Napoli. After a visit from pitching coach Mike Maddux, Cotts settled down to strike out Jarrod Saltalamacchia with a high fastball.

Ogando was very effective and was one out away from completing six solid innings, but he won’t factor into the decision. Ogando allowed just the one run over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out six and walked three while tossing 92 pitches (55 strikes).

Craig Breslow is coming on to pitch the seventh inning for Boston, which means John Lackey also won’t factor into the decision.

Mid 6th, Rangers 1-0: Nelson Cruz got plunked, and then responded in the best way possible — he swiped second base. That’s as far as he’d get, though.

Lance Berkman and Adrian Beltre each flied out to begin the sixth. Berkman lifted a fly ball to left field, while Beltre skied a ball to center. Initially, it looked — and sounded — as if Beltre’s flyout had a chance to get out of the yard, but Jackie Bradley Jr. hauled it in just in front of the warning track.

John Lackey hit Cruz up around the shoulder with two outs, which prompted Cruz to slowly take his base. After Cruz stole second, A.J. Pierzynski was retired on a ground ball to second base.

End 5th, Rangers 1-0: Both pitchers have been in control, for the most part.

Alexi Ogando issued a two-out walk to Jose Iglesias, but it didn’t evolve into anything more than a brief lack of control.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia preceded the walk by putting a good swing on a 1-1 pitch. He lifted it to center field, but Leonys Martin sized it up and put it away for the first out.

Stephen Drew and Jackie Bradley Jr. both struck out looking in the inning — with Iglesias’ walk mixed in between. Drew looked at a changeup, while Ogando went with a slider to get Bradley.

Mid 5th, Rangers 1-0: The Rangers put a couple of runners on base against John Lackey in the fifth inning, but he ensured that Boston’s deficit remained at one.

Jurickson Profar got the threat going with one out. He lifted a blooper down the right-field line that fell out of the reach of Daniel Nava, Dustin Pedroia and Mike Napoli, who all gave chase.

Elvis Andrus, the other half of Texas’ dynamic middle infield, added to the rally with a base hit into right field.

Lackey escaped the first-and-second jam by getting David Murphy to ground out to second.

Lackey struck out Leonys Martin in the inning as well. The righty went with a nasty curveball down and out of the zone to pick up the strikeout, which was his fifth of the game.

End 4th, Rangers 1-0: Fenway Park came alive in the fourth inning. But when it was over, the Bruins were the only Boston team to score.

The Fenway Faithful started cheering in the fourth when they realized, via the Green Monster scoreboard, that the Bruins jumped ahead of the Penguins in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. They kept cheering because the Red Sox put together a rally, although it ultimately fell short.

Mike Carp nearly homered for the second straight night. He drilled a ball high off the center-field wall with one out. Because of the ricochet, Carp might have been able to reach third base had he gone for it. He misplayed the bounce, though, and he ended up with just a double.

Dustin Pedroia walked to put runners at first and second for David Ortiz. Ortiz found himself in a favorable 2-0 count, but Alexi Ogando worked his way back and struck out Ortiz on a 96-mph fastball.

A wild pitch moved Carp to third and Pedroia to second. Mike Napoli couldn’t cash in, though. He struck out looking on an offspeed offering in a 3-2 count.

Mid 4th, Rangers 1-0: Adrian Beltre doesn’t get cheated when he swings the bat.

John Lackey got two quick outs in the fourth inning, seemingly setting up another fast inning for the right-hander. Beltre had other plans, though, and he put the Rangers on the scoreboard with a solo homer.

David Murphy flied out to center field and Lance Berkman struck out looking before Beltre went to work. Lackey actually got to two strikes on Beltre, but he left a pitch up in the zone and the Rangers third baseman drove it into the center-field bleachers.

Nelson Cruz doubled into the triangle to try and help build on the newfound lead, but Lackey struck out A.J. Pierzynski with a nice-looking four-seam fastball to end the inning.

End 3rd, 0-0: Stephen Drew thought he had a double to lead off the third inning, but second-base umpire Sam Holbrook saw things differently.

Drew led off with a line drive toward the left-center field gap. Left fielder David Murphy ran over and cut it off, but Drew was thinking two bases right out of the box. Murphy’s throw to second was off the bag a little bit, and Jurickson Profar dove to tag Drew as Drew dove head-first into second. Holbrook called Drew out, but replays clearly showed that Profar missed the tag.

Drew, as you might expect, wasn’t happy, and he jumped up to dispute the call. John Farrell also rushed out to argue his case before cooler heads prevailed.

Jose Iglesias flied out to center and Jackie Bradley Jr. lined out sharply to left field to end the inning. The wind was definitely taken out of Boston’s sail in that inning on the botched call by Holbrook, though.

Mid 3rd, 0-0: John Lackey suffered his first minor hiccup in the third inning, and he responded well.

Mitch Moreland inside-outed a double off the Green Monster to give the Rangers their first hit of the game.

Lackey actually got ahead of Moreland, but the Rangers first baseman fought back. Moreland fouled off three straight pitches at one point before capping off the 11-pitch at-bat with a leadoff two-bagger.

Moreland moved to third base when Jurickson Profar grounded out to first, but Lackey really buckled down from there.

Leonys Martin grounded back to the mound. Lackey made the play, looked Moreland back to third and fired to first for the second out of the inning. The right-hander got out of the inning by getting Elvis Andrus to hit a popup into shallow right field.

End 2nd, 0-0: The Red Sox are responsible for the first baserunner of the game, but a double play took care of that situation.

Alexi Ogando started the second inning off by getting David Ortiz to fly out to center field. It was some loud contact by Ortiz, but the slugger just got under it.

Mike Napoli then walked to momentarily break Ogando’s rhythm a little bit, but the right-hander wasted no time in settling back down. He got Jarrod Saltalamacchia to ground into a 4-6-3, inning-ending double play.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: John Lackey made quick work of the Rangers again in the second inning.

Adrian Beltre kicked off the inning with a sky-high fly ball to right-center. Jackie Bradley Jr., who connected on his first big league home run on Tuesday, glided over to make the play.

Lackey then picked up his second strikeout of the game against Nelson Cruz. Lackey went up and in with a 94-mph heater to notch the K.

A.J. Pierzynski grounded to the right side with two down. Mike Napoli ranged over and backhanded it before tossing to Lackey to end the inning.

Lackey is working at a very good pace early on. We’ll see if the Rangers start stepping out more often in order to slow the right-hander down a bit.

End 1st, 0-0: The top of the Red Sox’ order did a lot of damage on Tuesday. Alexi Ogando did a nice job of starting off on the right foot in this one, though.

Ogando retired Daniel Nava, Mike Carp and Dustin Pedroia in order to begin his outing.

Nava grounded out to shortstop, and Carp went down swinging on a good-looking slider from Ogando. It was in the dirt, but catcher A.J. Pierzynski blocked it.

Pedroia gave one a ride to right field with two outs, but Nelson Cruz was able to make the play while running back toward the warning track.

Mid 1st, 0-0: John Lackey is off to a nice start.

Lackey made quick work of the Rangers in the first inning, pitching at a very brisk pace throughout the frame.

Elvis Andrus started the inning with a lazy ground ball to second base that Dustin Pedroia took care of easily.

Lackey then struck out David Murphy for out No. 2. Lackey jumped ahead of Murphy 0-2, and he continued to pound the strike zone. Murphy fouled off the first 0-2 offering he saw, but Lackey painted the outside corner with the next pitch to pick up the strikeout.

Lance Berkman grounded a ball to the right of the second base bag with the shift on and two outs. Jose Iglesias was in a good position to make an easy play to end the inning.

Lackey had fallen behind Berkman 3-0, so it was a nice job of bouncing back.

7:11 p.m.: John Lackey’s first pitch is inside for a ball, and we’re underway.

6:55 p.m.: Alexi Ogando will be making his first start since coming off the disabled list, but he was very effective the last time he faced Boston back on May 4.

Ogando was among the pitchers to earn a victory during the Rangers’ three-game sweep in Arlington. He pitched six innings of one-run ball while guiding Texas to a 5-1 win.

His opponent in this game, John Lackey, was also his opponent in that contest. Lackey went five innings in that game, allowing three runs on six hits. A wacky two-run infield single ultimately did Lackey in, though.

6:46 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury is missing his fifth straight game, and John Farrell hasn’t ruled out a trip to the DL if the outfielder’s health doesn’t continue to improve. Farrell did defend Ellsbury’s toughness, though.

Click here to read Farrell’s comments about Ellsbury >>

6:14 p.m.: General manager Ben Cherington and director of amateur scouting Amiel Sawdaye spoke with the media on Wednesday. They discussed the upcoming draft, in which the Red Sox hold the seventh overall pick — their highest selection in 20 years.

Basically, as you might expect, Cherington and Sawdaye plan to take the best available player. As we’ve seen over the years, that tends to be a pretty good player when you’re picking at No. 7. To see what I mean, check out the link below.

Click here for the best No. 7 picks in MLB draft history >>

5:55 p.m.: Jonny Gomes will be honored before Wednesday’s game.

Gomes made a $25,000 donation to the National Child ID program. It’s being used to purchase 12,500 child identification kits for distribution at Wednesday’s game at Fenway Park and in the greater Boston area throughout the year. Gomes is being recognized by the AFCA and FBI for his commitment to child protection and sponsorship of the Child ID kits.

What a guy.

5:11 p.m.:  If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

On Wednesday, the Red Sox will go with the same lineup that put up 17 runs on 19 hits on Tuesday. That lineup, as well as the Rangers’ starting nine, can be seen below.

Red Sox (36-23)
Daniel Nava, RF
Mike Carp, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Stephen Drew, SS
Jose Iglesias, SS
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF

John Lackey, RHP (3-5, 2.96 ERA)

Rangers (35-22)
Elvis Andrus, SS
David Murphy, LF
Lance Berkman, DH
Adrian Beltre, 3B
Nelson Cruz, RF
Mitch Moreland, 1B
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Jurickson Profar, 2B
Leonys Martin, CF

Alexi Ogando, RHP (4-2, 3.08 ERA)

10:30 a.m. ET: The Rangers had the Red Sox’ number going into this week’s series at Fenway Park, but Boston may have gotten it all back in one night.

After getting thumped by the Rangers over three games in Texas in May, in which Boston was outscored 16-4, the Red Sox turned it on at home, beating the visitors 17-5 on Tuesday night. They get their second chance to show their mettle against the American League powerhouse tonight with John Lackey (3-5, 2.96 ERA) on the mound.

Lackey has been especially sharp over his last three starts, going 2-1 with a 1.42 ERA and 18 strikeouts. He’ll see some familiar faces in the Rangers lineup after pitching in the same division as Texas when he was with the Angels.

Alexi Ogando (4-2, 3.08 ERA) will start for the Rangers.

First pitch is going at 7:10 p.m., and be sure to come back here before that for news and updates.

Final, Red Sox 17-5: 

That was quite the showing by the Red Sox, who scored runs in each of the first seven innings en route to their most offensively productive night of the season.

These two teams will be right back at it tomorrow night, same time, same place.

Thanks for joining me, everybody. Have a great night.

End 8th, Red Sox 17-5: A bit of a strange scene here in the eighth, as Mike Carp was ejected after left fielder David Murphy struck him out looking. It’s the first time Carp has been tossed from a game, and it’s an odd thing to see so late in such a lopsided game.

But after allowing a leadoff double to Daniel Nava, Murphy works the only scoreless inning of the night for the Rangers.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 17-5: The Rangers seem to be delaying the inevitable now.

Mitch Moreland homered into the Red Sox bullpen with Craig Gentry on first — the Rangers’ third longball tonight — to bring Texas to within 12 runs.

Texas threatened to add more, leading the bases against Clayton Mortensen, but Andrew Miller entered and resolved the situation in one pitch, getting Leonys Martin to ground out to end the inning.

Here’s something fun: Left fielder David Murphy is now in to pitch for the Rangers.

End 7th, Red Sox 17-3: Ross Wolf recorded two quick outs, but he couldn’t complete the scoreless inning of the night for the Rangers.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia reached on a two-out single and advanced to third on a double down the first-base line by Stephen Drew. They both came home when Jose Iglesias’ sinking liner fell just out of the reach of new center fielder Craig Gentry, extending the Red Sox’ lead to 17-3.

Ryan Dempster’s night is indeed done, as Clayton Mortensen comes on to pitch the eighth for the Sox.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 15-3: This will probably do it for Ryan Dempster, and he ends his night on a high note.

Dempster got Jurickson Profar, Leonys Martin and pinch hitter Leury Garcia all to ground out, retiring the side in order in the top of the seventh.

Dempster has thrown 107 pitches and is all but assured of a win tonight, barring any sort of monumental collapse. But let’s not go there.

End 6th, Red Sox 15-3: All right — this is getting ridiculous.

The Red Sox have now led off three straight innings with home runs after Jarrod Saltalamacchia went yard to kick off the sixth.

