The Red Sox kicked off the MLB draft by selecting infielder Kolbrin Vitek. Two players were selected in the supplemental round as compensation for losing Jason Bay and Billy Wagner on Monday. On Tuesday, the team participated in Rounds 2-30, with Rounds 31-50 finishing off the draft Wednesday.

The Red Sox made two notable selections. In the 36h round, Boston plucked Shane Rowland, a catcher from a Florida high school. Why is he notable? Because his father, Donnie, is the director of international scouting for the Yankees.

The Red Sox stayed in-house for their next notable pick, snagging Zach Kapstein from Tiverton High School in Rhode Island. Zach is the son of Red Sox executive Jeremy Kapstein, a former baseball agent currently running for the office of lieutenant governor in Rhode Island.

Below are the third day selections.

Round 31, No. 953: Dustin Renfroe, C, Copiah Academy (Miss.)
Round 32, No. 983: Jordan Alexander, CF, Vista High School (Ariz.)
Round 33, No. 1013: Mark Donham, RHP, Jupiter Community High School (Fla.)
Round 34, No. 1043: Michael Gleason, RHP, California State University, Chico
Round 35, No. 1073: Joshua Riddle, SS, Western Hills High School (Kent.)
Round 36, No. 1103: Shane Rowland, C, Tampa Catholic High School (Fla.)
Round 37, No. 1133: Aaron Jones, C, San Clemente High School (Calif.)
Round 38, No. 1163: Thomas Bourdon, OF, Northwest Catholic High School (Conn.)
Round 39, No. 1193: Nicholas Robinson, SS, North Central College
Round 40, No. 1123: Luke Yoder, LF, California Polytechnic Institute, San Luis Obispo
Round 41, No. 1253: Jayson Hernandez, C, Rutgers University, New Brunswick
Round 42, No. 1283: Daniel Slania, RHP, Salpointe Catholic High School (Ariz.)
Round 43, No. 1313: Patrick Smith, CF, Redan High School (Georgia)
Round 44, No. 1343: Zach Kapstein, C, Tiverton High School (R.I.)
Round 45, No. 1373: James Kang, SS, Pomona-Pitzer College
Round 46, No. 1403: Jarrett Thomason, RHP, Eastside High School (S.C.)
Round 47, No. 1433: David Roseboom, LHP, Lasalle Institute
Round 48, No. 1463: Jared Autrey RHP, Stephenville High School (Texas)
Round 49, No. 1493: Trygg Larsson-Danforth, 1B, Yale University
Round 50, No. 1523: Weston Hoekel, RHP, Bishop Kenny High School, (Fla.)

Stephen Strasburg

While he gave up a two-run shot to Delwyn Young in the fourth inning, he was in tip-top form the rest of the night. Over 94 pitches, the phenom didn't allow a walk while giving up four hits and striking out an otherworldly 14, including three in a row to cap his night after seven innings.

Of the 14 whiffs, six came within the first nine batters of the game as the Pirates couldn't figure out how to combat a heater thrown in the upper 90s (which hit 100 mph at one point) as well as a knee-buckling curve. He also flashed a changeup but largely stayed away from the pitch, considered his weakest.

Fans packed the stadium to watch Strasburg make his major league debut with the 27-31 Nationals, a burgeoning club that will benefit from having the 2009 No. 1 pick in the rotation. While the 23-34 Pirates are hapless, they are still a major league team and Strasburg's dominance was impressive and evident from the first pitch.

Strasburg started the game off with a fastball that was called a ball. It registered 97 mph and was thrown to Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates who went on to line out to shortstop. Just one Pirate — Andy LaRoche — reached base in the first three innings.

Despite inducing a double play in the fourth inning, Strasburg would serve up a gopherball to Young that put the Pirates ahead — temporarily — with a 2-1 score. Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham went deep in the bottom sixth to push ahead 4-2 and put Strasburg in line for his first career win, provided the Nationals bullpen can hold on.

Strasburg's final pitch of the night registered 98.5 mph, punching out LaRoche, showing no signs of fatigue.

Washington manager Jim Riggleman said Strasburg would be under a pitch count of 90 pitches and held true to that, lifting him for reliever Tyler Clippard to start the eighth with Strasburg at 94 pitches.

Future Hall of Fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez, who caught Kevin Brown in his own debut back in 1991, rushed his return from a lower back strain in order to catch Strasburg.

Lamar Odom

The Lakers forward had previously worried about bringing Kardashian into the TD Garden, wondering how she would be received. The matter seemed settled when it was announced Kardashian would be joining The Late Show With David Letterman, but Tauntr.com came up with an idea to get the reality TV star in Boston.

Tauntr.com will pass out over 5,000 Khloe Kardashian masks outside TD Garden in advance of Game 3 in the hopes of rattling Odom. This continues the tradition of Boston fans using masks to rattle players. Alex Rodriguez was victimized by several Red Sox fans donning Madonna masks in 2007.

One only hopes Odom will be so rattled by seeing thousands of images of his wife that he'll be unable to compete.

Bonser is a new name to many. He spent three seasons with the Minnesota Twins before missing the entirety of the 2009 season with tears in his right labrum and rotator cuff.

The Twins swapped him to the Red Sox in the offseason for minor league player Chris Province. Bonser received a long look in spring training but hit the disabled list with a groin issue. While on a rehab assignment, he experienced a setback with his right shoulder, so the clock on his rehab assignment restarted. When he reached the 30-day maximum anyone can go on a rehab assignment, he joined the Red Sox.

Bonser is out of options, so the team had to decide whether to put him on the major league staff or expose him to waivers. The team has been wary of letting Bonser go on waivers in the off chance he clears, because his fastball can reach 95 mph out of the bullpen and he has extensive starting experience — traits that are always in demand. As has been proven, you can never have too much pitching.

So what can Bonser do for the Red Sox? For one, he can make his big fastball play out of a bullpen that has had some rocky outings lately. Scott Atchinson has been riding the Boston-Pawtucket shuttle, Joe Nelson is a journeyman with a wicked changeup but is also prone to the occasional blowup. And for all of Manny Delcarmen‘s good outings, MDC mentioned after Sunday’s game that he’s been dealing with a nagging back injury.

Now Jonathan Papelbon has hit the bereavement list. The bullpen is in a state of flux, and Bonser can help address that. He also becomes the designated long reliever, as his ability to start makes him the backup starter with Tim Wakefield back in the rotation. Once Josh Beckett returns from the disabled list, the Red Sox may choose to elevate Bonser to being a middle reliever alongside Delcarmen and the BoSox may suddenly have a bullpen to be feared.

That’s what Bonser might be able to do for the Red Sox. Of course, he also might prove his career 5.12 ERA is not a fluke, or might battle injuries the entire year.

What do you think?

Share your thoughts below. The best comments will be read on
NESN’s Red Sox GameDay Live or Red Sox Final.

June
6: Who has been Theo Epstein‘s best draft pick?

Bonser has been sidelined since injuring his groin during a spring training start. He was sent out on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket until he experienced a setback with his surgically-repaired right shoulder that caused him to miss all of 2009 while with the Minnesota Twins.

Bonser has completed his second rehab assignment, which went the allotted maximum of 30 days. Bonser made eight starts and one relief appearance for the PawSox, posting a 0-2 record and 6.34 ERA in 32 2/3 innings. He whiffed 25 while walking 14, pitching in the low 90s while starting.

Coming out of the bullpen Saturday night for the Triple-A squad, Bonser dialed up his fastball to 95 mph, much to the pleasure of Francona. Now, Bonser joins the bullpen, replacing closer Jonathan Papelbon, who was placed on the bereavement list for an undisclosed reason.

Francona expects Papelbon to spend three days on the list before returning. At that point, the Red Sox will have to make another roster move to put the closer back on the active roster. Players must miss a minimum of three games and a maximum of seven to be placed on the list, which generally deals with a serious illness or death in the family.

