Final, White Sox 6-4: And that’ll do it.

A bit of a tailwind might have changed the Red Sox’ fortunes in the ninth inning, as Will Middlebrooks’ deep fly ball fell about two feet short of leaving the yard with Mike Napoli on first.

Paul Konerko then made a great diving stop on a sharp Stephen Drew grounder before flipping to closer Addison Reed to put this one in the books.

Jon Lester struggled out of the gate for the Red Sox, allowing the six Chicago runs (five earned) on seven hits and three walks over six innings. The White Sox had their “fun with two,” scoring all six of their runs with two out to saddle Lester (6-1) with his first loss of the season.

These two teams will be back at it again Tuesday night — same time, same place. Felix Doubront will start for Boston opposite Chicago’s Jose Quintana. See you all back here tomorrow.

End 8th, White Sox 6-4: The White Sox threatened to add to their lead in the eighth, putting runners on second and third with one out, but Craig Breslow was able to escape unscathed.

With pinch runner Casper Wells on third and Jeff Keppinger, who doubled inside the third-base bag, on second, Breslow got Tyler Flowers to pop out to third and Tyler Greene to line out to first to leave ‘em stranded.

The team is now reporting that Shane Victorino left tonight’s game with tightness in his left hamstring, meaning that his injury was not a reaggravation of the back problems that sidelined him last week.

Mid 8th, White Sox 6-4: Jacoby Ellsbury and Tyler Greene have become very well-acquainted tonight, as the Red Sox leadoff man has now grounded out to Chicago’s second baseman four times in this game.

May has not been kind to Ellsbury, who has seen both his average and on-base percentage steadily dwindle over the past few weeks. As NESN.com hockey guy Mike Cole points out, the center fielder is hitting just .133 over his last 14 games.

The Red Sox got a walk by Jonny Gomes, but nothing else off Jesse Crain in the eighth. Craig Breslow will attempt to keep the deficit at two runs in the bottom of the inning.

End 7th, White Sox 6-4: Clayton Mortensen relieves Jon Lester in the seventh and records three quick ground-ball outs.

Tonight was not Lester’s finest outing, allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits and three walks over six innings.

He had no trouble starting strong, retiring the first two batters in five of his six frames, but that third out proved elusive. All six Chicago runs tonight have come with two outs.

The Red Sox have clawed their way back into this game, though, and trail by just a pair as we head to the eighth. The top of the order is due up.

Mid 7th, White Sox 6-4: Dylan Axelrod can’t be very pleased in the White Sox dugout right now.

Axelrod was lifted in favor of reliever Matt Thornton before the seventh inning, and Thornton proceeded to open the frame by walking both David Ortiz and Mike Napoli.

After Daniel Nava flew out to right, Will Middlebrooks’ wall-ball double was misplayed by left fielder Dayan Viciedo, allowing both runners to score to cut Chicago’s lead in half.

Thornton the got a gift from home-plate umpire Alfonso Marquez when Stephen Drew was punched out on a pitch that looked to be clearly outside. Jarrod Saltalamacchia then made a bid for his second home run of the night, but his fly ball stalled at the warning track.

The damage was done, though, and the Red Sox now trail by just two runs heading into the seventh-inning stretch.

End 6th, White Sox 6-2: Jon Lester turns in a much-needed 1-2-3 inning, and we head to the seventh.

No word has emerged on the condition of Shane Victorino, who appeared to injure himself while beating out an infield single last inning. One would gather (and this is only speculation) that he may have tweaked his back, which has given him problems on multiple occasions this season. We’ll bring you more as information as it’s released.

Dylan Axelrod’s night is done, as Matt Thornton takes over on the mound for Chicago. Axelrod exits with a solid line of two runs on four hits and a walk over six innings, striking out to. He is in line for his second win of the season if the White Sox can hold on.

Mid 6th, White Sox 6-2: The Red Sox recorded two hits in an inning for the first time tonight, but a well-timed double play foiled their scoring chances.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled to lead off the sixth — his second hit of the night — but Alexei Ramirez made another nifty defensive play with Jacoby Ellsbury at the plate, avoiding the sliding Salty and spinning to retire the speedy leadoff man and complete Chicago’s second double play of the night.

Shane Victorino then followed with a single of his own, but Dustin Pedroia flew out to the warning track in center to end the inning.

Bad news for the Red Sox, as Victorino appears to have pulled something while beating out that infield single. John Farrell removed him from the game prior to the bottom of the sixth, with Daniel Nava shifting over to right field and Jonny Gomes taking over in left.

End 5th, White Sox 6-2: The White Sox put three runners on without recording a hit, bringing out Juan Nieves for his second mound visit of the night.

Alexei Ramirez reached on an error to open the inning, as his ground ball bounced off Will Middlebrooks’ glove and Stephen Drew couldn’t wrangle the carom in time to nab the Chicago shortstop at first.

A pair of overthrows (one on Drew’s throw to first and another on Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s attempt to catch Ramirez stealing) could have proved costly, as well, but Ramirez chose not to try his luck on either.

Lester then walked Alex Rios but was bailed out by a big 4-6-3 double play, though it did allow Ramirez to advance to third. He then got ahead of Adam Dunn 0-2 but could not retire the strikeout-prone designated hitter, instead throwing four consecutive balls to issue his second free pass of the inning.

Dayan Viciedo’s ensuing single up the middle allowed Ramirez to score easily from third, increasing the White Sox’ lead to 6-2. All six runs have come with two outs.

Jeff Keppinger popped out in foul territory to end the inning.

Mid 5th, White Sox 5-2: Stephen Drew gave a full-count fastball from Dylan Axelrod a ride, almost coming up with a home run nearly identical to Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s back in the third inning, but his fly ball ran out of gas at the warning track.

The fell into Dayan Viciedo’s glove to complete yet another 1-2-3 inning for Axelrod, his fourth in five innings.

Daniel Nava also lined out softly to right field and Will Middlebrooks struck out swinging in the frame.

End 4th, White Sox 5-2: Jon Lester seems to have finally found a groove, retiring the two Tylers (Flowers and Greene) and Alejandro De Aza all on ground balls for his first 1-2-3 inning of the night.

The Sox still trail by three, though, as Dylan Axelrod has been very strong on the mound for Chicago. Daniel Nava is due up first against the right-hander in the fifth.

Mid 4th, White Sox 5-2: Dustin Pedroia has improved his hitting streak to 12 games after beating out an infield single to lead off the fourth.

Jeff Keppinger almost managed to retire Pedroia with what would have been a heck of a play, snagging the sharp grounder with his bare hand, but his throw arrived a half-second late.

Dylan Axelrod was still able to complete his third 1-2-3 inning of the night, though, as he got David Ortiz to ground into a 3-6-3 double play and struck out Mike Napoli swinging.

Napoli’s 60 K’s on the season rank second in the majors behind Houston’s Chris Carter (65).

End 3rd, White Sox 5-2: Jon Lester retired the first two batters of the third inning before allowing a base hit. Stop me if this is sounding repetitive.

Luckily for the Red Sox, Lester was able to escape this one without allowing further damage. It wasn’t without drama, as a Jeff Keppinger line drive that landed just inches foul down the left-field line would have likely allowed Dayan Viciedo to score from first first.

But Lester got Keppinger to ground out to short on the next pitch, stranding Viciedo, who singled an at-bat earlier.

Lester’s pitch count is climbing dangerously high, as the lefty has already thrown 61 pitches through the first three innings.

Mid 3rd, White Sox 5-2: Well, that’s a good place to start.

After Stephen Drew worked a one-out walk to give Boston its first baserunner of the night, Jarrod Saltalamacchia put just enough of a charge into a low fastball for it to clear the wall in left-center field.

Salty’s fifth homer of the year — and his second in three games — cut the Chicago lead to three runs before Jacoby Ellsbury (groundout) and Shane Victorino (popout) went down consecutively to end the frame.

End 2nd, White Sox 5-0: Jon Lester again retired the first two batters in the second, but he was again unable to shut the door on the White Sox.

Chicago responded with three two-out doubles by Tyler Greene, Alejandro De Aza and Alexei Ramirez to run its lead to 5-0 and prompt a mound visit by Red Sox pitching coach Juan Nieves.

Lester’s early struggles tonight are uncharacteristic of the pitcher’s performance so far this year. In 10 starts, he has allowed a first-inning run just once (April 30 in Toronto) and has never surrendered more than one in the opening frame. The five earned runs allowed tonight already matches his season high.

Alex Rios popped out to shallow center to end the inning, and the bottom third of the Red Sox order will look to chip away at Chicago’s lead in the third.

Mid 2nd, White Sox 3-0: The Red Sox go down in order again in the second, thanks to a pair of nice plays by Alexei Ramirez.

The shortstop first charged a slow roller off the bat of David Ortiz to retire the designated hitter, who has never run particularly well. He then showed some quick reflexes in corralling Mike Napoli’s low line drive that skipped off the dirt near the outfield grass.

Daniel Nava then flew out to center to end the inning.

Dylan Axelrod has been efficient for Chicago tonight, needing just 19 pitches to retire the first six batters.

End 1st, White Sox 3-0: Alex Rios entered tonight with a league-leading 14-game hit streak, and he didn’t have to wait long to extend it.

After Alejandro De Aza popped out to short and Alexei Ramirez struck out swinging, Rios singled up the middle off Jon Lester for the game’s first hit. Rios then stole second on a 2-1 pitch to Paul Konerko, and Lester proceeded to walk the veteran first baseman to put a pair of runners on for Adam Dunn.

Dunn then did what he does best (no, not strike out), sending Lester’s offering into the right-field seats to give Chicago an early 3-0 lead.

Dayan Viciedo grounded out to shortstop Stephen Drew to end the inning.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Axelrod makes quick work of the Red Sox in the first, retiring Ellsbury, Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia in order on nine pitches.

Pedroia has paced the Sox’ lineup over the past two weeks. He carries a team-high 11 game hitting streak into tonight and went 2-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored in yesterday’s 5-1 win in Minnesota.

Alejandro De Aza, Alexei Ramirez and the red-hot Alex Rios are due up for the White Sox against Jon Lester.

8:10 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury, returning to the leadoff spot after sitting out yesterday’s game, takes ball one from Dylan Axelrod and we are underway in the Windy City.

Ellsbury has faced the 27-year-old righty just three times in his career, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout.

7:35 p.m.: It was pouring buckets moments ago back home in Boston, but the forecast at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago calls for clear skies and temperatures in the 70s and 80s throughout the evening.

In other words: perfect weather for baseball.

The first pitch from White Sox starter Dylan Axelrod is scheduled for just about 45 minutes from now.

5:45 p.m.: After fielding an unorthodox lineup in each of the weekend’s three games in Minnesota, the Red Sox will trot out their usual starting nine tonight.

Stephen Drew, who was spelled by Pedro Ciriaco on Saturday and Sunday, returns at shortstop and bats eighth after sitting out with back pain caused by an awkward slide into second base during Friday night’s win.

Jacoby Ellsbury will also be back in the leadoff spot for the 44th time this year after receiving his first off day on Sunday.

The Red Sox will hope the afternoon off lit a fire under Ellsbury, as the center fielder has struggled to get on base at a consistent clip this season. He currently ranks eighth among active Red Sox hitters in batting average (.246) and 11th in on-base percentage (.309). Ellsbury has been productive when he does reach, though, trailing only Dustin Pedroia with 24 runs scored (granted he has taken 15 more at-bats than any other Boston player) and tying for third in the majors with 13 stolen bases on the season.

The Sox will be facing a Chicago offense that has floundered in the cellar of the American League (ranking 26th or lower in total runs, team average and team slugging percentage) and is buoyed in every way by right fielder Alex Rios.

Rios has started all 42 games for the White Sox and leads the team in literally every offensive category, compiling a .301/.363/.558 slash line with 10 doubles, 10 home runs and 25 RBIs. He comes in riding an AL-leading 14-game hit streak and is one of the few prominent names — along with Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn — in a lineup filled primary with up-and-comers or journeymen.

Here are the full starting lineups for both teams:

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

Jon Lester, LHP

White Sox 
Alejandro De Aza, CF
Alexei Ramirez, SS
Alex Rios, RF
Paul Konerko, 1B
Adam Dunn, DH
Dayan Viciedo, LF
Jeff Keppinger, 3B
Tyler Flowers, C
Tyler Greene, 2B

Dylan Axelrod, RHP

3:59 p.m.: The Red Sox are getting their closer back.

Andrew Bailey was activated from the 15-day disabled list this afternoon. Righty Jose De La Torre was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket to make room on the 25-man roster.

Bailey is 1-0 on the season with five saves and a 1.46 ERA. He has 20 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings.

De La Torre made two appearances in relief for the Red Sox. He allowed two earned runs in two innings and recorded two strikeouts. — DK

3 p.m. ET: A little road swing through Tampa, Minnesota and Chicago appears to be just what the doctor ordered for the stumbling Red Sox, who have bagged five wins in a row so far.

Tonight, the Red Sox (27-17) open a three-game series on the South Side of Chicago, where they’ll visit the White Sox (19-23). Boston is looking to keep the wins rolling and also put some runs behind Jon Lester (6-0, 2.72 ERA), who has a chance to become the club’s first left-hander in 40 years to go 7-0 (Roger Moret did it in 1973 en route to a 10-0 start).

Lester has been lights-out lately, and he’ll likely be a handful for the White Sox, who sent righty Dylan Axelrod (1-3, 4.27) to the hill.

Check back here for updates and analysis before the game, then be sure to flip to NESN around 7 p.m. for pregame action. First pitch is going at 8:10 p.m.

Final, Red Sox 5-1:

The Twins put two runners on in the ninth inning, but Junichi Tazawa finished things off, and the Sox suddenly find themselves rolling as they head to Chicago for a three-game set with the White Sox.

John Lackey was excellent in his six innings of work on Sunday. He gave up just one hit while striking out five, and Minnesota’s only run was unearned. His outing ended when the game went into a three-hour rain delay in the seventh inning.

Will Middlebrooks and Dustin Pedroia each had two hits and went deep in the 5-1 victory, which put the finishing touches on a three-game sweep at Target Field.

Jon Lester will try to keep the Red Sox rolling on Monday. The game’s first pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET.

Good night, everyone.

Mid 9th, Red Sox 5-1: A strange day just keeps getting stranger.

The inning started in novelty fashion when Shane Victorino hit a ball right in front of his feet. It was in fair territory, but it seemed like it was chasing Victorino as he kept trying to dance around it en route to first base. Eventually, Joe Mauer came out from behind the plate, picked it up and fired to first, but it was a weird out, to say the least.

That was just the beginning, though.

Jonny Gomes walked with one out, and Dustin Pedroia followed up with a fly ball to left field. Josh Willingham ran back toward the wall and leaped, at which point the ball bounced off his glove, briefly rolled along the top of the outfield wall and then landed over the wall for a two-run home run. You can’t make this stuff up.

David Ortiz beat the shift with a single through the right side and Mike Napoli walked, essentially kicking off another threat with two outs. Jared Burton settled down and retired Daniel Nava and Will Middlebrooks to end the inning.

Junichi Tazawa will pitch the ninth inning for Boston.

End 8th, Red Sox 3-1: The Twins made a whole lot of noise against Koji Uehara in the eighth inning, but the righty struck out Joe Mauer with the bases loaded to end the major threat.

Uehara actually struck out the side in the inning, but he didn’t exactly take the easiest route in doing so.

Wilkin Ramirez led off the eighth with a double before Uehara picked up back-to-back strikeouts against Chris Parmelee and Josh Willingham. Willingham got ahead in the count and had the green light, but he came up empty on a huge 3-0 hack. Uehara then put him away on a fastball.

It didn’t get any easier, as Pedro Florimon walked and Jamey Carroll singled into left field to load the bases for Mauer. But Uehara managed to escape with the two-run lead still intact by fanning the Twins’ All-Star catcher on a splitter.

It’s been a tough night at the dish for Mauer, who has now struck out three times in his 0-for-4 effort.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 3-1: It looks — so far at least — like the pitchers are better equipped to handle the lengthy rain delay.

Brian Duensing was the first Twins pitcher to take the mound after the layoff, and he worked around a two-out walk to keep the Red Sox’ offense at bay.

Duensing started the inning off in impressive fashion, striking out Daniel Nava and Will Middlebrooks. Duensing went upstairs to get Nava, and he got Middlebrooks to wave at a slider.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia earned a seven-pitch walk after working the count full, but Duensing settled down to retire Pedro Ciriaco on a flyout to right field.

Koji Uehara will pitch the eighth inning for Boston.

End 7th, Red Sox 3-1: Andrew Miller started things up after the lengthy rain delay, and he cruised through the seventh inning.

Miller retired the Twins in order on a pair of groundouts and a strikeout.

Justin Morneau led off by bouncing one down to Mike Napoli, who flipped to Miller for the first out.

Miller then struck out Trevor Plouffe looking. The lefty got ahead of Plouffe 0-2, and eventually put him away with a nasty slider down in the zone on the fourth pitch of the at-bat.

The inning ended when Oswaldo Arcia grounded out to Will Middlebrooks at third base.

I’m not wearing a hat, but if I was, I’d tip it to the grounds crew. The current conditions aren’t ideal, but they did a good job of preparing the field quickly.

7:31 p.m., Red Sox 3-1: Andrew Miller takes the mound for Boston as we resume action at Target Field. Just so you’re up to speed, we’re looking at a 3-1 Red Sox lead in the bottom of the seventh inning.

7:19 p.m.: The estimated restart time is now 7:30 p.m. That’s five minutes later than originally expected, but at this point, who’s counting?

7:12 p.m.: Word on the street is that they’ll be starting things back up at 7:25 p.m.

You’ve got time to grab a beverage and a snack, but don’t take long. I’ll wait here.

7:09 p.m.: It looks like the tarp is coming off the field. I’m no expert, but that tells me we could have baseball relatively soon.

Stay tuned, and cross your fingers (it can’t hurt).

6:15 p.m.: It’s still very dark at the ballpark, and there is actually a tornado warning for parts of Minnesota until 9 p.m. For all of you scoring at home, that isn’t good baseball weather.

The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham tweeted that he’s hearing unofficially that the game is not getting called any time soon. That makes sense, as it’s only a two-run game despite the Red Sox seemingly being in control throughout.

The little tidbit also means that we could be in for a lengthy delay, so keep checking in. I’ll try to pass along as much information as possible.

6:05 p.m.: Fans at Target Field really lucked out, all things considered. It’s “Sandlot Day,” which marks the 20th anniversary of the movie The Sandlot.

The original plan was for the movie to be shown on the stadium’s big screen following the game, but they’ve been showing throughout the rain delay.

There are a lot worse ways to spend a rain delay, right?

4:32 p.m., Red Sox 3-1: It’s coming down in buckets at Target Field, and the tarp has been rolled out. We have ourselves a rain delay. Booooo.

The delay could mean the end of John Lackey’s outing, and he was fantastic in this game. The Twins’ only run was unearned, and Lackey only gave up one hit and hit a batter. He struck out five in six innings.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 3-1: Josh Roenicke has been very impressive since taking over for Pedro Hernandez.

Roenicke retired the side in order in the seventh inning, striking out two in the process. Dustin Pedroia and Mike Napoli sandwiched David Ortiz’s flyout with a pair of swinging strikeouts.

Roenicke has been perfect through 2 2/3 innings since coming on in relief.

End 6th, Red Sox 3-1: John Lackey didn’t let the fifth-inning unearned run get to him. He came back out and tossed a 1-2-3 sixth.

Lackey retired Pedro Florimon, Jamey Carroll and Joe Mauer in order.

Mauer struck out swinging on a cutter, which has been a very good pitch for Lackey in this game. Mauer has now struck out twice, and Lackey has five K’s total.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 3-1: Josh Roenicke made quick work of the Red Sox in the sixth inning.

Pedro Ciriaco and Jonny Gomes each popped out, and Shane Victorino grounded out back to the mound.

The bad weather is starting to roll in, and it doesn’t look good. It is getting darker and darker. Fortunately for the Red Sox, we’re through five complete innings.

For the record, this is the last time this season the Red Sox and Twins play.

End 5th, Red Sox 3-1: I don’t envy Chris Parmelee right about now.

John Lackey gave up a leadoff double to Trevor Plouffe after starting the game with four perfect innings. Clearly, the long layoff while the Red Sox were batting  had an adverse effect on the right-hander.

Lackey then hit Oswaldo Arcia on the foot — at least that’s what the home plate umpire ruled — before striking out Wilkin Ramirez swinging. Lackey’s 0-2 pitch to Ramirez never really looked like a strike, but Ramirez chased it anyway.

Lackey nearly escaped the inning unscathed when Chris Parmelee grounded to second base. Dustin Pedroia tossed to second to try and start a double play, but Pedro Ciriaco’s throw to first was wide. It drilled Parmelee in an area no man wants to be hit, and the play allowed Plouffe to cross the plate with Minnesota’s first run.

After a brief injury delay, Aaron Hicks grounded out to second base to end the inning.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 3-0: The Red Sox had a chance for a monster inning, but Josh Roenicke saved the Twins.

Roenicke replaced Pedro Hernandez, who struggled through his start, and retired Will Middlebrooks and Jarrod Saltalamacchia to escape a bases-loaded jam with Boston only tallying one run in the inning.

Middlebrooks popped out to Jamey Carroll near first base, and Saltalamacchia grounded out softly to the mound.

Hernandez certainly owes Roenicke, as his pitching line could look a lot worse, if not for some clutch pitching.

3:52 p.m., Red Sox 3-0: Pedro Hernandez is doing all he can to pitch himself out of the Twins’ rotation.

Hernandez entered the game with a 2-0 record, but he’s stringing together some rather unimpressive outings. He gave up six runs on seven hits over two innings against the Red Sox on May 8, and he departs this game with the bases loaded and the Twins trailing 3-0.

Jonny Gomes grounded out to begin the fifth inning, but it was all downhill from there for Hernandez.

Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and Mike Napoli hit three straight singles off the left-hander. Ortiz’s single sent Pedroia to third, and Napoli’s knock drove him in.

Hernandez’s day ended after Daniel Nava smacked a fly ball to center. Aaron Hicks ran back toward the warning track and almost made a nice over-the-shoulder catch, but the ball dropped in over his head. Both Ortiz and Napoli held up before advancing, thinking Hicks made the play, but that wasn’t the case. As a result, Nava only got a single out of it, and Ortiz and Napoli each moved up one station.

Josh Roenicke will take over with the bases loaded and one out.

End 4th, Red Sox, 2-0: John Lackey enjoyed another perfect inning in the fourth. Make it 12 in a row to begin the game for him.

Jamey Carroll and Justin Morneau each grounded out, and Joe Mauer flied out.

Lackey has thrown 51 pitches (31 strikes) through the first four innings. He’s been very efficient, and he’s working at a very brisk pace right now. That certainly bodes well, as some inclement weather is expected to roll through Target Field at some point.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 2-0: The Red Sox almost added to their lead, but they ended up stranding two runners.

Daniel Nava, who has had a very good series, led off the fourth inning with a single into center field.

Will Middlebrooks, who homered in his first at-bat, then hit a grounder to third. Trevor Plouffe, who made a costly throwing error in the third inning, looked to second, but he had no chance to throw out Nava, who was off on the 3-2 pitch. Plouffe instead tossed to first for the sure out.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia increased the threat by singling, which allowed Nava to move up to third base. The Red Sox’ offense faltered from there, though.

Pedro Ciriaco tried to drop down a bunt for a hit, and although Salty moved up to second base, Ciriaco was retired for the second out. Shane Victorino, who has reached base twice, hit a hard line drive with two outs, but Plouffe was quick on his feet and made a nice play to end the inning.

End 3rd, Red Sox 2-0: John Lackey had himself another 1-2-3 inning in the third. He’s now retired all nine hitters he’s faced.

Chris Parmelee flied out to center and Aaron Hicks grounded out to second before Lackey struck out Pedro Florimon swinging to end the inning.

Lackey has now capped off each of the first three innings with a K. He struck out Joe Mauer to end the first, Wilkin Ramirez to end the second and now Florimon to end the third. Lackey got Ramirez on a curveball low and out of the strike zone.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 2-0: The Twins are typically a pretty good defensive team, but a fielding miscue cost them in the third inning.

Shane Victorino put together another excellent at-bat with one out. He got ahead 3-1 against Twins starter Pedro Hernandez, took a strike, and then fouled off four straight pitches before laying off a changeup to earn a walk.

Victorino showed aggressiveness on the bases back in the first inning when he stole second, and he once again pushed the envelope in the third inning. Jonny Gomes singled into center field, and Victorino went from first to third.

That two-base advancement was big, as Victorino scored when third baseman Trevor Plouffe made a throwing error. Dustin Pedroia chopped to third with runners at the corners, and Plouffe immediately looked to start an inning-ending, 5-4-3 double play. His throw to second base sailed into right field, though, and Victorino crossed the plate with Boston’s second run.

Gomes ended up on third base, so the Red Sox had a chance to tack on to their lead, but Hernandez struck out David Ortiz and got Mike Napoli to fly out to end the inning.

End 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: John Lackey is working at a good pace, and he has retired the first six hitters he’s faced.

Lackey sat down Trevor Plouffe, Oswaldo Arcia and Wilkin Ramirez in order in the second inning. Plouffe flied out, Arcia grounded out and Ramirez struck out.

Lackey fanned Ramirez with a 2-2 fastball to pick up his second strikeout. Ramirez actually lost his grip on the bat, and the lumber went flying into the seats. Hopefully everyone is OK down the third-base line.

Mid 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: Will Middlebrooks seems to be at his best when he’s going to the opposite field with power. He did that in the second inning, and the Red Sox have jumped out to a 1-0 lead.

Pedro Hernandez got two quick outs in the second, as both Mike Napoli and Daniel Nava grounded out to shortstop Pedro Florimon. Middlebrooks wasn’t as easy to retire, though.

Hernandez went with all offspeed stuff to Middlebrooks, who played the role of hero on Thursday night in Tampa. Middlebrooks laid off a couple of changeups before getting one to drive on the outer half of the plate.