After Salty’s homer, Stephen Drew reached on a base hit and advanced all the way to third when Jeff Baker’s throw to first on a Jose Iglesias grounder flew into the Red Sox dugout. Jackie Bradley Jr. then grounded out to first, allowing Drew to score.

Nelson Cruz looked to have the inning’s second out clearly in his sights, but he somehow lost his bearings along the right field line and allowed Daniel Nava’s fly ball to fall for a three-base error. Nava was credited with a sac fly and an RBI on the play.

Mike Carp then brought Nava home on a flyout to center, marking the seventh run scored by Boston’s top two batters tonight, before Dustin Pedroia struck out to end the inning.

Ryan Dempster will return to the mound for a seventh inning of work with a rather sizable lead.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 11-3: Nelson Cruz got a measure of retribution for his tumble over the wall last inning.

The right fielder took Ryan Dempster deep to straightaway center field for his team-leading 14th home run of the season to open the top of the sixth.

But Dempster again settled down, retiring Mitch Moreland, A.J. Pierzynski and Jeff Baker to close out the inning.

Baker’s putout was especially impressive, as Jose Iglesias snared a low rocket of a ground ball before firing to first for the out.

End 5th, Red Sox 11-2: The scoreboard operator is getting a workout tonight.

The Red Sox continued to pound away at the Rangers in the fifth, with Mike Carp jacking a lead-off home run into the Red Sox bullpen to extend Boston’s lead yet again. Right fielder Nelson Cruz sold out on the play, going head over heels into the ‘pen, but he was unable to make the grab.

Joseph Ortiz continued his trend from last inning, serving up a lead-off homer before retiring the next three batters in order.

It’s a nine-run game as we go to the sixth.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 10-2: Ryan Dempster has been exactly what the Red Sox need him to be tonight.

He has been far from perfect, allowing baserunners in four of his five innings, but he has surrendered just the two runs and kept his pitch count at a somewhat manageable level.

Dempster walked Leonys Martin to open the fifth but rebounded with a K and a pair of infield outs to strand the runner — Texas’ fourth man left on base tonight.

Joseph Ortiz will return to work the fifth for the Rangers.

End 4th, Red Sox 10-2: The Sox continued their demolition of Rangers pitching in the fourth.

Stephen Drew homered to center on the first pitch he saw from Joseph Ortiz, increasing the Red Sox’ advantage to 10-2. Ortiz did settle down afterward, though, inducing three straight groundouts to end the inning.

Seven of nine Red Sox hitters have now scored in the game, with only Mike Napoli remaining hitless — although he drove in a run with an RBI flyout in the second and walked twice.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 9-2: The Rangers had a bit of two-out fun in the fourth, getting on the scoreboard for the first time tonight.

After Ryan Dempster retired Nelson Cruz and Mitch Moreland, catcher A.J. Pierzynski’s line drive to right field hopped into the stands for a ground-rule double.

Dempster’s very next pitch was sent into the right field seats by Jeff Baker for a two-run home run, cutting Boston’s lead to a touchdown.

Jurickson Profar then flied out to end the inning. Joe Ortiz will come on to pitch the bottom of the fourth for Texas.

End 3rd, Red Sox 9-0: Most wouldn’t think of Daniel Nava and Mike Carp as the ideal 1-2 punch at the top of the order.

They’ve been just that tonight, though, as both reached base for the third consecutive inning.

Jackie Bradley Jr. was able to put a good jolt into the ball to the opposite field to lead off the frame, but David Murphy ranged back to make the catch in front of the AL East standings.

Nava knocked one “oppo,” as well, with his bouncing into the seats in front of Pesky’s Pole for a ground-rule double. Carp then sent a slider by Michael Kirkman straight back up the middle, scoring Nava from second for Boston’s ninth run of the game.

A double by Dustin Pedroia sent Carp to third, and an intentional walk of Mike Napoli loaded the bases for Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who doubled and scored in the second. Salty was unable to make contact this time, though, striking out on three pitches.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 8-0: There’s our first 1-2-3 inning of the night, as Ryan Dempster retires the Rangers’ top three batters in order.

Dempster struck out both Elvis Andrus, who currently leads all AL shortstops in All-Star voting, and David Murphy before getting Lance Berkman to ground out to second.

Jackie Bradley Jr. will come up first for the Sox in their half of the third, and the rookie draws a big cheer from the Fenway Faithful after his home run last inning.

End 2nd, Red Sox 8-0: It’s kids night here at the ballpark — for the Red Sox, at least. The youngster on the mound for the Rangers isn’t faring so well.

Jose Iglesias, who is playing like he never wants to set foot in Pawtucket again, opened the second inning by roping a double to the wall in right-center field.

Jackie Bradley Jr. then cleared that wall in the next at-bat, sending Justin Grimm’s pitch over the Rangers bullpen for his first career home run.

Another hit, this one a single by Daniel Nava, got some action going in that bullpen, and a four-pitch walk to Mike Carp brought Mike Maddux out to the mound for the second time in two innings.

After Dustin Pedroia flied out to right, David Ortiz tripled — yes, tripled — into the triangle to bring home both Nava and Carp. He proceeded to tag up and score on Mike Napoli’s lineout to left field. The big man is really showing off the wheels tonight.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia got on his horse as well, legging out a wall-ball double to officially put Grimm out of his misery. The final line for the rookie: 1 2/3 innings, eight earned runs, seven hits, three walks, one hit-by-pitch, one home run. Yikes.

Southpaw reliever Michael Kirkman picked up right where his starter left off, allowing an RBI double to deep center field by Stephen Drew before striking out Iglesias to conclude the inning.

Mid 2nd, Red Sox 2-0: Ryan Dempster allowed the first man to reach but was perfect after that, holding the Rangers scoreless again in the second.

A.J. Pierzynski opened the frame with an unplayable ground ball deep in the hole between shortstop and second base.

Jeff Baker, Jurickson Profar and Leonys Martin then went down in order, though — Baker and Martin by way of the K.

Dempster is coming off his best outing in nearly a month — a seven-inning, two-run effort against the Phillies last Tuesday. A brilliant performance by Cliff Lee prevented Dempster from picking up the win in that one (Boston lost 3-1), but the quality start was a welcome sight after three straight clunkers.

Efficiency is always a question mark for Dempster, though. So far, he has thrown 34 pitches, with a 50-50 split of strikes and balls (17-17).

End 1st, Red Sox 2-0: Well, that’s not a bad way to start. The Red Sox sent seven batters to the plate to push across two runs against Justin Grimm in the first.

Daniel Nava opened the inning with a six-pitch walk, and Mike Carp promptly sent him scampering to third with a base hit to right field.

Grimm managed to strike out Dustin Pedroia swinging for out No. 1, but David Ortiz followed with a double off the Monster to bring home Nava for the game’s first run.

Like David Murphy, Grimm was also originally drafted by the Red Sox, but the right-hander chose college over a contract, enrolling at the University of Georgia.

Former Ranger Mike Napoli then drew the second walk of the inning to load the bases, prompting an early mound visit from pitching coach Mike Maddux.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was unable to get the ball out of the infield, but his sharp ground ball was fielded deep on the dirt by first baseman Mitch Moreland, who had no chance for a double play. Ortiz came home from third on the grounder, stretching the Sox’ advantage to 2-0.

Stephen Drew flied out to left to end the inning.

Mid 1st, 0-0: The Rangers put men in scoring position without the ball leaving the infield in the first, but none were able to cross the plate against Ryan Dempster.

Elvis Andrus opened the inning by popping out in foul territory to Mike Napoli, who did a nice tip-toe job to haul the ball in on the edge of the field.

Dempster then missed with two fastballs before plunking David Murphy in the shoulder to put the game’s first runner on base. Murphy, Boston’s top pick in the 2003 draft, was a highly touted prospect in the Red Sox’ system once upon a time. He played in just 23 games for the Sox, though, before being dealt to Texas midway through the 2007 season.

Murphy then advanced to second on a smart play by designated hitter Lance Berkman, who bunted into no man’s land down the third base line when Boston put the shift on.

With one out, Nelson Cruz shattered his bat on a ground ball to second base, with Dustin Pedroia only having time to make the play at second. That allowed Murphy to advance to third, but Dempster got Mitch Moreland to ground out to Pedroia, as well, leaving the runners stranded.

7:12 p.m.: Ryan Dempster’s first pitch to Elvis Andrus misses outside for a ball, and we are underway at Fenway. Dempster will see Andrus, David Murphy and Lance Berkman to get us started.

6:20 p.m.: To any former Little League World Series enthusiasts like myself, the name Jurickson Profar brings back some memories.

For those who haven’t heard of the 20-year-old middle infielder, get familiar. He has all the tools to become this year’s Manny Machado if he’s given the opportunity.

Profar has been impressing scouts for nearly a decade, since leading Curacao to consecutive LLWS title games in 2004 and 2005. He was a star pitcher back then, but he now makes a living with his bat and glove.

After an impressive 2012 that included a September call-up, both Baseball America and MLB.com ranked Profar as the top minor league prospect entering this season. He got off to a hot start with Triple-A Round Rock (.278, four homers, 19 RBIs through 37 games), and an injury to All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler earned him a promotion in mid-May.

In the 10 games since the call-up, Profar has been one of Texas’ best hitters, going 12-for-37 (.324) with six RBIs and two home runs, including a game-winning blast in the eighth inning on Sunday.

The lack of Kinsler and Adrian Beltre takes some of the pop out of one of the league’s most dangerous lineups, but Profar is someone that can make some real noise near the bottom of the order.

5:20 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury got a run in during warmups, but he will not be in the lineup tonight for the Red Sox. Manager John Farrell said the center fielder is progressing and could be back on the field as soon as tomorrow, but it will be Jackie Bradley Jr. patrolling center at Fenway this evening.

Over in the third base dugout, the Rangers are dealing with some injury issues of their own. Second baseman Ian Kinsler, who is suffering from a “stress reaction” in his ribs, has not played since May 17 and will miss at least another 10 days, while Adrian Beltre will sit out his second straight game with a minor hamstring strain.

Avoiding Beltre is good news for Red Sox starter Ryan Dempster, as the third baseman has had success in this ballpark in the past. During his one season with Boston in 2010, Beltre compiled a .314/.359/.521 slash line with 13 homers and 50 RBIs at Fenway Park, though his road statistics were even better. Both he and Kinsler are hitting over .300 this season, and — if you’re into advanced statistics — they rank first and second on the club in WAR (1.9 and 1.6, respectively).

The man to watch tonight is the one replacing Kinsler, but we’ll get to him in a little bit.

Here are the full starting lineups for both teams:

Red Sox
Daniel Nava, LF
Mike Carp, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Stephen Drew, SS
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Jose Iglesias, 3B
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF

Ryan Dempster, RHP

Rangers
Elvis Andrus, SS
David Murphy, LF
Lance Berkman, DH
Nelson Cruz, RF
Mitch Moreland, 1B
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Jeff Baker, 3B
Jurickson Profar, 2B
Leonys Martin, CF

Justin Grimm, RHP

8 a.m. ET: The Red Sox have been truly dominated by just one team this season. That team just so happens to be rolling into Fenway Park tonight, as Boston opens a three-game the American League West-leading Texas Rangers.

Texas swept the Sox in three games down in Arlington earlier this year, owning a 16-4 edge on the scoreboard during the series. That sweep triggered a brutal slide for Boston, which proceeded to drop six of its next eight games upon returning from the Lone Star State.

The Red Sox have been one of the league’s hottest teams since getting off that schneid, though, going 13-6 over their last 19 games. They enter this homestand with the second-best record in the AL — second only to these Rangers.

Former Ranger Ryan Dempster (2-6, 4.45 ERA) will take the hill for Boston in his first start against his former team, while right-hander Justin Grimm — with just 11 major league starts under his belt — will toe the rubber for Texas. Grimm (5-3, 3.93 ERA) has picked up the win in each of his last three starts.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m., but be sure to check back here throughout the day for your starting lineups and a whole lot more.

Final (5 1/2 innings), Red Sox 3-0:

Mother Nature left her fingerprints all over this game, and it’s finally been called. Fortunately for the Red Sox, we’ve played enough baseball for the game to be considered official.

Clay Buchholz earns the win as the Red Sox walk away with a rain-shortened 3-0 victory.

The night started off with a 45-minute rain delay. Then, there was another lengthy rain delay in the sixth inning before action started back up. At that point, two outs were recorded before the tarp was put back onto the field following the conclusion of the top of the sixth. That’s where this one ended.

Buchholz pitched five shutout innings, giving up just two hits and a walk while striking out four.

The Red Sox kicked off their scoring in the fourth inning when Mike Napoli followed up back-to-back singles by Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz with an RBI groundout. Boston added two more runs when Jose Iglesias and Ortiz smack home runs in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively.