Beltre, who plays for the Texas Rangers and was traded in a package for reliever Eric Gagne, openly taunted his opponents from Visalia (the Diamondbacks' affiliate) walking off the field as he rounded the bases.

Players from Visalia were none too happy, and started going after Beltre. That's when the team-wide scrum ensued.

Once the brawl quieted down, Beltre stomped down on home plate and shouted a few more choice words, causing umpires and coaches from both sides to rush to avoid yet another brawl.

Something tells us the Rangers will be giving Beltre a little heart-to-heart soon.

Click on the video below to see the brawl in all its glory.

Sure, the Orioles are a terrible team that just saw their manager being fired, but there was lots to be happy about.

Buchholz continued his rapid ascension into the elite ranks of AL pitchers with a sterling complete game, giving up just five hits.

He was backed by quite a few contributors at the plate, most namely Adrian Beltre who racked up two RBIs on a solo homer and run-scoring double. Kevin Youkilis had three, Marco Scutaro plated four hits and only David Ortiz and substitute Darnell McDonald went without a hit.

End 9th, 11-0 Red Sox: Bucky is out to finish things, but coughs up a Tejada single.

He'll atone for that by getting Markakis to ground into a 6-4-2 on his 97th pitch.

His 100th pitch will end the game on a grounder by Wigginton, giving Buchholz eight wins — tied for most in the AL with David Price.

Mid 9th, 11-0 Red Sox: Alberto Castillo is in — a lefty.

Craig Tatum has replaced Wieters behind the plate, and he sees V-Mart rap a single, and Drew follow that up with an infield single.

Hot-hitting Beltre goes deep and knocks a ball off the wall. He'll ride into second with a RBI double.

McDonald grounds out as the Orioles go for the sure out, bringing Drew in.

Hall walks, prompting a visit from pitching coach Rick Krantiz to Castillo. That'll bring up Scutaro, seeking his fourth hit of the game. He won't get it, and instead grounds into a 5-4-3 DP.

End 8th, 9-0 Red Sox: Adam Jones grounded to short, but Moore plates a single. Izturis skies one to center for two out.

Buchholz finishes the frame with 88 pitches. Patterson pops up to Youkilis who had to do some serious stretching to get the ball ranging behind him.

Buchholz has 88 pitches. Complete game in his sights? Have to think so.

Mid 8th, 9-0 Red Sox: Scutaro has continued his hot streak, bashing a home run off Mata.

Scoot is 3-for-5 on the night with six total bases. Pedroia follows with a single.

Ortiz grounded a pitch behind first that Wigginton ranged to get and then threw a long strike to second to double off Pedroia. The return throw was in enough time to nip the lumbering DH. Youk then grounded to Izturis.

End 7th, 8-0 Red Sox: Wigginton got the inning started by singling, but Scott grounds into a 4-6-3 double play to erase the Orioles.

Wieters tried to squeak a single down the left field line in, but that goes foul. Buchholz takes advantage of that to whiff Wieters for his second K.

Top 7th, 8-0 Red Sox: Albers is done as Frank Mata comes on.

Mata is fresh from the minors, having only contributed 2 1/3 innings to the O's so far.

Beltre lines out to bring up McDonald in his first at-bat of the game. He's out at first on a bang-bang play as Izturis ranges behind second and flips the ball to first.

Hall goes down by way of the K and Buchholz is out for the bottom of the seventh.

End 6th, 8-0 Red Sox: Buchholz is on fire. He registers a 1-2-3 inning and has still given up just two hits.

He's walked one but also struck out just one, and his pitch count is at 72 — 48 strikes.

Mid 6th, 8-0 Red Sox: Pedroia strikes out, and Ortiz grounded to Moore. Youkilis keeps the inning alive with a two-out single to right.

V-Mart walks on four pitches to bring up Drew. He skies one to left that gets caught in foul territory as Patterson ranges to make the catch.

End 5th, 8-0 Red Sox: Jeremy Hermida is out of the game, perhaps because of the collision with Beltre. Trainers were looking at his arm.

Bill Hall moved to left, with Darnell McDonald taking center over.

Adam Jones grounded a pitch off of Buchholz' leg, but Pedroia gets the out without a problem. Moore goes down on a grounder to Scoot, leaving Izturis for the last out of the inning.

Buchholz has given up just two hits, and Izturis will not make it three as he

Mid 5th, 8-0 Red Sox: Matt Albers replaces Hendrickson. Adrian Beltre homers to left to pad the scoring. Victor Martinez got into a little game with Beltre, rubbing Beltre's head twice, much to Beltre's chagrin after Beltre playfully smacked V-Mart.

He went to go after V-Mart but Kevin Youkilis and others held him at bay. V-Mart snuck back in for a third head rub. Hermida and Hall both struck out before Scutaro flies to center.

End 4th, 7-0 Red Sox: The nitty-gritty: Wigginton grounds to Buchholz, Scott grounds to Youkilis (who tosses it to Buchholz), Wieters flies out.

Mid 4th, 7-0 Red Sox: Bill Hall whiffed, but a passed ball by Wieters gets him on base. Scutaro follows with an infield single, and Pedroia is up with two on.

Pedroia grounds to third for the out but pushes the runners over a base. Ortiz lines a soft grounder to second.

Going… going… gone. Kevin Youkilis hits a big fly that stays far down the left field line. It's a three-run homer.

And Drew strikes out to end the inning. Drew's been racking up the K's a lot lately.

End 3rd, 4-0 Red
Sox: Izturis singles and advances to second as Patterson bunts
himself back to the bench.

The bunt resulted in a high hop that Buchholz easily snagged and then
tagged the speedy left fielder out.

Tejada flies out to right,
continuing what has been a disappointing season for the now-third
baseman.

The final out (from Nick Markakis) is recorded on a play shades of
Adrian Beltre and Jacoby Ellsbury's collision on April 11. Hermida was
coming hard in, Beltre hard out. Hermida ended up snagging the ball
while Beltre flipped over Hermida … just like the Ellsbury collision.
Unlike the other collision, both are unharmed although Beltre did come
up limping before shaking it off.

Mid 3rd, 4-0 Red
Sox: Victor Martinez singles, but J.D. Drew whiffs. 

Adrian Beltre then skies one to Markakis in right.

Jeremy Hermida also whiffs, and Mark Hendrickson has settled things
down nicely. He's gone 1 2/3 innings, giving up one hit and striking out
two.

End 2nd, 4-0 Red Sox: A fairly quick frame for Buchholz.

Matt Wieters pops to third, Adam Jones flies to J.D. Drew and Hermida
snags a Scott Moore fly to end things.

Mid 2nd, 4-0 Red Sox: Jeremy Hermida gets the second off to a
good start with
a double, bringing up hot hitter Bill Hall.

Tillman is still on the mound, but his leash will be short this
inning.

Hall singles up the middle and the lineup flips over. Scutaro can't
pull off a hit like he did in the first and gets frozen on a pitch by
Tillman, striking out.

D-Ped is now at-bat. He walked in the first
to score Boston's second run and has ducks on the pond at first and
third. He'll rip a single into left to extend Boston's lead by one, and
new manager Juan Samuel has seen enough from Tillman. That'll end
Tillman's night, giving up four earned runs and registering only one
out.

Depending on how lefty journeyman Mark Hendrickson fares,
Tillman might have a final tally of six earned runs in his box score.

Ortiz

greets Hendrickson with a first-pitch grounder to first. It advances
the runners for Youkilis. Youk pops one up to Izturis, who almost butted
heads with Scott Moore, but registers the out for the inning.

Tillman

ended up going 1 1/3 innings with five hits, four earned runs, two
walks and two whiffs.