Middlebrooks is going the other way a lot more frequently of late, and his numbers are starting to improve as a result. Even some of his outs have been rather loud lately.

End 1st, 0-0: John Lackey is off to a nice start.

Jamey Carroll led off the first inning with a little blooper into center field. Shane Victorino, playing center in Jacoby Ellsbury’s absence, came on to make the play.

Lackey then struck out Joe Mauer on a foul tip into the mitt. Lackey went with a heavy dose of fastballs and utilized the cutter to pick up the K.

Justin Morneau grounded into the shift with two outs. There was some brief confusion, but Dustin Pedroia made the play at second base and fired to first to end the inning.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Shane Victorino looked like a natural leadoff guy in the first inning.

Victorino, batting leadoff while Jacoby Ellsbury gets a day off, lined a two-strike changeup into right field for a base hit. He then stole second base after Jonny Gomes and Dustin Pedroia each flied out.

Unfortunately for the Red Sox, David Ortiz, who had a huge game on Saturday, couldn’t keep things rolling in his first at-bat. He grounded softly back to the mound to end the inning.

If Victorino looks comfortable hitting leadoff, it’s because he’s no stranger to that position atop the order. He led off in 31 games last season, and he’s now led off in 209 games in his career.

2:14 p.m.: The game’s first pitch is a called strike. Let’s go…

1:58 p.m.: The Red Sox certainly hope to get more out of starter John Lackey in this game than they got out of Ryan Dempster on Saturday, but Boston’s bullpen has pitched very well of late.

When the discussion comes up about areas of need, the Red Sox’ bullpen is generally the focal point, especially now that Joel Hanrahan is done for the season. The ‘pen has been solid this season, though, and it has really held its own during this four-game winning streak.

Three Red Sox relievers combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings on Saturday, and the bullpen has kept the Twins scoreless for 7 1/3 innings through the first two games of the series.

Boston’s bullpen pen has a 0.53 ERA (one earned run in 17 innings) in the last five games and an AL-high 101 strikeouts since April 17.

1:30 p.m.: The Red Sox-Twins game will air live on NESN, but it’s hardly the only Boston sporting event on Sunday. For those looking to follow some playoff hockey, I highly encourage you to check out NESN.com’s Bruins live blog. Click the link below, and our own Mike Cole will explain the rest.

Click here for the Bruins live blog >>

1:05 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury will finally get his day off.

Ellsbury, who has played in every game this season, was scheduled to have Saturday night off, but Shane Victorino’s absence because of a back issue meant Ellsbury needed to remain in the Red Sox’ lineup. Victorino will return on Sunday, and he’ll play center field and lead off for the first time this season while Ellsbury sits.

Stephen Drew, who was banged up while diving head first into second base on Friday, will be out of the lineup for a second straight game. That means Pedro Ciriaco will play shortstop in his place and bat ninth.

The rest of Sunday’s lineups are below.

Red Sox (26-17)
Shane Victorino, CF
Jonny Gomes, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Daniel Nava, RF
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Pedro Ciriaco, SS

John Lackey, RHP (1-4, 4.05 ERA)

Twins (18-21)
Jamey Carroll, 2B
Joe Mauer, C
Justin Morneau, 1B
Trevor Plouffe, 3B
Oswaldo Arcia, DH
Wilkin Ramirez, LF
Chris Parmelee, RF
Aaron Hicks, CF
Pedro Florimon, SS

Pedro Hernandez, LHP (2-0, 5.79 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: Saturday’s win was, in many ways, symbolic of the Red Sox’ season. When someone else falters, the rest of the team is there to pick him up.

On Saturday, it was Ryan Dempster who didn’t turn in his best effort. The right-hander lasted just 4 2/3 innings, surrendering five runs on a season-high eight hits and six walks. He ultimately received a no-decision because of his inability to close out the fifth inning, but the Red Sox still emerged victorious because of a huge game by the offense, particularly David Ortiz.

Ortiz, who got off to a slow start in May (much like the Red Sox as a whole), hit a pair of home runs and racked up six RBIs as part of Boston’s 12-run, 13-hit attack. It marked the second straight game he’s reached base safely four times, and it’s hard to imagine he ever went through an 0-for-17 slump earlier this month, just as it’s suddenly hard to believe the Red Sox lost nine of 12 before winning their last four games.

John Lackey will toe the rubber in the series finale in Minnesota, and he’ll look to extend Boston’s winning streak to five games. Lackey gave up a season-high five runs in his last start on Tuesday, so he’ll be looking to bounce back against a pesky Twins team in this one.

Sunday’s first pitch is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. Tune in on NESN, and keep it right here with NESN.com for an all-around good time.

Third period, 18:00, Bruins 5-2: There are two minutes to play, and the Bruins are still leading by three.

Third period, 13:09, Bruins 5-2: The fun continues, this time with the fisticuffs.

Gregory Campbell and Derek Dorsett just dropped the gloves not long after the Milan Lucic goal.

Third period, 12:39, Bruins 5-2: This one is officially a laugher.

Milan Lucic continues to play extremely well in these playoffs, and this time it’s a gritty second-chance goal to give the Bruins the three-goal lead.

Third period, 10:32, Bruins 4-2: The Bruins were able to kill off the New York penalty behind a couple of more saves from Tuukka Rask.

A few minutes later Jaromir Jagr had a brilliant chance for a one-timer goal from just in front of the net, but Henrik Lundqvist denied Jagr with arguably the best save of the series.

Third period, 5:24, Bruins 4-2: Johnny Boychuk just earned himself a hooking penalty. So that’s what the Bruins will be working on for the next two minutes.

Third period, 0:26, Bruins 4-2: That didn’t take long at all.

Patrice Bergeron just found Brad Marchand in the slot, and the latter slid the puck through Henrik Lundqvist’s legs, and the B’s have a 4-2 lead now.

Third period, 0:01, Bruins 3-2: The Bruins and Rangers are underway here in the third period.

Second period reaction: The Bruins, for the first time all game, were able to sit on a lead there in the second period. After Johnny Boychuk made it 3-2 with 7:52 to play in the period, the B’s were able to make the lead stand up until intermission, after coughing up early leads just moments after taking them.

Of course it’s not extremely important for the Bruins to protect that lead here into the third period, which is something that has given them troubles all season long. It’s going to require another big period from Tuukka Rask who is a big reason Boston took the 3-2 lead to the dressing room after two. Rask has 25 saves through 40 minutes, and it certainly won’t hurt to have him at his best in overtime.

If the Bruins do hold on, you can probably exect Torey Krug to be donning the Army Rangers jacket after the game. The rookie has been sensational here in Game 2, and he’s got two points to show that. His ability to handle the puck at the blue line in the offensive end is something that’s obviously pretty special. He did a great job of finding a shooting lane on the Bruins’ second goal that came when Krug put the puck on net and Gregory Campbell backhanded the rebound.

The Bruins were 15-4-4 when taking a lead into the third period during the regular season, but they’re 2-0 this postseason when leading after two periods.

End second period, Bruins 3-2: The second period comes to a close with Boston leading 3-2.

Second period, 17:59, Bruins 3-2: The Rangers weren’t able to score on the power play, but it wasn’t for a lack of chances. They put some good pressure on the Bruins as they have all afternoon really, but Tuukka Rask came up big in between the pipes.

He’s quietly having a very nice game, and he’s getting better as the game goes on it seems.

Second period, 13:57, Bruins 3-2: The Rangers have another power play, again thanks to a Rich Peverley high-sticking penalty.

Second period, 12:00, Bruins 3-2: The Bruins are back out in front thanks to a great shot from the high slot off the stick of Johnny Boychuk.

The Boston defenseman beat Henrik Lundqvist with a wrister, with a little help from a Patrice Bergeron screen in front.

Second period, 11:46, 2-2: The B’s weren’t able to get anything on the power play, but they did get a couple of scoring chances on pucks tipped near the net.

Torey Krug looked impressive with the puck on his stick, as he wheeled and dealed from the point during that man-advantage on the second PP unit with Dougie Hamilton at the other point up top.

Second period, 8:28, 2-2: The Bruins are going to get their first power play after Derrick Brassard hooked Dougie Hamilton.

Second period, 6:09, 2-2: The Rangers have gotten a significant jump from the Rick Nash goal, and they’re starting to put the pressure on the Bruins.

Tuukka Rask just ensured the game stay tied for now, though, with a big save on a rebound chance from Ryan McDonagh. After Rask made an initial save on Nash, McDonagh tried to slam home the rebound, but Rask made the right pad save in front.

Second period, 3:20, 2-2: The Rangers have been looking to get something out of Rick Nash, and they got it here in the second period.

The prominent goal-scorer just tied the game with a backhander by Tuukka Rask less than a minute after Gregory Campbell gave the B’s a lead.

Second period, 2:24, Bruins 2-1: Shawn Thornton spoke before the game about how he wished his line could finally cash in on their chances to add some balance to the scoring. They just did that here in the second period.

Campbell backhanded the rebound of a Torey Krug shot under the crossbar, and the B’s lead 2-1.

Second period, 0:10, 1-1: The second period is underway.

First period reaction: The first few minutes of this game were highly entertaining, thanks in large part to a couple of early goals. Unsurprisingly, however, the game tightened up after that, something that should come as no surprise given these teams’ penchant for defensive play.

Torey Krug got the scoring going early for the Bruins, and he continues to impress in his improbable playoff chance with the B’s. Both he and Matt Bartkowski have been really good in both Games 1 and 2, and Dougie Hamilton, despite being outplayed for a puck in the first period, has been good as well.

Give the Rangers credit for withstanding an early surge from the Bruins. The B’s came out like a house of fire to begin the game, and that reached a high point when Krug scored just 5:28 in. However, the Rangers took the punch and punched back. New York made it much more difficult for the Bruins to move the puck, and that obviously slowed Boston’s momentum.

End first period, 1-1: The Bruins killed off the penalty to Zdeno Chara before the first period comes to an end.

It’s all tied up 1-1 through one.

First period, 17:31, 1-1: The Bruins will try to kill off another penalty, this time to Zdeno Chara.

He was called for slashing, and the B’s get back to work on the PK.

First period, 16:22, 1-1: The young Bruins defensemen continue to do a great job of moving the puck and they continue to just look very confident.

Matt Bartkowski was just the latest to prove that by carrying the puck all the way behind the New York net, back around the other side and out to the point.

First period, 12:33, 1-1: The Bruins’ power play is nothing special, but boy does it look like a well-oiled machine compared to New York’s.

The B’s easily kill off the Rich Peverley penalty on a power play that produced no shots on goal. The Rangers had a difficult time just getting the puck into the Boston zone as they turned it over a handful of times on the man-advantage.

First period, 9:16, 1-1: New York gets the first power play of the day.

Rich Peverley was just called for high-sticking.

First period, 8:01, 1-1: The Rangers aren’t gonna go away that easy.

Ryan Callahan just won a race to the puck in the neutral zone that allowed him to walk in all alone and score the game-tying goal, a brilliant deke to beat Tuukka Rask.

The play started with an ugly Brad Marchand turnover, which was then misplayed by Dougie Hamilton who couldn’t beat Callahan to the loose puck.

First period, 5:28, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins look great breaking out the puck right now, and it resulted in a goal.

Adam McQuaid made a great diving play to break up a scoring chance for Brian Boyle, which sent the B’s heading the other way. Torey Krug hustled back into the offensive zone, and he was rewarded when Nathan Horton hit him with a pass as the D-man entered the zone.

Krug skated in and took the shot from the left wing and beat Henrik Lundqvist. Not a bad couple of playoff games for No. 47.

First period, 0:01, 0-0: It’s time to play the game. Game 2 is underway here at TD Garden.

3:06 p.m.: Both teams are going with the same lineups for Game 2 as they did for Game 1.

2:48 p.m.: The Bruins look to be going with the same lineup for Game 2 as they used in Game 1. They featured the same lines and defensive combinations during their pregame skate, including the three rookie defensemen.

Here’s what the lineup will look like, according to the skate. If you don’t have it down by now, start paying attention, will ya?

Milan Lucic — David Krejci — Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Jaromir Jagr
Rich Peverley — Chris Kelly — Tyler Seguin
Daniel Paille — Gregory Campbell — Shawn Thornton

Zdeno Chara — Dougie Hamilton
Johnny Boychuk — Matt Bartkowski
Torey Krug — Adam McQuaid

2:30 p.m.: Claude Julien was extremely brief in his pregame remarks. He answered just one question (only one was asked), and it was about an update on the lineup.

Dennis Seidenberg and Wade Redden both skated this morning, but neither will play in Game 2.

1:20 p.m.: Good afternoon from TD Garden where the Bruins and Rangers are about two hours from getting underway and where we’re about 30 minutes from hearing from Bruins head coach Claude Julien.

When we do hear from the head coach, we should get a better idea of what the B’s will do on the blue line. As mentioned earlier, the B’s are reportedly going with the same defense corps for Game 1 as they did in Game 2. The one thing we know for certain is that Zdeno Chara will be in the lineup, and we’re pretty sure he’s going to play a ton.

I did some digging on the stats page in regards to Chara’s ice time this postseason, and it’s pretty remarkable. The only skater who has played more than Chara this postseason is Kings defenseman Drew Doughty. The Los Angeles D-man has 13 more minutes of ice time than Chara does this spring. Oh yeah, that’s also in one more game than Chara has played. Doughty is a minutes machine, and he has been all season long. It’s probably worth noting that Doughty is also only 23 years while Chara is 36.

Chara is also averaging 30:05 minutes of ice time per game for the playoffs, which is nothing short of absurd. That’s about 2 1/2 more minutes per game than he played in the Stanley Cup run back in 2011.

11:20 a.m.: The Bruins won Game 1 despite starting three rookies on defense, and it sounds like they’re going to have to go with the youthful trio again in Game 2.

TSN’s Darren Dreger just tweeted that Wade Redden isn’t ready to return, and it looks like the Bruins will go with the three rookies — Matt Bartkowski, Dougie Hamilton and Torey Krug — for Game 2 as well.

11 a.m. ET: The Bruins have had a flare for the dramatics this week, and if they can do so with success again Sunday, they’ll end a pretty impressive week of hockey, and they’ll also head to New York with a pretty comfortable lead.

The B’s host the Rangers on Sunday afternoon in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series, and Boston is looking to follow up on an exciting Game 1 win. Brad Marchand finally broke out by scoring a game-winning goal in overtime to give the Bruins the win and the series lead.

Marchand played his best game of the playoffs in Game 1, and he did so in the second game of Claude Julien’s line experiment. Marchand was skating with Patrice Bergeron and Jaromir Jagr, while Tyler Seguin was on the third line; those were also the same lines the Bruins used in Game 7 of the first round against Toronto. The Marchand-Bergeron-Jagr combination looked solid all night, and unsurprisingly, that line was kept together at practice Saturday, so it’s likely that’s what the B’s go with again in Game 2.

The Rangers, meanwhile, are looking to jump-start themselves after a somewhat lackluster Game 1. The power play has been a point of contention, and it got the Rangers nothing in Game 1 as well. That led Rangers coach John Tortorella to say the man-advantage unit “stinks” right now, which makes you believe there may be a change.

We’ll get a better idea of that a little later when the Bruins and Rangers get underway in Game 2, with puck drop scheduled for 3 p.m. at TD Garden.

Final, Red Sox 12-5:

David Ortiz led the way for the Sox. He opened up the scoring with a three-run home run in the first inning, and he then added a two-run blast in the seventh inning. Ortiz finished the game 3-for-4 with two dingers, a single, a walk and six RBIs.

The Red Sox survived a subpar outing from Ryan Dempster, who went only 4 2/3 innings before getting the hook. Dempster gave up five earned runs on eight hits and six walks. He threw 127 pitches, and he didn’t earn the victory because he didn’t go the requisite five innings.

Dustin Pedroia, Will Middlebrooks and Daniel Nava each chipped in two hits apiece. Nava went deep as part of Boston’s four-run seventh inning, which helped put the game out of reach.

John Lackey will get the start on Sunday as the Red Sox look to finish off the sweep and win their fifth straight. The action is scheduled to kick off at 2:10 p.m.

Good night, everyone.

Mid 9th, Red Sox 12-5: The Red Sox tacked on one more insurance run in the ninth inning.

The Sox loaded the bases with no outs against Ryan Pressly, who breezed through the eighth inning. Pressly walked both David Ortiz and Mike Napoli, and Daniel Nava followed up with a single.

At that point, the Red Sox looked poised for a big inning. Pressly recorded three straight outs, though, one of which was a sacrifice fly off the bat of Ryan Lavarnway.

Lavarnway has had a nice game. He’s 1-for-4, but he has two RBIs and he made a key defensive play in the sixth inning, holding on to the ball during a violent collision at the plate in a two-run game.

End 8th, Red Sox 11-5: Alex Wilson picked up the win on Friday, but he needed just two pitches to do so. That meant he was available again for this game, and John Farrell turned to him in the eighth.

Wilson tossed a 1-2-3 inning. He struck out Josh Willingham on a fastball low and out of the zone, and then sat down Ryan Doumit and Oswaldo Arcia on a pair of comebackers to the mound.

David Ortiz, who is tearing the cover off the ball, will bat for Boston in the ninth.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 11-5: Ryan Pressly enjoyed a very quick inning in the eighth.

Jacoby Ellsbury and Jonny Gomes each flied out, and Dustin Pedroia ended the inning by grounding out to short.

This is the time when I remind you that Pressly pitched in the Red Sox organization last season.

End 7th, Red Sox 11-5: Craig Breslow came back out to pitch the seventh inning. He scattered a hit, but kept the Twins’ offense at bay.

Pedro Florimon started the inning with a slow roller to the left side. Breslow showed a lot of hustle to come off the mound, make a play and deliver a hard throw to first base in order to record the out.

Jamey Carroll then singled with one out, but Breslow got out of the inning without the Twins cutting into the lead.

Ryan Pressly will take over for the Twins, who are suddenly running out of outs.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 11-5: This game changed in a hurry.

The Twins have been sticking around all night, but the Red Sox posted four runs in the seventh inning and now hold an 11-5 lead.

Daniel Nava did his best David Ortiz impression to extend Boston’s lead. He greeted the new pitcher, Casey Fien, with a two-run blast to right field.

10:16 p.m., Red Sox 9-5: David Ortiz is having a monster game.

Dustin Pedroia walked to lead off the seventh inning, and Ortiz drove him in with his second home run of the game. (He hit a three-run shot back in the first inning.)

Ortiz is now 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and six RBIs.

Mike Napoli followed up Ortiz’s big fly with a walk, and the Twins will make a pitching change. Casey Fien will replace Anthony Swarzak.

End 6th, Red Sox 7-5: What a way to end an inning.

Clayton Mortensen came back out to start the sixth, but he was lifted after giving up a single to Ryan Doumit and walking Oswaldo Arcia with one out. Craig Breslow took over, and although his night began with a walk, the Red Sox’ defense came up big.

Aaron Hicks hit a little blooper down the right-field line with the bases loaded and one out. Mike Napoli and Dustin Pedroia each raced out into shallow right field on a ball that initially spelled trouble. Pedroia made a nifty basket catch, and the Twins’ aggressiveness then hurt them.

The Twins have been extremely aggressive on the bases all night, and it’s a big reason why they’re still in this game. The Twins were a little too aggressive on Hicks’ blooper, though. Ryan Doumit tried to tag up and score, but Pedroia got rid of the ball quickly and delivered a good throw to Ryan Lavarnway. Lavarnway took Doumit’s best shot in a collision at the plate, but the Red Sox catcher held on to complete the double play and end Minnesota’s threat.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 7-5: Nice job by Anthony Swarzak in the sixth inning.

The Red Sox have answered the Twins every time they’ve cut into the lead, but Swarzak enjoyed a quick 1-2-3 inning in the sixth. Minnesota’s offense will now go back to work.

Pedro Ciriaco grounded out, and Jacoby Ellsbury and Jonny Gomes each flied out in the sixth.

End 5th, Red Sox 7-5: Clayton Mortensen gave up a single to Joe Mauer and fell behind Justin Morneau 3-0. But he survived.

Morneau flied out to left-center field to end the inning, which stranded two runners.

The book is closed on Ryan Dempster, who couldn’t get through the fifth inning to put himself in line for a win. Dempster gave up six earned runs in 4 2/3 innings. He gave up eight hits, walked six and struck out two while throwing 127 pitches (68 strikes).

9:33 p.m., Red Sox 7-5: Ryan Dempster’s outing was a battle.

Dempster allowed three runs in the fifth, and although John Farrell tried to let him get the final out of the inning, the right-hander simply couldn’t do it.

Ryan Doumit started the fifth inning with a double off the right-field wall. He then took third base on Oswaldo Arcia’s groundout to second, and scored on Trevor Plouffe’s groundout to short.

Dempster ran into some more trouble after that, though. He walked Aaron Hicks, who stole second base, and gave up an RBI single to Pedro Florimon.

It looked as if that would be the end of Dempster’s night, but Farrell opted to keep the pitcher in after a mound visit. In hindsight, he probably should have taken Dempster out.

Keeping up with Minnesota’s aggressive approach, Florimon swiped second base and scored on Jamey Carroll’s bloop single into right field. Clayon Mortensen will now enter the game and try to get out of the fifth inning.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 7-2: The Red Sox added two more runs after Anthony Swarzak took over in the fifth inning.

Swarzak walked Mike Napoli on four pitches to set up runners at the corners. Daniel Nava added to Boston’s total with a sacrifice fly to left field.

Will Middlebrooks then reached base for the third time with a single into center. That proved to be big, as Ryan Lavarnway followed up by driving in a run with his first hit of the season.

Lavarnway pulled a single into left field. Napoli came around to score, but catcher Ryan Doumit was able to throw out Middlebrooks, who tried to take third on left fielder Josh Willingham’s throw to the plate.

9:08 p.m., Red Sox 5-2: Every time the Twins score, the Red Sox come back and tack on a run of their own. 

Jonny Gomes led off the fifth inning with a double into the left-field corner, and Dustin Pedroia drove him in with an RBI double into the right-center field gap.

Twins starter Scott Diamond stayed in the game to face David Ortiz, who grounded out to short, but Ron Gardenhire will now turn to the bullpen. Anthony Swarzak will take over.

End 4th, Red Sox 4-2: Ryan Dempster nearly got the quick inning he desperately needed. Leave it to Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau to crush his dreams.

Dempster retired Pedro Florimon and Jamey Carroll to start the fourth inning, but the third out didn’t come so easily.

Mauer shot a double down the left-field line and into the corner. Dempster then got to two strikes on Morneau, but the former AL MVP ripped a 2-2 splitter into right field to score Mauer with Minnesota’s second run.

Josh Willingham flied out to center field to end the inning.

Ryan Dempster has thrown 97 pitches (51 strikes) through four innings.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 4-1: Will Middlebrooks has reached safely in each of his first two plate appearances, but the Red Sox couldn’t do anything with his leadoff walk in the fourth.

Ryan Lavarnway got a pretty good piece of one, but he hit it right at center fielder Aaron Hicks, who took care of out No. 1. Pedro Ciriaco flied out to right field, and Jacoby Ellsbury grounded into a forceout to end the inning.

Ryan Dempster heads back to the mound in need of a quick inning. His pitch count is climbing, and it’s been a struggle for the right-hander despite the Twins only scoring one run thus far.

End 3rd, Red Sox 4-1: The Red Sox figure to lose a little something defensively behind the plate with David Ross sidelined, but Ryan Lavarnway helped save a run in the third inning.

Josh Willingham connected on a one-out double into the left-center field gap. Jacoby Ellsbury made a sliding effort near the warning track, but the ball bounced past him and to the wall.

Willingham moved up to third base when Ryan Doumit grounded out softly to the mound. That almost proved big, as Ryan Dempster’s 1-2 splitter to Oswaldo Arcia bounced in the dirt, but Lavarnway made an excellent block. The ball actually kicked away from Lavarnway a little bit, but it wasn’t enough for Willingham to take advantage.

Dempster eventually lost Arcia, walking him on nine pitches, and he then walked Trevor Plouffe. After a visit from pitching coach Juan Nieves, Dempster escaped the jam by getting Aaron Hicks to fly out to right.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 4-1: It didn’t take long for the Red Sox to reestablish a three-run cushion.

The Sox’ offense went back to work in the third inning. Scott Diamond retired Jacoby Ellsbury, but he had a hard time settling in from there. Jonny Gomes, who continues to show excellent patience at the plate, worked a one-out walk to get things going for Boston.

Dustin Pedroia hit a slow chopper down to third base. Trevor Plouffe charged in and fielded it cleanly, but he didn’t get much on his throw, and Pedroia was able to reach safely.

That set the table for David Ortiz, who hit a three-run homer back in the first inning. Diamond kept Ortiz in the yard this time around, but Big Papi still came through with an RBI single into right field.

Diamond bounced back to strike out Mike Napoli. Daniel Nava then flied out to left field, although it required a nice sliding play from Josh Willingham.

End 2nd, Red Sox 3-1: Ryan Dempster almost escaped the second inning unscathed, but Pedro Florimon continues to be a thorn in Boston’s side. Still, the inning could have been much worse for the Red Sox.

Dempster struggled with his control to begin the inning. He issued back-to-back walks to Ryan Doumit and Oswaldo Arcia, and they both moved up a station when Trevor Plouffe hit a soft chopper to third base.

Dempster was in some trouble, but he caught a break when Aaron Hicks grounded to third base. Will Middlebrooks made a backhanded stop while ranging into foul territory. The only play he had was at the plate, and the Red Sox were able to cut down Doumit between third and home to keep Minnesota off the scoreboard.

The Twins didn’t remain scoreless for much longer. Florimon shot a two-out RBI single past a diving Dustin Pedroia and into center field to cut into Boston’s lead.

The Twins threatened for more, as Jamey Carroll walked to load the bases, but Dempster struck out Joe Mauer to avoid any further damage.

The inning was certainly all over the place — quite literally considering Dempster’s three walks — but the Red Sox’ lead is safe for now.