The Red Sox’ lead over the Yankees in the American League East increases to three games with the win. In fact, the Orioles, who are 2 1/2 games back of Boston, have jumped ahead of the Yanks.

The Red Sox will return home Tuesday to start up a series against the Rangers. Ryan Dempster will pitch the series opener.

Good night, everyone.

11:45 p.m., Red Sox 3-0: What could make this rain delay even better? Oh yeah, lightning. Well, you’ve got it at Yankee Stadium.

11:26 p.m., Red Sox 3-0: It was fun while it lasted.

Boone Logan entered the game, Mike Napoli was caught stealing, and Logan struck out Jarrod Saltalamacchia on four pitches.

Now, it’s pouring again, and the tarp is back on the field. You can’t make this stuff up.

It looks like Andrew Miller will take over for Clay Buchholz if and when play resumes in the bottom of the sixth inning.

11:23 p.m., Red Sox 3-0: We’re back underway at Yankee Stadium. Boone Logan has taken over for Hiroki Kuroda.

11:20 p.m., Red Sox 3-0: The tarp is coming off the field, which means we should be starting back up soon. If you need a drink, snack, etc., now is the time to do it.

10:45 p.m., Red Sox 3-0: The rain has finally arrived.

It’s coming down in buckets at Yankee Stadium, and we’ll have a rain delay in the sixth inning. This marks the second delay of the game, as the contest started about 45 minutes late because of the threat of rain.

Prior to the precipitation falling, it started raining baseballs in the seats in right field. David Ortiz absolutely crushed a home run to give the Red Sox a 3-0 lead, which is where we stand as Mother Nature laughs at us all.

End 5th, Red Sox 2-0: Clay Buchholz looks fantastic right now.

The right-hander once again kept the Yankees’ offense in check, and he did so via two groundouts and a strikeout.

Kevin Youkilis grounded down to third base, and Ichiro Suzuki grounded down to Mike Napoli at first base.

Buchholz ended the inning by striking out Jayson Nix. Buchholz got him with a four-seamer, which has been excellent in this game.

Buchholz has four strikeouts thus far.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 2-0: Jose Iglesias isn’t going anywhere, folks.

Iglesias just keeps producing, and he did so with some unexpected power in the fifth inning. Hiroki Kuroda left his first pitch over the plate, and Iglesias drilled it into the left field seats.

It was Iglesias’ second career home run, and he continues to show the Red Sox why he belongs in the majors. The Sox will have an interesting decision to make when Will Middlebrooks returns from the disabled list, but given Iglesias’ production all season, I can’t envision any scenario in which he’s sent back to Triple-A.

In fact, the bigger question surrounding Iglesias might be whether or not he could earn himself an everyday spot in the lineup if Middlebrooks and Stephen Drew continue their up-and-down ways.

I actually wrote about that very topic today, so if you’re into reading about Iglesias’ awesomeness, feel free to check out that story at the link below.

Click here to read about Iglesias’ hot streak >>

Daniel Nava, who had four hits out of the leadoff spot on Saturday, also singled in the fifth inning, but Kuroda ensured he didn’t go anywhere.

End 4th, Red Sox 1-0: Clay Buchholz pounded the strike zone and cruised through the fourth inning.

Buchholz struck out both Mark Teixeira and Travis Hafner to begin the inning.

Teixeira fanned on a nasty split-finger, while Hafner went down looking at a beautiful cutter on the outside black. Buchholz needed just three pitches to take care of Hafner.

Vernon Wells made sure Buchholz didn’t strike out the side, but his ground ball to third base was easily taken care of by the slick-fielding Jose Iglesias.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 1-0: The Red Sox have opened up the scoring.

Dustin Pedroia led off the fourth inning with a single into center field. It was an excellent at-bat by Pedroia, who saw seven pitches before hammering a 3-2 sinker back where it came from.

Hiroki Kuroda, who has been sharp for the most part, then fell behind David Ortiz 3-0. Kuroda battled his way back to fill up the count, but Ortiz shot a single into right-center, which allowed Pedroia to go from first to third.

Pedroia came across with the game’s first run when Mike Napoli grounded softly to shortstop Jayson Nix. The Yankees initially thought about a double play, but the ball simply wasn’t hit hard enough.

Kuroda ensured that Pedroia’s run was the only one that crossed in the inning. The right-hander struck out Stephen Drew and Jarrod Saltalamacchia swinging. Salty’s at-bat was rather lengthy, so while he didn’t produce, he certainly helped add to Kuroda’s pitch count.

Kuroda has now thrown 74 pitches through four innings of work after a good set of at-bats by the Boston offense.

End 3rd, 0-0: We’re scoreless through three innings. The Red Sox flashed a little leather in the third.

Austin Romine singled into right field to get the offense going. Brett Gardner then tried to kick things up a notch, but his line drive was snatched out of thin air by Stephen Drew.

Drew even tried to double up Romine after robbing Gardner of a hit, but Mike Napoli was unable to handle the throw in the dirt.

The Red Sox put the shift on with Robinson Cano at the plate with one out. Third baseman Jose Iglesias was pulled all the way over to the right side, and the move paid off.

Cano hit a chopper right at Iglesias, who kicked off an inning-ending double play.

Mid 3rd, 0-0: Hiroki Kuroda has been sharp early on.

Kuroda retired the Red Sox in order in the third inning, and he didn’t really have any issues while doing so.

Jackie Bradley Jr., who had three hits on Saturday, flied out to center field, as did Daniel Nava. Kuroda then struck out Mike Carp to end the inning.

Carp, who has now fanned twice, chased a nasty splitter in the dirt. Catcher Austin Romine made a nice block, and he fired down to first base to finish off the inning-ending out.

End 2nd, 0-0: Ichiro Suzuki scooped up a two-out single in the second, but Clay Buchholz enjoyed an otherwise easy inning.

Vernon Wells and Kevin Youkilis grounded out to short and third base, respectively, before Ichiro’s single. Jayson Nix then ended the inning by going back to Stephen Drew at short.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: The Red Sox threatened to get on the scoreboard, but hot-hitting Jose Iglesias couldn’t provide a timely knock.

David Ortiz led off the inning with a sky-high popup to second base. Mike Napoli, who hit a grand slam in Saturday’s 11-1 win, then got the offense going with a single into left field.

Stephen Drew flied out to left, but Jarrod Saltalamacchia refused to go down as easy. Salty saw six pitches before eventually turning on a sinker on the inside corner. He yanked it into right field, sending Napoli from first to third.

Iglesias couldn’t come through with runners at the corners, though. He grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

End 1st, 0-0: Robinson Cano walked with one down in the first inning, but he was the only hitter to reach against Clay Buchholz.

Buchholz started the inning by getting Brett Gardner to hit a soft ground ball down to first. Mike Napoli fielded it and ended up taking it to the bag himself. It wasn’t without some brief confusion, though. Napoli and Buchholz nearly collided near the bag, but Buchholz was able to literally jump out of the way.

Following Cano’s walk, Buchholz struck out Mark Teixeira. Teixeira has looked rusty in this series — his first since returning from an injury — so the Yankees are certainly hoping he picks it up a bit. Teixeira is a notoriously slow starter, but he can’t afford to have that be the case in June.

Travis Hafner then hit a fly ball down the left field line with two outs. Daniel Nava gave chase over near the line, and he eventually made a basket catch up against the wall in foul territory.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Hiroki Kuroda did a nice job of cruising through the first inning.

Daniel Nava rolled over a splitter to first base for the first out. It looked like Kuroda had struck out Nava, but the Red Sox’ leadoff man actually got a piece of an 0-2 pitch down and out of the zone.

Kuroda did finish the job against Mike Carp. He froze Carp with a nasty pitch on the inside corner.

Dustin Pedroia, who always does a good job of controlling the outer half of the plate, reached out and poked one into right-center field. Brett Gardner glided in to make the easy play, though.

8:51 p.m.: We’ve got baseball. The action is underway at Yankee Stadium.

8:44 p.m.: What a strange “rain delay.” We’re nearing the first pitch, but it hasn’t rained. Oh, the wonders of meteorology.

8:19 p.m.: They’re taking the tarp off the field, so that’s always a good sign. Stay tuned. We should have baseball soon.

8:04 p.m.: The tarp is on the field at Yankee Stadium, so we’re looking at a delay. There’s no rain falling yet, but it’s supposed to begin rolling in soon.

7:52 p.m.: Shane Victorino is eligible to return Wednesday, but the news surrounding the outfielder isn’t encouraging.

It’s beginning to sound like Victorino will need more time to heal before returning to the Red Sox, as he’s still not running at 100 percent.

” The one thing that we’re being cautious with here is that, based on experience of having him come right back [in April] and play successive games [following a back injury], he’s had a couple of those setbacks,” John Farrell told reporters in New York. “We want to be sure that there’s a gradual improvement, which he’s showing. To say that he’s going to go on a rehab assignment [Monday] or the next day is probably a little premature at this point. So we’re just being probably a little overly cautious, given what’s transpired.”

Farrell said that Victorino, who is on the DL with a pulled hamstring, has no issues swinging the bat. The issue lies solely in Victorino’s explosiveness, which is obviously a big part of the outfielder’s game.

6:44 p.m.: It’ll be interesting to see if Clay Buchholz experiences any ill effects from his layoff. It wasn’t real lengthy, but it’s the first time that we’ll get a glimpse of the right-hander since the AC joint issue.

Buchholz has been phenomenal thus far this season. He leads the American League with a 1.73 ERA, and he’s one of three undefeated pitchers with seven or more wins (joining Matt Moore and Max Scherzer). He’s also just the second Red Sox pitcher ever to go 7-0 or better with an ERA below 2.00 through his first 10 starts of a season — Sonny Siebert was the other, in 1971 (8-0, 1.62 ERA).

4:54 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury will once again be out of the Red Sox’ lineup, which means Daniel Nava will once again assume the leadoff duties.

Ellsbury, who injured his groin during Thursday’s win over the Phillies, will miss his third straight game because of the injury. Nava has been plugged into the leadoff spot in each of those games, and he even put together a four-hit performance on Saturday that included a three-run homer in the eighth inning.

Sunday’s complete lineups are below.

Red Sox (34-23)
Daniel Nava, LF
Mike Carp, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Stephen Drew, SS
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Jose Iglesias, 3B
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF

Clay Buchholz, RHP (7-0, 1.73 ERA)

Yankees (31-24)
Brett Gardner, CF
Robinson Cano, 2B
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Travis Hafner, DH
Vernon Wells, LF
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
Ichiro Suzuki, RF
Jayson Nix, SS
Chris Stewart, C

Hiroki Kuroda, RHP (6-3, 2.39 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: What a difference a day makes.

The Red Sox’ bats were kept at bay by CC Sabathia in Friday’s series opener, and they responded by scoring 11 runs and banging out 18 hits in a convincing victory against Phil Hughes and Co. on Saturday. Boston’s win sets up a rubber match between the two teams, and it also ensured that the Red Sox will leave the Bronx will their divisional lead intact, as they enter Sunday’s contest with a two-game edge in the American League East.

Sunday’s series finale should be a doozy. Both clubs will be sending this season’s best to the mound, as Clay Buchholz and Hiroki Kuroda will square off on the national stage.

Buchholz enters Sunday’s game with a perfect 7-0 record, although he hasn’t pitched since May 22 because of an issue with his AC joint, which is located near the collarbone. He was scratched from his start on Monday and then pushed back again later in the week, but the right-hander is ready to go. He pitched seven innings of one-run ball the last time he faced the Yankees, during the season-opening series.

Kuroda is a huge reason the Yankees have enjoyed early-season success. He’s been their most consistent starter, and he enters the game with a 6-3 record and 2.39 ERA. He threw seven shutout innings against the Mets on Tuesday. The last time he faced the Red Sox on April 3 — the same game Buchholz defeated the Yankees — he exited in the second inning because of a bruised finger he suffered on a Shane Victorino line drive.

Sunday’s action is scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m. Go enjoy the sun, but be sure to check back leading up to game time for some updates.

Final, Red Sox 11-1:

Boston racked up 11 runs and 18 hits in the victory, which comes just one night after the Red Sox’ offense was held to one run by CC Sabathia and Co.

Mike Napoli’s grand slam highlighted a five-run third inning that set the tempo. The Red Sox then put the game away late behind home runs from Daniel Nava and Stephen Drew.

Napoli finished the game with three hits, while Nava went 4-for-6 with four RBIs out of the leadoff spot. Jackie Bradley Jr. had three hits, and Drew, Jose Iglesias and Mike Carp did as well.

Felix Doubront pitched six solid innings to pick up his fourth win of the season. He wasn’t dominant, but he is definitely starting to show improvement after some shaky outings earlier in the year.

The Red Sox’ victory sets up a rubber match on Sunday. Clay Buchholz and Hiroki Kuroda will square off, and the action will start up at 8 p.m.

Good night, everyone.