End 1st, 3-0 Red Sox: Clay Buchholz, he of the 1.32 road ERA
and winner of eight straight on the road, gives up a loud out to begin
his night.

J.D. Drew makes the catch in deep right field to retire Corey
Patterson, and Miguel Tejada reaches on a grounder back to Buchholz that
the pitcher couldn't corral.

Hall ranges into left field, encroaching on Jeremy Hermida's
territory to send Nick Markakis back to the bench.

Buchholz gets Ty Wigginton to sky a foul down the right field line,
but Drew can't keep the glove on the ball as he introduces himself to
the wall. The next pitch puts Wigginton on first.

Luke Scott bounces one to Pedroia who eventually runs down a
retreating Wigginton on the bases who was trying to avoid the tag.

Mid 1st, 3-0 Red Sox: Marco Scutaro gets the game started with
a leadoff single, then Dustin Pedroia has a battle with the rookie
pitcher before finally working a walk.

Ortiz follows suit with a walk, and the bases are loaded for Kevin
Youkilis.

Tillman comes back to strike out Youk for the first out of the game.

While Tillman succeeded in the at-bat with Victor Martinez, getting
him to ground to first (and the correct out call being called by the
first base umpire), Scutaro comes in with the first run.

A double by Drew plates two, and that was some fantastic running by
Drew. A fair number of players would have stopped at first as the hit
wasn't deep, but Drew kicked into gear and beat the throw.

There's already action in the bullpen as Mark Hendrickson gets up for
the O's, but Tillman gets out of the inning by getting Beltre to pop
up.

6:50 p.m.: Here are the lineups as the Orioles move forward
with new manager Juan Samuel…

Red Sox
Marco Scutaro, SS
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David
Ortiz, DH
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
J.D. Drew, RF
Adrian Beltre, 3B
Jeremy

Hermida, LF
Bill Hall, CF

Orioles
Corey Patterson, LF
Miguel Tejada, 3B
Nick
Markakis, RF
Ty Wigginton, 1B
Luke Scott, DH
Matt Wieters, C
Adam

Jones, CF
Scott Moore, 2B
Cesar Izturis, SS

8 a.m.: An
otherwise satisfying seven-game homestand did not end well for the Red
Sox. They will try to start a seven-game road trip in better fashion
when they visit the Baltimore Orioles for the first of three Friday
night.

With their top two pitchers going to start the series, they have a
good shot.

Clay Buchholz will shoot for his fifth win in as many
starts in Friday's opener and Jon Lester, the American League Pitcher of
the Month for May, goes in Saturday's contest.

Buchholz yielded
just four hits in seven scoreless innings of Saturday's 1-0 win over
Kansas City. He has a 1.32 ERA in his four-game winning streak and is
4-2 lifetime against Baltimore.

Chris Tillman goes for the
Orioles. In his first start of the season Saturday in Toronto, the
22-year-old allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings. He has never faced the
Red Sox.

First pitch for this one is set for 7:05 p.m.

While Griffey had his career shortened by a bevy of injuries, he still played long enough to notch a career 630 home runs and 2,781 hits.

His home runs rank fifth all time, although No. 7 Alex Rodriguez is just 40 home runs behind.

Griffey was on MVP ballots 10 out of his 22 seasons, winning the AL award in 1997, batting .304 with an unreal 56 home runs, 34 doubles and three triples, scoring 125 times and knocking in 147 RBIs.

Griffey made his debut before he could legally buy a beer, registering his first at-bat when he was 19 in 1989. He spent 11 seasons with the M's before parts of nine seasons with the Reds, where he became notable for not only his production, but his constant injuries. The Reds traded him to the White Sox for the stretch run in 2008 before Junior rejoined the Mariners for his swan song in 2009.

Griffey made headlines earlier in the season for all the wrong reasons after two teammates alleged that Griffey was asleep in the clubhouse when the manager was looking for Griffey to prepare for pinch hitting.

So where does Griffey rank among all-time greats? The only people in front of him in total home runs are Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and  Willie Mays. Of course, Bonds has been linked to steroid use while Griffey — despite playing his career in the prime of the steroid era — has never been linked to performance-enhancing drugs.

In terms of on-base percentage plus slugging percentage (OPS), Griffey ranks 57th on the all-time list with a .9073 mark. David Ortiz ranks 49th with a .9213 mark, but unlike Ortiz, Griffey not only has played more seasons but was also one of the best center fielders in the game, winning 10 straight Gold Glove Awards from 1990-99.

There's no question that Griffey is one of the best of all time, but where does he rank? Is he better than Ted Williams? How about Bonds, who leads him by a mile on the home run list? Or Mays, who also played center for the majority of his career?

Tough questions, but one question there's an easy answer to is whether Griffey will make the Hall of Fame.

Share your thoughts below. The best comments will be read on NESN's Red Sox GameDay Live or Red Sox Final.

June 3: Is it time for Major League Baseball to expand instant replay?

The former 35-home run man (2006 with Milwaukee) struggled through two terrible seasons with the Brewers and Seattle Mariners from 2008-09 before arriving in Boston.

As the Red Sox struggled out of the gate and offense became paramount, people wondered why Hall and his .595 OPS were still around. The answer then is what makes him valuable to this day: his ability to play all over the field.

Hall has played every position this year besides first base, third base and catcher — and will likely add the two former positions to his 2010 resume by season's end.

The ability for Hall to move around the diamond has been a weapon in manager Terry Francona's arsenal, and Hall even took the hill to help save the bullpen during Kansas City's drubbing of the hometown nine on May 30. Flashing an 89-mph fastball, Hall impressed in a 1-2-3 inning.

With early-season injuries to Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Cameron, Hall has been playing a lot more outfield than initially envisioned, and he's handling it as well as his duties as backup infielder. He gives Boston its first true utilityman in years, and it's easy to see how such a player can be coveted.

And now, Hall is producing with the bat, making him one of the most valuable bench players in all of baseball. In May, Hall struggled to get hits (.220 batting average), but when he did, they tended to go a long way as he notched four home runs in the month (.460 slugging percentage). In June's early going, Hall is 5-for-7 with a home run.

While the Red Sox lost Thursday afternoon's game to the Athletics, Francona had nothing but good things to say about the offensive production, which Hall keyed in his 4-for-5 performance.

"There was offensively a lot of good things that happened," Francona said. "Billy Hall was right smack in the middle of it."

Hall, for his part, deflected praise for his production, instead choosing to focus on his responsibilities at the bottom of the order.

"The bottom of the order, we're gonna have to step up," Hall said. "[And] not put all the pressure on the hitters in the middle of the order]."

So far, Hall's stepped up in more ways than one: offensively, defensively and even as a pitcher. His continued production in the summer months will be important to how the Red Sox can weather current and future injuries.

Armando Galarraga

The Indians were hacking at nearly every pitch and could do nothing with them. Once Austin Jackson covered an insane amount of ground in center field to make a basket catch for the first out of the top of the ninth — giving Galarraga the requisite fielding gem that is a staple of every no-hitter and perfect game — the perfecto seemed to be destiny.

What isn't a staple of these games are blown calls — with two out in the ninth, no less.

Galarraga induced Cleveland hitter Jason Donald to hit a ground ball in between first and second base, and Miguel Cabrera ranged to grab the ball. He got set, threw to Galarraga and began celebrating.

But wait.

Umpire Jim Joyce disagreed, calling Donald safe.

There is no "maybe" about this. Donald was out.

Joyce blew the call, and perhaps ushered in a new era in baseball history — one where instant replay is expanded to cover all plays in a game, not just home-run calls.

Despite umpires making some high-profile blown calls (C.B Bucknor in the Angels-Red Sox series, Jim Cuzzi calling a Joe Mauer double foul, which could have given Minnesota the win in Game 2 in the 2009 playoffs), expanding instant replay was not discussed in the offseason.