Mid 2nd, Red Sox 3-0: Will Middlebrooks dropped down his first career sacrifice bunt in the 10th inning on Friday. He swung away in the second inning, and he smacked a single into left field.

The Red Sox couldn’t capitalize on the leadoff hit, though. Scott Diamond, who labored through the first inning, benefited from a double play to settle things down.

The twin killing came with Ryan Lavarnway at the dish, and it was actually pretty impressive. Second baseman Jamey Carroll made an excellent play going up the middle. He then flipped to shortstop Pedro Florimon, who showed off some nifty footwork to avoid Middlebrooks’ slide and complete the double play.

Pedro Ciriaco, who is getting the start in place of Stephen Drew, flied out to right field to end the inning.

End 1st, Red Sox 3-0: Justin Morneau took advantage of the Red Sox’ defense moving into a shift. His two-out, opposite-field single didn’t lead to any damage on the scoreboard, though.

Ryan Dempster got off to a quick start in the first inning. He struck out Jamey Carroll swinging on four pitches. Dempster started Carroll off with two fastballs before going with back-to-back sliders en route to his first strikeout.

Joe Mauer, who sat out Friday’s game with back soreness, flied out to left field for the second out.

Morneau got into a hitter’s count at 2-0 with two down in the inning. He then took a strike before shooting a base hit down the left-field line. Morneau’s single didn’t matter, however, because Josh Willingham popped out to end the inning.

Mid 1st, Red Sox 3-0: David Ortiz’s best days have been as a member of the Red Sox. He certainly doesn’t mind facing his former team, though.

Ortiz entered the game with a .323 average, .421 on-base percentage, 13 home runs and 37 RBIs in 52 career games against the Twins. He was hitting .471 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in nine games (34 at-bats) at Target Field. It didn’t take long to add to those totals.

Ortiz launched a three-run home run over the right-center field wall to give the Red Sox an early lead. Scott Diamond went mostly away against Ortiz, but he eventually hung a 2-2 slider that the slugger jumped all over.

Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia helped set the stage for Ortiz’s three-run blast. Ellsbury led off with a sharply hit single into center field, and Pedroia worked a five-pitch walk with one out.

Mike Napoli singled after Ortiz’s long ball, but Daniel Nava — who fouled a ball off himself during the at-bat — grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

7:12 p.m.: Scott Diamond’s first pitch to Jacoby Ellsbury is high for a ball, and we’re underway.

7:05 p.m.: Ryan Dempster has racked up his fair share of strikeouts this season, which is something most Red Sox pitchers have been doing. Entering Saturday’s game, Red Sox pitchers have struck out 400 hitters this season. They struck out 14 in Friday’s win.

6:55 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury was actually supposed to have Saturday night off, but because Shane Victorino is still battling a back issue, John Farrell had no other choice but to keep Ellsbury in the lineup.

Ellsbury’s next day off will be his first this season, and it might come at a good time. Ellsbury has been struggling of late, and his average is down to .247.

Farrell said before Saturday’s game that he hopes to have Victorino back for Sunday’s game.

“He was hopeful for today last night,” Farrell said of Victorino, who left Thursday’s game in the ninth inning. “He’s a hard guy to keep out of the lineup because he wants to get in every day and he’ll probably push it or risk it a little bit more than maybe we’re comfortable with. I think the additional day will be good.”

Perhaps Ellsbury will get his day off on Sunday.

4:42 p.m.: The Red Sox learned Friday that David Ross is still experiencing concussion symptoms. There was initially a chance that Ross, who was placed on the seven-day concussion disabled list after taking a couple of foul balls off the mask last Saturday, would rejoin the team in Minnesota, but that now seems unlikely.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia isn’t going to get every start in Ross’ absence, though. In fact, Ryan Lavarnway will start behind the dish on Saturday, likely because the Red Sox have a matinee affair on tap for Sunday. Lavarnway will bat eighth.

Pedro Ciriaco will also receive a start on Saturday. He’ll play shortstop and bat ninth, while Stephen Drew, who looked a bit banged up after diving head first into second base in the eighth inning on Friday, will get the night off.

Shane Victorino, who is battling a back issue, will once again sit out. Jonny Gomes will play left field and bat second, and Daniel Nava will play right field and bat sixth.

The rest of Saturday’s lineups are below.

Red Sox (25-17)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Jonny Gomes, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Daniel Nava, RF
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Ryan Lavarnway, C
Pedro Ciriaco, SS

Ryan Dempster, RHP (2-4, 3.75 ERA)

Twins
Jamey Carroll, 2B
Joe Mauer, DH
Justin Morneau, 1B
Josh Willingham, LF
Ryan Doumit, C
Oswaldo Arcia, RF
Trevor Plouffe, 3B
Aaron Hicks, CF
Pedro Florimon, SS

Scott Diamond, LHP (3-3, 4.08 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: Friday’s game was pretty exciting, eh?

The Red Sox, who trailed 2-1 in the seventh inning, tied the game against the Twins’ bullpen, and eventually pushed across the game-winning run in the 10th inning on Jonny Gomes’ sacrifice fly. It was the second straight night that the Red Sox won in dramatic fashion, and they’ll enter Saturday’s Canadian showdown riding a three-game winning streak.

Why is it a “Canadian showdown,” you ask? Well, Ryan Dempster (a British Columbia native) will get the start for Boston, while Scott Diamond (an Ontario native) will toe the rubber for Minnesota. It’ll be the second time this season that the two Canadian-born hurlers will square off, as they also pitched against each other at Fenway on May 7. Dempster suffered the loss in that game behind some spotty Red Sox defense.

Dempster enters Saturday’s tilt having lost his last two starts, including the May 7 contest against the Twins. He was touched up for six runs on seven hits, including three home runs, over five innings on Sunday. The Blue Jays had a field day with Boston pitching en route to a 12-4 win in that game.

The Red Sox are in a much more positive place now than they were following that loss to the Jays, though. Things seem like they’re starting to turn around after a rough patch that saw the Sox lose nine of 12. We’ll see if they can keep things rolling at Target Field on Saturday.

Saturday’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Be sure to get your errands out of the way early. Then, follow the game on NESN and with NESN.com’s live blog.

Final (10 innings), Red Sox 3-2:

Friday’s 3-2 extra-inning win over the Twins didn’t exactly have the drama of Thursday’s ninth-inning rally against the Rays, but it’s still huge for a team that’s looking to regain some momentum following a rough stretch.

The Red Sox pushed across the game-winning run on Jonny Gomes’ sacrifice fly to left field in the 10th. The 10th-inning damage was sparked by Dustin Pedroia, who made up for a rough night at the plate by hitting a leadoff single and scoring the game-winning run.

Clay Buchholz and the Red Sox found themselves down 2-1 for most of the game after Pedro Florimon yanked a two-run homer down the right-field line, but the Sox rallied for a run against Minnesota’s bullpen in the seventh inning. Jacoby Ellsbury tied the game with a single that ricocheted off Florimon at short.

Alex Wilson, who recorded the final out of the ninth inning, picks up his first career win, although Andrew Miller deserves credit for his solid 1 2/3 innings of work. Buchholz began the game with seven strong innings, but he didn’t factor in the decision.

The Red Sox have now won three straight games. They’ll look to make it four in a row in Minnesota on Saturday. Saturday’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m., and Ryan Dempster will get the start for Boston.

Good night, everyone.

Mid 10th, Red Sox 3-2: The Red Sox snagged a lead in the 10th inning, and they’ll now try to put the Twins away.

Dustin Pedroia stepped into the box in the 10th inning after having the game from hell — at least offensively — and he got the wheels turning on the Red Sox’ offense.

Pedroia singled into right field to lead off the 10th. Pedroia, who was 0-for-4 before the 10th-inning single, hit into some big outs earlier in the game, but his confidence obviously never wavered.

David Ortiz followed up Pedroia’s single with a walk, and he was then lifted for a pinch-runner in Pedro Ciriaco.

Will Middlebrooks, in a somewhat surprising move, dropped down a sacrifice bunt to advance two runners into scoring position with one out. It was a bold decision, not only biggest of Middlebrooks’ offensive potential, but also because the Twins were able to walk the next batter, Stephen Drew, to set up a potential inning-ending double play. (The sac bunt was the first of Middlebrooks’ big league career.)

John Farrell’s decision to bunt with Middlebrooks paid off. Jonny Gomes hit a fly ball to left field that scored Pedroia, and the Red Sox grabbed a 3-2 lead.

Aaron Hicks made the play on Gomes’ fly ball, which wasn’t hit all that deep, but he nearly collided with left fielder Oswaldo Arcia. That forced Hicks to double pump before firing to the plate, and his throw sailed up the first-base line, allowing Pedroia to score easily.

Koji Uehara will be the one tasked with closing the door in the bottom of the 10th.

End 9th, 2-2: Andrew Miller started the ninth inning and Alex Wilson ended it. The two combined to keep the Twins’ offense in check, and we’ll have bonus baseball at Target Field.

Miller, who tossed a 1-2-3 eighth inning, came back and retired two more hitters in the ninth. Ryan Doumit grounded out, and Miller struck out Oswaldo Arcia swinging on a nasty-looking slider.

Wilson took over with two down, and he retired Trevor Plouffe on a fly ball to center.

Mid 9th, 2-2: The Twins have a chance to walk off with a win, as the Red Sox couldn’t muster up any offense in the top of the ninth.

Twins closer Glen Perkins, pitching in a tie game, twirled a 1-2-3 inning. Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Daniel Nava each struck out, and Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out to short.

Ellsbury nearly reached when Pedro Florimon bobbled his ground ball, but the Twins shortstop recovered very quickly to record the out. Justin Morneau also deserves a great deal of credit for a good stretch at first base.

End 8th, 2-2: Andrew Miller did his job in the eighth inning, and to the ninth inning we go.

Miller took over for Clay Buchholz after Buchholz went the first seven innings. The lefty retired all three hitters he faced.

Miller struck out two in the inning, including Chris Parmelee to lead off the frame. Miller got Parmelee looking on a fastball on the outside corner. The pitch was similar to the one that Mike Carp struck out on during the top half of the inning. Clearly, home plate umpire Eric Cooper is willing to give the pitcher the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the outer half of the plate.

Josh Willingham flied out to center field for the second out, and Justin Morneau struck out to end the inning. Morneau chased a slider in the dirt, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia fired down to first base to complete the out.

Buchholz allowed two earned runs on four hits in his seven innings of work. He struck out nine and walked three while throwing 110 pitches (72 strikes). Both runs came on Pedro Florimon’s home run in the third inning.

Mid 8th, 2-2: Stephen Drew and Jonny Gomes tried to spark a two-out rally, but Jared Burton escaped trouble in the eighth.

The inning started with David Ortiz grounding out to second base. It’s the first time Ortiz — who had been 3-for-3 — has been retired in this game.

Will Middlebrooks then grounded to his counterpart at third base for the second out, but Burton found the third out to be elusive.

Drew doubled into the right-center field gap to try and get something going for Boston. Drew was a bit shaken up after diving head first into second base, but he stayed in the game after a brief delay. It looked as if Drew favored his back after getting up.

Gomes put up a very nice two-out at-bat, which ended with a walk. Gomes was actually down in the count 1-2, but he showed great patience, and even checked his swing on a pitch out of the zone with two strikes.

Mike Carp couldn’t cash in with two runners on, though. He also worked a full count, but Burton struck him out looking with a changeup on the outside corner. Carp was none too pleased about the call, but the pitch looked pretty good — definitely something you should swing at with two strikes.

End 7th, 2-2: That was an important inning for Clay Buchholz, and he handled it perfectly.

Buchholz made quick work of the Twins, which allows Boston’s offense to get right back to work.

Aaron Hicks tried to bunt his way on for the Twins, but his bid was right back to Buchholz, who took care of it for the first out.

Buchholz also retired Pedro Florimon on a comebacker, and he then struck out Brian Dozier to end the inning.

The Red Sox’ offense will now try to build on the momentum it established in the top of the seventh.

Mid 7th, 2-2: Dustin Pedroia’s rough night at the plate continues.

Casey Fien came on and escaped Minnesota’s two-out jam by getting Pedroia to pop out to second base.

Pedroia is now 0-for-4 with six men left on base. He grounded into two inning-ending double plays earlier in the game, and now he adds another missed opportunity to his stat line.

10:27 p.m., 2-2: The Red Sox tied the game in the seventh inning, and they’re threatening for more.

Brian Duensing entered the game and walked Jonny Gomes to lead off the seventh. Duensing bounced back to strike out Mike Carp, but Jarrod Saltalamacchia went the other way for a one-out single, setting up runners at first and third.

The Red Sox tied the game when Jacoby Ellsbury lined a ball back up the middle. Twins shortstop Pedro Florimon tried to make a sliding play, but it kicked off him and into right field, which allowed Gomes to score the tying run.

Duensing struck out Daniel Nava after Ellsbury stole second base, but the Twins will turn to Casey Fien with Dustin Pedroia batting and two runners in scoring position.

End 6th, Twins 2-1: Clay Buchholz had a much better handle on the sixth inning.

Buchholz, who narrowly escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth, retired the Twins in order in the sixth.

Buchholz made quick work of Ryan Doumit for out No. 1. He started the at-bat off with a couple of offspeed offerings before going with a fastball to pick up a called third strike. Doumit has struck out twice in this game.

Buchholz got to two strikes on Oswaldo Arcia, but Arcia slapped a curveball to second, where Dustin Pedroia handled the play for the second out.

Trevor Plouffe ended the inning by lining to left field. At first, it looked as if Plouffe might have his second hit of the game, but it hung up long enough for Jonny Gomes to make a play.

The Twins will now turn to the bullpen after six innings from Vance Worley. Brian Duensing is coming in to pitch.

Mid 6th, Twins 2-1: The way Vance Worley’s night started off, it was acceptable to assume the worst. The righty settled down, though, and he’ll exit after six solid innings.

Worley gave up a run in the first inning and threw 49 pitches through two innings, but he survived the tightrope walk and Minnesota still holds a 2-1 lead.

David Ortiz singled to lead off the sixth, but Will Middlebrooks grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to kill any potential rally. Stephen Drew flied out to left field to end the inning.

The Red Sox, obviously, are more focused on the scoreboard, but Ortiz has put together a nice night. He’s 3-for-3 with three singles, including an RBI single back in the first inning.

End 5th, Twins 2-1: Not only did the Twins load the bases in the fifth inning, but they also got exactly who they wanted at the dish. Clay Buchholz showed a lot of fight on the mound, though, and Minnesota’s lead is still just one run.

Buchholz gave up a leadoff single to Aaron Hicks to begin the fifth inning. Then, after retiring Pedro Florimon, whose two-run homer is the difference, Buchholz walked Brian Dozier.

Chris Parmelee followed up with a sinking line drive into right field. Daniel Nava charged in, but the ball dropped just in front of him. Nava played the ball on a hop and fired to second base — as Dozier had to make sure the ball dropped before continuing on to second — but his bid was unsuccessful, and the Twins had the bases loaded with one out.

Making life even more difficult for Buchholz was the fact that he had to deal with Minnesota’s No. 3 and No. 4 hitters, Josh Willingham and Justin Morneau. And Morneau entered the game hitting .500 (8-for-16) against Buchholz.

Buchholz struck out Willingham for his seventh K of the game, and Morneau flied out to left field. Morneau got ahead in the count 2-0 and then fouled off three straight pitches before flying to left.

Buchholz is up to 85 pitches (54 strikes) in this ballgame.

Mid 5th, Twins 2-1: Dustin Pedroia has been one of the Red Sox’ best hitters this season. But this is not his night.

Pedroia grounded into his second inning-ending double play of the game in the fifth, and the Red Sox left the tying run at third base.

The Sox found themselves with runners at the corners and one out. Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a leadoff single, and Daniel Nava reached base safely for the third time by delivering a single into right-center field. Nava’s single sent Salty scampering to third base, but Pedroia couldn’t cash in on the scoring chance, and Pedey is now 0-for-3 in this game.

The Red Sox opted to hit-and-run after Pedroia ran the count full. But even with Nava taking off for second, the Twins were able to spin the huge double play. Shortstop Pedro Florimon did a nice job of avoiding the hustling Nava to deliver a strong throw to first base.

End 4th, Twins 2-1: Clay Buchholz retired the first two batters he faced in the fourth inning, but control became an issue.

Buchholz got Josh “The Hammer” Willingham to pop out in foul territory just in front of the Minnesota dugout for the first out. Justin Morneau grounded out to second base for the second out.

Buchholz ran into some two-out trouble, however, when he walked Ryan Doumit and Oswaldo Arcia. Buchholz had two strikes on Arcia, but the outfielder laid off a high fastball to earn the free pass.

Buchholz fell behind Trevor Plouffe 2-0, but the right-hander battled back to strike him out. Buchholz received two generous calls on the outside corner after missing with his first two pitches, so that certainly helped.

Mid 4th, Twins 2-1: The Red Sox put two runners on in the fourth inning, but Vance Worley settled down to keep the one-run lead intact.

David Ortiz, who knocked in Boston’s run with an RBI single back in the first inning, smacked a base hit up the middle to kick things off.

Will Middlebrooks made a bid to tie the game with a drive to deep right-center, but Chris Parmelee retreated to track it down. Parmelee made the grab and slammed into the wall, robbing Middlebrooks of extra bases.

Surely, the result wasn’t what Middlebrooks was looking for. But he’s really starting to show off his power the other way. Middlebrooks hit a home run and a double to the opposite field in Wednesday’s win over the Rays. If he can continue to use all fields, Middlebrooks could really come alive going forward.

Stephen Drew followed Middlebrooks’ loud fly out with a walk, setting up first and second with one out. Jonny Gomes lined out to center fielder Aaron Hicks, who has tremendous range, and Mike Carp grounded out to shortstop Pedro Florimon to end the inning. Florimon initially had a hard time getting the ball out of his glove, but he eventually made the transfer and fired to first.

End 3rd, Twins 2-1: Clay Buchholz rolled through the first two innings, but the third inning spelled trouble right out of the gate.

Trevor Plouffe wasted no time getting the Twins’ offense going in the third. He drove a first-pitch fastball up over Daniel Nava’s head in right field and motored to second for a leadoff double.

Aaron Hicks, who has had a disappointing rookie campaign thus far, was called upon to bunt. He didn’t get the job done in the traditional sense, but his ground ball to the right side allowed Plouffe to advance to third base.

It didn’t matter where Plouffe stood, though. Minnesota’s No. 9 hitter, Pedro Florimon, made sure the Twins tossed up two in the runs column with his second home run of the season.

Buchholz tried to get ahead of Florimon with a curveball and he missed his spot. Jarrod Saltalamacchia appeared to be set up outside, but Buchholz’s curveball hung inside, and Florimon hooked it right down the right-field line for a two-run blast.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: Daniel Nava’s first-inning walk led to a run. The Red Sox couldn’t repeat that feat in the third inning.

Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a fly out to left fielder Oswaldo Arcia, who looked a lot more comfortable making the play than he did on Stephen Drew’s second-inning fly ball.

Nava walked, but Dustin Pedroia, who fouled off a couple of low and outside pitches to begin the at-bat, grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

End 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: Clay Buchholz looked sharp in the first inning, but he was absolutely dominant in the second inning.

Buchholz struck out the side in the second, and he now has five strikeouts overall.

Buchholz started off the perfect second frame by sitting down Justin Morneau on three pitches. Morneau entered the game hitting .500 (8-for-16) off Buchholz in his career, but Buchholz went right after him. Buchholz started the slugger off with back-to-back changeups before going to the four-seamer to pick up the K.

Ryan Doumit and Oswaldo Arcia struck out swinging as well. They both went down on changeups, and Buchholz needed just 11 pitches to take care of business in the second.

Mid 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: Vance Worley has already gone to four three-ball counts, and he’s already up to 49 pitches through two innings. He still kept the Red Sox off the scoreboard in the second inning, though.

Stephen Drew, who is batting sixth for the first time this season, led off with a line drive to left field. Oswaldo Arcia misjudged it off the bat and it almost soared over his head, but Arcia recovered to make a leaping grab.

Jonny Gomes grounded out sharply for the second out, and Mike Carp worked a four-pitch walk. Jarrod Saltalamacchia ended the inning with a strike out.

Worley has really been trying to paint the outside corner early on. He consistently stayed away against both Carp and Saltalamacchia in the second inning, experiencing mixed results along the way.

End 1st, Red Sox 1-0: The first inning wasn’t kind to Clay Buchholz the last time he faced the Twins. Buchholz had no problem this time around.

Buchholz retired the Twins in order in the first inning, picking up two strikeouts along the way.

The inning started off with Dustin Pedroia making a sensational play. Brian Dozier hit a hot shot that Pedroia nabbed on the back hand while diving to his right. Pedroia then bounced to his feet and fired to first for the out.

Buchholz capped off the inning by striking out Chris Parmelee and Josh Willingham. Both K’s came on the four-seamer, and neither hitter really had much of a chance.

Mid 1st, Red Sox 1-0: The Red Sox are off to a fast start.

The Sox scored just one run in the first eight innings of Thursday’s game, but they’re already on the scoreboard in this one. David Ortiz’s first-inning single into right field beat the shift and plated Daniel Nava with the game’s first run.

Twins starter Vance Worley really had to work in the first inning. He threw 31 pitches before heading back to the dugout, and that’s without Mike Napoli — who leads all of baseball with 4.46 pitches seen per plate appearance — in the Red Sox’ lineup. Red Sox batters lead the majors with 4.07 pitches seen per plate appearance.

Jacoby Ellsbury worked a full count to lead off the game, but he was ultimately retired on a grounder back to the mound. Trouble started to settle in for the Twins when Nava smacked the ninth pitch of his at-bat — a 3-2 fastball — back up the middle. Second baseman Brian Dozier made the play on the back hand. Not only did he not have any chance of nailing Nava at first, though, but he tossed an ill-advised throw into the seats to allow Nava to reach second base.

Dustin Pedroia’s ground out to the right side moved Nava to third, and Ortiz drove him in to pick up his 23rd RBI of the season. Ortiz is playing in his 1,400th game with the Red Sox, passing Dom DiMaggio to move into 10th on the franchise’s all-time list.

8:12 p.m.: Vance Worley’s first pitch of the game is a fastball down the pike for a strike. Away they go at Target Field.

8:01 p.m.: This game marks the second matchup of the season between Clay Buchholz and Vance Worley. Buchholz and Worley squared off at Fenway on May 6, and each pitcher received a no-decision in what was eventually a 6-5 win for Boston.

Buchholz will be hoping for better results on Friday. He didn’t suffer a loss in that May 6 tilt, and he settled down after a rocky first inning, but it was definitely his worst start of the season. Buchholz gave up four earned runs on seven hits over six innings in that contest.

7:54 p.m.: Shane Victorino said before the game that he hopes to be available if the Red Sox need him in the later innings, but manager John Farrell hopes that isn’t the case. Farrell said the club will do everything it can to stay away from playing Victorino in order to give the outfielder a day off his feet.

The good news, however, is that Victorino doesn’t think his back issue is as bad as the one that kept him out of action earlier this season.

“Last time I missed a week. That’s not the goal to do the same thing this time. But again, I’m not evaluating it like it was the last time. It’s nowhere near that,” Victorino said. “I just don’t want it to get to that point because these are the symptoms I felt the last time. I can’t go out there and make it a week. Hopefully we can calm it down, ASAP. Like I said, hopefully I’ve got three hours to calm it down, and if I’m needed to play tonight, that’s the goal.”

7:35 p.m.: David Ross, who is on the seven-day concussion disabled list, hoped to rejoin the Red Sox during their series in Minnesota, but it looks like the Red Sox catcher may be further away from a return than originally anticipated.

“Everything pointed to him being re-examined there and him joining us here in Minnesota but much like we’ve seen with many other concussions, these things take on a life of their own,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said. “He’s still experiencing some light-headedness and fatigue, so we’ve just got to give it time.”

5:40 p.m.: Shane Victorino and outfield walls just aren’t getting along lately.

Victorino crashed into the right-field wall at Tropicana Field on Thursday, just four days after he experienced a violent collision with the right-field wall at Fenway Park. Victorino’s back, which he had problems with earlier this season, started to tighten up a bit after Thursday’s collision, and manager John Farrell will give him a rest on Friday. Daniel Nava will shift to right field, and Jonny Gomes will be inserted into the lineup to play left field.

Mike Napoli will also get the night off. Mike Carp will start at first base in his place and bat eighth.

Stephen Drew, who was moved up to seventh in the order on Thursday amid his hot streak, will slide up another spot for Friday’s game. He’ll bat sixth.

Joe Mauer will be out of the Twins’ lineup with back stiffness.

The rest of Friday’s lineups are below.

Red Sox (24-17)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Daniel Nava, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Stephen Drew, SS
Jonny Gomes, LF
Mike Carp, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C

Clay Buchholz, RHP (6-0, 1.69 ERA)

Twins (18-19)
Brian Dozier, 2B
Chris Parmelee, RF
Josh Willingham, DH
Justin Morneau, 1B
Ryan Doumit, C
Oswaldo Arcia, LF
Trevor Plouffe, 3B
Aaron Hicks, CF
Pedro Florimon, SS

Vance Worley, RHP (1-4, 7.15 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: It’ll be hard to top Thursday’s drama.

The Red Sox were down to their final strike twice, yet they overcame a two-run deficit in the ninth inning to pull off an improbable 4-3 victory over the Rays at Tropicana Field. Will Middlebrooks delivered the big blow — a bases-clearing double off Rays closer Fernando Rodney, who walked three hitters to set up the drama.

It was a huge win for the Red Sox against a division rival. They avoided losing their fourth consecutive series, and it marks their first set of back-to-back wins since May 1 and May 2. (The Sox took home Wednesday’s contest in convincing fashion.)

Now, it’s time to put the come-from-behind victory and the Rays in the rearview mirror, as the Red Sox travel to Minnesota to open up a three-game set with the Twins. The Sox dropped three of four to the Twins at Fenway Park last week.