Mid 9th, Red Sox 11-1: The Red Sox’ offense is piling it on.

Stephen Drew got a pitch he could drive, and he did just that. Drew connected on a one-out, solo homer to give the Red Sox a 9-1 lead.

Boston wasn’t done, though.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, smoked a ball over Brett Gardner’s head in center field. The ball kicked up over the fence for a ground-rule double.

Jose Iglesias, who flashed some leather during the last half inning, picked up his second hit of the game. He dropped a single in front of Vernon Wells in left field, and Saltalamacchia came around from second base with Boston’s 10th run.

Jackie Bradley Jr. followed up with a double down the left-field line, which put runners at second and third for Daniel Nava, who homered in the eighth. Nava grounded out to shortstop, but Iglesias scored to give the Red Sox an even 10-run cushion.

The Sox have racked up 11 runs on 18 hits, and it comes just one night after they were shut down by CC Sabathia and Co.

End 8th, Red Sox 8-1: Jose Iglesias really is fun to watch.

Craig Breslow breezed through the eighth inning, which ended with a great play by Iglesias, who keeps flashing the leather regardless of where he plays.

After Robinson Cano grounded out and Mark Teixeira struck out, Vernon Wells hit a slow roller down the third-base line. Iglesias charged in with a full head of steam, made the play and got rid of the ball about as quick as you possibly can as an infielder.

Iglesias’ play was fantastic, and it was even more impressive because of how routine he made it look.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 8-1: The Red Sox have opened this game up a bit, thanks to Daniel Nava.

Nava, who singled in three straight at-bats, crushed a three-run homer into the seats in right-center field. He’s now 4-for-5 in his second game out of the leadoff spot, showing once again that he can wear any hat the Red Sox slap on him.

Adam Warren tried to go upstairs with a fastball to Nava. It was actually up around the lettering, but Nava somehow got on top of it, and he absolutely drilled it.

Prior to Nava’s dinger, which was his eighth of the season, Jose Iglesias and Jackie Bradley Jr. hit back-to-back singles. Iglesias’ hit dropped just in front of Vernon Wells in left field, and Bradley’s knock was yanked into right field, which allowed Iglesias to take third base.

Warren settled down to retire the next three hitters, including David Ortiz, who struck out to end the inning. The Red Sox are in total control of this one, though.

End 7th, Red Sox 5-1: Junichi Tazawa did what he usually does in the seventh inning, and the Red Sox are six outs away from a victory.

Austin Romine grounded out to third base, Brett Gardner flied out to left field and Kevin Youkilis struck out swinging. Youkilis has now struck out three times in this game.

There’s a quick injury update to pass along as well. Yankees catcher Chris Stewart, who exited after the fourth inning, apparently left the game because of dehydration.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 5-1: The Red Sox still own a four-run lead, but they’ve missed some chances.

The latest missed opportunity came in the seventh inning, when the Red Sox put the first two men on, but then failed to score.

David Ortiz led off the inning with a walk. Mike Napoli, whose grand slam is still the difference, then pulled a ball into the 5-6 hole. Shortstop Jayson Nix made a nice, backhanded play, but his throw to second base was off the mark, and both Ortiz and Napoli reached their destinations safely.

Adam Warren, who took over on the mound before the inning started, bounced back to get a big double play. Stephen Drew bounced to Robinson Cano, who kicked of the easy, 4-6-3 twin killing.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia ended the inning by striking out for the third time. He’s now 0-for-4.

Doubront’s night is, in fact, over, as Junichi Tazawa will pitch the bottom of the seventh inning. Doubront gave up just one run on six hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out six and threw 103 pitches (62 strikes). The lefty had a few hiccups with his control, particularly early on, but it was definitely an encouraging outing.

End 6th, Red Sox 5-1: Felix Doubront’s night looks like it’s over, and it’s hard to complain about the results.

Doubront yielded a two-out single in the sixth inning, but he kept the Yankees off the scoreboard, and he’ll now likely depart after six solid innings. Junichi Tazawa has been warming up in the bullpen, and Doubront received some congratulatory handshakes after returning to the dugout.

David Adams was the only man to reach in the sixth. Beyond that, Doubront retired Vernon Wells on a popup to Dustin Pedroia in short right field, and he retired Jayson Nix and Ichiro Suzuki on flyouts.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 5-1: Daniel Nava is having himself a nice night out of the leadoff spot. He has singled in each of his last three at-bats.

Nava hit a line-drive single after Preston Caliborne — who also pitched the tail end of the fifth inning — retired Jose Iglesias and Jackie Bradley Jr. to begin the sixth. Nava has been a great on-base guy all season, and it was reasonable to think that he was the next man up — beyond perhaps Shane Victorino, who is injured — when Jacoby Ellsbury struggled out of the leadoff spot in May.

Mike Carp, who hit an RBI double to kick off the Red Sox’ scoring earlier, added to the threat by dropping a base hit in front of Vernon Wells in left field.

Claiborne avoided any damage by getting Dustin Pedroia to hit a lazy fly ball to right field.

End 5th, Red Sox 5-1: Dustin Pedroia needed to dirty his jersey up a bit.

Pedroia made a great diving play in the fifth inning. His Yankees counterpart, Robinson Cano, grounded a ball up the middle with one out. Pedroia ranged to his right and made an excellent backhanded snag before firing a strong throw to first to complete the out.

Pedroia has played Gold Glove caliber defense all season. It’s interesting, though, that his latest Web Gem came against his biggest competitor when it comes to taking home that hardware.

Felix Doubront struck out Kevin Youkilis and Mark Teixeira as part of the 1-2-3 inning. Youkilis whiffed on a curveball, and Teixeira fanned on a cut-fastball.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 5-1: Phil Hughes’ night ended in the fifth inning.

Hughes started the inning and gave up a single to Dustin Pedroia. Jayson Nix made a nice effort, but the ball scooted into center field. Hughes’ outing ended after he struck out David Ortiz.

The Yankees called upon Preston Claiborne at that point, and Claiborne struck out Mike Napoli in the slugger’s first at-bat since his third-inning grand slam. Claiborne took a little off to get Napoli swinging.

Stephen Drew then singled into center field to put runners at first and second for Jarrod Saltalamacchia, but Salty went down on strikes. Claiborne caught Saltalamacchia looking with a 95-mph fastball, and it marks the second time that the Red Sox catcher has struck out in this game.

Austin Romine replaced Chris Stewart behind the plate before the inning started. It’s unclear what ailment Stewart left with.

End 4th, Red Sox 5-1: Sometimes, the first run is the most difficult to score.

The Yankees certainly hope that’s the case, as they broke through for their first run of the game in the fourth inning. It came on a sacrifice fly from Chris Stewart.

The Yankees’ offense went to work immediately in the fourth. Jayson Nix shot one right back where it came from for a leadoff single, and David Adams yanked a ground ball just past a diving Dustin Pedroia to put two runners on with no outs.

Ichiro Suzuki grounded into a forceout for the first out of the inning, but it left runners at the corners. Stewart cashed in with the sac fly.

Felix Doubront made sure that was all the Yankees got by striking out Brett Gardner. Gardner offered at a curveball down in the zone, and he foul tipped it into Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s mitt to end the inning.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 5-0: Phil Hughes is now tasked with settling down after the Red Sox’ offensive explosion in the third inning. He did a pretty nice job in the fourth.

Hughes picked up two quick outs. Jose Iglesias grounded out to short and Jackie Bradley Jr. flied out to right field.

Daniel Nava ensured that the Red Sox didn’t go down in order by ripping a single into right field. Hughes kept Nava at first base by striking out Mike Carp.

End 3rd, Red Sox 5-0: Robinson Cano connected on a one-out single, but Felix Doubront worked another scoreless inning in the third.

Doubront struck out both Kevin Youkilis and Mark Teixeira in the inning. Youkilis went down looking at a curveball, while Teixeira froze on a fastball.

Vernon Wells grounded into a forceout to end the inning.

Doubront needed that quick inning, which required only 11 pitches. The left-hander threw 49 pitches through the first two innings. That’s 60 total pitches, for all you non-mathematicians.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 5-0: Mike Napoli has been one heck of a run producer this season.

Napoli drove a grand slam over the right-center field fence in the third inning, and the Red Sox have jumped out to a 5-0 lead.

Jackie Bradley Jr. got the big inning started with a double over Brett Gardner’s head in center field. He advanced to third base when Daniel Nava singled into left field.

Boston’s first run of the game came when Mike Carp dropped a fly ball down the left-field line. Vernon Wells gave chase and went into a slide, but the ball dropped just out of his reach. It almost hooked foul, but it landed just inside the line — perhaps even kicking up some chalk.

Phil Hughes bounced back to strike out Dustin Pedroia, and Yankees manager Joe Girardi then decided to walk David Ortiz with first base open. That set up a potential inning-ending double play and brought up Napoli with the bases juiced.

Hughes got ahead of Napoli, but the Red Sox slugger hung tough and eventually went the other way with a fastball on the outside corner.

End 2nd, 0-0: The tightrope walk is on.

Felix Doubront struggled with his control in the second inning, but, like we’ve seen plenty of times before, he escaped the inning unscathed.

Jayson Nix walked to lead off the inning, but Doubront wiped him off the bases by inducing a 4-6-3 double play.

At that point, it looked like Doubront was in line for an easy inning. But Ichiro Suzuki capped off a six-pitch at-bat with a two-out single, and Chris Stewart walked on four pitches to spark a mini rally.

Doubront got ahead of Brett Gardner, and ultimately retired him when Gardner hit a little dribbler in front of the plate. Jarrod Saltalamacchia ran out from behind the dish to make the play.

Doubront has already thrown 49 pitches through two innings.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Mike Napoli kickstarted the offense with a leadoff single, but nothing came of it.

Napoli dropped a base hit right in front of Brett Gardner in right-center field. Gardner dove in an effort to make the play, but he came up just short and trapped it.

Napoli took second base when catcher Chris Stewart got crossed up on a curveball from Phil Hughes. Stewart was expecting a high fastball, but Hughes’ offering dipped near the plate and ended up rolling to the backstop.

The miscommunication put Napoli into scoring position, but it didn’t cost the Yankees. Stephen Drew popped out softly to third baseman David Adams, Jarrod Saltalamacchia flied out to right field and Jose Iglesias struck out swinging.

After watching the replay of Salty’s fly out, which traveled to about the middle of right field, it was clear that he just missed capitalizing on a hanging breaking ball.

End 1st, 0-0: Mark Teixeira got his first hit since returning, and the Yankees put two runners on base. Felix Doubront picked up a big strikeout to end the inning, though, and we’re scoreless after one inning in the Bronx.

Brett Gardner led off by pulling a ground ball over to second base. Kevin Youkilis then walked on five pitches as the Yankees tried to get something going against Doubront.

Robinson Cano got ahead in the count 3-0, which probably had some Red Sox fans yelling at the TV, but Doubront bounced back. The lefty delivered a strike on the inner half of the plate, and then got Cano to lift a harmless fly ball to right field.

Teixeira singled through the left side to put runners at first and second, but Doubront struck out Vernon Wells looking to end the inning.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Phil Hughes issued a one-out walk to Mike Carp, who is batting out of the No. 2 hole for the first time this season. But he went on to finish the inning strong.

Daniel Nava, who is batting leadoff for the second straight night in Jacoby Ellsbury’s absence, put together a good at-bat to begin the ballgame. Hughes fell behind 3-0, and Nava saw six pitches before rolling over a fastball for a game-starting groundout.

Nava saw eight pitches in his first at-bat on Friday. Those are the types of things you like to see out of a fill-in leadoff hitter.

Carp then walked on four pitches, further raising questions about Hughes’ control early on, but the right-hander bounced back to retire Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz.

Pedroia flied out to center field, and Ortiz struck out looking after taking two pitches and fouling off two other pitches to the left side. Ortiz didn’t agree with the final strike call, as the pitch looked low and away.

7:17 p.m.: Phil Hughes’ first pitch to Daniel Nava is a ball, and we’re underway.

7:02 p.m.: Jonny Gomes got his first start of the season in right field on Friday night. Mike Carp will play right field for just the second time in his career on Saturday. The science behind the move, of course, is that Daniel Nava is better equipped to handle Yankee Stadium’s spacious left field.

6:55 p.m.: Dustin Pedroia has started every game this season, meaning he’ll get his 57th start on Saturday. The last player to start each of the Red Sox’ first 57 games at second base was Marty Barrett. (Barrett started Boston’s first 66 games in 1988.)

6:22 p.m.: John Farrell had some interesting things to say about Jose Iglesias before Saturday’s game. Iglesias has been tearing apart big league pitching this season, which understandably has people wondering where he’ll stand when Will Middlebrooks returns from the disabled list.