There may be some discussion going on now. Despite commissioner Bud Selig's stance against instant replay, there's no question that so far, having home runs called correctly has added another layer of legitimacy to the game.

Unfortunately for Galarraga, he won't get credit for a perfect game, but he may go down in history as the player that provided the impetus for complete instant replay. Baseball fans are up in arms — Jim Joyce instantly became the most trending topic in Twitter minutes after the conclusion of the game — about the play and it will be hard for baseball to beat back the tide of public opinion.

The sad thing is, umpires have been making the news for all the wrong reasons recently. Red Sox fans saw that on display against the Tampa Bay Rays when home plate umpire Bob Davidson went berserk against Carl Crawford and Joe Maddon. Bill Hohn followed that up with an improbable ejecting of Astros ace Roy Oswalt, prompting MLB to note that Hohn would be reprimanded sternly.

And "Cowboy" Joe West, who made waves earlier this season for complaining about the length of Red Sox-Yankees games, had a happy trigger finger of his own when he told White Sox pitcher Mark Buerhle and manager Ozzie Guillen to hit the showers. 

To Joyce's credit, reports after the game had him distraught for blowing the call, and he apologized to Galarraga.

But Joyce should never have been in position to blow a call in the first place. He should have called him safe, then had manager Jim Leyland appeal. After reviewing the play, Donald would have been called out and Galarraga would have had his chance at history.

What do you think? Is it time for Major League Baseball to expand replay, or is this the cost that fans, players and umpires must pay to keep baseball "pure"?

Share your thoughts below. The best comments will be read on NESN's Red Sox GameDay Live or Red Sox Final.

June 2: Are the A's the biggest surprise in baseball?

Prior to the season, Oakland was viewed as a team with burgeoning young pitching and a deplorable offense. While the offense hasn't exactly been a juggernaut, it hasn't been deplorable either. And the young pitching has matured faster than many expected, and the squad ranks 12th in all of baseball with a 3.90 cumulative ERA.

Oakland has certainly been a surprise to start the year. Another team in their division has also surprised, but not in a good way. The Seattle Mariners are a shocking 19-31 prior to play Tuesday night after a promising 85-win season in 2009. Then, in the offseason, they acquired Cliff Lee to anchor the rotation while making additional astute pickups. 

It's all been for naught, as Milwaukee (21-31) and Arizona (20-32) can also attest to. Both teams were expected to be playoff contenders, but the time is quickly approaching where the general managers of each team will have to evaluate whether it's time to pack it in and prepare for 2011 instead.

For every disappointing story, however, there's grins from ear to ear in other cities. Joining Oakland atop the list of improbably starts are the San Diego Padres. How, exactly, does a team go from winning 75 games in 2009 to atop the NL East in June with a 31-21 record? Unlike Seattle, there was no marquee addition. Indeed, the overturn for the Pads were minimal.

Baseball has also been rejuvenated in Cincinnati, currently in a cat-and-dog fight with the St. Louis Cardinals for first place in the Central. While many saw Cincy as a potential dark horse, the assumption was that they would eventually fall short, even in the wild card standings. No, many people were looking ahead to 2011, especially as Edinson Volquez underwent Tommy John surgery in mid-2009 and may not return in 2010.

That hasn't stopped the Dusty Baker-led Reds from showing the Cards that there may be a new Big Red Machine.

And no list of surprises would be complete without pointing out the 31-23 Toronto Blue Jays, who boast one of the best pitching staffs in the league. Perhaps they do things differently up in Canada, but here in America, when you trade away the best pitcher in the universe for minor league prospects, your team is supposed to get worse, not better. Tell that to the Jays and new ace Ricky Romero.

Share your thoughts below. The best comments will be read on NESN's Red Sox GameDay Live or Red Sox Final.

June 1: Which Red Sox player will break out next?

Kalish went 2-for-4 on Monday against the New Britain Rock Cats with a double and three runs scored. That pushed his season average to .293 with a .404 on-base percentage and .527 slugging percentage. Now, the 22-year-old will likely man right field for the PawSox.

Kalish's linebacker body, playing style and numbers have drawn comparisons to Trot Nixon with a little less power (although the potential is there for more), and some feel he could make his major league debut as early as this season.

But now that May is over, the month of June will be welcoming a new batch of breakout stars — but who? Who will have the Nation grinning ear to ear when the end of June comes rolling around?

Will it be Marco Scutaro?

Scutaro is digging his way back from a slump that saw his average dip from .290 to .250 in just 20 games in May. Heading into Tuesday night's contest, the Sox shortstop has worked his way up to a .269 batting average, .338 on-base percentage and .704 OPS thanks to a three-game hot streak in which he went 7-for-13 (.538 BA).

While he's not on pace to match his career-high .789 OPS set in 2009, he's closing in on his .721 career mark.

Other candidates include Dustin Pedroia.

The second baseman is stuck at .255 batting average, but his slugging (.446) and run production (33 runs, 25 RBIs) are still there, despite being without his leadoff hitter, Jacoby Ellsbury. Couple that with a low batting average on balls in play (.251 this season compared to a career mark of .308) and Pedroia is a prime candidate to break out in a big way. He may not have put on amany laser shows recently, but rest assured, he most certainly will at some point.

On the pitching side of the ledger, Josh Beckett figures to come roaring back when his back issues subside. His 7.29 ERA is bound to shrink and the Nation has seen what Beckett can do when he's on top of his game. Having him back in mid-June would be ideal, as that's when the schedule steers back into interleague play where the Red Sox get introduced to the strong NL West.

Joining Beckett on the mound as a candidate to improve is Tim Wakefield. The knuckler's 5.68 ERA is uncharacteristically high compared to his career 4.36 ERA and it's hard to imagine the 18-year veteran staying north of the 5.00 mark, especially if he remains in the starting rotation.

How about Hideki Okajima? He's given fans three straight years of being one of the best left-handed setup men in all of baseball. He entered the season with a 12-4 career record, a 2.71 ERA and six saves but he has struggled out of gate with a 5.40 ERA. The southpaw also happens to be on pace for a career low in strikeouts but with the rotation heating up, Oki is bound to get back to his usual numbers.

Any of the above candidates — and some that weren't named — are primed for a breakout in June. Who do you think it will be?

Share your thoughts below. The best comments will be read on NESN's Red Sox GameDay Live or Red Sox Final.

May 30: Should Major League Baseball schedule more day games?

But all of it?

Former Celtics star Antoine Walker filed for bankruptcy on Friday despite a reported income of $110 million earned over 13 seasons — 8 1/2 with the Celtics, reports The Chicago Sun-Times.

The 33-year-old was hit with a $2.3 million foreclosure lawsuit on his mother's mansion in Chicago recently, prompting the bankruptcy claim.

The claim alleges that Walker has $4.2 million in assets with $12.7 million in liabilities.

Some of these assets include a $20,000 watch and $6,000 Miami Heat championship ring from 2006.

Walker owes $1.2 million to casinos in Indiana and Las Vegas. He was charged with writing over $1 million worth of bad checks to the casinos in 2009 and negotiated a settlement, most of which he has yet to pay pay.

Other liabilities include $750,000 to the district attorney's office in Las Vegas as well as $500,000 to a former agent.

Walker said he spends $1,000 on clothes, $1,000 on recreation, $1,000 on transportation (excluding car payments), $1,200 in housekeeping and $1,000 in training per month.

He must have quite the extensive wardrobe.

Walker is requesting he retain his $2.3 million Miami home, $2,000 in cash and a $54,000 silver Range Rover. Gotta have the wheels.

How does he plan to pay off his debts?

One way might be by rejoining the NBA. He washed out of the league following the 2007-08 season when he came off the bench for the Heat, but is reportedly training with former coach Rick Pitino, reports USA TODAY.