Clay Buchholz will get the start for Boston in Friday’s series opener. He’ll look to join Yu Darvish, Matt Moore and Jordan Zimmerman on baseball’s seven-win list.

Friday’s first pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. Be sure to tune in on NESN, and follow all of the action right here with NESN.com’s live blog.

Final, Red Sox 4-3:

Rays closer Fernando Rodney entered the game with a two-run cushion in the ninth, but his control problems paved the way for Will Middlebrooks’ heroics. The Red Sox were down to their final strike when Middlebrooks smacked a bases-clearing double to give Boston a 4-3 lead.

Rodney, who was lights-out last season, walked Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and Daniel Nava in the ninth inning before Middlebrooks delivered the big blow.

Tazawa, who also pitched the eighth inning, receives the win for Boston. Rodney, who now has three blown saves this season, suffers the loss.

The Red Sox’ wild victory gives them back-to-back wins for the first time since May 1 and May 2. They’ll look to make it three in a row in Minnesota on Friday. Clay Buchholz will get the start for Boston.

Good night, everyone.

Mid 9th, Red Sox 4-3: Alex Torres replaced Fernando Rodney and got Jacoby Ellsbury to ground out to second base to end the inning, but what a finish we have on our hands at Tropicana Field.

Rodney walked Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and Daniel Nava during a ninth inning in which he was one strike away from closing out a Tampa Bay victory on multiple occasions. The Sox kept fighting, and Will Middlebrooks delivered the big bases-clearing double.

Middlebrooks has had a tough season thus far, so that one has to feel good.

Junichi Tazawa, who pitched the eighth inning, will come back out and try to nail this one down for Boston.

10:35 p.m., Red Sox 4-3: Wow.

The Red Sox were down to their final strike, but Will Middlebrooks drove a bases-clearing double into the left-center field gap to give Boston a 4-3 lead.

Rays closer Fernando Rodney walked three batters to set the stage for his showdown with Middlebrooks. He then jumped ahead of Middlebrooks 0-2 before delivering a 100 mph fastball that just missed the outside corner. Rodney tried to pull the string with a changeup on 1-2, but Middlebrooks stayed back and drilled it.

Rodney walked Jarrod Saltalamacchia after Middlebrooks’ double, and he’ll now get the hook.

End 8th, Rays 3-1: Junichi Tazawa entered the game for what turned out to be an interesting — and solid — defensive inning for Shane Victorino.

Jose Lobaton led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a deep fly ball to right. Victorino retreated back toward the warning track and crashed into the wall while making the catch.

Ryan Roberts struck out for the second out, but it wasn’t before Victorino made a sliding attempt on a ball hit into foul territory down the right-field line.

The inning ended with Victorino making an over-the-shoulder catch on a fly ball off the bat of Desmond Jennings. Victorino looked like a wide receiver making the play.

Rays closer Fernando Rodney will now take the mound with a two-run cushion in the ninth. Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and Mike Napoli are due up.

Mid 8th, Rays 3-1: Joel Peralta took over in the eighth inning, and he got the job done. The Red Sox are now down to their final three outs.

Peralta got Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Shane Victorino to pop out in the inning. Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out harmlessly to short.

Junichi Tazawa will pitch the bottom of the eighth for Boston.

End 7th, Rays 3-1: Craig Breslow did a very nice job in the seventh inning.

Breslow induced three groundouts while tossing a perfect frame. Yunel Escobar grounded to third, James Loney grounded to second and Matt Joyce grounded to short.

Breslow has now notched four straight scoreless outings, and five of his six outings overall have been scoreless.

Mid 7th, Rays 3-1: Mike Napoli walked to lead off the top of the seventh, but the Red Sox couldn’t muster up any more offense.

Daniel Nava flied out to left field for the inning’s first out, which also ended Alex Cobb’s night. Jake McGee took over on the hill.

McGee threw a wild pitch while facing Stephen Drew, which allowed Napoli to advance to second base. Neither Drew nor Will Middlebrooks could cash in, though. Drew popped out to his counterpart at shortstop, and Middlebrooks grounded to his counterpart down at third base.

Cobb was solid in his 6 1/3 innings. He allowed just the one run on three hits and two walks. Cobb racked up six strikeouts, five of which came on his changeup, which was very nasty, especially early on. Cobb threw 92 pitches (56 strikes) before giving way to the Tampa Bay bullpen, and he’s currently in line for his fifth win if things stay the same.

End 6th, Rays 3-1: Andrew Miller took over for Clayton Mortensen, and Luke Scott greeted him with a single into right field.

Scott’s RBI single scored Tampa’s third run and left the bases loaded for Ben Zobrist with one out. Miller escaped any further damage by striking out Zobrist and getting Evan Longoria to ground into a forceout at third base.

Longoria’s ground ball required Will Middlebrooks to show off some nifty footwork, as the third baseman made the play and tip-toed to tag the bag all in one motion.

Red Sox pitchers have walked eight in this game, including three in the sixth inning. Free passes are dangerous, and the Sox are actually lucky to be down by only two runs.

The book is officially closed on Doubront, who is currently on the hook for the loss. Doubront gave up two earned runs on three hits and six walks in five innings. He struck out seven and threw 104 pitches (54 strikes).

9:28 p.m., Rays 2-1: Clayton Mortensen entered the game, and he too struggled with his control.

Mortensen got Matt Joyce — who pinch-hit for Sean Rodriguez — to ground to third base. Will Middlebrooks determined that he had enough time to go to second, and he did so in order to get the lead runner.

From there, it was all trouble for Mortensen. He issued back-to-back walks to Jose Lobaton and Ryan Roberts to load the bases, and Desmond Jennings singled into center to give Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead.

Jennings’ hit landed just beyond the reach of a diving Stephen Drew, and the bases are still loaded as Mortensen heads for the showers.

The Rays’ second run is charged to Felix Doubront, who walked James Loney to begin the sixth inning. That means Doubront is currently on the hook for the loss.

9:14 p.m., 1-1: Felix Doubront probably isn’t a big fan of home plate umpire Joe West.

John Farrell brought Doubront out to begin the sixth inning despite the left-hander’s pitch count being at 100. Doubront responded by throwing four straight balls to James Loney, although three of them realistically could have been called strikes.

The Red Sox will now turn to Clayton Mortensen. Doubront is responsible for the runner on first.

Mid 6th, 1-1: Dustin Pedroia tried to get a little two-out rally going, but it was a fruitless effort.

Jacoby Ellsbury and Shane Victorino each grounded out to give Alex Cobb two quick outs. Pedroia then singled into right field, but David Ortiz grounded to third base to end any potential threat.

Cobb has given up one run on three hits in this game, which, amazingly, is the same line that Doubront owns at this point. Cobb has obviously been far more efficient, though. (Doubront has five walks to Cobb’s one.)

End 5th, 1-1: Felix Doubront really loves to live life on the edge.

Doubront picked up two quick outs in the fifth inning. He struck out Desmond Jennings for the second time, and he then got Luke Scott to hit right into the shift. Scott got a good piece of Doubront’s offering, but it was right at Dustin Pedroia in shallow right field.

It was at that point that Doubront stumbled, almost as if he didn’t want things to go too smoothly. Doubront threw nine consecutive balls and walked both Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria.

Doubront bounced back and got Yunel Escobar to pop out to Pedroia behind the first base bag, thus ending Tampa Bay’s threat. But it was a typical inning for Doubront, who has been walking a tightrope all game despite only surrendering one run.

Doubront has thrown 100 pitches (54 strikes) through five innings.

Mid 5th, 1-1: Will Middlebrooks walked with two outs in the fifth inning, but that was the only hint of trouble for Alex Cobb.

Cobb got Daniel Nava to line out, and he then struck out Stephen Drew swinging for out No. 2.

Cobb got Drew on three pitches, finishing him off with a changeup. Five of Cobb’s six strikeouts have come on the changeup, in fact.

After Middlebrooks’ walk, Jarrod Saltalamacchia grounded out to first base to end the inning.

End 4th, 1-1: Felix Doubront enjoyed his first 1-2-3 inning of the game in the fourth.

Doubront struck out Sean Rodriguez and Jose Lobaton before Ryan Roberts, who homered earlier, grounded out to end the inning.

The frame wasn’t a cakewalk for Doubront, though. He was forced to work a little bit, particularly during the two strikeouts.

Rodriguez laid off a curveball to run the count full and saw eight pitches before Doubront punched him out. Lobaton, who also worked a full count, saw seven pitches before he was retired.

Mid 4th, 1-1: The Red Sox almost fell into an old habit, but David Ortiz ensured that wasn’t the case.

Shane Victorino doubled into right field with one out after Jacoby Ellsbury lined out to Yunel Escobar at short. Alex Cobb’s changeup has been his out pitch all game, but Victorino jumped all over the offspeed offering in a 1-0 count.

Dustin Pedroia grounded out to second base after Victorino’s double. The ground ball to the right side allowed Victorino to take third, but it meant the Red Sox were in jeopardy of faltering with a runner in scoring position — something that was all too common before Wednesday’s offensive outburst.

Ortiz came up big, though. He smoked a long single down the right-field line to plate Victorino with Boston’s first run.

End 3rd, Rays 1-0: Felix Doubront will be on some blooper reels after this game.

Doubront led off the inning by walking Luke Scott. He started the at-bat with a curveball. On his second pitch, he threw a … I actually couldn’t tell you.

Doubront’s second pitch to Scott slipped out of his hand and ended up rolling over near the first-base line. He couldn’t recover from there, as he missed up and in with a 2-0 fastball and then walked Scott two pitches later.

Evan Longoria extended his hitting streak to 10 games in the inning. He went the other way for a one-out single. It set up runners at first and second, but Doubront bounced back to retire Yunel Escobar and James Loney on flyouts to center.

Mid 3rd, Rays 1-0: Alex Cobb didn’t strike anyone out in the third inning, but he’s still cruising.

Cobb enjoyed another perfect inning, and he has now retired the first nine hitters he’s faced.

Stephen Drew, Will Middlebrooks and Jarrod Saltalamacchia all flied out in the third.

Middlebrooks’ out was by far the loudest. He stayed back on a curveball that Cobb left up a little bit and sent Desmond Jennings back to the warning track, where the Rays center fielder hauled it in.

End 2nd, Rays 1-0: The Red Sox will need to play catch-up in this one. Ryan Roberts put the Rays on the scoreboard in the second inning.

Felix Doubront started off the second inning by striking out Sean Rodriguez. Doubront started Rodriguez off with a fastball before going with back-to-back curveballs to freeze him on three pitches.

Jose Lobaton, who got the start behind the plate after entering Wednesday’s game late, sent an outside fastball the other way. Shane Victorino hauled it in just before the warning track, though, and it looked as if Doubront might enjoy an easy inning.

Roberts had a different idea. He sent a 2-0 fastball into the seats in left-center field for his third home run of the season.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Alex Cobb looks very sharp early on. He’s mixing up his pitches well, and his changeup has been filthy thus far.

Cobb picked up two more strikeouts in the second inning, and he has four K’s total. Mike Napoli and Daniel Nava each went down swinging on changeups after David Ortiz grounded out to begin the second inning.

All four of Cobb’s strikeouts have come on the changeup.

End 1st, 0-0: When Felix Doubront takes the mound, you know there are going to be a lot of lengthy at-bats. That was the case in the first inning, as Doubront threw 28 pitches before retiring the Rays.

Doubront struck out Desmond Jennings with a high fastball to begin the inning. The pitch was clocked at 92 mph, so the left-hander is still lacking some velocity, despite pitching coach Juan Nieves feeling before the game like Doubront had made some strides in that area.

Luke Scott then reached with an infield single. The Red Sox had the shift pulled over to the right side, and Scott hit a ball into the hole at shortstop. Stephen Drew made a backhanded bid, but he had no play at first base. Perhaps it’s a small victory, though, as Scott entered the game 2-for-6 in his career against Doubront, with both hits being home runs.

Doubront got Evan Longoria to fly out to center field with runners at first and second, but he loaded the bases by walking Yunel Escobar. Escobar fouled off a number of pitches and saw nine pitches total before Doubront missed upstairs with a 3-2 curveball.

Doubront, who frequently walks a tightrope, escaped the inning unscathed. James Loney, who is off to an extremely hot start this season, struck out looking on a 91-mph fastball on the corner.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Alex Cobb finished 2012 on a strong note, and the success has carried into this season.

The 25-year-old right-hander was very sharp in the first inning. He struck out both Jacoby Ellsbury and the hot-hitting Dustin Pedroia as part of a 1-2-3 inning.

Cobb, who prides himself on a good fastball-changeup combo, had his offspeed stuff working in the first inning. Ellsbury and Pedroia both struck out on changeups.

Cobb struggled out of the gate last season, going 4-5 with a 4.89 ERA in nine first-half starts. He turned things around in the second half, though, going 7-4 with a 3.40 ERA in 14 starts after the All-Star break.

Cobb was particularly impressive in the final two months of last season. He went 4-0 with a 3.38 ERA in six starts last August, and then went 3-1 with a 2.73 ERA in his final five starts of the year.

7:12 p.m.: Alex Cobb’s first pitch to Jacoby Ellsbury is on the outside corner for a strike, and we’re underway.

6:58 p.m.: Every time Felix Doubront takes the mound, it’s a big outing for the lefty. Doubront has struggled a great deal this season, and there is some question as to how long the Red Sox will continue to roll him out there if he can’t right the ship soon.

Doubront last started in Texas on May 3, and he lasted just 3 2/3 innings, surrendering six earned runs on 12 hits while throwing 97 pitches.

Doubront did pitch out of the bullpen against the Twins on May 8 after Allen Webster failed to make it out of the second inning, but the results were similar. Doubront gave up six earned runs on 11 hits in that outing while throwing 105 pitches in 5 1/3 innings.

Overall, Doubront has give up 12 earned runs on 23 hits in his last nine innings pitched. Yikes.

6:40 p.m.: I’m sure I don’t need to remind all of you Boston sports fans out there, but the Bruins are ready to kick off their playoff series against the Rangers. You can follow NESN.com’s Bruins live blog at the link below.

Click here for NESN.com’s Bruins live blog >>

6:30 p.m.: The Rays announced that they have placed David Price on the 15-day disabled list with a left triceps strain. The left-hander exited Wednesday’s start against the Red Sox in the third inning.

The move isn’t surprising, and it continues what has been a difficult season for Price. The reigning AL Cy Young winner is 1-4 with a 5.24 ERA in nine starts, and he just hasn’t looked like the pitcher who won 20 games last season.

Price has lost about 2 mph on his fastball, which is certainly concerning for a pitcher of his status. Perhaps a stint on the DL can help alleviate whatever issue he’s dealing with.

Click here to read about David Price’s injury >>

5:10 p.m.: The month of May hasn’t been too kind to the Red Sox, but it’s been very kind to Stephen Drew. Drew leads the team in average (.348), on-base percentage (.415), slugging percentage (.609) and RBIs (12) this month.

Red Sox manager John Farrell is looking to ride that hot streak. Drew, who typically bats ninth, will bat seventh on Thursday, with Will Middlebrooks and Jarrod Saltalamacchia batting eighth and ninth, respectively.

Click here to read about Stephen Drew’s hot streak >>

Daniel Nava will also return to the Boston lineup. He’ll bat sixth and play left field.

The rest of Thursday’s lineups are below.

Red Sox (23-17)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Daniel Nava, LF
Stephen Drew, SS
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C

Felix Doubront, LHP (3-1, 6.40 ERA)

Rays (20-19)
Desmond Jennings, CF
Luke Scott, DH
Ben Zobrist, RF
Evan Longoria, 3B
Yunel Escobar, SS
James Loney, 1B
Sean Rodriguez, LF
Jose Lobaton, C
Ryan Roberts, 2B

Alex Cobb (4-2, 3.09 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: Jon Lester once again played the role of stopper on Wednesday, holding the Rays to two runs over seven innings in the Red Sox’ 9-2 blowout at Tropicana Field.

Lester, who tossed a one-hit shutout in his last start before Wednesday’s, was very solid, but it was Boston’s offense that came alive in the victory. The Red Sox suddenly showed an ability to hit with runners on, and an eight-run inning capped off by Stephen Drew’s grand slam provided all the offense Boston needed.

Now, the Red Sox will try to ride the momentum of Wednesday’s big win. Sure, the performance was impressive, but the Sox had lost three in a row before Wednesday, and they’ve still lost nine of their last 12 games overall. Felix Doubront will attempt to give the Red Sox their first back-to-back wins since May 1 and May 2.

It won’t be easy for Doubront, who is making his first start since May 3. The left-hander has seen a drop in velocity recently, and his overall effectiveness has suffered as a result. He’ll need to turn things around on Thursday, as Rays starter Alex Cobb (4-2, 3.09 ERA) has been pitching well for Tampa.

Thursday’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. All of the action can be found on NESN and right here at NESN.com.

Final, Bruins 3-2: 

The forward went straight to the net on a rush, Patrice Bergeron hit him with a beautiful pass and the B’s win.

Overtime, 10:51, 2-2: Johnny Boychuk has twice had the chance to win this game, and both times he hit the post.

Boychuk almost ended it in overtime, but the puck caught the post to Henrik Lundqvist’s right and we play on.

The Bruins are outshooting New York in overtime 11-2 so far.

Overtime, 5:00, 2-2: The Bruins got a ton of chances, but they didn’t score on the power play. That was two minutes of domination.

Overtime, 2:20, 2-2: Here’s something rare. An overtime penalty.

The B’s go on the power play after Derek Dorsett is called for interference.

Overtime, 0:01, 0:00: For the second time this week, overtime has begun.

End third period, 2-2: Whoa.

The Bruins really brought it in the final moments of the third period, and they did everything but score on the power play. The B’s got a couple of really good chances, but one of those was slowed by a fearless Dan Girardi just throwing himself around the ice blocking shots.

Johnny Boychuk had a chance of his own at the buzzer, but the defenseman hit the post with an absolute blast from the right point.

Third period, 17:51, 2-2: With 25 seconds left in the power play, the man-advantage ends for New York, and not with a goal.

John Moore was just called for interference, and that ends the power play, and it will give the B’s 1:35 of a power play once 4-on-4 play ends.

Third period, 16:16, 2-2: The Bruins will have to kill off yet another penalty.

This time it’s because Patrice Bergeron was just called for hooking.

Third period, 14:32, 2-2: Tuukka Rask gave up that goal early in the period, but he’s been rock solid since. He just made a nice blocker save on Steve Eminger as the New York defenseman jumped on a puck in the Boston zone and put it on net.

Matt Bartkowski continues to have a nice night. After breaking a stick in the neutral zone, Bartkowski just did the only thing he could do to slow the rush — deck Rick Nash with a body check in open ice. Good stuff so far from the Boston rookie.

Third period, 8:38, 2-2: The Bruins are turning it on here in the third period, and the pace of play is certainly picking up.

David Krejci just had a brilliant chance as he stickhandled through the slot and then put a shot toward the net that beat Henrik Lundqvist, but the puck hit the crossbar. The Bruins are certainly buzzing right now, and they’re getting chances.

Third period, 2:55, 2-2: Scoring. So much scoring.

Torey Krug makes the Rangers pay for the penalty, as he just scored his first career playoff goal. He beat Henrik Lundqivst with a shot from just above the left circle.

Third period, 1:09, Rangers 2-1: The Bruins will get a chance to tie it up on the power play.

Steve Eminger was called for holding.

Third period, 0:14, Rangers 2-1: That didn’t take long.

Derek Stepan just scored to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead. We talked about potential momentum, and apparently it did carry over, with the second Rangers goal in 15.3 seconds of game time.

Second period reaction: That’s not the way the Bruins wanted to end the period, not one bit. That could prove to be an absolutely crippling goal, especially if the Rangers are able to sustain momentum through the intermission and into the third period.

Both teams were able to get on the board there in the second period, and both teams did it with kind of fluky goals. Again, expect that to continue to throughout the entire series. These teams are just too good on the blue line to fall apart defensively. On that now, however, it was bizarre to see Henrik Lundqvist give up a relatively soft goal. He should have had Zdeno Chara’s shot from the point, but he just couldn’t control it, and the puck squeezed through.

At the other end, it was defensive breakdowns, poor puck management and an inability to clear the zone that led to Ryan McDonagh’s goal. Tyler Seguin, who hasn’t been anything spectacular through two periods, coughed it up, and it cost the B’s dearly.

Second period, 19:58, 1-1: The Bruins couldn’t clear their own zone in the final seconds of the period, and it cost them.

Ryan McDonagh beat Tuukka Rask from the left point up over the goalie’s left shoulder with just 1.3 seconds to play in the period.

We’ll go to the intermission tied 1-1.

Second period, 16:13, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins were able to kill off the penalty with relative ease.

Second period, 13:52, Bruins 1-0: Shortly after the goal, the Bruins have to go back on the penalty kill.

Adam McQuaid was just called for interference, and the PK is back out on the ice.

Second period, 12:23, Bruins 1-0: Henrik Lundqvist may be one of the best in the game, but even he makes mistakes. That’s the case here, and the Bruins lead 1-0 because of it.

Lundqvist couldn’t quite close the pads on a Zdeno Chara slap shot form the point, and the puck eventually trickles through. Nathan Horton definitely helped it along.

Second period, 11:56, 0-0: The Bruins did a good job of coming out of that TV timeout and reversing the momentum some.

They just got a couple of good shifts, and that led to arguably the club’s best chance of the second period. Zdeno Chara put a shot toward the net from the point that looked to be tipped in the high slot by Nathan Horton. Either way, Henrik Lundqvist made the save.

The Bruins also just got another solid shift out of the Patrice Bergeron line, but blocked shots slowed that down.

Second period, 9:39, 0-0: The Bruins killed off the penalty, and we finally get a TV timeout a few minutes later after whistle-less play.

The Rangers are starting to pressure the B’s a little bit both with the power play and the few minutes that followed. They’re getting in the forecheck, and they’re also making it pretty difficult for the Bruins to get the puck through the neutral zone.

Second period, 4:38, 0-0: Zdeno Chara was just called for hooking, which means the Rangers will get a power play of their own now.

Second period, 4:26, 0-0: As far as Bruins power plays go, that was one of the better ones that didn’t end with a goal.

The B’s got a couple of good chances including shots from the right wing from both Tyler Seguin and David Krejci, but one hit the side of the net and the other was stopped.

Second period, 2:22, 0-0: The Bruins get the first power play of the night, but it might have come out at a price.

Tyler Pyatt is going off for boarding after planting Johnny Boychuk in the corner. Boychuk was definitely shaken up, but it looks like he’ll stay on the bench for now.

The Bruins have a chance to grab the lead on the power play now.

Second period, 0:01, 0-0: The second period is underway, and Michael Del Zotto is back for the Rangers. He took a puck up near the head after blocking a Patrice Bergeron shot in the first and he left the ice. He’s good to go now apparently.

First period reaction: Did you miss the first period? If so, you didn’t miss much at all.

The Bruins and Rangers are scoreless through one, which really isn’t that much of a surprise given the way these two teams play. It’s really all about defense, which may make these head coaches happy, but it doesn’t make for the most entertaining hockey.

With it being scoreless, it must mean that the Bruins’ young D-men are doing at least a decent job, right? Yeah, pretty much. They’ve all been good enough, and I’ve been especially impressed with Matt Bartkowski. He’s already seen 8:17 of ice time, which is second only to Zdeno Chara on either team through 20 minutes. Torey Krug has been decent, and he showed a willingness to get a little nasty when he dumped the much bigger Brian Boyle into the Boston cage after a whistle.

The Rangers have been just as good, if not better defensively. Henrik Lundqvist is still one of the best goalies on the planet, and he extended his shutout streak to 140:00 with a scoreless first. The Rangers helped that along by blocking 10 shots in the first, but the Bruins do lead in shots 11-8 through one.

End first period, 0-0: The first period just came to an end with a flurry of activity at the New York net. It was the Patrice Bergeron line that put some pucks near the net, but they just couldn’t break through  to really get anything on net. Get used to that in this series.

First period, 13:09, 0-0: The Bruins should maybe be trailing 1-0 right now, but Tuukka Rask just got some help from the crossbar.

Michael Del Zotto beat the Bruins goalie with a wrist shot from the left point that beat Rask gloveside, but the puck found iron instead of the back of the net.

The Rangers got another chance shortly thereafter when Zdeno Chara coughed up the puck in his own zone. He and Dougie Hamilton have struggled to get the puck out of their own end so far, and it almost cost them there.

The Bruins have just five shots on goal through the first 13 minutes or so.

First period, 6:29, 0-0: Goals are expected to be at a premium in this series, and so far, that’s been the case, albeit just a few minutes in.

I’ve been keeping an eye on the Bruins’ defensemen — especially the younger guys — and they’ve done a good job so far. Matt Bartkowski looks like he’s getting confidence with every shift in these playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Boston fourth line is doing its job in the early going, getting in there with good, hard forechecks, and they’ve created the best chance for either team so far.

First period, 0:01, 0-0: The game is on.

7:13 p.m.: The Bruins are going to go with the same lines as they did in Game 7, per warmups, as are the Rangers.

Here are the Bruins’ defensive pairings.

Zdeno Chara — Dougie Hamilton
Matt Bartkowski — Johnny Boychuk
Adam McQuaid — Torey Krug

7 p.m.: The Bruins just took the ice for pregame warmups. Unsurprisingly, they’re without Andrew Ference, Dennis Seidenberg and Wade Redden.

Brad Marchand is out there as well.

6:45 p.m.: Welcome to TD Garden where it is really cold up here on Level 9, which is press level. That makes sense, given that it’s about 85 degrees outside, so it’s pretty important to keep things cold in here to preserve the integrity of the ice. Say what you want about the new Garden, but at least we’re pretty sure the warm temperatures won’t lead to something like this happening again.

We’re about 15 minutes from pregame skate, so we’ll give an update once that begins when we should at the very least confirm our suspicions about the Game 1 lineup.

4:45 p.m.: The Rangers are going to block a ton of shots in this series. There’s no other way around it. That’s what they do under head coach John Tortorella, and don’t expect it to stop any time soon. They blocked 161 shots in the first round, which was 20 more than the next team, which was coincidentally the Maple Leafs.