“We haven’t ruled out that he would remain here in a utility role,” Farrell told reporters. “He’s been exposed more to third than he has been to second. Obviously, we’re more than comfortable with him at shortstop. At some point, if we’re to strongly and surely consider him for a utility role, then he’s got to get some exposure to second base. The one thing we’re cautious of is just the pivot on the double play. I don’t know how you can emulate that in early work or in simulated-type situations, but I think most importantly, we haven’t ruled out him being in a utility role.”

That’s big news. The Red Sox didn’t keep Iglesias as a utility player the last time he was up in the majors for a couple of reasons. First, as Farrell alluded to, Iglesias didn’t have much experience at positions beyond shortstop. And second, utilityman Pedro Ciriaco is out of options, and the club really wanted to hang onto him.

Now, this isn’t to say that Ciriaco’s days in Boston are over. But there needs to be a roster casualty if Iglesias stays up when Middlebrooks returns, and it could end up being Ciriaco, who has had a difficult season.

4:18 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury will be out of the Red Sox’ lineup for the second straight night.

Ellsbury was a late scratch from the lineup on Friday because of a left groin strain, and it appears he’s still feeling some tightness. That means Jackie Bradley Jr. will once again get the start in center field, while Daniel Nava, playing left field, will bat leadoff.

Mike Carp is also penciled into John Farrell’s lineup card with a right-hander on the hill. He’ll play right field and bat second.

The rest of Saturday’s lineups are below.

Red Sox (33-23)
Daniel Nava, LF
Mike Carp, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Stephen Drew, SS
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Jose Iglesias, 3B
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF

Felix Doubront, LHP (3-2, 5.29 ERA)

Yankees (31-23)
Brett Gardner, CF
Kevin Youkilis, DH
Robinson Cano, 2B
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Vernon Wells, LF
Jayson Nix, SS
David Adams, 3B
Ichiro Suzuki, RF
Chris Stewart, C

Phil Hughes (2-3, 4.97 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: Round 1 went to the Yankees. But the fight has just begun.

The Red Sox and Yankees will go toe-to-toe at Yankee Stadium again on Saturday night. The Sox will be looking to bounce back after dropping a 4-1 decision to CC Sabathia and the Yanks on Friday.

Sabathia, who has struggled at times this season, looked like the ace he’s been for much of his career. He pitched into the eighth inning and limited the Boston offense to one run, while Jon Lester struggled with his command en route to his second loss of the season. Felix Doubront and Phil Hughes will be matched up against each other on Saturday, and it’s been an interesting season for both hurlers.

Doubront’s struggles in Boston have been well-documented. He has labored through a number of starts because of lengthy at-bats and high walk totals, but he has shown improvement in his last two outings. He gave up two earned runs on five hits while striking out eight and walking two in his last start against the Indians on Sunday.

Hughes has struggled as well, but he also enters Saturday’s game on the heels of a couple of good outings. Hughes got rocked while lasting less than an inning against the Mariners on May 15, but he surrendered just two runs in six innings against the Orioles on May 21 and one run over seven innings against the Mets on Monday.

The Red Sox enter Saturday’s game with a one-game lead in the American League East, so hold on tight. It should be a fun one.

Saturday’s action is scheduled to kick off at 7:15 p.m. Be sure to keep it right here throughout the day for all sorts of updates and what not.

Final, Yankees 4-1:

Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz both singled with one out to make a little noise. That noise was quickly silenced when Rivera struck out Mike Napoli and got Stephen Drew to ground out back to the mound.

The Yankees moved to within one game of the Red Sox with Friday’s victory, and CC Sabathia was a big reason why New York took the series opener. Sabathia outdueled Jon Lester in a battle of two premier lefties.

Sabathia allowed one run on six hits over 7 1/3 innings. He struck out 10, didn’t walk anyone, and he was in complete control throughout the outing.

Lester, meanwhile, struggled to find a rhythm. He gave up two runs in the second inning, which caused some frustration, and his command wasn’t nearly as good as it’s been at times this season.

The Red Sox and Yankees will do it again on Saturday. Felix Doubront will go up against Phil Hughes, and the action is scheduled to start up at 7:15 p.m.

Good night, everyone.

End 8th, Yankees 4-1: Clayton Mortensen retired the Yankees in order in the eighth inning, but the Red Sox’ offense has its work cut out for it.

Mariano Rivera will enter the game with a three-run cushion. Jonny Gomes, Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz are due up in the ninth inning for Boston.

Mid 8th, Yankees 4-1: The Yankees have the Red Sox right where they want them.

CC Sabathia put the finishing touches on a fantastic performance in the eighth inning. He got Jackie Bradley Jr. to roll a ground ball over to first base for the first out, and he then gave way to the Yankees’ bullpen.

Setup man David Robertson entered the game, and he took care of business. Jose Iglesias flied out and Daniel Nava struck out.

Nava thought he earned a two-out walk against Robertson, but he was rung up on a pitch down in the zone.

The Yankees are now three outs away from a victory with the best closer in the history of baseball waiting in the wings.

End 7th, Yankees 4-1: The Red Sox scored their first run in the seventh inning, but the Yankees got it right back.

Ichiro Suzuki blooped a single into right field with one out, and Chris Stewart followed up with a little roller down the third-base line that ended in an infield single.

That spelled the end of Jon Lester’s night.

The Red Sox turned to Andrew Miller, who came in and gave up an RBI single to Brett Gardner before striking out Kevin Youkilis and Robinson Cano to avoid any additional damage.

Lester exited after 116 pitches (67 strikes). The run in the seventh inning was charged to Lester, meaning he surrendered four runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out five and walked four. Overall, it was a rather mediocre effort, and he never really found much of a rhythm.

Mid 7th, Yankees 3-1: The Red Sox broke through for a run against CC Sabathia in the seventh inning.

Dustin Pedroia, who doubled to the opposite field in the first inning, went the other way again. He sent an 0-1 pitch toward the right-center field gap. Ichiro Suzuki tried to cut it off, but it rolled past him and to the wall for a leadoff double.

Pedroia advanced to third when David Ortiz bounced to first base for the inning’s first out. Pedroia scored when Mike Napoli doubled over Ichiro’s head in right.

Napoli struck out in his first two at-bats, so it’s encouraging to see him make adjustments and put good wood on the ball on a pitch on the outside corner.

Sabathia escaped any further damage by striking out Stephen Drew and retiring David Ross on a groundout to second base.

End 6th, Yankees 3-0: We got a good glimpse of Jackie Bradley Jr.’s range in the sixth inning.

Robinson Cano walked to lead off the inning, and Jon Lester bounced back to strike out Mark Teixeira. Lester went with a fastball low and away, and Teixeira didn’t get the bat off his shoulder. Big Tex also had some choice words for home plate umpire Lance Barksdale as he strolled back to the dugout.

Bradley’s range was on display when Vernon Wells sent the first pitch he saw toward the gap in right-center field. Off the bat, it looked like extra bases. But the rookie took an excellent first step, and he glided over to not only make the play, but also make it look easy.

Jayson Nix flied out to left field to end the inning.

Mid 6th, Yankees 3-0: Jose Iglesias keeps on hitting.

Iglesias singled into center field in the sixth inning, giving him two hits for the game. He now has seven multi-hit games this season, and that’s obviously in limited big league action. It’s becoming increasingly clear that Iglesias doesn’t want to go anywhere once Will Middlebrooks returns from the disabled list.

The Red Sox again couldn’t do anything with the baserunner, though. Daniel Nava waved at a curveball to give CC Sabathia his ninth strikeout of the game, and Jonny Gomes bounced into a tailor-made double play to end the inning.

End 5th, Yankees 3-0: Once Joe Girardi headed back down to the clubhouse after being ejected, Chris Stewart walked to put runners at first and second with one out.

Brett Gardner then struck out, but Kevin Youkilis singled into left field to give the Yankees their third run of the game.

Stewart — anticipating a throw to the plate — tried to go from first to third on Youkilis’ single. Daniel Nava’s throw went to third base, though, and Stewart was nailed to end the inning.

The final out was rather strange. It was a difficult play for Stewart to gauge, and shortstop Stephen Drew was the one who applied the tag — with third baseman Jose Iglesias serving as the cutoff man in that situation.

8:38 p.m., Yankees 2-0: Joe Girardi has been ejected.

The Yankees manager came out to argue a call at second base, and umpire Vic Carapazza eventually had enough.

The play in question was a forceout at second. Ichiro Suzuki grounded back to the mound after David Adams was hit by a pitch. Jon Lester made the play, but his throw to second forced Stephen Drew to stretch. Girardi thought Drew’s foot came off the bag, but the ump ruled that it did not.

Mid 5th, Yankees 2-0: CC Sabathia needed to play the role of stopper, and he has taken care of business through five innings of work.

Sabathia, who fanned Mike Napoli to end the fourth inning, struck out the side in the fifth. He now has eight strikeouts total.

Stephen Drew, David Ross and Jackie Bradley Jr. fell victim to Sabathia in the fifth inning. Drew and Ross both went down hacking at sliders, while Bradley looked at a sinker.

Sabathia actually fell behind Bradley 3-0 before battling back to strike out the rookie.

End 4th, Yankees 2-0: Jon Lester enjoyed his second straight effective inning in the fourth.

The left-hander looked doomed earlier in the game, as he struggled to locate his pitches, which inevitably caused some frustration to settle in. Lester escaped the second inning via an inning-ending double play, however, and the lefty has really settled down since.

Mark Teixeira and Vernon Wells both grounded out to Stephen Drew at short in the fourth inning. Jayson Nix, who connected on an RBI single earlier, then hit a hot shot to third base that Jose Iglesias picked on the back hand.

Mid 4th, Yankees 2-0: The Red Sox generated a baserunner in each of the first three innings. They did not do such in the fourth inning.

CC Sabathia, who tossed just eight pitches in the third inning, is doing a good job of pounding the strike zone. He retired the Red Sox in order in the fourth.

Sabathia needed to work a little bit at the beginning of the inning. Dustin Pedroia hit a roller in front of the mound that Sabathia scooped up and fired to first.

David Ortiz then bounced down to first base before Sabathia struck out Mike Napoli swinging to end the inning. Napoli has fanned twice in this game.

8:14 p.m., Yankees 2-0: Kate Upton is at the game. So there’s that.

End 3rd, Yankees 2-0: Jon Lester did an excellent job of bouncing back in the third inning.

Lester was already up to 47 pitches after a lengthy second inning in which he surrendered two runs. The lefty kept his emotions in check, though, and he retired the Yankees in order in the third on 13 pitches.

Brett Gardner flied out to center field and Kevin Youkilis grounded out to short. Lester then ended the inning by striking out Robinson Cano with a pitch on the outside corner.

Lester hasn’t gotten many calls early on, but the pitch to sit down Cano could have gone either way. It was located down and away from the All-Star second baseman.

Mid 3rd, Yankees 2-0: The Red Sox have had a baserunner in all three innings, but they have nothing to show for it.

Jose Iglesias led off the third inning with a line-drive single into center field. CC Sabathia flailed his glove in an attempt to knock it down, but he had no chance.

Iglesias took a hard turn around first base, and he appeared to grimace after throwing on the brakes. He stayed in the game and appears OK, but it’s at least worth monitoring as we move forward in this game.

Iglesias was quickly wiped off the basepaths when Daniel Nava grounded into a 5-4-3 double play. It took a very quick turn from Robinson Cano at second base to execute the twin killing.

Jonny Gomes, who struck out in his first at-bat, flied out to center field on the first pitch he saw to end the inning. Sabathia needed just eight pitches to retire the Red Sox in order.

End 2nd, Yankees 2-0: Jon Lester looked frustrated in the second inning. It’s somewhat understandable, too, as he didn’t get too many calls.

Lester wasn’t a big fan of home plate umpire Lance Barksdale’s strike zone. The left-hander worked extensively in an inning in which the Yankees struck for two runs on three hits and a walk.

Mark Teixeira, who is making his much-anticipated return, earned a free pass to lead off the inning. Lester got to two strikes on Teixeira, but he missed the outside corner with his 3-2 pitch.

Vernon Wells then jumped on a changeup from Lester, and he drove it over Jackie Bradley Jr.’s head in center field. Wells cruised into second with a double, setting up runners at second and third for Jayson Nix.

Nix opened up the scoring with a single into left field. Lester got ahead with a nice cutter, but his 0-1 curveball hung right over the insid corner, and Nix yanked it through the 5-6 hole.

Ichiro Suzuki added to the lead with a single of his own, and at that point, the Yankees looked poised to add more. Fortunately for Lester, he minimized the damage by inducing an inning-ending double play.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: David Ross is off to a nice start.

Ross entered the game 0-for-7 with seven strikeouts since returning from the seven-day concussion disabled list. He threw out Brett Gardner in the first inning, and he doubled down the line with two outs in the second inning.

But that was the only offense the Sox generated against CC Sabathia, who now has four strikeouts through two frames.

Sabathia struck out Mike Napoli and Jackie Bradley Jr. in the second inning. Napoli fanned on a fastball after getting ahead in the count 3-0, and Bradley whiffed on a slider in the dirt.