According to Walker, he knows he has "one shot" to make it back into the NBA.

One can only hope that his shot will come with financial responsibility.

Final, 8-1 Red Sox

He gave up four hits and four walks while whiffing five, lowering his ERA to 2.97. Manny Delcarmen and Joe Nelson finished a game that saw Mike Cameron go 2-for-3 with a walk, three runs scored and two RBIs.

Marco Scutaro also had a fine day at the plate, ripping two doubles and a single in five trips to the plate, driving in two.

Jason Varitek finished the scoring in the eighth by driving a solo shot into the Monster seats. The biggest blast of the game came on David Ortiz's two-run home run into the center field seats, his 11th overall and 10th of the month.

End 9th, 8-1 Red Sox: It's Joe Nelson into the game for the Sox. Since being called up last week, he's already appeared in four games, notching five innings.

He gets Callaspo out on three straight pitches, the last one a great changeup off the outside part of the plate, sinking to the ground.

Varitek takes care of the second out, a pop up in front of the mound by Pena. A strikeout of Betancourt ends the game.

End 8th, 8-1 Red Sox: Dusty Hughes replaces Victor Marte as the Red Sox will — hopefully, at least — bat for the final time this game.

Varitek rudely greets Hughes with his seventh home run of the season. It's a solo shot into the Monster seats.

Hall goes down hacking on a high fastball for the first out.

A deep fly ends Mike Cameron's otherwise stellar night at the plate, and the center fielder is now hitting .277 on the year. Scutaro grounds out, and there's three outs to go in the game.

End 8th, 7-1 Red Sox: Manny Delcarmen is in for the Red Sox.

His first enemy is Mike Aviles and his wiggling bat. MDC wins the battle as Aviles flies out to Drew.

McDonald makes a catch on the warning track in left field for the second out by DeJesus.

Butler is now 2-for-3 in the game with a walk as he lifts a liner just out of Adrian Beltre's reach. He's at second with Jose Guillen at the plate. He whiffs, and Delcarmen gets out of the inning unscathed.

End 7th, 7-1 Red Sox: Big Papi draws a walk to get the bottom 7th started.

Youkilis whisks one to third, and Callaspo's throw to second to begin the double-play is wide.

Aviles comes off the bag and dives for the throw. He scrambles to second and gets leather on the bag just before Ortiz slides in.

Nice play, and that registers one out in the inning with Beltre coming up.

Beltre goes down hacking, bringing up J.D. Drew who needs just one more strikeout for the golden sombrero.

Drew avoids the ignominy as he flies out to center to end the inning.

Mid 7th, 7-1 Red Sox: Lester's out for the seventh and his 90th pitch is a grounder to Beltre by Callaspo.

Beltre gets another chopper, but it was too high and slow and Pena got down the line very well — lightning-fast for a catcher — and now there's one aboard.

Lester goes to a full count on Betancourt and walks him on a borderline pitch. That was pitch No. 100 for the lefty. He averages 109 per game with a season-high of 120. Manny Delcarmen is ready in the bullpen, so the end is near for Lester as Maier steps to the plate.

Maier hacks and grounds to first, advancing the runners to second and third but Youkilis notches the second out of the inning. A deep fly to Mike Cameron by Bloomquist ends the inning, and will certainly end Lester's night. It was a struggle at times, but he limited the Royals to the one run through seven.

End 6th, 7-1 Red Sox: Adrian Beltre grounds out and J.D. Drew is fighting off striking out. Three straight foul balls (and four of five), and this after starting the at-bat up 2-0.

Unfortunately, the next pitch sends Drew walking back to the dugout, head down.

Jason Varitek rips a single to right for his first hit of the game. Bill Hall then lines a rocket to the Monster, so he only comes away with a wallball single.

Mike Cameron's had a good day. He came to the plate 1-for-1 with a walk, double and two runs scored. You can add a double and two RBIs to that now, as he skies one off the top of the Monster in left-center.

Scutaro keeps the good times rolling, dropping in an RBI single. It's Scoot's third hit of the game. That takes care of Brad Thompson.

Victor Marte, who replaced Bruce Chen in the bullpen (with Chen replacing the injured Gil Meche) gets McDonald looking on a 2-2 count to end the inning.

Mid 6th, 4-1 Red Sox: Mike Aviles chops a grounder to Scutaro and Lester has just reached 80 pitches by getting DeJesus into a 0-2 hole.

The Royals have just two hits in the game as DeJesus weakly grounds out to Lester.

Go ahead and make that three hits as Butler singles to center. A grounder to Beltre by Guillen takes care of the sixth.

End 5th, 4-1 Red Sox: Bruce Chen's night is done as Brad Thompson takes the mound. Thompson has a 4.60 ERA in 13 relief appearances.

Bill Hall gets the inning started by turning on a fastball and driving it past a diving Betancourt.

On a full count, Cameron drops a fastball into left field for a double. The order now turns over with a prime opportunity to push some runs across the plate.

Second and third, no out for the hot-hitting Scutaro.

A productive out, as Scutaro hacks a ball into the dirt between the pitcher and first. While the out is recorded by Thompson, Hall scampers home as the Sox take the lead.

Cameron moves to third as McDonald grounds out. Big Papi cranks a home run to straightaway center field and the Red Sox are now up 4-1. It's Big Papi's 11th home run of the year.

A Youkilis grounder ends the frame.

Mid 5th, 1-1: Lester has certainly settled down. He got Yuniesky Betancourt to ground out, whiffed Mitch Maier and then Bloomquist just banged a first-pitch grounder to short. A quick 1-2-3 inning.

End 4th, 1-1: Nice play by third baseman Alberto Callaspo to get Adrian Beltre at first.

J.D. Drew is called out on strikes, and Varitek follows suit with a swinging strikeout.

Chen is dealing — four innings, two walks, five strikeouts and just the lone run.

Mid 4th, 1-1: A quick inning by Lester. Jose Guillen grounded to Bill Hall, followed by Callaspo skying one to Drew. Now, the catcher Brayan Pena grounds to Scoot.

End 3rd, 1-1: Mike Cameron walks and motors to third as Scoot hits his second double of the day off the Green Monster scoreboard. The shortstop is 7-for-14 in the series against the Royals.

McDonald can't get the runner from third home and registers the first out of the inning on a shallow pop-up to center.

David Ortiz takes a tough breaking pitch outside but lifts it deep enough to the outfield to advance both runners. We've got a tie game and Youkilis has a chance to put the BoSox ahead.

A fly to right won't get the job done, but the game is knotted at one apiece.

Mid 3rd, 1-0 Royals: Three straight innings now that the Royals have gotten the leadoff man on.

Mitch Maier drops a ball on the top of the scoreboard on the Green Monster and has no trouble motoring into second for a double.

The lineup flips over for the first time as Bloomquist is back at the plate. He'll ground to Hall at second, moving Maier to third.

Lester seems to be struggling to find his groove as he tries to establish the outside strikezone. He threw three straight balls to Aviles, got a strike but came back to walk him. That puts runners at first and third for DeJesus.

On a 0-1 pitch, DeJesus loses his bat and a fan makes a nifty catch in the stands to claim the prize.

Lester seems to be getting into a groove now as he's started flashing the curveball more frequently. DeJesus goes down by way of the K with Billy Butler following suit, flailing at a 95-mph heater.

End 2nd, 1-0 Royals: Chen is dealing as he registers back-to-back strikeouts of J.D. Drew and Varitek.

Hall will end the inning on a sinking liner to left field.

Mid 2nd, 1-0 Royals: A Billy Butler walk opens the frame, followed by Jose Guillen flying out to McDonald in left.

A ground-rule double from Alberto Callaspo will bring John Farrrell out to the mound for a chit-chat.

KC will draw first blood as Butler trots home on a grounder to short by catcher Brayan Pena, bringing up Yuniesky Betancourt.