“Got to find ways to get pucks to the net,” Claude Julien said after morning skate.  ”Just got to keep your head up when you’re shooting. They’re going to block shots no matter what. We just got to do the best we can do get them on net. When they don’t, well, they can block them and what can I do?

“As a team, you’re going to get some shots blocked because they like doing it. We’re just going to do our best to get them through and make sure they get to the net, and hopefully get some net-front traffic. That’s going to make things a little tougher for their goaltender, that’s not a secret.”

2:30 p.m.: The Rangers haven’t gotten any real good news in terms of some pretty rough injuries. Forwards Ryane Clowe and Darroll Powe are still out with suspected concussions, as is defenseman Marc Staal who remains out with his eye injury.

Here are the lines the Rangers used at practice Wednesday and again at morning skate on Thursday, per NorthJersey.com.

Carl Hagelin — Derek Stepan — Ryan Callahan
Rick Nash — Derick Brassard — Mats Zuccarello
Taylor Pyatt — Brian Boyle — Derek Dorsett
Chris Kreider — Brad Richards — Arron Asham

Ryan McDonagh — Anton Stralman
Dan Girardi — Michael Del Zotto
John Moore — Steve Eminger

2:11 p.m.: The Bruins, as discussed a little earlier, had to make some changes because of their injuries on the blue line. They showed those off at morning skate.

The B’s also used the same lines Thursday morning that they did Wednesday at practice. Here are the lines and D-pairs.

Milan Lucic — David Krejci — Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Jaromir Jagr
Rich Peverley — Chris Kelly — Tyler Seguin
Daniel Paille — Gregory Campbell — Shawn Thornton

Zdeno Chara — Dougie Hamilton
Matt Bartkowski — Johnny Boychuk
Torey Krug — Adam McQuaid

12:17 p.m.: While Marchand is likely playing on Thursday night, the availability of the trio of injured D-men (Seidenberg, Ference, Redden) “doesn’t look good,” according to Julien. -JB

12 p.m.: Brad Marchand will be playing on Thursday night, says head coach Claude Julien, despite the winger leaving morning skate early. Marchand left the ice just 20 minutes in, “wincing in pain,” in what appeared to be an injury. -JB

9 a.m. ET: Believe it or not, the Bruins did not win the Stanley Cup with their Game 7 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night at TD Garden. Far from it, actually.

While the comeback and thrilling OT win was something no one will soon forget, all it really did was get the Bruins through one round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. They’ll get a pretty stern reminder of that Thursday night when the B’s open their second-round series with the No. 6 seeded New York Rangers.

The B’s and Blueshirts are no strangers to each other. They met three times this season, with the Rangers winning twice. Those two wins, however, came in overtime, so the two teams actually both got four points out of the three meetings. After struggling in the season’s first couple of months, the Rangers turned it on late in the season, going 9-2-1 after the trade deadline to make the playoffs. They got a tough test in the first round as well where they had to go seven games to dispatch the No. 3 Washington Capitals. New York used shutouts in Games 6 and 7 from Henrik Lundqvist to win the series.

You can get a full preview of the Bruins-Rangers series by clicking here.

Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Final, Red Sox 9-2:

The Sox have had a difficult go of it lately, but everything came together on Wednesday. The Red Sox scored eight runs in the third inning and Jon Lester picked up his sixth win as Boston rolled to a 9-2 victory.

Stephen Drew’s grand slam highlighted the monster third frame, which saw the Red Sox go 5-for-7 with runners in scoring position. That’s a welcome sign for a team that has struggled mightily to cash in with runners on base of late. Prior to the third inning, Boston had been 4-for-42 (.095) with runners in scoring position over its previous 37 innings.

The big third inning started against David Price, whose difficult season continues. It didn’t end against Price, though, as the reigning American League Cy Young winner left with an injury after just 2 1/3 innings.

Lester held up his end of the bargain on Wednesday. He went seven innings, allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out five. His now joins teammate Clay Buchholz on baseball’s six-win list.

Drew’s night was defined by his grand slam, but he played a solid game overall. The shortstop added a double and a walk as part of his 2-for-3 performance. Will Middlebrooks and Dustin Pedroia also chipped in two hits apiece, and Middlebrooks even ended a 15-game home run drought by going deep in the eighth inning.

Felix Doubront will get the start for Boston on Thursday as he continues to try and get on the right path. He’ll be matched up against Alex Cobb, and the game will kick off at 7:10 p.m.

Good night, everyone.

Mid 9th, Red Sox 9-2: The Rays made a few moves defensively in ninth, and they brought in Josh Lueke to pitch.

Lueke walked Jacoby Ellsbury to lead off the inning, but he retired the next three hitters in order.

The play that retired Shane Victorino brought Red Sox manager John Farrell out for a brief discussion. Victorino hit a popup directly behind home plate. Jose Lobaton — who entered the game as Tampa’s new catcher before the inning started — made the play with one hand before dropping the ball on his transfer to his bare hand. There was some question as to whether Lobaton ever had complete control of it, but replays show the out call was the correct one.

Mike Carp pinch-hit for David Ortiz with two outs, and he flied out to left field to end the inning. Jose De La Torre, who gave up two runs in his big league debut on Sunday, will pitch the ninth for Boston.

End 8th, Red Sox 9-2: This game nearly got a bit more interesting.

Matt Joyce — who pinch-hit for Sean Rodriguez — drilled a fly ball right down the right-field line with two runners on. If it was a few more feet to the left, we would have been looking at a 9-5 game. Instead, it hooked just foul, and Joyce ended up flying out to Daniel Nava in left field.

Koji Uehara, who has made a career off throwing strikes, found himself working through an uncharacteristic 29-pitch inning in the eighth. Prior to Joyce’s deep foul, Evan Longoria singled, Yunel Escobar grounded into a force out and James Loney walked. Joyce’s fly out to left came on the 10th pitch of his at-bat.

Luke Scott pinch-hit for Jose Molina with two outs, and Uehara struck him out swinging on a splitter low and away.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 9-2: Will Middlebrooks has a ton of power, which makes his season-long slump even more perplexing.

Middlebrooks used his immense power to smack his first home run since April 26 in the eighth inning. It was a 15-game home run drought for Middlebrooks, whose seven blasts still have him tied with Mike Napoli for the team lead.

Middlebrooks jumped all over a slider on the outer half of the plate from Kyle Farnsworth, and he drilled it over the fence in right-center field. Middlebrooks has the ability to hit with power to all fields, so his performance in this game is very encouraging. Not only does Middlebrooks have a home run, but he also doubled to the opposite field back in the second inning.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Stephen Drew, who had reached safely in all three of his previous plate appearances, each struck out to end the inning. Daniel Nava, who entered the game for Jonny Gomes in left field, grounded out to lead off the inning.

End 7th, Red Sox 8-2: Stephen Drew is really turning in a complete effort.

Drew has a grand slam and has reached safely in all three of his plate appearances. In the seventh inning, he nearly added a diving play to his resume.

Ryan Roberts hit a ball sharply to short. Drew went into the dive while ranging into the 5-6 hole and knocked the ball down. Drew didn’t have enough time to make a throw to first, but it was still a solid defensive effort — one pitchers appreciate.

Desmond Jennings flied out to right field for the first out. Kelly Johnson then nearly bounced into an inning-ending double play, but he beat out the throw at first base. It didn’t matter, as Ben Zobrist grounded into a 5-4 force out to end the inning.

That’ll likely be the night for Jon Lester. Koji Uehara has been warming up in the bullpen, and Lester appears to be getting congratulatory pats on the back in the Red Sox’ dugout.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 8-2: Cesar Ramos exited with two outs in the seventh inning, but he did a very nice job of settling things down in this game.

When Ramos entered the contest, the Red Sox had just put up eight runs the inning prior. Ramos ensured they wouldn’t get any more on his watch, tossing three scoreless innings in which he only surrendered one hit.

Before departing in the seventh, Ramos retired Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz. Pedroia grounded back to the mound, while Ortiz grounded to first baseman James Loney, who flipped to Ramos to complete the out.

Kyle Farnsworth replaced Cesar Ramos. It took him just two pitches to retire Mike Napoli via a ground out to third.

End 6th, Red Sox 8-2: Jon Lester struck out two in the sixth inning, and he now ranks fifth on the Red Sox’ all-time strikeouts list.

Lester, who has five K’s in this game, has 1,110 for his career. His 1,109th — a strikeout of Evan Longoria to lead off the sixth inning — moved him past Josh Beckett on the franchise list.

Lester struck out Longoria looking on a cutter. The lefty then yielded a double to Yunel Escobar before striking out James Loney. Loney tried to check his swing on a curveball low and out of the zone, but home plate umpire Sam Holbrook determined that he went around.

Sean Rodriguez was hit in the hand by a pitch with two outs, but the inning ended with Jose Molina grounding out to third base.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 8-2: The Rays retired eight in a row until Stephen Drew stepped into the box in the sixth inning.

Drew, whose grand slam highlighted Boston’s four-run third inning, smacked a two-out double off the right-field wall. Drew has now reached base safely in all three of his plate appearances — he walked in his first plate appearance — and his season average is up to .247.

Drew advanced to third base when one of Cesar Ramos’ pitches to Shane Victorino got away, but Victorino couldn’t drive him in. The Flyin’ Hawaiian hit a ground ball that forced Yunel Escobar to range up the middle, but the Rays shortstop easily took care of business for the inning’s final out.

End 5th, Red Sox 8-2:  Jon Lester finally has a 1-2-3 inning to his credit, as the left-hander mowed down the Rays in order in the fifth.

Desmond Jennings grounded out, Kelly Johnson flied out and Ben Zobrist struck out.

Lester tried to put Zobrist away with a couple of fastballs, but Zobrist laid off the first and fouled off the second. Lester then went with a sinker down and in to freeze the versatile Zobrist.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 8-2: It’s important when a team explodes for a big inning that the next guy settle things down. Cesar Ramos is trying to do that.

Ramos retired the Red Sox in order in the fifth inning, striking out Mike Napoli and Will Middlebrooks in the process. Both hitters went down hacking at offspeed offerings.

In between the two K’s, Jonny Gomes grounded out back to the mound.

End 4th, Red Sox 8-2: Jon Lester is fortunate to be working with a big lead, as he doesn’t have his best stuff going.

Lester hasn’t enjoyed a 1-2-3 inning yet in this game, and although he managed to keep the Rays scoreless in the fourth, they still put two runners on and forced the lefty to work.

Lester retired Yunel Escobar and James Loney on a fly out and ground out, respectively, to begin the inning. The Rays then threatened from there. Sean Rodriguez and Jose Molina each singled into center field to set up runners at the corners for Ryan Roberts.

Fortunately for the Red Sox, Roberts stranded the two runners by striking out swinging.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 8-2: The Red Sox’ offense must have been worn out. Boston went down 1-2-3 in the fourth inning.

Jamey Wright, who entered the game in the third inning for the injured David Price, came back out to start the fourth. He retired Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia on a pair of grounds outs before giving way to Cesar Ramos.

Ramos entered the game and got David Ortiz to hit into the shift. Ryan Roberts made a nice backhanded play on the outfield grass in right, and then delivered an off-balance throw to first to end the inning.

The Rays will now see if they can establish some momentum on offense after their two-run third inning.

End 3rd, Red Sox 8-2: We just saw perhaps the only drawback of putting up eight runs as part of a lengthy offensive inning — the benefiting team’s pitcher has to sit for a while, and that could ultimately hurt his rhythm.

Jon Lester — or any pitcher, for that matter — will never complain about getting a whole bunch of run support, but the left-hander struggled a little bit in the third inning following a lengthy stint on the bench. The Rays put up two runs, and we’re now looking at an 8-2 game.

Ryan Roberts led off with a little dribbler to the left-side. By the time Lester came off the mound and grabbed it, Roberts was able to easily reach at first base.

Desmond Jennings, who singled in a 10-pitch at-bat in the first inning, put Tampa on the scoreboard with a triple. The Rays were aggressive in sending Roberts home down eight runs, but the move paid off.

The Rays’ second run scored when Ben Zobrist grounded out to third base with the infield back.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 8-0: The Red Sox went right to work against Jamey Wright after David Price left with an injury.

Mike Napoli, batting with runners at first and second, smoked an RBI double that one-hopped off the wall in right-center field. Jonny Gomes then plated Boston’s fourth run with a sharply hit single into center. (Napoli’s RBI gave him 34 for the season, and Gomes’ base hit broke up an 0-for-13 stretch for him.)

Will Middlebrooks stepped up with runners at the corners, and he flied out to center, but it wasn’t deep enough to score Napoli from third. Wright had a hard time getting the inning’s final out, though.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia kept the frame going by working a walk. That set the stage for Stephen Drew’s grand slam, which landed in the first row in right-center field.

The Red Sox batted around in the eight-run inning. It marks the sixth time this season that they’ve done that. Four of the runs were charged to Price, and the other four were charged to Wright.

All in all, the eight-run assault was exactly what the Red Sox’ offense needed. Time and time again, the unit has struggled to capitalize with runners on,  but that was hardly the case this time around.

Jon Lester will head back to the hill after a very lengthy at-bat sequence for the Red Sox. We’ll see if the layoff hinders him at all, but it’s a tradeoff he’ll certainly take.

8:12 p.m., Red Sox 2-0: David Price is coming out of this ballgame. Something appeared to be wrong with Price’s pitching hand after the left-hander gave up an RBI single to David Ortiz, and the Rays will turn to the bullpen early.

Price gives way after giving up two runs in the third inning. Stephen Drew kicked off the frame by capping off an eight-pitch battle with a walk, and Jacoby Ellsbury followed up with a single into center field.

Dustin Pedroia, who continues to be the Red Sox’ hottest hitter, drove in the game’s first run with a one-out single into right field. Ortiz added to the lead by shooting an RBI single past Evan Longoria and down the third-base line.

Jamey Wright will enter for the injured Price. So much for the highly anticipated pitcher’s duel.

End 2nd, 0-0: James Loney showed both what to do and what not to do on the bases in the second inning.

Loney lined a pitch on the outside corner into center field with one out. He then showed a heads-up play on the basepaths moments later. Jon Lester threw a pitch in the dirt that Jarrod Saltalamacchia did a good job of blocking. The ball bounced off Saltalamacchia’s chest and out in front of him, but Loney didn’t show any hesitation before taking off for second base, and he was able to beat Salty’s throw.

Loney’s aggressiveness was what got him into scoring position, but it’s also what wiped him off the bases. Sean Rodriguez hit a ground ball to short. Loney took off for third  but then threw on the brakes before retreating to second base. The indecision cost him, though, as Stephen Drew tossed to Dustin Pedroia to nail Loney for the second out.

Jose Molina grounded out to third base with a runner on first to end the inning.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: David Price has struggled this season with two outs, but the Red Sox have struggled after putting runners in scoring position. Something has got to give, right?

Price got two quick outs in the second inning, although the first one was thanks to some stellar defense from Evan Longoria. Mike Napoli threatened to yank a base hit through the left side, but Longoria made an excellent diving stop before firing to first for the inning’s first out.

After Jonny Gomes popped out behind the first base bag, Will Middlebrooks drove a double into the right-center field gap, which brought opponents’ average against Price with two outs to .343 for the season.

Price escaped any damage, though. He struck out Jarrod Saltalamacchia swinging on a fastball on the outside corner.

End 1st, 0-0: The Rays put up some good at-bats against Jon Lester in the first inning.

Lester ultimately kept the Rays off the scoreboard, but he was forced to work a little bit. The lefty tossed 21 pitches, 10 of which came in the opening at-bat.

Lester battled back after falling behind the leadoff man, Desmond Jennings, but Jennings made life very difficult. He fouled off four straight pitches — mostly sinkers on the outer half of the plate — before singling into left field on the 10th pitch of the at-bat.

Jennings stole second base during what was another solid battle by Ben Zobrist. Zobrist fell behind 0-2, but he worked the count full, even though Lester’s 2-2 pitch looked like it was perfectly placed on the corner low and away. Zobrist eventually struck out on a changeup down and out of the zone.

Evan Longoria, who was named the American League Player of the Week for last week on Monday, struck a line drive back at Lester, but the left-hander’s knee-jerk reaction was enough to make the snag. Both teams put a runner in scoring position in the first inning, but neither could jump out to a lead.

Mid 1st, 0-0: The Red Sox’ inability to capitalize with runners in scoring position has become a huge issue. They’re already 0-for-1 in such situations in this game.

Jacoby Ellsbury led off the game by grounding out, and Shane Victorino was retired on a short popup into center field for the second out. Victorino’s bloop looked like it might cause trouble off the bat, but some good communication between shortstop Yunel Escobar, second baseman Ryan Roberts and center fielder Desmond Jennings ensured the play didn’t become problematic.

Dustin Pedroia fared better. David Price went with back-to-back cutters to try and put Pedroia away. Pedroia fanned on the first one, but he drove the second one into the left-center field gap for a double.

David Ortiz, who went deep on Tuesday, couldn’t cash in with Pedroia at second. He went the other way with a cutter, but Sean Rodriguez tracked down the slicing fly ball for the inning’s third out.

Price’s velocity, which has been under a microscope of late, wasn’t bad in the first inning. He topped out at 95 mph, although he consistently sat at around 93 mph. It’s clear Price is going to try and pound the cutter on the outside corner, which makes two, as Jon Lester has been known to consistently do the same.

7:11 p.m.: David Price’s first pitch is low and away. Let’s play a little baseball.

7:01 p.m.: Wednesday’s duel will mark the second time this season that Jon Lester and David Price have gone toe-to-toe. The two lefties also squared off on April 13, and the Red Sox came away with a 2-1 win.

Lester received a no-decision in that contest despite tossing seven innings of one-run ball. Price, who also received a no-decision in that game, allowed one run over six innings. The Red Sox pulled out the victory on Shane Victorino’s walkoff infield single in the 10th inning.

Since the start of 2009, Lester’s 2.17 ERA at Tropicana Field leads all pitchers with at least four starts at the Trop. Lester is 3-1 with 40 strikeouts in 29 innings in five starts at Tropicana Field since the start of 2009.

6:45 p.m.: David Ortiz’s injury might not be enough to sideline him, but Andrew Bailey’s biceps issue has been a different story. The good news for the Red Sox, though, is that Bailey is nearing a return.

Manager John Farrell said Bailey will rejoin the Sox on Monday at the latest.

“He threw a very good bullpen yesterday,” Farrell said Wednesday on WEEI’s Salk and Holley. “He’ll throw to hitters here, tomorrow, early afternoon, in a simulated game situation just to see some hitters and try and create some additional adrenaline. After tomorrow, we’ll determine if it’s best served for everyone — most importantly, Andrew — to get a rehab appearance before he comes back to us. We’re thinking at the latest, it’d be Monday when he would rejoin us, in Chicago.”

Bailey hasn’t pitched since April 28 against the Astros.

6:30 p.m.: You may have noticed that David Ortiz is in the lineup despite dealing with some tightness in his left oblique.

The Red Sox will continue to monitor and be careful with Ortiz, who missed the beginning of the year with an Achilles injury, but apparently the new ailment isn’t enough to sideline the slugger. Ortiz said he suffered the oblique injury during a three-game series in Texas, and he admitted that it is affecting his swing. You wouldn’t know it, though, considering he jacked a three-run home run on Tuesday.

“I’m going to keep on playing with it. It’s not at a point where it gets any worse. Hopefully, it doesn’t get any worse. But yeah, it bothers me on some swings that I take,” Ortiz told reporters before Wednesday’s game. “Like last week, I was watching some videos, outside pitches that I was kind of pulling, and when you get to the point where you want to drive the ball the other way and next thing you know you’re hooking the ball, that’s not normal, you know what I’m saying? That had a lot to do with it. Hopefully it gets better.”

Ortiz’s home run on Tuesday snapped a 1-for-19 stretch, during which he didn’t have an extra-base hit.

5:30 p.m.: The main storyline entering this game is obviously the pitching matchup, which includes two of baseball’s elite lefties. Here’s a look at the guys who will be forced to generate offense against Jon Lester and David Price.

Red Sox (22-17)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jonny Gomes, LF
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Stephen Drew, SS

Jon Lester, LHP (5-0, 2.73 ERA)

Rays (20-18)
Desmond Jennings, CF
Kelly Johnson, DH
Ben Zobrist, RF
Evan Longoria, 3B
Yunel Escobar, SS
James Loney, 1B
Sean Rodriguez, LF
Jose Molina, C
Ryan Roberts, 2B

David Price, LHP (1-3, 4.78 ERA)

11 a.m.: If this doesn’t fill the Trop, what can?

The Red Sox and Rays are sending their best to the mound Wednesday night. Jon Lester (5-0, 2.73 ERA) and David Price (1-3, 4.78), both aces of their staffs and perennial Cy Young candidates, will face off as the Red Sox look to chip back after dropping the first game of the series.

Lester had some bumpy outings after his torrid start this year, but he made up for all that Friday night in Toronto. Pitching a complete game, Lester gave up just one hit and struck out five.

Price, meanwhile, comes into Wednesday night’s contest with his last start a sharp one, too. He went eight innings, also against Toronto, and gave up two earned runs while striking out eight.

The Red Sox have been on a bad slide as of late (2-9 in their last 11 games), and they’ll need the bats to get back in it if they want to start stringing together Ws again. David Ortiz also revealed Tuesday that he is nursing a sore oblique muscle, although that didn’t keep him from hitting a home run in the first inning.

Flip over to NESN around 6 p.m. to hear what’s going on before the game, but be sure to be here until then for updates and analysis before first pitch, which is scheduled for 7:10.

Final, Rays 5-3: Three straight K’s for Fernando Rodney, the closer and Captain Gong in center field exchange arrows and the Red Sox are saddled with the loss after yet another mediocre performance.

The Rays did all their damage in the fifth inning, when they touched Boston starter John Lackey for five runs on six hits. The loss drops Lackey to 1-4 on the season.

Things looked promising for the Red Sox when David Ortiz went deep off of Rays starter Matt Moore in the top of the first, but the Sox’ offense then proceeded to go into hibernation.

They managed just one hit the rest of the way and did not push a runner past second as Moore locked in. The lefty avoided the control struggles that have followed him this season, and though he lasted just six innings, he was able to pick up his American League-leading seventh win.

The Red Sox will look to stop their free fall Wednesday night, when these teams meet again in Tampa. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

End 8th, Rays 5-3: Jose Molina notched his third hit of the night — a surprising double for the big man — but the combination of Craig Breslow and Alex Wilson retired the other three Rays batter, and we head to the ninth.

Jonny Gomes, Will Middlebrooks and Stephen Drew are due up against Tampa Bay’s hard-throwing, crooked-capped closer, Fernando Rodney.

Mid 8th, Rays 5-3: This should not be a two-run game.

Since the first inning, the Red Sox’ offense has been thoroughly nonexistent, managing just a single hit (Stephen Drew’s double in the fifth) and three walks since David Ortiz’s three-run homer — none of which led to runs.

Boston went down in order again in the eighth. Dustin Pedroia grounded out to the mound, Ortiz flew out harmlessly to center and Mike Napoli struck out for the third time tonight.

Napoli’s three K’s bring his total to 53 on the season, third-most in the majors.

End 7th, Rays 5-3: Things got a little crazy in the Red Sox outfield in the seventh, but ultimately both the team and its players escaped unscathed.

A Ben Zobrist popup to shallow center had “three-way collision” written all over it as Jacoby Ellsbury, Stephen Drew and Shane Victorino all converged on the ball. The three got within feet of each other, but Ellsbury was able to call the others off and make the catch for the first out.

Evan Longoria then chased Victorino back to the warning track with a deep fly to left that was reeled in for the second out.

Not to be left out, left fielder Jonny Gomes got in on the fun, too, laying out to rob James Loney of a base hit and retire the side in order.

Joel Peralta (2.20 ERA in 16 1/3 innings this season) will come on to pitch the eighth for Tampa.

Mid 7th, Rays 5-3: Jake McGee seems to be either lights-out or completely useless whenever he enters the game.

The left-handed reliever has held opponents scoreless in 12 of his 17 appearances this season, but he has also been shelled on multiple occasions. He allowed five runs in just 2/3 of an inning in his season debut back on April 2 and did so again on May 1.

McGee also struggled last week in Toronto, posting identical lines (two hits, two runs, one home run in one inning) in consecutive losses, though he did not factor in the decision in either.

Tonight was not a disaster for McGee — he did not allow a run — but it took him 27 pitches and two walks to retire two batters, prompting Joe Maddon to call in right-hander Josh Lueke to finish the job.

After a seven-pitch at-bat, Lueke got Shane Victorino to line out to first to end the inning.

Rays starter Matt Moore finished his night allowing three runs on three hits with two walks and eight strikeouts over six innings, with all three runs coming on a David Ortiz home run in the first. He is in line for his seventh win of the season if Tampa Bay can hold on.

End 6th, Rays 5-3: Tampa Bay threatened again in the sixth but could not push an insurance run across.

Andrew Miller opened the inning but faced just one batter, allowing a single to Kelly Johnson before Clayton Mortensen took over. A sacrifice bunt by Jose Molina moved Johnson to second and a walk to Yunel Escobar — who has reached base three times in three at-bats out of the No. 9 spot — put two runners on.

But Mortensen got both Desmond Jennings and Matt Joyce to fly out to Shane Victorino, keeping the Red Sox’ deficit at two runs.

Joe Maddon decided that Matt Moore has indeed gone long enough tonight, and Jake McGee will come on to face the Sox in the seventh.

Mid 6th, Rays 5-3: The frustration is mounting for these Red Sox.

Dustin Pedroia drew a four-pitch walk to open the inning, but the rest of the sixth was more of the same for the Sox against Matt Moore.

Moore induced a weak popup from David Ortiz — who threw his bat down in disgust — before picking up his sixth and seventh strikeouts of the night against Mike Napoli and Jonny Gomes.