End 1st, 0-0: Jon Lester’s command wasn’t all that great in the first inning, but he worked around a leadoff walk to toss a scoreless frame.

Brett Gardner walked on five pitches, and Kevin Youkilis worked the count full. Joe Girardi then put Gardner in motion, which proved to be disastrous for the Yankees.

Lester struck out Youkilis swinging on a fastball, and David Ross delivered a perfect throw to second base to gun down Gardner. Lester’s 3-2 pitch was certainly a big one, as walking Youkilis in that situation would have really put the wheels in motion on the Yankees’ offense.

You can’t fault Girardi for sending Gardner in that situation, either. Gardner has great speed and Youkilis is a guy who handles the bat well.

Robinson Cano bounced out to third base to end the inning.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Daniel Nava doesn’t seem like a prototypical leadoff hitter on the surface. But he’s a very patient hitter, and that made him a logical choice to place atop the order in Jacoby Ellsbury’s absence.

Nava struck out in the first inning, but he saw eight pitches — fouling off three of them — before CC Sabathia sat him down. Obviously, the end result wasn’t what Nava and the Red Sox were hoping for, but making a pitcher work is an important aspect of batting leadoff.

Sabathia also struck out Jonny Gomes. Sabathia fell behind Gomes, but the slugger missed with a big cut in a 2-0 count. The Yankees ace finished off Gomes with a fastball up in the zone. Gomes thought the pitch was a bit high, but home plate umpire Lance Barksdale felt differently, and he rung him up.

Dustin Pedroia tried to get something going with two outs. He lined a pitch on the outside corner down the right-field line for a double. Sabathia escaped the inning unscathed by getting David Ortiz to fly out to left.

7:08 p.m.: The first pitch to Daniel Nava is a strike, and we’re underway.

6:46 p.m.: Jon Lester will be looking to build on the success he has had at the new Yankee Stadium, which opened up in 2009.

Lester is 7-2 with a 4.14 ERA in 12 career starts at the new Yankee Stadium. The seven wins are the most by a visitor at the ballpark and three more than the next-highest total.

Lester enters Friday’s start on the heels of a subpar performance in his last outing. The lefty gave up four runs on 10 hits over seven innings against the Indians on Saturday. He received a no-decision, although the Red Sox ended up winning that game.

Sabathia, who was the American League Cy Young in 2007 and who has been an absolute workhorse for the Yankees since singing with the club before the ’09 season, has been up and down a bit this year. He was touched up for seven runs on eight hits in seven innings against the Rays in his last start on Sunday.

6:14 p.m.: YES Network’s Chris Shearn was kind enough to have me on his Off the Wall podcast on Thursday. We talked about the season that both the Red Sox and Yankees are having thus far, and we took a look at the weekend series. If you’re looking for something to do before game time, have a listen at the link below.

Click here for a Red Sox-Yankees podcast >>

5:55 p.m.: How about a quick happy birthday to Andrew Bailey? The Red Sox closer turned 29 on Friday.

5:17 p.m.: It’s worth noting that Daniel Nava will play left field while Jonny Gomes will play right field.

Typically, when both guys have been in the lineup, it’s been the other way around. Since Yankee Stadium has a spacious left field and a short porch in right field, however, John Farrell opted to flip-flop the two outfielders.

5:11 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury, who reached base five times and set a Red Sox single-game record with five stolen bases against the Phillies on Thursday, was originally penciled into John Farrell’s lineup card on Friday. Ellsbury apparently felt tightness in his groin area after his fifth stolen base, though, and he is a late scratch.

In Ellsbury’s absence, Daniel Nava will assume the Red Sox’ leadoff duties. The decision to bat Nava leadoff makes sense, especially with Shane Victorino still on the disabled list, as he enters the game with a .398 on-base percentage.

Ellsbury’s absence also means that rookie Jackie Bradley Jr., who was recalled on Wednesday, will be thrust into Boston’s lineup. He’ll play center field and bat eighth.

It’s interesting that both Bradley and Jose Iglesias will be in the lineup against the Yankees on Friday. Both played well during the teams’ first series of the year, and now they’re both back to face the Bronx Bombers after a brief stint down in Pawtucket.

The Yankees’ lineup card also comes with some news. Both Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis will return on Friday.

The rest of Friday’s lineups are below.

Red Sox (33-22)
Daniel Nava, LF
Jonny Gomes, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Stephen Drew, SS
David Ross, C
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Jose Iglesias, 3B

Jon Lester, LHP (6-1, 3.34 ERA)

Yankees (30-23)
Brett Gardner, CF
Kevin Youkilis, DH
Robinson Cano, 2B
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Vernon Wells, LF
Jayson Nix, SS
David Adams, 3B
Ichiro Suzuki, RF
Chris Stewart, C

CC Sabathia, LHP (4-4, 3.96 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: They meet again.

Roughly two months after kicking off the season with a showdown in the Bronx, Jon Lester and CC Sabathia will go toe-to-toe as the Red Sox and Yankees open up a three-game set at Yankee Stadium.

The Sox enter the series with a two-game lead in the American League East, and a good showing this weekend would not only allow them to increase their edge, but it would also go a long way toward proving that they’re for real this season. The Yankees, on the other hand, are looking to bounce back after dropping five straight games.

It’s always interesting when these two teams play each other, but it’s even more exciting when two aces square off. Lester enters the game with a 6-1 record and 3.34 ERA, while Sabathia enters with a 4-4 record and 3.96 ERA.

The Red Sox took two out of three when these two clubs played in April. Doing so this time around would be big, especially with the Rangers, Angels, Rays, Orioles, Tigers and Rockies on the Red Sox’ schedule for June.

Friday’s action is scheduled to kick off at 7:05 p.m. ET. Be sure to tune in on NESN, and keep it right here with NESN.com throughout the day.

Final, Red Sox 9-2:

Jacoby Ellsbury was the big story in this one. Ellsbury, who reached base five times via three singles and two walks, set a Red Sox single-game record with five stolen bases.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia also turned in a nice night at the plate, hammering a two-run double in the first inning and another RBI double in the ninth inning. Jose Iglesias, meanwhile, recorded his sixth multi-hit game of the season.

Franklin Morales earned the win for Boston after going five strong innings in his first start of 2013. The left-hander allowed two runs on four hits, while striking out two and walking two. He threw 79 pitches (49 strikes), and even looked like he wanted to continue pitching as John Farrell took him out. (Both runs that Morales surrendered came on Delmon Young’s first-inning home run.)

The Red Sox, who took two of their four games against the Phillies, will now head to the Bronx for a three-game series with the Yankees. Things should be intense from the get-go, as Jon Lester and CC Sabathia will square off in Game 1.

Friday’s game is scheduled to start up 7:05 p.m. Be sure to tune in on NESN, and check back with NESN.com throughout the day.

Good night, everyone.

Mid 9th, Red Sox 9-2: The Red Sox now hold a commanding lead, as they pushed across three more runs in the ninth.

Jackie Bradley Jr., batting for the first time, singled into left field to pick up his first hit since being recalled on Wednesday. The hit also broke up an 0-for-21 slump that Bradley was in at the major league level.

Mike Napoli nearly added two runs by himself, but his drive to right field plunked off the wall. Bradley scampered to third base, setting up runners at the corners for Stephen Drew.

Drew grounded to second base, but Cesar Hernandez’s only play was to first. That plated Bradley with Boston’s seventh run and sent Napoli up to second.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia then missed a home run by inches, and ended up with an RBI double. Salty had a two-run double back in the first inning, so the ninth-inning RBI really slaps a bow on a nice effort by the Boston backstop.

Jose Iglesias added one more run with an RBI double to left field. He’s 2-for-5 in the game, and he now has six multi-hit games this season. That’s in limited big league action, too.

Andrew Bailey will pitch the ninth inning for the Sox.

End 8th, Red Sox 6-2: Junichi Tazawa yielded a two-out hit to Cesar Hernandez, but that was the only offense generated by Philadelphia in the eighth inning.

Tazawa struck out Laynce Nix and Ben Revere before Hernandez’s two-out knock. The right-hander showed some great downward movement on his pitches to both hitters.

It was somewhat surprising to see Tazawa enter the game after Clayton Mortensen batted for himself in the top of the eighth, but that was the case, and he got the job done.

Jimmy Rollins grounded out to the inning.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 6-2: Jacoby Ellsbury made history in the eighth inning.

Ellsbury, who reached base for the fifth time with a two-out single, picked up his fifth stolen base of the game. That’s a new Red Sox single-game stolen base record.

Ellsbury is 3-for-3 with three singles and two walks. His fifth stolen base came with Michael Stutes pitching. Erik Kratz’s throw from behind the plate actually traveled into center field, allowing Ellsbury to advance to third base, but the Red Sox didn’t do any more damage on the scoreboard.

Ellsbury now leads the American League with 21 thefts on the season.

Junichi Tazawa will pitch the bottom of the eighth for Boston.

End 7th, Red Sox 6-2: Clayton Mortensen hit Erik Kratz with two outs. It was an offspeed pitch and there was obviously no intent, though.

That was the only runner to reach against Mortensen in the seventh.

Mortensen struck out Domonic Brown, who has been a thorn in the Red Sox’ side, to begin the inning. The right-hander then wrapped two groundouts after the hit batsman.

Mortensen is scheduled to bat second in the top of the eighth, so we’ll see if John Farrell lets him hit in order to get another inning out of him.

The Red Sox have already made a few changes in this game. Jackie Bradley Jr. is now playing left field, and Mike Napoli is playing first base.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 6-2: David Ortiz just got under Jonathan Papelbon’s offering in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s game. He didn’t miss Jeremy Horst’s pitch in the seventh inning of this one.

Ortiz lifted a 1-1 fastball into the right-field seats to push the Red Sox’ lead back to four runs. The Sox, of course, grabbed a four-run lead in the first inning, but the Phillies cut into the deficit with a two-run inning of their own.

Ortiz’s night could be over, as Mike Napoli pinch-hit for Mike Carp. If it is, that’s a heck of a way to go out.

End 6th, Red Sox 5-2: Craig Breslow was the first Red Sox reliever called upon, and he made quick work of the Phillies in the sixth inning.

Breslow retired Cesar Hernandez, Jimmy Rollins and Delmon Young in order. Hernandez and Rollins both grounded out, and Young struck out.

Breslow got Young swinging on a 92-mph fastball.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 5-2: Who says Jonny Gomes can’t hit lefties?

John Farrell called upon Gomes with two outs in the sixth inning, even with left-hander Jeremy Horst pitching, and Gomes rewarded the skipper’s faith by launching a solo homer.

The decision actually wasn’t all that difficult for Farrell to make, with Franklin Morales due up and a desire to save Mike Napoli for the later innings. But Gomes’ home run off a lefty is a welcome surprise for the Red Sox, nonetheless.

Gomes got a pitch down and in, and he drove it into the seats in left-center field.

Jacoby Ellsbury kept causing trouble in the sixth inning as well. He was hit by a pitch immediately after Gomes’ home run — which prompted warnings to be issued to both sides — and he proceeded to swipe two more bases. That gives Ellsbury four stolen bases in the game and an AL-leading 20 this season.

End 5th, Red Sox 4-2: Franklin Morales’ outing appears to be over, but the left-hander provided the Red Sox with exactly what they needed.

Morales, who gave up two runs in the first inning, settled down nicely. If this is the end of his night — and it looks that way with John Farrell giving Morales a congratulatory handshake in the dugout and Craig Breslow warming up in the bullpen — Morales ended the start with a solid frame.

Freddy Galvis popped out, and Michael Martinez and Ben Revere lined out. Martinez — pinch-hitting for Phillies starter Jonathan Pettibone — hit a rocket down to third base, but Jose Iglesias made a leaping catch for the second out of the inning.

Morales went five innings in his first start since being activated off the disabled list. He allowed two runs on four hits, striking out two and walking two. The only runs against Morales came on Delmon Young’s first-inning homer.

Morales tossed 79 pitches (48 strikes). It looks like he wants to stay in the game a little longer, but that isn’t going to happen, especially with him scheduled to bat third in the sixth inning.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 4-2: David Ortiz walked to lead off the fifth inning, but this time, the Phillies benefited from an inning-ending double play.

Mike Carp flied out to center field after Ortiz’s leadoff walk. Then, Stephen Drew bounced a four-seamer over to second baseman Cesar Hernandez. Hernandez tagged Ortiz between first and second, spun and tossed to first to complete the double play.

Hernandez is playing in just his second major league game. He already picked up a hit earlier. Toss in this nifty double play, and it’s already a good night for the rookie.

End 4th, Red Sox 4-2: Nothing kills a rally quite like a double play.

Franklin Morales escaped a huge jam in the fourth inning via a 6-4-3 twin killing, and the Red Sox still own a 4-2 lead.