And the inning ends on three straight strikes.

End 1st, 0-0: Marco Scutaro bangs a double to continue his streak of hot hitting. He now has a four game hitting streak.

Well, you don't see that often to begin a game, but Darnell McDonald just sac bunted Scutaro to third. Up comes Big Papi.

A walk to Ortiz brings up Kevin Youkilis, who is tied with Ted Williams (1947) for second-most walks in Red Sox history for one month. Youk has 31.

Unfortunately, Youk grabs the opposite of a walk, striking out on a high and outside slider.

Adrian Beltre's .342 batting average was just referred to as "empty" by a Red Sox announcer. Strange, but true. His on-base percentage is just .375 (but he has solid power), so it's all or nothing when he steps to the plate. For the first inning, it'll be nothing as his grounder to third will force Ortiz at second for the last out.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Willie Bloomquist walks to get the game started.

Despite Jon Lester's brilliance recently, control will be one thing to keep an eye on. He walked five batters last time out and struggled with control early in his career.

He's firmed that up over the last couple of years, but is prone to spurts of regression.

Mike Aviles skies one to center for the first out.

The Red Sox are on a roll with throwing out runners lately. Jason Varitek, bedecked in camouflage catcher's gear, puts a pinpoint throw on Marco Scutaro's glove to nab a sprinting Bloomquist.

A 96-mph heater that Lester blows past a befuddled David DeJesus ends the inning.

1:32 p.m.: We're slated to get underway shortly. The BoSox will be wearing their red jerseys and white caps. The 'B' on the cap will be studded with the American flag to celebrate Memorial Day.

The Royals have a similar getup with their caps.

12:25 p.m.: Welcome to the final game of the Kansas City series.

Dustin Pedroia will get a breather, which is not surprising. Manager Terry Francona likes to pair scheduled off-days (Monday) with the previous off-day to allow extended rest.

Pedroia is a good candidate as any, as he has played in 50 of a possible 51 games so far. He's batted .125 in his last 10 games, so a rest will be welcome.

Your lineups:

Red Sox
Marco Scutaro, SS
Darnell McDonald, LF
David Ortiz, DH
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Adrian Beltre, 3B
J.D. Drew, RF
Jason Varitek, C
Bill Hall, 2B
Mike Cameron, CF

Royals
Willie Bloomquist, LF
Mike Aviles, 2B
David DeJesus, RF
Billy Butler, 1B
Jose Guillen, DH
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Brayan Pena, C
Yuniesky Betancourt, SS
Mitch Maier, CF

8 a.m.: Leave it up to the Red Sox ace to earn a series split on Sunday at 1:35 p.m.

Jon Lester looks to continue his streak of hot pitching as the Red Sox look to build on their victory Sunday when Clay Buchholz went a sterling seven innings. Lester will do so against Bruce Chen, a journeyman who was called up to serve out of the bullpen a few weeks ago.

With Gil Meche hitting the disabled list, however, Chen's role has changed to that of starter. The left-hander will face his former employers when he toes the hill. Chen pitched 12 1/3 innings for the BoSox in 2003, notching a 5.11 ERA. In 2009, he started nine games and relieved in eight for a 5.78 ERA. In 9 1/3 innings so far on the year, however, his ERA is a sparkling 2.78.

The Sox are currently 3-9 during day games and a sparkling 24-14 otherwise.

On May 25, NESN analyst Dennis Eckersley spoke about how grueling a six-month baseball season can be with frequent road trips. He mentioned that the ban on amphetamines has a lasting effect on the ability to key the body up for road trips.

"Let's not kid ourselves," Eck said. "I'm telling you, it's tough to play after six months going on the road, especially playing on the West Coast."

The same could be said for day games, which generally only occur on Sundays, although the Chicago Cubs routinely play weekday day games, and getaway games are usually during the day. (The Red Sox will play on Thursday, June 3, at 1:35 p.m. in a getaway game against the Oakland Athletics.)

Coffee and Red Bull are a great substitute for amphetamines, but there's no question the little green pills saved many a player's batting average or ERA. Without that extra edge available, sluggish performances during the day have become more prevalent.

While a day game is fantastic for families and those preferring to have nights open and enjoy the weather during the summer, it throws baseball players off their internal clock. The body can only be stretched so much, and after a week of putting in hours that generally stretch from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m., forcing players to wake up and be prepared for 1 p.m. starts on Sundays is a lot to ask.

Should baseball scrap day games, or schedule more? Scheduling Saturday day games might be a way to help manage players' internal clocks. Players can adjust more to day games if there are two consecutive day games. In addition, a wider fan base would be available to attend games.

Or what about former Cubs great Ernie Banks' famous saying: "Let's play two!"

By scheduling day-night doubleheaders on Sunday (and perhaps Saturday), players could receive an additional day off during the week that they can use to catch up on sleep and prepare their internal clocks for time adjustment.

There's no question players go through a grueling schedule: six months away from their families, jetting across the country and racking up thousands of miles and being asked to perform at their best day after day in front of 40,000-strong fans who aren't afraid to show their displeasure.

Is asking ballplayers to adjust their schedules to play a day game on Sunday asking too much? Should Major League Baseball scrap day games entirely or schedule more?

Share your thoughts below. The best comments will be read on NESN's Red Sox GameDay Live or Red Sox Final.

May 27: Is Clay Buchholz pitching his way onto the AL All-Star team?

The Red Sox are currently 17-11, with the Yankees and Rays both with one less loss apiece for best record in the month of May.

With the Red Sox off on Memorial Day, this is their chance to cap off a disappointing April with a strong May.

Lester, one of the best pitchers in the game in the month, will face a Kansas City Royals team that missed a chance at a rare four-game sweep by losing 1-0 on Saturday night to Clay Buchholz. They'll send journeyman Bruce Chen to the mound against Lester, a mismatch on paper. It will be on Lester and the rest of the team to make sure that mismatch shows up on the field.

WHEN AND WHERE

Royals (21-29) at Red Sox (28-23)
Sunday, May 30, 1:35 p.m.
(NESN)
Fenway Park, Boston

PITCHING MATCHUP

RHP Bruce Chen (1-0, 2.89 ERA) vs. Jon Lester (5-2, 3.15 ERA)

Jon Lester hopes to continue his dominance in May and give the Red Sox a series split against the Royals.

Lester started the season with a 4.71 ERA in April before turning the heat on and going 4-0 with a 1.95 ERA in May. In his sixth start, he will face a team that he has a career 1.20 ERA against in four starts. 

Opposing him will be a fellow left-hander in Bruce Chen, who had a cup of coffee in a Red Sox uniform in 2003. He has bounced around throughout multiple organizations but has found a home the last two years in Kansas City.

Chen was recently called up from the minor leagues to help a beleaguered bullpen, but will move into the rotation after Gil Meche hit the disabled list on Saturday. Against the Red Sox, he has a career 4.84 ERA in 44 2/3 innings and last saw them July 12, 2009 when he lasted three innings in a start. He gave up six hits, three walks and three runs in a losing effort.

LINEUPS

Willie Bloomquist, LF Mike Aviles, 2B David DeJesus, RF Billy Butler, 1B Jose Guillen, DH Alberto Callaspo, 3B Brayan Pena, C Yuniesky Betancourt, SS Mitch Maier, CF	Marco Scutaro, SS Darnell McDonald, LF David Ortiz, DH Kevin Youkilis, 1B Adrian Beltre, 3B J.D. Drew, RF Jason Varitek, C Bill Hall, 2B Mike Cameron, CF

STAT SHEET

Red Sox

• The Red Sox recorded their first shutout of 2010 at Fenway Park. The last time a shutout at Fenway Park happened, Boston was closing the season out against the Cleveland Indians on Oct. 1, 2009.
• Adrian Beltre recorded his 37th hit of the month Saturday night, the most he has ever collected in May. The mark ties August 2007 for the third-most hits in a month for his career. August 2004 (42) and August 2000 (39) are the only other months he has outdone May 2010.
• The last four home wins against the Royals have included three shutouts: 1-0 on June 10, 2009, 6-0 on June 12, 2009 and Saturday night's 1-0 victory.