Moore has thrown just 62 of his 100 pitches for strikes, but lack of location has not hurt him tonight. He’s walked just two — plus a hit batter in the first — matching his second-lowest total of the season should he not return for the seventh. Moore has thrown 100 or more pitches in each of his seven outings this year, though, so it’s a safe bet to see him go at least one more inning unless the Rays break the game wide open.

End 5th, Rays 5-3: Well, I guess Loney still needs to work on his baserunning. He was nailed in a strike-him-out, throw-him-out double play to end the fifth.

Bottom 5th, Rays 5-3: James Loney, where did you come from?

The Rays first baseman ripped his second hit of the night, this one a line-drive double to right field, to bring John Lackey’s outing to a close.

Andrew Miller takes over with one out and a man on second.

Mid 5th, Rays 5-3: Stephen Drew came within inches of his third home run of the season.

His one out line drive cleared the right-field wall but couldn’t quick make it over the protective fence that sits atop it. He still ended up with a one-out double, though, which is better than any of Boston’s previous 12 batters have managed. Drew was the first to reach against Matt Moore since David Ortiz homered with one out in the first inning.

But the Red Sox couldn’t do anything with the man in scoring position, managing just a Jacoby Ellsbury walk sandwiched between two fly outs to right fielder Ben Zobrist.

John Lackey returns to the mound for the bottom of the fifth, albeit with a much shorter leash.

End 4th, Rays 5-3: Evan Longoria and James Loney both went down rather easily in their first trips to the plate, but they jolted the Rays offense their second time up.

Longoria singled to shallow center field to open the fourth. Loney then followed suit to put men on first and third, and Luke Scott brought Longoria home when his half-swing resulted in a weak fly ball into no-man’s land down the left-field line.

Scott, who continues to rock his distinctive, Wolverine-like facial hair, was public enemy No. 1 in Boston for a good while last spring when he called Red Sox fans “arrogant” and “vulgar” before referring to Fenway Park as “a dump.”

After striking out Kelly Johnson for the first out of the inning, Lackey’s struggles continued. Jose Molina atoned for his lack of foot speed in the third with a bases-clearing single that scored both Loney and Scott.

Yunel Escobar then sent Molina to third with his second hit of the night, and, after Desmond Jennings flew out to center, Mike Napoli and Dustin Pedroia lost a Matt Joyce popup amid the lights and catwalks high above the diamond, allowing both runners to score.

Lackey then got Zobrist, the ninth batter of the inning, to ground out to end the frame.

It’s clear that Lackey and catcher Ryan Lavarnway are having some serious communication issues. Lavarnway, who has never caught Lackey before tonight, has been out to visit his pitcher several times as Lackey’s pitch count continues to climb. He is up to 78 on the night, and Andrew Miller has begun warming in the bullpen.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 3-0: David Ortiz’s first-inning homer is looking more and more important, as Matt Moore has placed himself firmly in his groove.

Moore induced a groundout by Ortiz, struck out Mike Napoli looking and got Jonny Gomes to pop out to first base to retire the side for the third time tonight. Since Big Papi’s line drive landed in the right-field seats, the Red Sox have not had a batter reach against the Rays starter.

Napoli did not seem pleased with the placement of Moore’s 2-2 fastball, and the slugger had some words for home-plate umpire Rob Drake as he backed toward the dugout.

End 3rd, Red Sox 3-0: Jose Molina’s ground ball skidded by just out of the reach of Dustin Pedroia to give the Rays their first baserunner of the night, and No. 9 hitter Yunel Escobar ripped the first pitch he saw from John Lackey into the left-field gap for a one-out double.

It would have been an RBI double had any other Tampa batter been on base, but Molina — a 37-year-old, 250-pound catcher who is not exactly fleet of foot — did not have the wheels to make it past third.

Molina’s low motor would prove crucial, as Lackey was able to sandwich a pair of groundouts around a walk to Ben Zobrist to strand three Rays runners and escape the inning unscathed.

David Ortiz, who homered in his first at-bat, will come up first against Matt Moore in the top of the fourth.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 3-0: Dustin Pedroia make Desmond Jennings work with two outs, but the center fielder corralled Pedroia’s low fly ball near the warning track to complete Matt Moore’s second straight 1-2-3 inning.

Moore has settled down since his rough first inning, needing just nine pitches to retire Jacoby Ellsbury, Shane Victorino and Pedroia in the third.

The Rays will send their Nos. 7, 8 and 9 batters to the plate against John Lackey, who has yet to allow a baserunner.

End 2nd, Red Sox 3-0: The good John Lackey seems to have shown up tonight, as the southpaw has retired the first six batters on just 21 pitches.

Lackey struck out Evan Longoria to open the inning, with catcher Ryan Lavarnway making a nice play on a two-strike foul tip, before getting both James Loney and Luke Scott to fly out.

Loney has been an unlikely offensive force for the Rays this season, leading all major leaguers with a .376 average entering tonight and ranking third in the AL in on-base percentage (.429) behind Joe Mauer and Miguel Cabrera.

Loney, of course, was one of the pieces acquired in last summer’s blockbuster deal with the Dodgers that also brought pitching prospect Allen Webster to Boston. He played just 30 games for the Red Sox, compiling a .230/.264/.310 slash line before moving on to Tampa Bay in the offseason.

Mid 2nd, Red Sox 3-0: One by one, the bottom third of the Red Sox order is sent sheepishly back to the dugout.

Matt Moore showed what he can do when his stuff is working, striking out all three Boston hitters he faced — including sitting down both Stephen Drew and Ryan Lavarnway looking on vicious sliders.

Five of Moore’s six outs have come via strikeout tonight — a pair on changeups in the first and all three on sliders in the third.

End 1st, Red Sox 3-0: John Lackey sits down Desmond Jennings, Matt Joyce and Ben Zobrist in order and we are through one from Tampa.

The Rays are always known for elite pitching, but their offense has been surprising potent in recent games. Tampa leads all AL clubs with a .292 team batting average in the month of May.

That resurgence has been spearheaded by Evan Longoria and James Loney in the middle of the order, who we’ll see up next in the bottom of the second.

Before that, though, the bottom third of the Red Sox order (Will Middlebrooks, Stephen Drew and — making his season debut — Ryan Lavarnway) is due up.

Mid 1st, Red Sox 3-0: The one knock on Matt Moore through what has been an otherwise stellar 2013 campaign has been his control struggles.

Moore entered tonight ranked fourth in the American League with 23 walks, and his fifth pitch of the night made a beeline for Jacoby Ellsbury’s shoulder, putting the first batter of the game on base.

After Shane Victorino struck out swinging, Dustin Pedroia’s sharp grounder ricocheted off third base and into shallow left field, advancing Ellsbury to third and allowing Pedroia to scamper all the way to second.

David Ortiz then brought them both home two pitches later, depositing a Moore fastball into the right-field seats to give the Sox an early 3-0 lead. Ortiz has struggled of late since his 27-game hit streak come to an end last week, going just two for his last 21. The three-run bomb was his first in seven games.

Mike Napoli grounded out and Jonny Gomes struck out looking to end the inning, but Boston now has a three-run cushion for John Lackey to work with.

7:10 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury takes strike one from Matt Moore and we are underway from Tropicana Field.

Ellsbury, Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia are due up first against the lefty.

6:35 p.m.: Red Sox fans should take a good look at the pitcher wearing the home whites tonight. If Joe Maddon and Co. have their way, Boston will be seeing a whole lot of Matt Moore for the next decade or so.

Moore is the embodiment of the Tampa Bay philosophy — developing strong, home-grown talent (particularly pitchers) through arguably the best farm system in baseball.

The Rays selected Moore in the eighth round back in 2007, and he quickly became one of the most dominant arms in the minors. The left-hander earned consecutive Baseball America Minor League All-Star nods in 2010 and 2011 and was named MLB.com’s Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year in ’11 before making his big league debut and never looking back.

Of the five starters on Tampa’s staff, only Roberto Hernandez (the player formerly known as Fausto Carmona) was not a product of the team’s minor league system. Moore has been the most effective of the five this season — more so even than David Price, the 2012 AL Cy Young winner — but he has not had great success against the Red Sox in the past. Granted, he has only made two starts against Boston, but he has lost both, allowing a total of nine runs on 13 hits in 12 1/3 innings.

First pitch is just about 35 minutes away.

5 p.m.: The Red Sox looked to have dodged a bullet when David Ross’ injuries following his collision with Will Middlebrooks proved to be minor. The catcher missed just one game with a leg contusion, but he then suffered a concussion on Saturday, forcing him to the seven-day disabled list.

In Ross’ place, 25-year-old Ryan Lavarnway will see his first action of the season, catching Boston starter John Lackey and batting ninth.

Lavarnway, who played in 63 games for the big league club between 2011 and 2012, has been in the dugout for four games this season but has yet to see the field. He has compiled a .313/.408/.475 slash line with a pair of homers and 15 RBIs in 22 games with Triple-A Pawtucket thus far.

Somewhat surprising is the fact that Shane Victorino is back in the lineup just two days after smashing into the right-field wall in Boston’s 12-4 loss to the Blue Jays on Sunday. Victorino, who has been beaten up early in his tenure with the Sox, was removed from the game and taken to the hospital for X-rays, seemingly destined for another trip to the DL.

But it turns out he will not even miss a start, as Victorino was cleared to play on Monday and is on the lineup card tonight in his usual No. 2 slot.

Here are the full starting lineups for both teams:

Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jonny Gomes LF
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Stephen Drew, SS
Ryan Lavarnway, C

John Lackey, RHP

Rays
Desmond Jennings, CF
Matt Joyce, LF
Ben Zobrist, RF
Evan Longoria, 3B
James Loney, 1B
Adam Scott, DH
Kelly Johnson, 2B
Jose Molina, C
Yunel Escobar, SS

Matt Moore, LHP

8 a.m. ET: Boston is still buzzing from the Bruins’ incredible comeback win over the Maple Leafs on Monday night. On Tuesday, it’ll be the Red Sox’ turn to snap out of a funk.

The stakes are quite a bit lower for the Sox — it is still May, after all — but John Farrell’s club will look to use this nine-game road trip to right the ship after dropping eight of its last 10 contests.

Boston’s first opponent on the tour will be the Tampa Bay Rays, who were swept in a three-game set at Fenway Park in mid-April. Tuesday’s series opener will pit John Lackey (1-3, 4.15 ERA) against Tampa’s Matt Moore, who will be going for his major league-leading seventh win of the season. The former top prospect has surrendered a run or fewer in four of his seven outings thus far and leads all Rays starters with a 2.14 ERA.

First pitch from the Trop is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. on NESN, but be sure to check back in throughout the day for your starting lineups and a whole bunch of other good stuff.

Patrice Bergeron cleans up the rebound of a Brad Marchand shot, and the Bruins win it in overtime 5-4.

Overtime, 4:21, 4-4: Tyler Seguin just got a shot on goal, but it was right into James Reimer’s chest.

Overtime, 2:54, 4-4: Zdeno Chara with the Bruins’ best chance of OT, a slap shot wide of the net.

Overtime, 2:11, 4-4: The Leafs get overtime’s best chance so far, but the Bruins get a big save from Tuukka Rask.

Overtime, 0:01, 4-4: It’s time for overtime. Don’t forget to breathe everyone.

End third period, 4-4: Overtime. In Game 7.

Third period, 19:10, 4-4: Holy bleep.

The Bruins have tied the score. Patrice Bergeron scores from the point with Zdeno Chara getting traffic in front.

Third period, 18:38, Maple Leafs 4-3: The Bruins, with the extra attacker on, have gotten within one.

Milan Lucic just cleaned up a rebound in front of the net and bangs it home. There’s still some time left…

Third period, 18:25, Maple Leafs 4-2: The Bruins’ net is empty.

Third period, 15:26, Maple Leafs 4-2; The Bruins have turned up the offensive heat, but they still have nothing to show for it. They’re putting shots on net, but their low-quality chances from the point or the tops of the dots. Once again, there’s a ton of puck cycling along the boards, and not much of anything else.

The Maple Leafs are not afraid to just hang out in the defensive zone, apparently, similar to Game 5 where the B’s attempted a comeback in the third as well. They’ll probably have chances, but converting them is a whole different story.

Third period, 9:18, Maple Leafs 4-2: Is there a good chance the Bruins come back? No, not really. Is the game over yet? Technically, no.

The Bruins just cut the lead in two with a goal from Nathan Horton, and the Bruins now trail by two.

Third period, 8:58, Maple Leafs 4-1: It’s starting to feel like the Bruins are just playing out the string here.

They do have six shots on goal here in the third — that equals their total in the second period — and they’re up to 19 for the game. However, there really haven’t been any good scoring chances, as the Leafs have done a good job of clearing out any potential second-chance opportunities.

Third period, 5:29, Maple Leafs 4-1: This one is looking like it might be just about over.

Phil Kessel is at it again, and this time it’s on the defensive end. The forward blocked a Milan Lucic shot, and then took off down the ice where he eventually fed Nazem Kadri for a goal on a 2-on-1.

Third period, 2:09, Maple Leafs 3-1: Well, it’s pretty fitting that Phil Kessel has had a great series, and he may be the one who just sent the Bruins to vacation.

Kessel cleaned up a rebound at the Bruins’ net, and Tuukka Rask was way too far away from the puck on the other side of the crease to get back and stop the rebound chance.

Third period, 0:01, Maple Leafs 2-1: Well, here we go. The Bruins are 20 minutes away from elimination, as we begin play here in the third.

Second period reaction: The Bruins are playing against a goalie who has been shaky with rebounds all series long. The Bruins have won 29 of 36 faceoffs through two periods. Yet, the Bruins only have 13 shots through two periods.

That’s becoming the story for the Bruins, as we find ourselves looking at another “meh” two-period effort from a team that is now 20 minutes away from coughing up a 3-1 series lead and heading home for the summer.

The Bruins’ offense remains the issue, as they’ve actually done a pretty good job without Dennis Seidenberg. They’ve stepped up in a big way, and have limited the really good chances for Toronto, whose second-period goal came on a shot from the point that had a lot of traffic in front.

Once again, the lack of production from the top two lines — or the guys who should be on those top two lines — is just head-scratching. Milan Lucic, Nathan Horton, Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand have combined for, wait for it, zero shots on goal through two periods.

End second period, Maple Leafs 2-1: The Bruins possessed the puck late in the period on that power play, but they couldn’t do anything with it. That’s thanks in large part to an unwillingness to shoot. Not only do they look tired, they look tight.

They’ll have 8 seconds on the power play to open the third period.

Second period, 18:08, Maple Leafs 2-1: The Bruins have a chance to tie it up before the period ends, and they’ll get it on the power play.

Joffrey Lupul was just called for tripping.

Second period, 15:14, Maple Leafs 2-1: The Bruins, as they have all year, just turned in a fantastic penalty kill. It was a PK that produced chances as well, which is something else we’ve seen all year.

The level of nasty is getting picked up, too. Joffrey Lupul and Tuukka Rask just got tangled up in the Boston net and they exchange some swipes and such.

Second period, 13:02, Maple Leafs 2-1: The Maple Leafs get another power play after Milan Lucic takes what was kind of a dumb penalty.

Lucic got into a shoving match with Dion Phaneuf behind the Toronto net, and the Toronto captain eventually just put his hands down and Lucic kept going. The Boston forward gets the rouging penalt.y

Second period, 10:38, Maple Leafs 2-1: The Bruins are starting to look like a tired team that’s undermanned, and that’s not good news for B’s fans.

The Bruins have just 11 shots on goal through a period and a half, and they’re still trying to fend off the Toronto attack, which shows no signs of letting up. We’ve still yet to see Dennis Seidenberg in the second period, and if we haven’t seen him by now, it’s unlikely he’s going to magically heal in this one.

That’s a loss that the B’s — who are playing two rookie D-men — are already starting to feel.

Second period, 5:48, Maple Leafs 2-1: The Bruins couldn’t do anything with the power play, and the Maple Leafs just made them pay for it a couple of minutes later.

Cody Franson just ripped a blast from the right point by Tuukka Rask for the defenseman’s second goal of the game, and Toronto has its first lead of Game 7.

The Maple Leafs did a great job of getting traffic in front of Rask, and it’s unlikely he ever saw the blast from the point.

Second period, 4:25, 1-1: The Bruins can’t get anything on the power play.

Tyler Seguin had a great chance from the right circle, but he missed the net. That’s becoming a recurring theme in this series.

Second period, 0:33, 1-1: The Bruins get another power play. This time it’s when Nazem Kadri interferes with Johnny Boychuk. The Boston defenseman went crashing into the boards, but he appears to be OK.

Second period, 0:01, 1-1: The second period is underway.

Dennis Seidenberg was out on the ice out of the room skating very gingerly.  He took a couple of quick twirls and then back to the bench. Looked painful.

First period reaction: That was, at the very least, a very entertaining first period.

The big thing we’ll be keeping an eye on once the second period begins will be whether or not Dennis Seidenberg returns to the ice. The veteran defenseman played just two shifts in the first period. According to reports, the D-man came onto the ice at one point and took a quick twirl, but he obviously didn’t return to the game. That led to increased minutes for everyone else, including Zdeno Chara who played 10:34 in the first. Matt Bartkowski played a fine period scoring his first career goal and having a solid period defensively, which included a big hit on Joffrey Lupul.

Up front, Claude Julien finally made an adjustment with his lines by moving Jaromir Jagr up to the second line alongside Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. It hasn’t produced anything in terms of goals yet, but they had a couple of good shifts. That’s a little more than you could say about the line previously, so it’s a step in the right direction. Tyler SEguin is now down on the third line where they haven’t done much of anything, but that’s not anything new in this series.

End first period, 1-1: The first period comes to an end, and we still haven’t seen Dennis SEidenberg since 1:44 of the period.

First period, 15:14, 1-1: The Bruins are starting to take some heat from the Maple Leafs, but Tuukka Rask is doing a nice job of keeping it tied.

He just made a big save on former Bruins prospect Joe Colborne as Colborne picked up a loose puck on the right wing and walked in fairly alone.

He did so after Matt Bartkowski pinned Joffrey Lupul to the boards with a textbook hip check. Bartkowski is having a nice game in the early going.

He’ll have to be better, though, as Dennis Seidenberg hasn’t played in about 10 minutes, with what you have to think is an injury of some sort.

First period, 12:23, 1-1: The Bruins have made a lineup change, that they’ve stuck with so far. Jaromir Jagr is up on the second line with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron, and Tyler Seguin has been dropped down with Chris Kelly and Riche Peverley.

First period, 9:35, 1-1: The game is tied, thanks to another power-play goal from the Maple Leafs.

Cody Franson does a little bit of redeeming as he cleans up a rebound in front of Tuukka Rask and jams home the tying goal. Dougie Hamilton couldn’t control the rebound and Franson jumped all over it.

First period, 7:41, Bruins 1-0: Tuukka Rask just made his biggest save of the game so far, but the Bruins will have to kill off another penalty.

Rask stopped Joffrey Lupul on a breakaway, but the Toronto forward was caught with a high-stick after the play, so the Bruins will have to kill off another penalty without one of their best killers.

First period, 5:39, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins strike first.

Matt Bartkowski just scored his first career playoff goal, after a horrible giveaway from Cody Franson. David Krejci did a great job of getting in front of James Reimer.

First period, 4:12, 0-0: The Bruins killed off the penalty, but not without a couple of close chances, including a puck that rolled through the paint.

First period, 2:00, 0-0: The Maple Leafs will get the first power play of the game.

Rich Peverley picked up a tripping penalty and followed that up with a roughing penalty after the play. Nazem Kadri will go with him, though, as he’s sent off for holding.

First period, 0:01, 0-0: It’s go time. Game 7 is underway.

7:01 p.m.: So, as a giant Bruins flag makes its way across the fans in the lower bowl, NESN’s Naoko Funayama just tweeted that the Bruins aren’t going with the same line up for Game 7.

According to her, the Bruins have scratched veteran defenseman Wade Redden, meaning that both Dougie Hamilton and Matt Bartkowski will be in the lineup. That’s a bold move to say the least.

6:50 p.m.: Meant to touch on this earlier, but Tyler Bozak is out of the Toronto lineup. He didn’t even make the trip back to Boston. He was also out for Game 6.

6:38 p.m.: Pregame warmups are currently going on, and it looks like there will be no lineup changes fro the Bruins — at least if things stay the same as the pregame skate.

Here are the lines, in case you haven’t been paying attention for some reason.

Milan Lucic — David Krejci — Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Tyler Seguin
Rich Peverley — Chris Kelly — Jaromir Jagr
Daniel Paille — Gregory Campbell — Shawn Thornton

Zdeno Chara — Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg — Adam McQuaid
Wade Redden — Dougie Hamilton

6:13 p.m.: Good evening and welcome to TD Garden for what some are saying is an unlikely Game 7 showdown between the Bruins and Maple Leafs.

Claude Julien just got done speaking to the media, and the biggest news that came from that is that Andrew Ference is out for Game 7. He was also out for Game 6, so he’s obviously dealing with something pretty substantial. According to one report, Ference had a walking boot on as he entered the Garden.

2:30 p.m.: Now it’s time to take a look at some meaningless stats that will mean absolutely nothing in Game 7, but we bring them up to pass the time and fill the space.

So here we go.

The Bruins are 12-11 all time in Game 7s. The Maple Leafs are 12-9 in the same situation.

This is the fifth time that the Bruins have been taken to a Game 7 in a series in which they’ve led 3-1. They’re 2-2 in the other four times that’s happened. The most recent, of course, came in 2010 when the Bruins blew a 3-0 series lead, and they blew a 3-1 lead in 2004 against Montreal as well.

This is the third time in history that the Bruins and Leafs have met in a Game 7. It’s the first since 1959, which Toronto won at Boston.

The Maple Leafs have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a series just once in their history. That came in 1942 when they came back from down 3-0 to beat the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Final.

All of these stats, however, mean absolutely nothing because what in the world does 1942 have to do with Game 7 of this series? Not a whole lot, obviously. But it’s fun to look at, I guess.

2 p.m.: The Bruins obviously aren’t doing much of anything before Game 7 given the quick turnaround between Games 6 and 7. Oh, that, and the fact that they woke up in Toronto.

The B’s got back to Boston just a few hours ago after spending the night in Toronto. The team plane had a malfunction, and they were stuck in Toronto until about 8 a.m. this morning. Here’s a pretty good account of the Bruins’ night, which featured a late-night meal. The owners of the restaurant the B’s dined at are on their way to Boston for Game 7 after the Boston organization hooked them up with tickets.

Bruins players are scheduled to be available to the media at 4:30 Monday afternoon, and head coach Claude Julien will meet with the media at 5:50 p.m.

8 a.m. ET: Just a few days ago, it seemed like the Bruins were a lock to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The B’s held a 3-1 lead in their series with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and all seemed good for the Black and Gold.

However, as has been the case for much of the year, inconsistency caught up with the Bruins, and now they’re left to play a Game 7 with their season on the line. The Bruins (will eventually) return to Boston on Monday, and they’ll have the Leafs waiting for them in a winner-take-all, do-or-die showdown. The B’s will already be up against it, after malfunctions with the team’s airplane forced the Bruins to stay in Toronto on Sunday night. They were scheduled to fly into Boston on Monday morning, just hours ahead of what could be their final game of the season.

That’s not where the bad omens end, either. The Bruins and Leafs, of course, will be forced to play on consecutive nights. The B’s were just 3-5 on the back end of back-to-backs this season, and they were just 1-8-1 on the final game of stretches in which they played three games in four nights, which is what they’ll do Monday night.

However, the Bruins have been here before. This will be the eighth Game 7 that they’ve played under head coach Claude Julien. They enter Monday night with a 3-4 record in those games, with all three wins coming in the team’s 2011 Stanley Cup run. The Bruins were knocked out in the first round last season, when they lost to the Washington Capitals in Game 7 of the first round.

Final, Blue Jays 12-4:

Toronto’s offense was all over Boston’s pitching on Sunday, crushing five home runs en route to a 12-4 victory at Fenway. Jose Bautista connected for two home runs, and Emilio Bonifacio, Edwin Encarnacion and Brett Lawrie each blasted one.

The Red Sox went 2-5 during the homestand, and they have now lost eight of their last 10 games.

Mid 9th, Blue Jays 12-4: Jose De La Torre will obviously never forget his big league debut. He’ll want to forget the results, though.

De La Torre, who was called up on Thursday when Joel Hanrahan was transferred to the 60-day disable list and Allen Webster was optioned back to Triple-A Pawtucket, gave up two runs in the ninth inning. Then again, there’s really no shame in tha given how the Blue Jays have been swinging the bats.

Melky Cabrera led off with a double and Jose Bautista walked. Edwin Encarnacion then shot a ball into right field that scored Cabrera. Bautista scored when J.P. Arencibia grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.

One thing worth noting is that De La Torre has a rather interesting pitching style from the stretch. He brings his front foot up toward the rubber three times before delivering a pitch. It isn’t a balk, but it’s certainly unorthodox.

End 8th, Blue Jays 10-4: The Red Sox had a chance to do some damage with the bases loaded and one out, but Brett Cecil did a nice job of settling things down.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia stepped up with the bags packed, and Cecil got the Red Sox catcher to break his bat on a sinker down in the zone. It nearly resulted in a double play, but instead ended with a force out that scored Boston’s fourth run.

Will Middlebrooks grounded into a 5-4 force out to end the inning, and that Mother’s Day Miracle is looking a bit far-fetched at this point.

On the bright side, Red Sox fans will get to see Jose De La Torre for the first time. He’ll make his major league debut in the ninth inning.

4:27 p.m., Blue Jays 10-3: We’ve seen a Mother’s Day Miracle in Boston before. Is there another one coming?

Pedro Ciriaco led off the eighth inning with a home run. (Must be the switch to first base.) The Red Sox have since loaded the bases, and the Blue Jays are bringing in Brett Cecil with one out.

Mid 8th, Blue Jays 10-2: That’s two straight 1-2-3 innings for Red Sox pitching.

Craig Breslow entered the game in the eighth, and he took down Colby Rasmus, Emilio Bonifacio and Munenori Kawasaki in order.