Morales, who began to pound the strike zone a lot more frequently in the third inning, struggled with his control in the fourth. Walks to Jimmy Rollins and Kevin Frandsen, along with a single by Domonic Brown, loaded the bases for Philadelphia with one out.

After Frandsen’s free pass loaded the bases, Red Sox pitching coach Juan Nieves went out to the mound for a chat, and it proved to be an important conversation. Morales, who almost threw a couple of wild pitches in the inning (credit Jarrod Saltalamacchia for saving the day), induced a ground ball with Erik Kratz at the plate to squash the rally.

Stephen Drew and Dustin Pedroia each chipped in nicely on the double play. Drew charged in and made a quick toss to Pedroia, who needed to dive to his right while firing a strong throw to first.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 4-2: Jacoby Ellsbury is really starting to elevate his game.

Ellsbury walked for the second time in the fourth inning, and he’s now been on base three times. Ellsbury then stole his second base of the contest, giving him an American League-leading 18 thefts on the season.

The Red Sox couldn’t cash in on Ellsbury’s magic, though. Franklin Morales struck out before Ellsbury went to work in the fourth inning, and Daniel Nava and Dustin Pedroia both flied out against Jonathan Pettibone to end the frame.

Pettbone — like Morales — is starting to settle in a bit.

End 3rd, Red Sox 4-2: Franklin Morales is starting to pound the strike zone, and that’s typically when he’s at the top of his game.

Morales struck out his counterpart, Jonathan Pettibone, to begin the inning, and then Mike Carp took part in what was essentially some fielding practice.

Ben Revere and Cesar Hernandez hit nearly identical line drives to Carp in left field, and Carp hauled in both of them.

Carp has been busy early on, and he’s handled the workload well. Carp had some trouble in the field on Wednesday, so he’s certainly making some adjustments.

Morales tossed 12 pitches in the inning, and seven of them came against Pettibone. The left-hander has thrown 44 pitches overall, and his pitch limit is expected to be around 80-85 pitches in his first start of the season.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 4-2: Stephen Drew walked with one down, but that was the only hiccup of the inning for Jonathan Pettibone, who labored through the first two innings.

Pettibone sandwiched Drew’s walk between strikeouts against Mike Carp and Jarrod Saltalamacchia — both of whom drove in runs as part of Boston’s four-run first inning. Both hitters went down swinging on a fastball.

The inning ended with Jose Iglesias lining out to second base. Cesar Hernandez made a good sliding grab to snag the liner in the air.

End 2nd, Red Sox 4-2: Franklin Morales settled down in the second inning after surrendering a two-run homer in the first.

Morales retired Kevin Frandsen, Erik Kratz and Freddy Galvis in order.

Jose Iglesias made a nice backhanded play down the line at third base and delivered a strong throw to first to end the inning. That’s encouraging, considering Iglesias is still settling in down at the hot corner since being recalled.

Mid 2nd, Red Sox 4-2: The Red Sox stranded a pair of runners in the second inning.

Jacoby Ellsbury, who singled in his first at-bat, worked a one-out walk to start up a little rally. He then wreaked some havoc on the basepaths, swiping second base with two outs and Dustin Pedroia at the plate.

Pedroia ended up hitting a chopper down to third base. Freddy Galvis charged in and tried to make a barehanded play, but the ball shot past him. Ellsbury took a wide turn around third base, but Jimmy Rollins did a nice job of backing Galvis up and keeping Ellsbury at third.

David Ortiz then lifted a fly ball to center field. At first glance, it looked like it might carry, as that’s been the case at Citizens Bank Park thus far. However, Ben Revere had plenty of room to make the inning-ending grab with runners stranded at the corners.

End 1st, Red Sox 4-2: The ball is flying out of the park already.

The Phillies connected on three home runs in Wednesday’s game, and Delmon Young cut Philadelphia’s deficit in half with a long ball in the first inning of this game.

Cesar Hernandez, who made his major league debut on Wednesday, picked up his first career hit in the first inning. That helped pave the way for Young’s two-out dinger, which landed in the seats in right-center field.

Domonic Brown, who launched two homers on Wednesday, singled after Young went deep. He was caught stealing to end the inning, though.

Franklin Morales was a little shaky in his first inning of the season, but his pickoff move helped keep Brown close to the bag at first, ultimately setting up the inning-ending caught-stealing.

Mid 1st, Red Sox 4-0: The Red Sox’ offense has been treacherous for rookie starting pitchers this season. Jonathan Pettibone is looking like the next victim.

The Red Sox wasted no time in building a 4-0 lead in the first inning.

Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a single into left field, and Daniel Nava followed with a base hit up the middle past the outstretched glove of Cesar Hernandez. Ellsbury threw on the jets, rounded second and cruised into third base to set up runners at the corners with no outs.

With Dustin Pedroia at the plate, Nava started, stopped and then started again toward second base. Pedroia bounced a ground ball to second, but because Nava was already motoring toward the bag, the Phillies were unable to turn a double play. Instead, Hernandez fired to first for the sure out while Ellsbury scored the game’s first run.

David Ortiz, who is getting the start at first base, walked on five pitches before Mike Carp extended the Red Sox’ lead with an RBI single into right field.

Stephen Drew struck out swinging for the second out, but Jarrod Saltalamacchia doubled Boston’s offense by pulling a two-run double down into the right-field corner.

The Red Sox scored just four runs total over the last two games, but they’re already rolling in this one.

7:07 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury takes the first pitch of the game for a ball, and we’re underway.

6:56 p.m.: Lou Ferrigno to the Phillie Phanatic. If that’s not the best first pitch ever thrown, I don’t know what is.

5:45 p.m.: It’ll be nice to see Franklin Morales for the first time this season. Morales entered spring training with a lower back strain, and then developed an issue in his pectoral muscle during his 30-day rehab stint, but he’s ready to roll now.

If Morales can pitch like he did last season, he could become a valuable contributor. Morales is capable of serving as both a reliever and a spot starter, and he was actually one of Boston’s few bright spots during a disappointing 2012 season.

Morales went 3-4 with a 3.77 ERA in 37 games overall last season. He went 3-3 with a 4.14 ERA in nine starts.

5:12 p.m.: The ideal scenario for the Red Sox, obviously, is to have David Ortiz serve as the designated hitter. Ortiz has actually hit well while playing first base in the past, though.

Ortiz has hit 19 home runs in 169 at-bats while playing first base since the start of 2005. His 8.89 at-bats per homer as a first baseman leads the majors among those with a minimum of 100 plate appearances.

4:14 p.m.: David Ortiz and Mike Napoli will flip-flop on Thursday. Napoli, who started Wednesday’s game, will get the night off, while Ortiz will play first base and hit cleanup.

Mike Carp will get another start in left field with a right-hander on the hill, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia will be behind the dish for Franklin Morales’ first action of 2013.

The rest of Thursday’s lineups are below.

Red Sox (32-22)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Daniel Nava, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, 1B
Mike Carp, LF
Stephen Drew, SS
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Jose Iglesias, SS
Franklin Morales, LHP (0-0 —)

Phillies (26-27)
Ben Revere, CF
Cesar Hernandez, 2B
Jimmy Rollins, SS
D. Young, RF
Domonic Brown, LF
Kevin Frandsen, 1B
Erik Kratz, C
Freddy Galvis, 3B
Jonathan Pettibone, RHP (3-0, 3.21 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: The Red Sox did their best to exact some revenge against Jonathan Papelbon on Wednesday, but the Phillies closer ultimately did his job and secured a second straight win for Philadelphia.

The Sox and Phils will close out their home-and-home series on Thursday with a clash in The City of Brotherly Love. On Wednesday, the Red Sox made a valiant effort to rally from two runs down in the ninth inning, but Papelbon got Daniel Nava to ground out to end the game with the potential tying run on third base and the potential winning run on second.

Franklin Morales, who was activated off the disabled list on Tuesday, will now be under some increased pressure when making his season debut on Thursday. The Red Sox certainly want to avoid losing three straight, especially with three games coming up against the Yankees this weekend.

Morales will be opposed by rookie Jonathan Pettibone. It marks the sixth time this season that Boston will face a rookie starting pitcher. The previous five rookie starters who went up against the Red Sox put together a 11.65 ERA (22 earned runs in 17 innings). That certainly bodes well for Boston, but as Philadelphia has proven the last two nights, there’s no such thing as a gimme.

Thursday’s action is scheduled to kick off at 7:05 p.m. Be sure to tune in on NESN and follow along right here.

Final, Phillies 4-3:

Jackie Bradley Jr. batted in the pitcher’s spot to begin the ninth inning. It was his first at-bat since being recalled, and he struck out swinging.

Stephen Drew made sure the Red Sox didn’t go quietly, though. He put together a great at-bat that ended with an eight-pitch walk off the Phillies closer, setting the stage for another Papelbon-David Ortiz showdown.

Ortiz took the first pitch he saw from Papelbon before putting a big swing on the second pitch. Ortiz actually got a pretty good pitch to hit, but he just got under it, and the slugger was retired on a flyout to right field.

The Red Sox kept fighting. Jonny Gomes shot a base hit into right field to put the tying run on for Jacoby Ellsbury. Ellsbury then blooped a ball down the left field line that Domonic Brown couldn’t haul in on a diving attempt. Brown probably should have made the play, but it landed just beyond his glove and briefly rolled away, allowing Drew to score. Gomes advanced to third base, and Ellsbury made it to second base with a double.

Unfortunately for the Red Sox, Daniel Nava couldn’t put the finishing touches on the comeback. He grounded out to first base to end the ballgame.

Domonic Brown, despite the strange effort on Ellsbury’s fly ball in the ninth, played a big role in the win. He smacked two home runs, including one to extend Philadelphia’s lead in the eighth inning. (That obviously proved to be an important run.)

Ryan Howard and Erik Kratz also homered for Philadelphia, while Nava homered for Boston.

John Lackey pitched pretty well in his six innings of work, but he’ll take the loss while Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick picks up the win.

The Red Sox and Phillies will be in action again Thursday. Franklin Morales will take the ball in a spot start as the Sox try to avoid dropping three straight. Thursday’s game is scheduled to kick off at 7:05 p.m.

Good night, everyone.

End 8th, Phillies 4-2: Jonathan Papelbon will look to make it two straight nights with a save against the Red Sox.

Papelbon will also have a little extra cushion to work with now, as Domonic Brown connected on his second home run of the game in the eighth inning. Brown turned on a 1-2 splitter from Koji Uehara, and he lifted it into the first row in right field for his 13th dinger of the season.

Uehara settled down after the home run to retire Erik Kratz, Freddy Galvis and Cesar Hernandez in order, but that fourth run could end up being huge, especially with Papelbon on the hill.

Papelbon is 10-for-10 in save opportunities this season. The Red Sox still have David Ortiz at their disposal.

Mid 8th, Phillies 3-2: Dale Scott’s strike zone isn’t pleasing too many hitters.

Dustin Pedroia flied out to right field to lead off the eighth inning, and Mike Napoli struck out swinging. Napoli looked fooled by Mike Adams’ 1-2 pitch, and he couldn’t get the bat off his shoulder.

It would have been hard to argue about the pitch that sat down Napoli, as it was right down the middle. But the pitch that Jarrod Saltalamacchia struck out on seemed a bit low. That’s probably what the Red Sox catcher tried to explain to Scott after he was rung up to end the inning.

End 7th, Phillies 3-2: The Phillies left a huge, bases-loaded opportunity on the table in the seventh inning.

Andrew Miller took over on the mound after John Farrell opted for a double-switch. Jonny Gomes, who batted for John Lackey, replaced Mike Carp in left field, and the pitcher will now bat out of the sixth spot in the Red Sox’ order.

Miller retired Cesar Hernandez, who is making his major league debut, for the first out, but he ran into some trouble from there.

Ben Revere singled, and then both Kevin Frandsen and Jimmy Rollins walked to load the bases for Ryan Howard, who already hit a home run earlier. It was a huge jam, but Miller came up with big-time strikeout. The lefty struck out Howard on three pitches, even blowing a 98-mph fastball by the slugger in an 0-2 count.

The Red Sox turned to Koji Uehara to get the final out, and Uehara responded by getting John Mayberry to pop out to short. We all know Uehara tends to get fired up after a successful inning, and that great escape really got him jacked and pumped.

Lackey gave up three earned runs on six hits over six innings before departing. He struck out five, walked three and threw 98 pitches (60 strikes).

Mid 7th, Phillies 3-2: There are a lot of times when you can point to one single pitch as a huge moment in a game. We may have had that pitch/moment in the seventh inning.

The Red Sox began threatening against the new pitcher, Antonio Bastardo, when Jose Iglesias lined a one-out double down the left field line.

With John Lackey due up, John Farrell turned to Jonny Gomes as a pinch-hitter, and Gomes took a pitch off the wrist area to set up runners at first and second.