Royals

• Zack Greinke knows 1-0 losses. He pitched a complete game loss against Tampa Bay on May 2, falling 1-0. These are the only two 1-0 losses of the season for Kansas City.
• David DeJesus is batting an obscene .450 (9-for-20) against the Red Sox this season with four doubles and five RBIs. His on-base percentage is too high to contemplate.
• One more Greinke stat: Only two other pitchers in Royals history have lost a game despite allowing just one run or less over six innings or more: Mark Gubicza (6) and Kevin Appier (5). Greinke has four.

BLACK AND BLUE

Red Sox

• Jacoby Ellsbury was placed on the disabled list with a
  rib injury on Friday. He played in three games after returning from
  the DL on May 22. He only has nine games on the season to his name after suffering fractured ribs at the hands of an Adrian Beltre knee on April 11.
• Josh Beckett, who is on the 15-day disabled list with a lower
  back strain, threw a side session on Friday but the team has decided to back off his rehab as the side session did not go as well as anticipated. He will certainly not return June 3 against Oakland as originally hoped.

Royals

• Gil Meche was placed on the disabled list with right shoulder bursitis on Saturday, the second time he has hit the DL this season with the same injury. He is 0-4 with a 6.66 ERA. Victor Marte took his place in the bullpen, with Bruce Chen sliding to the rotation.
• Center fielder Rick Ankiel is on the disabled list with a
  strained right quadriceps.
• Infielder Josh Fields is on the 60-day DL following right hip
  surgery.

OUTLOOK

It's hard to imagine the Red Sox can lose a matchup with Jon Lester on the mound against Bruce Chen, but the Royals will certainly try. If the Royals can squeak out a win and a 3-1 series victory on the road, it will be a huge boost to the team. The Red Sox, for their part, will look to go into Memorial Day's day off having nipped a possible stumbling block in the bud. They'll then host the Oakland Athletics before heading out on the road for seven games.

The Red Sox still plan to open the gates as scheduled at 5:10 p.m. and believe the game will begin on time at 7:10 p.m. However, fans should be alerted as to the possibility of delay.

Additional updates will be provided if the weather forecast changes.

Final, 1-0 Red Sox:

Sure, the walks-to-strikeout ratio was at 1:1 (four walks, four whiffs), but when coupled with just four hits, that's more than OK.

The defense got the job done tonight, and while the Red Sox struggled to deliver on several RBI chances, all that mattered in the end was the single run that was notched in the bottom of the second when Mike Lowell delivered a productive out, grounding to second and bringing Adrian Beltre home from third.

With the win, the Royals' three-game winning streak is snapped and the Red Sox avoid the unpleasant thought of having to avoid a four-game sweep by the Royals on Sunday. Ace Jon Lester will toe the mound at 1:35 p.m. See you then.

End 9th, 1-0 Red Sox: A 95-mph fastball gets the inning started.

Billy Butler flies out to defensive replacement Darnell McDonald and punches out Guillen on a 1-2 count. Papelbon had thrown nothing but gas since coming into the game until the final pitch to Guillen, which was a splitter.

Betancourt is the last out, fitting because he drove the stake into the heart of the Red Sox on Friday night when he — Betancourt, of all people — delivered a grand slam. There will be no such grand slam this time, as Papelbon induces a fly to left.

End 8th, 1-0 Red Sox: Drew gets things started with a pop-up to left field off new pitcher Blake Wood. Wood is a rookie who has a 1.04 ERA in just 8 1/3 innings.

Papelbon is warming up for the ninth.

Lowell grounds to second, and Hermida follows suit. If all goes well in the top ninth, the Boston bats will be done for the night.

Mid 8th, 1-0 Red Sox: It's Dan Bard replacing Buchholz. He coughs up a leadoff double to Jason Kendall and advances on a Podsednik dribbler to Bard.

The filthy slider strikes again and Aviles takes a lonely walk to the bench.

Pedroia makes a great snag, bending backwards and sliding to field a hot grounder by DeJesus to retire the hot hitter. Almost saw a tie game there.

End 7th, 1-0 Red Sox: Greinke's night is done, with Tejeda in to replace.

Scoot works a walk as Roy Halladay has just notched a perfect game against the Marlins. Congratulations to the Phillie, one of the best pitchers of the 2000s.

Pedroia grounds out to second and Aviles doesn't bother trying to get the play at second. Scoot's in scoring position for Ortiz … who walks on four pitches.

Butler makes a nice backhand of Martinez's grounder and flips to Tejeda who can't keep it secure. Bases juiced.

Beltre can't capitalize, grounding into a double play to Betancourt. Onto the eighth.

Mid 7th, 1-0 Red Sox: The 100th pitch by Buchholz retires Callaspo.

The inning ends on a Maier flyout and Betancourt groundout. It'll be interesting to see if Buchholz gets sent out for the 8th.

9:12 p.m.: By the way, things couldn't be going better for Roy Halladay right now through eight innings. I'll let you read between the lines.

End 6th, 1-0 Red Sox: Mike Lowell skies one to left field. Greinke follows up with a grounder to second by Hermida.

Unfortunately, Aviles makes an error and Hermida reaches. Greinke still doesn't have a 1-2-3 inning.

It works out for the best as Cameron rips a line drive right at third base and Callaspo zips the ball to first to double off Hermida.

Mid 6th, 1-0 Red Sox: Scoot gets charged with an error, which is a tough error to get. He had to range to his left a good distance and couldn't come up with the ball. Even if he had gotten it, I can't imagine he could have thrown out the speedy Podsednik.

It's OK, though, as Scotty Po gets thrown out at second base by V-Mart. Very impressive piece of throwing. Pedroia had a nice pick of the throw as well.

Mike Cameron makes a catch with his back to the plate near the warning track for the second out, and then DeJesus rips a line drive high and to the right of Beltre. Beltre does whatever he can to get glove on the ball, but he doesn't get enough and the ball trickles into left field. DeJesus ends up with a double.

After pitching Butler to a 2-0 count, the Red Sox decide to intentionally walk him for Jose Guillen. The move turns out smartly as Guillen hacks a first pitch to Beltre who registers the force at second.

End 5th, 1-0 Red Sox: Greinke induces Scutaro to pop to short and Pedroia to fly to center.

This marks Ortiz's third trip to the plate and he's 0-2 on the night.

And Big Papi registers his first hit of the night with a wall-scraping double.

Greinke walks Victor Martinez and Beltre comes to bat now. The first pitch is a ball, and that will bring the catcher out to talk to the right-hander who just registered his 100th pitch of the game. Greinke certainly doesn't look happy.

Four straight balls to Beltre, and Greinke seems to be losing it. Robinson Tejeda gets the action started in the 'pen and J.D. Drew has a chance to blow this game open … and as I type that, he grounds to first. Inning over. Next time, J.D.

Mid 5th, 1-0 Red Sox: Alberto Callaspo grounds to Pedroia to get the inning started.

Maier strikes out swinging, and that's Buchholz's fourth whiff of the game. He's at 71 pitches with two outs in the inning.

Buchholz walks Betancourt, and its just the fifth walk of the year for the shortstop. The former Mariner is putting together his best year since 2007 and can be considered league-average at this point. That gives you an idea of how bad he was in recent years.

Buchholz retires Jason Kendall on a slow hopper to Scutaro.

End 4th, 1-0 Red Sox: J.D. Drew pops to second, bringing up Lowell. The now first baseman grounds a single through the hole between short and third.