Pedro Ciriaco actually looked like a first baseman on Rasmus’ ground ball to begin the inning. He made a nice play ranging toward the line and flipped to Breslow to finish off the play.

End 7th, Blue Jays 10-2: It was a quick and easy inning for Aaron Loup.

Loup struck out Will Middlebrooks and Stephen Drew swinging before retiring Jacoby Ellsbury on a ground out to first.

Craig Breslow will be the next Red Sox pitcher to try and keep the Blue Jays in the ballpark.

Mid 7th, Blue Jays 10-2: Clayton Mortensen kept the Blue Jays off the scoreboard for the first time since the first inning in the seventh.

Toronto scored in each of the previous five innings — including more than one run in three of those innings — but Mortensen bounced back from a shaky sixth to retire the side in order.

The Sox made some changes prior to the inning. Jonny Gomes, who pinch-hit for Mike Carp in the sixth, took over in left field, which shifted Daniel Nava over to right. Shane Victorino, who banged into the fence earlier, was taken out of the game. The decision to take out Victorino certainly makes sense given the situation.

That meant the Red Sox needed someone to play first base, though, and with the score 10-2, manager John Farrell decided to go with Pedro Ciriaco. Ciriaco showed some shaky footwork around the bag in the inning, but hey, now’s the time to test out some things, I suppose.

End 6th, Blue Jays 10-2: The Red Sox scored a run in the sixth, but it’ll take more than one-run frames to get them back in this one, especially when the inning starts off so promising.

Dustin Pedroia singled and Mike Napoli doubled to begin the inning, which forced Blue Jays manager John Gibbons to turn to the bullpen. Aaron Loup replaced Chad Jenkins.

Daniel Nava drove in the run with a sac fly to right, but that’s just not going to cut it at this point. The Red Sox need to start stringing some things together, otherwise this game might only get worse.

Mid 6th, Blue Jays 10-1: For as bad as the Blue Jays have been this season, there’s one thing they do well: hit the ball over the fence.

The Jays have now accomplished that feat five times in this contest, as Jose Bautista connected on his second home run of the game to give Toronto a commanding 10-1 lead.

Clayton Mortensen took over with two runners on after Andrew Miller struggled to begin the inning, and he hardly fared any better. After Emilio Bonifacio and Munenori Kawasaki executed a text book double steal, Melky Cabrera drilled a sharply hit fly ball to the edge of the warning track in left field, which plated Bonifacio with Toronto’s third run.

Bautista then took a hanging slider and bashed it into the front row of the Green Monster seats. It’s an all-out assault at Fenway.

3:30 p.m., Blue Jays 7-1: Andrew Miller came on, struggled and now the Red Sox will make another pitching change.

Miller gave up a leadoff home run to Brett Lawrie. It’s been one of those days, as Lawrie’s homer is Toronto’s fourth of the game. Emilio Bonifacio, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion have also gone deep.

Miller retired Colby Rasmus on a line drive to center, but Bonifacio singled and Munenori Kawasaki walked, and the lefty’s day is done.

Clayton Mortensen is coming in for Boston.

End 5th, Blue Jays 6-1: The Red Sox got a runner into scoring position, but the score remains the same.

Stephen Drew walked with one out and stole second base as Jacoby Ellsbury struck out swinging. Shane Victorino, batting for the first time since his collision with the right-field fence, lifted a short fly ball into left field. Third baseman Brett Lawrie went out and left fielder Melky Cabrera came in, and it was Cabrera who made the play.

It looks as if the Red Sox are calling upon Andrew Miller, which means Ryan Dempster’s day is over.

Dempster went five innings, surrendering six runs (all earned) on seven hits. He struck out six, walked one and gave up three home runs. Throw this outing in the “shaky” bin.

Mid 5th, Blue Jays 6-1: Toronto’s lead is back up to five runs after Edwin Encarnacion went deep in the fifth.

Jose Bautista — who also homered in this game — grounded out to begin the inning, but Encarnacion got back the run the Blue Jays gave up in the fourth. He turned on a splitter and drove it out of the yard down the left-field line. It’s Encarnacion’s 11th blast of the year.

J.P. Arencibia and Adam Lind each struck out to end the inning.

End 4th, Blue Jays 5-1: The Red Sox are on the scoreboard.

Mike Napoli blasted a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the fourth. The home run is his seventh of the year, and it landed on top of the camera area above the center-field wall.

Napoli’s dinger is his first since May 1, when he went deep twice up in Toronto. Five of his seven home runs this season have come against the Blue Jays.

The Red Sox didn’t do any damage beyond Napoli’s blast. Daniel Nava and Jarrod Saltalamacchia grounded out, and Mike Carp flied out.

Mid 4th, Blue Jays 5-0: No one will ever question Shane Victorino’s toughness.

Victorino slammed — and I really mean SLAMMED — into the right-field fence while trying to make a leaping catch, and amazingly, he’s staying in the game.

Emilio Bonifacio sent a fly ball back toward the bullpen. Victorino ran back and — with no regard for the wall — tried to rob Bonifacio of a home run. Victorino’s ribs crashed into the wall, and his glove — and the ball — went flying into the ‘pen.

At first, it was reasonable to assume Victorino would be taken out of the game. He laid on the ground in pain as his teammates, John Farrell and Boston’s medical staff tended to him. After a few moments on the ground, though, Victorino got back to his feet and took his spot in right field.

To give you an indication of just how hard Victorino hit the wall, I heard the thump from the last row of the press box, which is located behind home plate.

Bonifacio’s home run extended Toronto’s lead to 5-0.

End 3rd, Blue Jays 3-0: The Red Sox’ recent trend continues. They keep putting runners on base, but they can’t find a way to drive them in.

The Red Sox’ rally in the third was cut short by an inning-ending double play. Dustin Pedroia, who has been Boston’s most productive hitter lately, bounced into the 6-4-3 twin killing after Jacoby Ellsbury and Shane Victorino reached with one out.

Ellsbury singled sharply into center, and Victorino followed with a swinging bunt. In fact, if Victorino had actually been bunting, it would have been a perfect bunt single. His little dribbler off the end of the bat rolled up the third-base line and came to a stop directly on the line, allowing him to reach.

Unfortunately for the Red Sox, that little cue shot didn’t spark much.

Mid 3rd, Blue Jays 3-0: Jose Bautista didn’t wait around in the third. The always dangerous slugger crushed Ryan Dempster’s first pitch of the inning into the top row of the Green Monster.

Bautista’s home run is his eighth of the season, and he’s now reached base safely in 18 of his last 19 games.

Dempster settled down after the long ball to retire the next three hitters, but the Blue Jays are putting some good swings on the ball. In addition to the damage they’ve done, the Jays have hit some hard foul balls and hit into some hard outs.

Dustin Pedroia made a nice play to rob Edwin Encarnacion of a hit in the third inning. Encarnacion shot what he thought was a base hit up the middle, but Pedroia picked it on the back hand and fired to first for the first out.

J.P. Arencibia grounded out and Adam Lind flied out to end the inning.

End 2nd, Blue Jays 2-0: For the second time, the Red Sox received a two-out double. And for the second time, they failed to score.

Chad Jenkins got two quick outs against Daniel Nava and Mike Carp before Jarrod Saltalamacchia ripped a double into right field. The ball kicked off the warning track and up into the seats.

Salty has now appeared behind the plate in nine of the Red Sox’ last 10 games. He’s 9-for-23 in that stretch, and his workload should continue to be heavy now that David Ross has been placed on the seven-day concussion list.

The inning ended with Will Middlebrooks grounding out to short.

Mid 2nd, Blue Jays 2-0: Ryan Dempster’s pitch count is soaring early, and making matters worse for Boston is that the Blue Jays posted two runs in the second inning.

Dempster was one strike away from escaping a laborious inning, but Munenori Kawasaki ripped a 3-2 slider into right field and the Jays have jumped out to an early lead.

The inning started with Adam Lind — Saturday’s hero — singling into center field. Dempster looked to grab some control from there, striking out both Brett Lawrie and Colby Rasmus. Lawrie went down looking at a slider, while Rasmus was rung up on a cutter from Dempster.

Following the back-to-back K’s, things got interesting, though. Emilio Bonifacio shot a two-out double down the right-field line to set up runners at second and third, and Kawasaki made Dempster pay following a seven-pitch battle.

Dempster has already thrown 48 pitches.

End 1st, 0-0: Dustin Pedroia is heating up.

The Red Sox second baseman entered the game hitting .481 (13-for-27) over his last seven games. The stretch raised his average from .293 to .329, and he is tied for first in the American League with 16 multi-hit games.

Pedroia connected on a two-out double that one-hopped off the Green Monster in the first inning. The Red Sox didn’t take advantage of the two-bagger, though, as Mike Napoli grounded out to short to end the inning.

Prior to Pedroia’s double, Jacoby Ellsbury popped out to second and Shane Victorino lined out sharply to center.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Will Middlebrooks made a couple of nice barehanded plays on Saturday. He was primed to make another one in the first inning, but his throw sailed into the Red Sox’ dugout.

Fortunately for Boston, the error didn’t hurt. Ryan Dempster took care of business and kept the Blue Jays scoreless in their first cracks at the right-hander.

Dempster started the game by striking out Melky Cabrera. Dempster tried to put the outfielder away with a fastball and missed, but he came back with a nasty splitter to pick up the K.

Edwin Encarnacion reached on the ground ball to Middlebrooks. It was ruled a single and an error, which allowed him to advance to second base.

Encarnacion then advanced to third on a passed ball, but Dempster got J.P. Arencibia to ground out softly to second base to end the inning.

1:40 p.m.: Ryan Dempster’s first pitch is right down the middle, and we’re off and running…

1:30 p.m.: David Ross got a little dinged up during Saturday’s game, and he’ll need some rest.

The Red Sox announced that Ross has been placed on the seven-day concussion list. Ryan Lavarnway has been recalled to take his place.

1:15 p.m.: Ryan Dempster enters Sunday’s contest with a 1-0 record and 4.12 ERA (nine earned runs in 19 2/3 innings) in four career games against the Blue Jays.

As a matter of fact, Dempster, a native of British Columbia, is undefeated against Canadian clubs in his career. He’s 6-0 (5-0 versus Montreal) against those north of the border.

12:20 p.m.: Before our focus really starts to shift to baseball, I’d just like to take a minute and wish all you moms out there a happy Mother’s Day.

Love you, Ma.

11:30 a.m.: David Ortiz started the season like a house on fire, hitting .500 (18-for-36) with three home runs and 15RBIs in nine April games. He has struggled of late, though, hitting just .179 (7-for-39) in May.

Ortiz will get the day off on Sunday, which is a move designed to get the slugger back-to-back days off — the Red Sox have an off day on Monday. That means Mike Napoli will become the team’s DH — which should also give him some rest — and bat cleanup.

Mike Carp will be in Boston’s starting lineup. He’ll play first base and bat sixth.

The rest of Sunday’s lineups are below.

Red Sox (22-15)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Mike Napoli, DH
Daniel Nava, LF
Mike Carp, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Stephen Drew, SS

Ryan Dempster (2-3, 2.93 ERA)

Blue Jays (14-24)
Melky Cabrera, LF
Jose Bautista, RF
Edwin Encarnacion, DH
J.P. Arencibia, C
Adam Lind, 1B
Brett Lawrie, 3B
Colby Rasmus, CF
Emilio Bonifacio, 2B
Munenori Kawasaki, SS

Chad Jenkins, RHP (0-0, —)

8 a.m. ET: The Red Sox were hoping Jon Lester’s one-hit shutout on Friday would send them back down a winning path. The club experienced another hiccup on Saturday, though, and now they face a rubber match with the Blue Jays on Sunday.

The Red Sox were unable to get to Mark Buehrle on Saturday, but they rallied for two runs in the eighth inning. As quick as the Sox tied the game, the Jays grabbed the lead right back. Adam Lind sent Junichi Tazawa’s hanging slider over the center-field fence in the ninth inning, and Toronto walked away with a 3-2 win.

Boston’s inability to generate offense — or more accurately, push across runs when they got runners on base — spoiled what was another solid start for Clay Buchholz. The right-hander really had only one rough frame, and he went eight innings without factoring in the decision.

Ryan Dempster will be the one called upon for Boston on Sunday. He’s pitched well this season, although he suffered the loss behind some spotty defense against the Twins on Tuesday.

Sunday’s first pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. Be sure to tune in on NESN, and keep it right here for all sorts of other Sunday madness.

Final, Blue Jays 3-2:

The Red Sox showed plenty of fight by rallying for two runs in the eighth inning to tie the game, but a huge home run by Adam Lind off Junichi Tazawa in the ninth was the difference.

Clay Buchholz and Mark Buehrle each turned in a solid outing, but neither pitcher factored in the decision. Buehrle pitched seven innings before the Sox got to Darren Oliver in the eighth, and Buchholz pitched eight frames.

The Red Sox, who were hoping to get back on track after Jon Lester’s one-hit gem on Friday night, have now lost seven of their last nine games. They’ll face the Blue Jays in a rubber match on Sunday. Ryan Dempster will go up against Brandon Morrow, and the action will start up at 1:35 p.m.

Good night, everyone.

Mid 9th, Blue Jays 3-2: It took one batter for the Blue Jays to recapture the lead in the ninth inning.

Junichi Tazawa took over after eight solid innings from Clay Buchholz, and Adam Lind welcomed him to the ballgame in a big way. Lind stayed back on a hanging slider and blasted it over the center-field wall to give the Jays a 3-2 lead.

Tazawa quickly got ahead in the count against Lind. He fooled him with a curveball to run the count to 0-2, but Lind battled from there, laying off two pitches and fouling off another before jumping all over the sixth pitch he saw.

Brett Lawrie followed up with a single down the right-field line, but he was wiped off the bases on a strike-him-out, throw-him-out double play with Colby Rasmus at the dish.

Will Middlebrooks, Stephen Drew and David Ross are due up against Casey Janssen in the ninth inning.

End 8th, 2-2: All the Red Sox needed was Mark Buehrle out of the game.

After Buehrle exited following a leadoff walk by David Ross, the Red Sox put up two runs to tie the ballgame.

Darren Oliver was the man called upon to replace Buehrle, and he immediately ran into trouble when Jacoby Ellsbury drilled an 0-1 fastball over Colby Rasmus’ head in center field. Ross scored all the way from first base, and Ellsbury motored his way into third with a standup triple.

Shane Victorino struck out swinging for the first out, but Ellsbury scored when shortstop Munenori Kawasaki couldn’t handle a hot shot off the bat of Dustin Pedroia.

Pedroia, who represented the potential go-ahead run, moved into scoring position by stealing second base. Oliver ensured the game remained tied, though. He struck out David Ortiz,  and then struck out Jonny Gomes after intentionally walking Mike Napoli with first base open.

4:35 p.m., Blue Jays 2-0: David Ross put up a fantastic at-bat to lead off the eighth inning. He worked a nine-pitch walk, and that’ll do it for Mark Buehrle, who leaves after a job well done.

The ageless Darren Oliver is coming on to pitch for Toronto.

Mid 8th, Blue Jays 2-0: Clay Buchholz and J.P. Arencibia had themselves a little battle at the tail end of the eighth inning. Buchholz emerged victorious, and we’re still looking at a 2-0 game.

Arencibia stepped in with two outs and Jose Bautista — who singled two batters prior — on first. The Blue Jays catcher fell behind 1-2, but he didn’t go down easy. Arencibia fouled off three pitches and laid off a very close pitch on the inside corner before Buchholz finally won the battle by dropping in a curveball.

That might be the afternoon for Buchholz, who has thrown 101 pitches. Junichi Tazawa started warming up in the Red Sox’ bullpen, and John Farrell may opt to go with him in the ninth.

End 7th, Blue Jays 2-0: This is by far Mark Buehrle’s best start of the season.

Buehrle had another very quick frame in the seventh. All three outs were ground-ball outs as Jonny Gomes, Will Middlebrooks and Stephen Drew went down in order.

Buehrle, like Buchholz, has a manageable pitch count going. He’s thrown 96 pitches through seven innings, and more importantly, the results have been very impressive.

Buehrle entered the game with a 7.02 ERA. He allowed five runs or more in five of his seven starts, and only once did he pitch seven innings.

Mid 7th, Blue Jays 2-0: We’re rolling at Fenway right now, as the innings are coming and going at a rapid pace. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, they find themselves on the losing end of a 2-0 contest.

Clay Buchholz enjoyed a 1-2-3 inning on nine pitches in the seventh. The right-hander experienced a hiccup in the third and fourth innings, but he’s otherwise been solid.

Colby Rasmus — who had an RBI earlier — and Munenori Kawasaki each grounded out to first base in the inning. Emilio Bonifacio flied out in-between.

Buchholz has thrown 87 pitches, so there’s a chance we could see him go the distance if he stays settled in. There’s currently no action in the Boston bullpen. Amazingly, 26 of those pitches came in the third inning alone.

End 6th, Blue Jays 2-0: Mark Buehrle has really settled in.

Buehrle retired the side in order again in the sixth inning. This time, it took the lefty 12 pitches to take of business.

Dustin Pedroia grounded back to the mound and David Ortiz flied out. Buehrle ended the inning by striking out Mike Napoli for the second time.

Mid 6th, Blue Jays 2-0: The pace is definitely picking up, which is probably a good thing considering the overcast conditions.

Clay Buchholz needed just nine pitches to record three straight outs — two of which were ground-ball outs — in the sixth.

I mentioned earlier that Will Middlebrooks, despite some defensive shortcomings, tends to charge balls really well. Perhaps it’s his work with Mike Lowell in the offseason paying off, or perhaps it’s something he developed on his own. Whatever the case, he made his second impressive barehanded play of the game in the sixth inning. J.P. Arencibia hit a slow roller that Middlebrooks scooped up with a gloveless palm before delivering a very strong throw to first.

Adam Lind bounced to first base for the second out. Mike Napoli made the play on the back hand, and he actually had to make a pretty lengthy toss to Buchholz, who was covering the bag. It wasn’t a huge throw, but it forced Napoli to go overhand.

Brett Lawrie hit a tailing line drive to Shane Victorino to end the inning.

End 5th, Blue Jays 2-0: Mark Buehrle needed just seven pitches to complete another scoreless inning in the fifth.

David Ross led off with a ground ball in the hole that shortstop Munenori Kawasaki took care of on the back hand. Kawasaki followed up the assist with a put out when the next hitter, Jacoby Ellbury, popped up in the infield.

Shane Victorino was aggressive, jumping on a first-pitch fastball with two outs. He got under it, though, and Colby Rasmus hauled it in in center field.

Mid 5th, Blue Jays 2-0: Clay Buchholz flashed a little leather in the fifth inning.

All too often, we see pitchers get injured because they instinctively stick up their bare hand on comebackers to the mound. In the fifth, Munenori Kawasaki led off with hot smash up the middle. Fortunately, Buchholz didn’t stick out his bare hand. Instead, he managed to twist his body and get a glove on it. Not only did that free him from injury, but it led to an out at first base.

Buchholz issued a two-out walk to Jose Bautista, but that was Toronto’s only baserunner. Edwin Encarnacion grounded out to third base to end the inning.

End 4th, Blue Jays 2-0: Even though the Red Sox haven’t scored, they’ve had some chances. That wasn’t the case in the fourth inning, though.

Mark Buehrle retired the Red Sox in order. Jonny Gomes popped out, Will Middlebrooks struck out and Stephen Drew grounded out.

Buehrle got Middlebrooks swinging on a changeup for his fourth strikeout. It capped off a sequence of three straight offspeed pitches after two fastballs to begin the at-bat.

Mid 4th, Blue Jays 2-0: The Blue Jays looked much more comfortable in the box against Clay Buchholz during the last two frames. Toronto added a second run in the fourth inning.

Adam Lind led off with his second hit of the game — a single into left field. He advanced to second on what was essentially a swinging bunt by Brett Lawrie. Will Middlebrooks had to charge in to field Lawrie’s slow roller, and he made a very nice barehanded play to record the out at first. Middlebrooks has struggled a bit defensively of late, but charging in and using the bare hand is one thing he’s done well.

Colby Rasmus knocked in the run with a single into right field. Shane Victorino — who leads the Red Sox in outfield assists — charged in and had thoughts of throwing out Lind at the plate, but he bobbled the ball, which allowed Lind to score standing up.

Emilio Bonifacio ended the inning by grounding into a double play.

End 3rd, Blue Jays 1-0: The Red Sox have five hits but nothing to show for them.

Two of Boston’s hits came in the third inning, although the first ended with an out.

Dustin Pedroia smacked a line drive into left field that got by Melky Cabrera and bounced to the wall. Pedroia tried to stretch the hit into a double, but Cabrera came up firing with a good throw to nail Pedey at second.

David Ortiz, who entered the game 0-for-13 over his last three games, singled into center field with two outs. Mark Buehrle got out of the inning by striking out Mike Napoli.

Mid 3rd, Blue Jays 1-0: Clay Buchholz was shaky in the third inning, and the Blue Jays put up a run on two hits and two walks.

Colby Rasmus walked to begin the inning. Clay Buchholz bounced back to strike out Emilio Bonifacio with a nice-looking four-seamer on the outside corner, but some trouble ensued after that.

Munenori Kawasaki dropped down a bunt. David Ross came out from behind the plate to gun down Kawasaki just in time, but the bunt did the job in advancing Rasmus to second base. That was big, as Rasmus scored when the next batter, Melky Cabrera, lined a single into left field.

The Blue Jays built on their threat some more. Jose Bautista singled and Edwin Encarnacion walked to load the bases. Fortunately for the Sox, Buchholz escaped any additional damage by retiring J.P. Arencibia on a fly out to right

Buchholz’s biggest problem in the third inning was his control. All things considered, the Red Sox are lucky to only be facing a one-run deficit.

End 2nd, 0-0: The second inning was similar to the first inning for the Red Sox’ offense. Boston put two runners on with one out, but failed to score.

On the bright side for Boston, Will Middlebrooks is starting to show some offensive improvement despite battling a rib issue. He connected for two doubles on Friday, and he went the other way down the right-field line to pick up a double in the second inning of this one.

Stephen Drew was his usual patient self after that. He worked a five-pitch walk to set up runners at first and second, but Mark Buehrle battled back from that point on.

Buehrle went to the curveball to strike out David Ross. The pitched clocked in at 72 mph, and it looked even slower than that. I thought I was checking out a Backyard Baseball slo-mo ball firsthand.

Jacoby Ellsbury ended the inning by grounding to first. The ground ball produced a rather tricky in-between hop, but Adam Lind fielded it cleanly and flipped to Buehrle for the out.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: We won’t have any near-perfect game drama in this one, as the Blue Jays put a runner on in the second inning. Clay Buchholz made sure Toronto didn’t do much with him, though.

J.P. Arencibia grounded out to first base for the first out of the inning, and Adam Lind — who entered Friday’s game once Rajai Davis left with an injury — singled into right-center. As quickly as Lind got on the bases, he was wiped right off.

Brett Lawrie grounded to second base to kick off an easy, inning-ending, 4-6-3 double play.

End 1st, 0-0: The Red Sox’ offense struggled mightily with runners on base before breaking out for a four-run seventh inning on Friday. The unit isn’t off to the greatest start in that department in this one.

After Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a ground out to second base, Shane Victorino dropped a bunt down the third-base line. It’s something we’ve seen Victorino do a few times this season when the third baseman is playing back, and it resulted in a one-out single this time around.

Dustin Pedroia followed up with a single — of the regular variety — and that put runners at first and second for David Ortiz. Ortiz couldn’t capitalize, though, and neither could Mike Napoli. Ortiz flied out to right and Napoli flied out to left-center.

Mid 1st, 0-0: The 51-minute rain delay didn’t mess with Clay Buchholz’s head at all. The right-hander looked very sharp in the first inning.

Buchholz retired the side in order, and picked up two strikeouts in the process. He struck out both Melky Cabrera and Jose Bautista, who each moved up in the lineup on Saturday because of Rajai Davis’ injury.

Buchholz made quick work of Cabrera to begin the game. He started the Toronto left fielder off with a fastball on the outside corner, and then dropped in a curveball for the second strike. That had Cabrera thinking fastball, and Buchholz caught him off balance with a changeup down and away.

Buchholz picked up two strikes on fastballs against Bautista before going to the curveball to sit the slugger down looking. Edwin Encarnacion flied out to right field on the first pitch he saw to end the inning.

2:26 p.m.: Clay Buchholz paints the outside black with his first pitch after a 51-minute delay, and we’re under way.

2:20 p.m.: Before we get started, let’s take a look at how Clay Buchholz has fared against the Blue Jays. Close your eyes, Toronto fans.

Buchholz owns a 2.42 ERA (27 earned runs in 100 1/3 innings) in his career against the Jays. That’s his second-lowest mark against any American League club — he owns a 2.20 ERA against the Royals — and it’s the third-lowest mark against the Blue Jays by any active pitcher with at least 100 innings versus Toronto.

Then again, there aren’t a whole lot of teams who have had success against Buchholz recently. He owns a 2.93 ERA in his last 27 starts (dating back to May 27, 2012).

1:55 p.m.: The tarp is coming off the field, and the expected start time is 2:25 p.m. Plan accordingly, folks.

1:30 p.m.: Here’s some bad news. The tarp is on the field as the rain begins to fall. Hopefully, it will pass, but this could be a long afternoon. Stick around.

1:15 p.m.: Fun fact: Ohio State football head coach Urban Meyer is at the game.

12:55 p.m.: We’ll be coming up on game time real soon, which means this is generally the time when I ramble on about something from across the league. After this week, how can that something not be the umpiring?

The league office was certainly busy apologizing for umpiring screw-ups this week — first with Angel Hernandez’s blown call on Wednesday and then with Fieldin Culbreth and Co.’s brain fart when it came to the rule book on Thursday.

Major League Baseball took an unusual step in suspending Culbreth for two games, while fining the rest of the crew. It’s a rather unusual move, but it’s one I think had to be made. I generally like to give umpires the benefit of the doubt, but at some point, they must be held accountable, especially when something so basic becomes an issue.