After a quick mound visit, Bastardo went to work against Jacoby Ellsbury in a crucial showdown. Ellsbury jumped ahead in the count 2-1 before fouling off a couple of pitches. Bastardo tried to get Ellsbury with a pitch in the dirt, but the Red Sox’ leadoff man laid off to run the count full.

That’s when the big pitch came.

Bastardo tried to grab the outside corner with a fastball. Ellsbury thought the pitch was outside, but home plate umpire Dale Scott rung him up for the second out. It’s clear that Scott is willing to give that pitch to the pitcher in this game, as Ryan Howard struck out against John Lackey on a similar offering earlier.

Daniel Nava tried to make up for Ellsbury’s strikeout, but he grounded to second base. Kevin Frandsen fielded the ball on a weird, in-between hop, and he won the race to the bag for the inning’s final out.

Andrew Miller will take over on the mound for Boston in the seventh.

End 6th, Phillies 3-2: Kyle Kendrick used an inning-ending double play to escape a jam in the top of the sixth inning. John Lackey did the same in the bottom half.

Delmon Young walked to lead off the sixth, and he was replaced by a pinch runner in John Mayberry. Mayberry quickly moved up into scoring position by swiping second base.

Mayberry then advanced to third base when Domonic Brown grounded out, and Erik Kratz walked to put runners at the corners with one out.

Lackey nearly walked the bases loaded, as he fell behind Freddy Galvis 3-0. The righty benefited from a high strike call to keep the at-bat going, though, and he then got Galvis to ground into a huge 4-6-3 double play.

That’ll likely be the end of Lackey’s outing. He’s up to 98 pitches, and he’s due up third in the seventh.

Mid 6th, Phillies 3-2: A couple of home runs in this game have been a product of the ballpark, but Daniel Nava’s blast in the sixth inning probably would have left the yard anywhere.

Kyle Kendrick jumped ahead of Nava 0-2, but he left his next pitch over the inner half of the plate. It was right in the sweet zone, and Nava didn’t disappoint. He drove it down the right field line with authority to cut Philadelphia’s lead in half.

Dustin Pedroia reached after grounding to third base. Freddy Galvis charged in, made the play and delivered a good, strong throw, but Ryan Howard just didn’t catch it at first base.

Mike Napoli, who entered the game leading the majors with 4.47 pitches seen per plate appearance, added to threat with a seven-pitch walk. But Kyle Kendrick escaped the inning by getting Mike Carp to ground into a 1-6-3 double play.

End 5th, Phillies 3-1: John Lackey kept the ball in the yard in the fifth.

The easiest way to go about doing that is to strike guys out, and Lackey picked up two strikeouts in the inning.

Kevin Frandsen and Ryan Howard both went down swinging. Jimmy Rollins added a flyout in between.

When Rollins made contact, a lot of Red Sox fans probably assumed the worst given how the ball is traveling in this game. It didn’t even come close to the wall, though.

Lackey has surrendered three home runs in this contest after giving up three in his first seven starts of the season.

Mid 5th, Phillies 3-1: Jacoby Ellsbury got a good piece of one with two outs, but he obviously didn’t take the right approach.

Ellsbury’s loud out came just minutes after Domonic Brown skied a fly ball to right field that just kept carrying. Ellsbury jumped all over an inside changeup and drilled it to right field. It was more of a line drive, though, and Delmon Young tracked it down.

Stephen Drew walked earlier in the inning. Jose Iglesias struck out and John Lackey dropped down a sacrifice bunt before Ellsbury was retired to end the frame.

End 4th, Phillies 3-1: We already knew that the ball travels well at Citizens Bank Park. But it’s really traveling in this game.

Domonic Brown broke the 1-1 tie with a home run into the right field seats. Off the bat, it looked like Brown got under it and hit a routine fly ball to right field. Daniel Nava kept backtracking toward the wall, though, and when the ball came down, it landed in the seats.

Erik Kratz wasted no time in extending Philadelphia’s newfound lead. He drove a ball that carried up and over the center field fence on the second pitch he saw.

Kyle Kendrick reached in the inning on a sharp ground ball to third base. Jose Iglesias knocked it down on the backhand, but he couldn’t recover in time to throw out the Phillies pitcher. The ball really seemed to get on Iglesias quickly, which is something he’s not exactly used to having played mostly shortstop in his career.

Prior to the back-to-back home runs, Lackey needed to come off the mound in order to retire Delmon Young. He seemed to make the play a little gingerly, but everything appears to be OK.

8:10 p.m.: Shane Victorino received a standing ovation from the Phillies fans after a video montage played on the big screen.

Victorino spent parts of eight seasons with Philadelphia from 2005 to 2012. He won two Gold Gloves, earned two All-Star selections and won a World Series with the Phillies in 2008.

Mid 4th, 1-1: Kyle Kendrick got the job done rather quickly in the fourth inning.

Kendrick retired Mike Napoli, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Mike Carp in order.

Napoli led off the inning with a sharply hit line drive to left field. Domonic Brown, who showed some good range earlier in the game, went into a slide to haul it in.

Saltalamacchia then struck out on a changeup. Salty fouled off four straight pitches to begin the at-bat before Kendrick pulled the string on an 83-mph offering down and out of the zone.

Carp grounded to Ryan Howard at first base to end the inning.

End 3rd, 1-1: The Phillies put together a mini two-out rally of their own in the third inning, and their effort also proved fruitless.

John Lackey got two quick outs when Kyle Kendrick and Ben Revere grounded out to shortstop and second base, respectively. He ran into a little bit of trouble, though, when Kevin Frandsen lined a fastball into center field for a base hit.

Frandsen stole second base with Jimmy Rollins batting. The successful steal was a combination of a few things, including a slow delivery from Lackey and a pitch low and away.

Rollins eventually walked to put two runners on for Ryan Howard, who went deep in the second inning. But Lackey got the best of Howard, striking him out with a pitch on the outside corner. Howard thought the pitch was low and away, and he might have a point. No shouting is going to change the call, though.

Mid 3rd, 1-1: The Red Sox put runners at the corners, but a failed stolen-base attempt ended the inning.

John Lackey, batting because of the interleague rules, led off the inning by grounding out to third base. He actually made some decent contact — even if it wasn’t the prettiest swing in the world — but Freddy Galvis took care of business.

Jacoby Ellsbury flied out down the left field line for the second out of the inning. Domonic Brown chased down the fly ball in foul territory. Brown essentially made the play that Mike Carp failed to make before Ryan Howard’s home run in the bottom of the second inning.

The Red Sox’ rally got started up when Daniel Nava earned a two-out walk, and Dustin Pedroia singled into center field to send Nava all the way to third base. The rally ended when Pedroia was gunned down trying to take second base.

Not only was Pedroia thrown out, but he was nailed by a mile. Pedroia even came up short of the bag on his “slide,” and Kevin Frandsen applied the tag.

End 2nd, 1-1: Mike Carp has provided the Red Sox with some offensive punch lately, but his defense is still a question mark.

Carp, who looks more comfortable at first base, has been asked to play left field more frequently now that Shane Victorino is on the disabled list, and his defense cost the Red Sox in the second inning.

Ryan Howard lifted a ball down the left field line. Carp got a poor jump on it, and then, as he was about to reach the seats, he pulled up. Carp still had some room to go, though, and the ball dropped harmlessly in foul territory on a play that should have ended in an out.

The play proved to be big, because Howard went the other way with John Lackey’s next pitch for a solo homer. Citizens Bank Park is certainly hitter-friendly, and we saw why on Howard’s home run, as his ball dropped just over the left field fence.

Delmon Young singled in the inning, but he was wiped off the bases on a forceout. Mike Napoli made a nice play on a hard line drive from Domonic Brown.

Erik Kratz threatened to break the tie, but his fly ball to deep right stayed in the yard, and Daniel Nava made a leaping grab just in front of the wall.

Mid 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: Kyle Kendrick must have decided that the best way to keep the Red Sox off the scoreboard is to avoid having the outfield enter the equation.

An inning after some sloppy defense from the Phillies’ outfield, Kendrick enjoyed a 1-2-3 inning in which the Red Sox didn’t hit a ball out of the infield.

Mike Carp and Stephen Drew grounded out harmlessly to shortstop and second base, respectively. Jose Iglesias then chased a ball out of the strike zone while striking out to end the inning.

End 1st, Red Sox 1-0: John Lackey is off to a fantastic start this season, and he’s off to a fantastic start in this game.

Lackey retired the side in order in the first inning. The right-hander sat down Ben Revere and Kevin Frandsen on a pair of groundouts, and he struck out Jimmy Rollins swinging to end the inning.

Rollins fouled off a couple of pitches in the at-bat, but Lackey got him to chase a curveball down and in the dirt to pick up the strikeout.

Mid 1st, Red Sox 1-0: It was a tough inning to be a Phillies outfielder.

Ben Revere kicked off the ballgame with a clinic on what not to do while playing the outfield. Jacoby Ellsbury worked a full count against Kyle Kendrick and lifted a fly ball toward center. Revere took a few steps in before realizing the ball was hit deeper than he originally thought. By the time Revere recovered and started running back, the ball was already up over his head, and Ellsbury legged out a triple.

Things didn’t get any more graceful from there. Daniel Nava hit a popup to the left side. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins backtracked while left fielder Domonic Brown ran in. Brown eventually made the grab, but he trucked Rollins over in the process.

The Red Sox got on the scoreboard when Dustin Pedroia lifted a fly ball to right-center field, allowing Ellsbury to tag up and score.

Mike Napoli singled through the left side after Pedroia’s sac fly, but Jarrod Saltalamacchia grounded out softly to second base to end the inning.

7:07 p.m.: Kyle Kendrick’s first pitch is up and away for a ball.

7:04 p.m.: We’ll see if Dustin Pedroia shows any ill effects going forward from the thumb injury he’s been battling through. He certainly hasn’t had any issues thus far.

Pedroia always seems to play well during interleague action. He’s a career .333 hitter in 104 games against the NL, which is tied for the sixth-best mark all time. It’s also the third-best among active players — behind Nick Markakis (.345) and Albert Pujols (.338).

6:48 p.m.: The whole no-DH thing stings in that David Ortiz will be out of the lineup, but it also means that Boston’s bench will be a little bit deeper.

The Red Sox’ bench already got a little bit deeper on Wednesday, in fact. Outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. has been recalled, while reliever Alex Wilson has been optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket.

The Sox had been carrying 13 pitchers since Will Middlebrooks and Shane Victorino were both placed on the disabled list, but John Farrell expressed a desire to add another position player. Bradley made the most sense considering the need for another outfielder in Victorino’s absence.

Vote: Should the NL adopt the designated hitter? >>

5:43 p.m.: Interleague play in National League ballparks presents an interesting set of circumstances for many American League teams. It’s especially intriguing when it comes to the Red Sox, who have the best designated hitter in baseball.

Playing in an NL park obviously means that the Red Sox can’t use a DH. As a result, in 2011 and 2012, Terry Francona and Bobby Valentine, respectively, had to figure out how to use David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez. This season, manager John Farrell needs to determine how to go about deploying Ortiz and Mike Napoli.

Both hitters have been key components of the Red Sox’ offense, so taking either out of the lineup isn’t ideal. It’s something that must be done, though, and on Wednesday, Ortiz will get the night off as the Red Sox play their first of two games in Philadelphia.

Wednesday’s complete lineups are below.

Red Sox (32-21)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Daniel Nava, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Mike Carp, LF
Stephen Drew, SS
Jose Iglesias, 3B
John Lackey, P (3-4, 2.72 ERA)

Phillies
Ben Revere, CF
Kevin Frandsen, 2B
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Ryan Howard, 1B
Delmon Young, RF
Domonic Brown, LF
Erik Kratz, C
Freddy Galvis, 3B
Kyle Kendrick, P (4-3, 3.29 ERA)

1 p.m. ET: The Red Sox split a pair with the Phillies in Boston, and now both teams are packing the bags and heading to Philadelphia to finish the series off.

John Lackey (3-4, 2.72 ERA) is aiming to continue his recent solid stretch. He’s been on his game the last two times out, going six and seven innings and giving up just three hits while striking out 13. While the Red Sox have had a good rotation all season, Lackey putting up those kind of numbers is an unexpected but welcome boost.

Kyle Kendrick (4-3, 3.29 ERA) will go for Philadelphia. His last two games, in contrast to Lackey, have been rough, as he’s given up nine earned runs on 16 hits and eight walks with just three strikeouts mixed in.

The Red Sox will also have the added intrigue of going without the designated hitter for the next two games. Manager John Farrell has said he’ll trust David Ortiz to take over a game at the first base bag, and Jackie Bradley Jr. is expected to be called up and take a roster spot. The extra bats will be welcomed by the Sox after it was reported Wednesday that Dustin Pedroia has been putting up his solid season numbers despite a torn ligament in his left thumb.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m., and be sure to check back here throughout the day for news and analysis heading into the game.