Jeremy Hermida works things to a 3-1 count before cranking a fly ball. Podsednik made the catch in front of the warning track, but there was some confusion there as the left fielder seemed to be expecting Mitch Maier to come over from center and make the play.

Mike Cameron pops out to short to end the frame. This game is moving at a pretty good clip, by the way. This game has a shot to finish under three hours.

Mid 4th, 1-0 Red Sox: Buchholz can't finish off Mike Aviles with an 0-2 count. Aviles dumps a ball into left and now stands atop first base.

He takes a jog to first as DeJesus has walked. It's the second time DeJesus walked today, and this is coming off a 4-for-6 showing Friday night. Safe to say he's on a hot streak.

Butler scorches a hot grounder to Beltre who is able to turn the 5-4-3 double play. Guillen then grounds one to Lowell and the Royals' mounting threat is extinguished.

End 3rd, 1-0 Red Sox: We've got something brewing here. Scutaro singled on a line to center, and then Betancourt muffed a Pedroia groundball to put two ducks on the pond for David Ortiz.

Unfortunately, Ortiz strikes out on a check-swing after working the count full. V-Mart skies one to right field, and that brings up Beltre with one chance left to get some runners home.

Greinke's finally found the on switch, though, and drops Beltre with a slider for the third out.

Mid 3rd, 1-0 Red Sox: Another quick inning and Buchholz is rolling. He got the frame started by whiffing Yuniesky Betancourt and inducing a groundout from Jason Kendall. Podsednik then rips one to Adrian Beltre's backhand to end the inning.

Buchholz has three strikeouts through three.

End 2nd, 1-0 Red Sox: And Adrian Beltre is now batting .346 after ripping a single. That's good for fourth in the AL behind Justin Morneau, Robinson Cano and Billy Butler.

A patented wall ball by J.D. Drew puts two runners in scoring position and Mike Lowell steps to the plate.

It will be his first at-bat since May 22, when he had a pinch-hit at-bat and worked a walk, then was lifted for a pinch-hitter.

He then made one of the quips of the year when he told Rob Bradford of WEEI that it was great to play for seven seconds.

While Lowell registers an out on a groundball to second, it's a productive one as Beltre trots home with the first tally of the game.

Zack Greinke bounces back by getting Jeremy Hermida to whiff and Mike Cameron to ground to third.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Buchholz has been flashing the changeup today. He just whiffed Jose Guillen on a particularly filthy one.

After a flyout by Alberto Callaspo to Jeremy Hermida, Mitch Maier goes down on three straight strikes. Perhaps Staples make a commercial with Buchholz because that was easy.

End 1st, 0-0: After Marco Scutaro flies out, Dustin Pedroia works a walk from Zack Greinke to bring up Big Papi.

One note about Pedroia, who is batting a scant .259, much to his frustration: His walk rate is just a tick below his career high of 10.4 percent set in 2009. It's at 9.4 percent, which would be the second-best mark of his major league career.

You can generally tell whether things are a fluke by how the player performs in other aspects of the game and whether it diverges from previously established baselines. Pedroia's plate discipline and power haven't tailed off at all, so watch the average slowly rise at some point.

David Ortiz booms a fly to right field that a running DeJesus just barely snags. Victor Martinez ends the frame by grounding to second.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Clay Buchholz starts the game by giving up a leadoff single to Scott Podsednik.

Fortunately for Buchholz, the Red Sox and the fans in attendance, Mike Aviles lashed a tailor-made double play followed by David DeJesus working a walk after falling in a 1-2 hole.

Billy Butler, among the best hitters in the game, steps to the plate. Buchholz throws over to try and catch DeJesus napping at first. The pitcher also kept an eye on Podsednik. We, on the other hand, will be watching how Buchholz approaches runners on base, something that has plagued him in his early career.

Butler raps a hit to Marco Scutaro who fires to Dustin Pedroia to end the top half of the first.

The Red Sox and Royals are playing the third game of a four-game set. With KC taking the first two games, Boston must win today and Sunday to make the series a wash. If the Royals win out, the Red Sox will be risk being swept by the Royals at home in Sunday's 1:35 p.m. start.

5:56 p.m.: Here are your lineups, with Mike Lowell drawing the start in lieu of Kevin Youkilis:

Red Sox
Marco Scutaro, SS
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David
Ortiz, DH
Victor Martinez, C
Adrian Beltre, 3B
J.D. Drew, RF
Mike
Lowell, 1B
Jeremy Hermida, LF
Mike Cameron, CF

Royals
Scott
Podsednik, LF
Mike Aviles, SS
David DeJesus, RF
Billy Butler,
1B
Jose Guillen, DH
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Mitch Maier, CF
Yuniesky
Betancourt, 2B
Jason Kendall, C

4:53 p.m.: In a press release by the Red Sox, the team divulged that its private
weather service, Telvent DTN, forecasts scattered showers in the Fenway
Park area throughout the late afternoon and early evening hours.

The Red Sox still plan to open the gates as scheduled at 5:10 p.m.
and believe the game will begin on time at 7:10 p.m. However, fans
should be alerted as to the possibility of delay.

Additional
updates will be provided if the weather forecast changes.

8:22 a.m.: Baseball is a funny game.

After a week of climbing the standings and looking like world beaters, the Red Sox are stumbling again. They have lost the first two games of their four-game set with the Royals and dropped back into fourth place in the AL East.

Attribute the slide to pitching. The team that swept the Rays at Tropicana Field got three solid starts from Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester and John Lackey, but since the Red Sox returned to Fenway Park, neither Daisuke Matsuzaka nor Tim Wakefield have made it past the fifth inning.

Boston is hoping to reverse that trend with Buchholz on the hill in the third game against Kansas City. He is 3-0 with a 1.97 ERA in his last three starts and appears to have made the leap from promising young gun to consistent ace.

His 10th start of the season will be a test – especially with reigning AL Cy Young winner Zack Greinke getting the call for the Royals. If Buchholz can stop the bleeding, the Red Sox can regain some momentum and confidence. If not, they risk falling to .500 at home.

Such a move is aimed at helping speed up the game, and you can bet Major League Baseball will be watching to see how the experiment turns out.

Pace of game has been a concern for MLB in recent years. The commissioner's office fines players who take too long to get ready. Jonathan Papelbon, for example, was fined multiple times in 2009 for going past his allotted maximum to get from the bullpen to the mound and warm up.

The issue took on added importance when umpire Joe West blasted the Red Sox and Yankees for the teams' slow play, where four-hour games are routine.

Perhaps Major League Baseball should take a look at instituting a pitch clock of its own. Currently, the rule is that each pitch must be delivered within 12 seconds of the previous pitch if there are no runners on base. The penalty is an automatic ball, but this rule largely goes unenforced. The rule was changed for the 2007 season after several seasons saw an average north of 25 seconds between pitches.

Should umpires be stricter about the policy?

By enforcing a rule already in effect, it would speed up baseball games significantly.

Assuming 408 total pitches are thrown in a game (the amount in Wednesday's Red Sox-Rays game) with an average of 12 seconds allowed between pitches, the game could have been over in one hour and 36 minutes (using the SEC's 48-second gap between innings). Using 2004's average of 26.3 seconds, however, a game that would have taken 1:36 to complete with a strict clock of 12 seconds instead took three hours and four minutes.

That's a significant difference. While it's likely baseball would bump the 12-second minimum higher — perhaps even back to 20 seconds, as it was prior to 2007 — any enforcement of the rule would do wonders in speeding the game up.

The only question is if Major League Baseball should shy away from timing a game that has never been at the behest of a clock.

Is it time for a change?

Share your thoughts below. The best comments will be read on NESN's Red Sox GameDay Live or Red Sox Final.

May 26: Should umpires like Bob Davidson be penalized if they cross the line in arguments?