Click here for an opinion on Culbreth’s suspension >>

12:40 p.m.: Jonny Gomes will be in the Red Sox’ starting lineup with left-hander Mark Buehrle on the hill. He’ll bat sixth and play left field.

There is a pretty big change to the Blue Jays’ lineup. Rajai Davis has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained oblique. Davis, who left Friday’s game, said the injury has been nagging him since earlier this week. Melky Cabrera will bat leadoff in Davis’ absence, and Jose Bautista will move up to the No. 2 spot — which is rather unconventional for such a power hitter.

The rest of Saturday’s lineups are below.

Red Sox (22-14)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jonny Gomes, LF
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Stephen Drew, SS
David Ross, C

Clay Buchholz, RHP (6-0, 1.60 ERA)

Blue Jays (13-24)
Melky Cabrera, LF
Jose Bautista, RF
Edwin Encarnacion, DH
J.P. Arencibia, C
Adam Lind, 1B
Brett Lawrie, 3B
Colby Rasmus, CF
Emilio Bonifacio, 2B
Munenori Kawasaki, SS

Mark Buehrle, LHP (1-2, 7.02 ERA)

12:15 p.m.: It’s official. Joel Hanrahan’s season is over.

Hanrahan said Saturday that after getting a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews, he has decided to undergo season-ending surgery. Hanrahan, who was transferred to the 60-day disabled list on Thursday, has a torn flexor muscle tendon.

The typical recovery time for surgery on the flexor muscle tendon is six- to nine months, but Hanrahan is not setting a timetable for his return to the mound at this point. There’s still a chance that doctors could determine he needs Tommy John surgery, which would lengthen the necessary recovery/rehab period. Hanrahan expects to undergo surgery sometime next week.

While the Red Sox now have some clarity regarding Hanrahan’s status, the reliever’s future is very much unclear. The 31-year-old is slated to become a free agent after this season, so there’s a chance he may have thrown his last pitch in Boston.

“Hopefully I’ll get another chance here maybe and I want to try to show the fans here what kind of pitcher I really am,” Hanrahan said Saturday. “This year has kind of been a wash. Now it’s definitely a wash. We’ll see where it takes me from there.”

8 a.m. ET: How do you follow up that performance?

Jon Lester twirled an absolute gem on Friday to open up the Red Sox’ weekend series against the Blue Jays. He went the distance and gave up just one hit — a sixth-inning double by Maicer Izturis — while blanking the Jays in a 5-0 victory. It helped the Sox stop a three-game skid, and it could help the club get back on track after losing six of seven.

Clay Buchholz will take the mound for Boston on Saturday. The last time he faced the Blue Jays, it was up in Toronto and he was accused of doctoring the baseball. He shut down the Jays in that game, though, and he’ll look to do the same while going up against Mark Buehrle.

Saturday’s first pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. Be sure to keep it right here with NESN.com for all of the matinee fun.

Final, Red Sox 5-0:

Lester closed the book on a one-hit gem by retiring the Blue Jays in order in the ninth. The lefty struck out five in the complete-game shutout, and Toronto’s only baserunner came when Maicer Izturis doubled down the left-field line with two outs in the sixth inning.

It was a dominant effort throughout for Lester, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The Red Sox entered the game having lost six of their last seven games. Now, they’ll try to use the dazzling performance as a springboard toward better things.

Making Lester’s performance even more impressive is that he pitched with a one-run lead for much of the game. The Red Sox eventually put up four more runs in the seventh inning, but the lefty didn’t have much margin for error.

Shane Victorino (two hits and two walks) reached base four times, and Dustin Pedroia (two hits and a walk) reached safely three times. Will Middlebrooks and Jarrod Saltalamacchia each banged out two hits, and Daniel Nava provided a two-run double.

The Red Sox will look to start building a winning streak against the Blue Jays on Saturday. Clay Buchholz will take the ball, and the first pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m.

Good night, everyone.

End 8th, Red Sox 5-0: The Red Sox went down without a peep in the eighth inning, but it might not matter. Jon Lester is coming back out to finish what he started, and he’s been lights-out thus far.

Stephen Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury and Shane Victorino went down in order in the eighth.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 5-0: There was apparently no need to worry about Jon Lester getting rusty while the Red Sox enjoyed a lengthy offensive sequence in the seventh inning.

Lester mowed down the Blue Jays in order on seven pitches. J.P. Arencibia flied out to left, Mark DeRosa grounded out to third and Brett Lawrie lined out to second.

End 7th, Red Sox 5-0: The Red Sox got to Brett Cecil to begin the seventh inning. They then finished off the four-run assault by doing damage against Mickey Storey.

Jacoby Ellsbury, Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia pounded three straight singles against Cecil to make the game 2-0.

All three singles came when Cecil tried to pull the string with a curveball, so clearly that’s a pitch that wasn’t quite working for him in this one. It’s a bit surprising considering the success Cecil has had against the Sox this season.

The final batter Cecil faced was David Ortiz, who struck out swinging. The Blue Jays then turned to Storey, who struck out Mike Napoli in impressive fashion. Storey got the Red Sox first baseman to chase a slider, and it looked as if Toronto might actually escape the inning with only minimal damage inflicted.

Storey imploded from there, though. Daniel Nava smashed a two-run double high off the wall in left-center field. Storey’s fastball caught way too much of the plate, and Nava made him pay.

Nava scored when Jarrod Saltalamacchia drilled a line drive over Jose Bautista’s head in right field. Storey got ahead of Saltalamacchia 0-2, but Salty laid off three straight pitches, including one in the dirt, before eventually getting a pitch he could drive.

Jon Lester, who has thrown 92 pitches, is coming on to pitch the eighth inning. He’ll now do so with the benefit of a five-run lead.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 1-0: After the Blue Jays picked up their first hit of the game in the sixth inning, it was back to business as usual for Jon Lester in the seventh.

Lester got both Melky Cabrera and Jose Bautista to ground out to short. The lefty then ended the inning by getting Edwin Encarnacion to pop out to Dustin Pedroia at second.

Making Lester’s outing even more impressive thus far is that he’s cruising along with just a one-run lead. Boston really needs to muster up some more offense to ensure Lester’s fantastic start doesn’t end up going to waste if he stumbles at all.

End 6th, Red Sox 1-0: Will Middlebrooks is putting together a nice game. He went the other way to pick up a double in the sixth inning, and he’s now 2-for-3 with two doubles and the game’s lone RBI.

The Red Sox squandered his two-out two-bagger, though. Brett Cecil, who replaced Ramon Ortiz before the inning, got Stephen Drew to fly out to center field to end the inning.

Ortiz went five innings for Toronto. He gave up just the one run on four hits, but the veteran righty played with fire throughout the contest. He issued five walks while throwing 96 pitches, yet Boston’s inability to cash in let him off the hook repeatedly.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 1-0: And there goes the perfect game.

Jon Lester got two quick outs in the sixth inning, but Maicer Izturis lined a double down the left-field line to break up the left-hander’s bid for perfection.

Lester tried to get ahead of Izturis with a changeup, but the Blue Jays shortstop stayed back and pulled it into the corner.

The big thing, however, is that Lester wasn’t rattled by the hit. The Fenway Faithful gave him a standing ovation, and then the lefty struck out Adam Lind — who pinch-hit for Rajai Davis — to end the inning with the 1-0 lead still intact.

All too often, pitchers unravel after that first hit, but Lester ensured it didn’t happen in that particular situation.

End 5th, Red Sox 1-0: Jon Lester will again take the mound with just a one-run pad, as the Red Sox are still failing to capitalize with runners on.

Shane Victorino led off with a walk, meaning he’s now reached base three times. Dustin Pedroia then grounded to the left side. Maicer Izturis made a great diving play — yes, the Blue Jays enjoyed a nice defensive moment — but he was unable to throw out a hustling Victorino at second. That set up runners at first and second with no outs.

At that point, the Red Sox had the potential for a big inning. Two batters later, however, it was all over. David Ortiz grounded into a 4-6 force out, and Mike Napoli grounded into an inning-ending, 6-4-3 double play with runners at the corners.

Boston has now stranded seven runners. The Red Sox are 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 1-0: Jon Lester isn’t reading this, so no, I’m not jinxing it.

Lester threw another 1-2-3 frame, and he’s now perfect through five innings at Fenway.

Lester got two quick outs in the fifth, retiring Edwin Encarnacion on a ground ball to third and J.P. Arencibia on a pop out to the hot corner.

After that, Mark DeRosa put up what may be Toronto’s best at-bat so far. Lester just missed with a couple of pitches, which set up a 3-2 count. DeRosa then fouled off a changeup to stay alive before grounding out to Will Middlebrooks on the ninth pitch of the at-bat.

Lester has only thrown 58 pitches, so he’s in great shape in that regard. He still only has a one-run cushion, though, which is crazy considering how different the two offenses have been in this game. The Blue Jays haven’t had any baserunners, while the Red Sox have had plenty. Boston just hasn’t capitalized on its chances.

End 4th, Red Sox 1-0: Will Middlebrooks hasn’t homered since April 26 — a stretch of 12 games. He nearly changed that in the fourth inning, but a big green wall stood in the way.

Middlebrooks smoked a line drive high off the Green Monster. The Red Sox third baseman was about three feet shy of his seventh dinger, but instead he had to settle for a double.

That was huge, as the Red Sox once again couldn’t do anything with the baserunner. Stephen Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury each flied out following Middlebrooks’ one-out double to end the threat.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 1-0: The Red Sox are struggling to cash in on their scoring chances, but it hasn’t hurt them yet because Jon Lester is cruising right along.

Lester enjoyed another perfect inning in the fourth. He retired Toronto’s top three hitters in the lineup — Rajai Davis, Melky Cabrera and Jose Bautista — via a pair of ground outs and a fly out.

Cabrera was the man who flied out, and he gave it a ride. Daniel Nava backtracked and caught it right in front of the left-field wall.

Lester has only thrown 43 pitches through four innings, so he’s in a pretty good place right now.

End 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: The Red Sox have been plagued at times this season by leaving men on base. They’re off to a rough start in that department in this game.

The Red Sox have left five men on base, and they’re 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position through the first three innings. In the third, they left two runners on, including one that was 90 feet away from scoring.

Shane Victorino, who singled back in the first inning, walked to lead off the third. He moved up to second base when Ramon Ortiz fired an errant pickoff attempt to first with one out. With the open base, the Blue Jays decided to walk David Ortiz, who was ahead in the count 2-1.

Mike Napoli nearly grounded into an inning-ending double play, but he beat out the throw at first. It didn’t matter, though, as Daniel Nava flied out to center field to end the inning with runners at the corners.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: Jon Lester now has three 1-2-3 innings to begin this ballgame.

In the third, it was Brett Lawrie, Colby Rasmus and Maicer Izturis who went down in order. Lester has now made his way through the Toronto order once without anyone reaching.

Lester picked up his second strikeout in the third inning. Colby Rasmus worked a full count, but Lester went to the cutter to put him away.

End 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: The Red Sox’ defense has struggled lately, but poor defense has been a hallmark of the Blue Jays’ season.

Maicer Izturis’ error in the second inning took away a potential double play, and the miscue further proves that Toronto’s defense is something to keep an eye on in this series.

Daniel Nava worked a one-out walk to get the offense rolling. He advanced from first to third on a base hit into right-center by Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Will Middlebrooks then hit a ground ball to short. Izturis ranged to his right and fielded it on the back hand. His attempt at getting a force out at second base was thrown in the dirt, though, and everyone was safe. Nava scored, Salty moved to second and Middlebrooks reached at first.

Edwin Encarnacion nearly made matters worse by bobbling a ground ball off the bat of Stephen Drew. He managed to recover in time to record an out at first, but the bobble eliminated a potential double play. Fortunately for the Jays,  Jacoby Ellsbury ended the inning and the threat by grounding out to second.

The Red Sox still came away with a run, though.

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

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Jon Lester was sharp once again in the second inning. He retired the Blue Jays in order, and picked up his first strikeout in the process.

Edwin Encarnacion led off the inning with a ground ball to third base that Will Middlebrooks took care of for the first out. Middlebrooks seems to be over his rib cage soreness, but his defense has been subpar of late.

Lester then struck out Toronto’s powerful backstop, J.P. Arencibia. Lester set him up with fastballs before throwing a 1-2 changeup that simply fell off the table. Arencibia took a hack, but he came up empty.

Mark DeRosa, like Encarnacion, grounded out to third base to end the inning.

End 1st, 0-0: David Ortiz has gone from red hot to ice cold in a hurry.

Ortiz, who entered the game 0-for-10 over his last two contests after compiling a 27-game hit streak, grounded into an inning-ending double play in the first. Entering the game, Ortiz was hitting just .188 with a .235 on-base percentage in May after a scorching start to the year.

The Red Sox put two men on before the twin killing. After Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out, Shane Victorino pulled a single through the right side and Dustin Pedroia walked on four pitches.

Mid 1st, 0-0: The Red Sox — losers of six of their last seven games — need Jon Lester to be at the top of his game. So far, so good.

Lester cruised through the first inning on six pitches. He retired Rajai Davis, Melky Cabrera and Jose Bautista in order.

Davis led off by flying out to right field. Lester then got Cabrera to ground out to third and Bautista to fly out to left.

7:10 p.m.: One pitch, one out. Jon Lester’s first pitch resulted in a fly out to right field, and we’re under way at Fenway.

6:55 p.m.: Just a heads up. (Although I’m sure you already know.) Both the Red Sox and Bruins are in action on Friday, and NESN has both games covered. The Bruins will air on NESN, while the Red Sox will air on NESNplus. To find your NESNplus channel, check out the listings at the link below.

Click here for Friday’s NESNplus listings >>

You can also follow our NESN.com Bruins live blog, if you so choose. Mike Cole will keep you up to speed on all the playoff happenings.

Click here for NESN.com’s Bruins live blog >>

6:45 p.m.: Not sure if everyone already saw this, but Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie had a little bit of a Twitter rant on Thursday. He later deleted the tweet, but the whole situation is actually quite funny. I chimed in on the issue, if you’re interested.

Click here to read about Lawrie’s Twitter rant >>

6:15 p.m.: I’ve got a few other tidbits to pass along before we get going.

Andrew Bailey had another symptom-free day on Friday, according to manager John Farrell. The plan is for the right-hander to throw from 105 feet on Saturday. He’ll then need to throw long toss before getting back to throwing off a mound. There’s still no date for his return, but progress is certainly being made.

Farrell also said that John Lackey is scheduled to start on Tuesday. Felix Doubront, who threw over 100 pitches in relief on Thursday, will start next Thursday. The Red Sox are still trying to figure out some things with Doubront — most notably, what happened to his velocity? — and he will not be available over the weekend.

5:10 p.m.: Joel Hanrahan visited Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion on his throwing arm on Friday. The right-hander is dealing with an injury to his flexor muscle tendon, and he’ll be out at least two months after being transferred to the 60-day disabled list on Thursday.

There is a possibility that Hanrahan’s season is over, but manager John Farrell said that no decision has been made on what course the reliever will take. Hanrahan could decide to go a conservative route, which would involve rest and rehab, in an effort to pitch again this season, or he could decide that season-ending surgery is the best option. We should know more in the coming days.

One thing Farrell did say, though, is that Hanrahan had a similar issue in 2009, although he’s unsure if the current injury is the result of the 31-year-old’s cumulative innings. Farrell said the ’09 injury wasn’t an issue brought up before acquiring Hanrahan because it didn’t flare up in the subsequent years.

5:05 p.m.: The Red Sox will roll out a pretty standard lineup in the series opener. Jarrod Saltalamacchia will get the start behind the plate with Jon Lester on the hill.

Red Sox (21-14)
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

Jon Lester, LHP (4-0, 3.30 ERA)

Blue Jays (13-23)
Rajai Davis, DH
Melky Cabrera, LF
Jose Bautista, RF
Edwin Encarnacion, 1B
J.P. Arencibia, C
Mark DeRosa, 2B
Brett Lawrie, 3B
Colby Rasmus, CF
Maicer Izturis, SS

Ramon Ortiz, RHP (0-0, 5.40 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: The Red Sox are suddenly a tough team to put a finger on.

One week ago, they were considered to be one of baseball’s best clubs. Now, they’ve lost six of their last seven games, and there are serious questions in multiple areas. Boston’s bullpen is a bit banged up, the defense has been awful and the offense has been inconsistent.

Fortunately for the Red Sox, they’re welcoming the last-place Blue Jays into town for a three-game weekend set. The Jays hold a 13-23 record, and they’ve been a train wreck this season. It could be a good opportunity for the Red Sox to get back on the winning path, especially since they’ve already taken four of six from Toronto this season.

Friday’s action will kick off at 7:10 p.m. Jon Lester will toe the rubber for the Sox.

Third period, 18:14, Maple Leafs 2-1: The Bruins can’t do anything with the power play, and they still trail with a little more than a minute to go.

Third period, 16:12, Maple Leafs 2-1: The Bruins’ power play, which cost them earlier in the game, will get a chance to redeem itself here.

Tyler Bozak just flipped the puck out of play in his own zone, which is, of course, delay of game. He’ll go to the box for two minutes in what is a huge power play for Boston.

Third period, 11:12, Maple Leafs 2-1: It was coming. You could feel it coming. Now, we have a hockey game again.

The Bruins have tilted the ice for much of the third period, and it finally paid off here midway through the third period. Zdeno Chara just beat James Reimer blocker side up under the crossbar to cut the lead in half.

Third period, 8:05, Maple Leafs 2-0: The latest missed opportunity comes when Rich Peverley’s shot is stopped by James Reimer, and while Chris Kelly was there for the rebound, he couldn’t do anything with it, as he just wasn’t able to get enough on it to get it by or over the goalie.

Third period, 6:30, Maple Leafs 2-0: The frustration is starting to set in for the Bruins, especially those on the Patrice Bergeron line. This time it was Bergeron throwing it ahead to Tyler Seguin, who couldn’t get enough of his stick on the puck, and another opportunity is foiled.

Seguin was visibly frustrated going back to the bench where, I believe, it was the bench door that was slammed shut.

Third period, 1:58, Maple Leafs 2-0: The Bruins are really up against it now.

Clarke MacArthur just turned Johnny Boychuk into a turnstile, and the Maple Leafs now have a 2-0 lead. MacArthur scored his second goal in as many games when he took the puck off the boards and around Tuukka Rask for the goal.

Third period, 0:01, Maple Leafs 1-0: The third period is underway with the Bruins looking to get something going.

Second period reaction: Again, the Maple Leafs continue to play what’s been a perfect road game. They’ve put pressure on the Bruins, and they’ve been physical. They look like a team that has its back up against the wall, and they finally broke through on the scoreboard in the second period.

That came on a pretty bad power-play gaffe from Andrew Ference at the Toronto blue line. Ference is on the second power-play unit for this one with Wade Redden out, and it cost the Bruins in the second. Ference couldn’t handle the puck at the top of the zone on the power play, and Tyler Bozak made him pay. Bozak stole the puck and beat Ference down the ice before scoring the game’s lone goal.

James Reimer has also been solid, another key component to winning on the road. As good as Rask has been, Reimer has been there to match him and maybe a little better. He was helped by a lack of action in the first period, but the B’s picked it up with 17 shots in the second, and Reimer stopped all of them. Just as importantly, he controlled rebounds, and that made all the difference. However, the key to success offensively may be to just keep getting pucks on net. Make Reimer beat you, as he hasn’t really stolen a game in this series yet.

End second period, Maple Leafs 1-0: The second period comes to an end, with the Bruins trailing by a goal.

The Bruins had a chance late in the second period when Jaromir Jagr walked the puck in from the sideboards, but he was robbed by James Reimer, who turned away the shot with a glove save of all things. Even better for the Leafs, he didn’t allow a rebound on the save.

There will be 47 seconds of 4-on-4 to start the third period. That’s because Zdeno Chara and Ryan O’Byre were given roughing minors following a post-whistle scrum in front of the Toronto net.

Second period, 14:27, Maple Leafs 1-0: Going back to the goal, it started with another great save from James Reimer. The Toronto goalie made a huge save from in close on Tyler Seguin, who just cannot buy a goal right now.

Second period, 11:27, Maple Leafs 1-0: The Maple Leafs are still very much alive.

Andrew Ference just turned it over at the blue line, and Tyler Bozak makes the Bruins pay. Bozak got by Ference, walked in on Rask and he beat the goalie five-hole to take the game’s first lead.

Second period, 10:03, 0-0: James Reimer just made his biggest save of the period, game and series. The Toronto goalie just robbed Patrice Bergeron on the doorstep with a crazy right toe save.

That eventually sprung James van Riemsdyk the other way, but Adam McQuaid ran him down to break up the potential scoring chance.

Seconds later, van Riemsdyk was whistled for a penalty. The UNH product gets two minutes for interference.

Second period, 6:01, 0-0: The second period looks much like the first did for the Bruins. They aren’t able to get much going in terms of breakouts right now, and the Leafs continue to put the pressure on.

It looks like Brad Marchand is going to try and get himself into the game the way he often does, which is by agitating. The pesky forward has already gotten into it with Joffrey Lupul and Cody Franson so far here in the second period. Whatever it takes to get him going, the Bruins must be thinking at this point, as long as he avoids taking a stupid penalty.

Second period, 0:01, 0-0: The second period is underway.

First period reaction: That was a very, very good first period for a Maple Leafs team on the road facing elimination. The Leafs came out with plenty of jump, and they’re playing physical. They’re doing everything it takes to win on the road in the playoffs — while facing elimination as well — but they have nothing to show for it. That’s because of Tuukka Rask and Tuukka Rask only. The Bruins goalie has been phenomenal, and he picked up right where he left off in Toronto.

The Bruins may be able to count on Rask to stop everything he sees in this one, but that would be a risky proposition. The Bruins, although they won 12 of 15 faceoffs in the first period, are being outshot 19-8. The juxtaposition of those two numbers really backs up the thought that they’ve been really sloppy with the puck. They’ve been especially sloppy in their own zone and into the neutral zone, with Rask bailing them out a bunch of times already.

The Leafs are trying to get physical with David Krejci and his line. That was very evident on the last shift of the period where Carl Gunnarsson and Krejci got tied up near the Toronto net, and then Nikolai Kulemin took a run at Milan Lucic. Even with the rough stuff, Krejci and Lucic have been particularly good on that first line, and they’re not shying away from the contact one bit.

End first period, 0-0: The first period comes to an end in a scoreless tie. The B’s got a decent — yet physical — shift from the David Krejci line that didn’t really produce many chances. Yet it looked decent, so there’s that I guess.

First period, 14:35, 0-0: The Patrice Bergeron line is just having a rough go of it right now. Bergeron put what looked to be a perfect pass on the stick of a driving Tyler Seguin, but the forward couldn’t bury it, as his deflection at the net hit the post behind James Reimer.

The Bruins have won nine of 10 faceoffs, but they’re still being outshot 16-7. That tells you they’ve been far too sloppy with the puck. They’ll have to get that together, because as good as Tuukka Rask has been, it’s going to be tough to be this good all night long.

First period, 11:18, 0-0: This is not the start the Bruins envisioned.

We’re still scoreless midway through the first period, but that’s because of Tuukka Rask and nothing else. The Maple Leafs are taking advantage of some sloppy passing and puck movement from the Bruins, and they’re putting pucks on Rask in a big way. Toronto has already put 13 shots on goal, and Rask has stopped them all, which is the difference in this one so far.

First period, 7:16, 0-0: It’s the Tuukka Rask show again so far.

The Bruins goaltender just punctuated a flurry of saves with a flashy glove save on Clarke MacArthur. The Maple Leafs already have seven shots on goal, and they are starting to tilt the ice in a big way. So far, though, Rask has been outstanding.

First period, 5:18, 0-0: The Bruins were able to kill off the power play, but the Maple Leafs brought it. Zdeno Chara broke a play up in the zone late in the kill, and that allowed Patrice Bergeron to clear the puck as the penalty expired.

First period, 1:46, 0-0: The Maple Leafs will get the game’s first power play.

Chris Kelly was just called for tripping, and the Bruins will have to kill it off.

First period, 0:01, 0-0: It’s time for hockey. Game 5 is underway.

6:51 p.m.: The Bruins have done an awesome job with their honorary captains this postseason, and they’ll have another good one for Game 5.

After local bomb squads did the honor in Game 1, Boston Marathon victim Jeff Bauman held the honor. Tonight, the man who helped save Bauman’s life, Carlos Arredondo.

6:38 p.m: According to pregame line rushes, it looks like Matt Bartkowski will be in for the Bruins in place of Wade Redden. Bartkowski was paired with Adam McQuaid for line rushes. It would be the first career playoff game for the rookie defenseman.

Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg were paired together, as were Johnny Boychuk and Andrew Ference. No changes there.

6:32 p.m.: The two teams just took the ice for pregame warmups. Both Dougie Hamilton and Matt Bartkowski are out there for the Bruins.

6:10 p.m.: Good evening and welcome to TD Garden. I had what I thought was a very insightful post on Brad Marchand that I thought I had posted a little earlier in the day, but apparently I never hit “publish.” That’s pretty key in this business.

So now I’ll do my best to replicate that post.

The short of it is that Marchand has been just as quiet as Tyler Seguin in this series. Marchand does have two points to Seguin’s zero, but it’s not like he’s set the world on fire. Seguin has taken the majority of the flak for that line’s lack of production, and that’s to be expected given his connection to the Maple Leafs. However, it’s worth noting that Marchand has just one goal and three assists in his last 11 playoff games — last year and this year. Marchand has also been scuffling down the stretch at least in terms of finding the back of the net. He’s scored just two goals since April 20, and one of those was an empty-netter. That’s a long ways from his 13 goals in 19 games to open the season, but that’s obviously an absurd pace.

Marchand said himself during that stretch that it wasn’t going to last, and he said that these things are obviously cyclical. They certainly are, and Marchand has hit a goal-scoring valley. The good news for the Bruins, of course, is that they’re one win away from advancing despite the relative lack of production from that line. I don’t expect them to be held down too long, and maybe this is the night they break out. If this team is going to make a long postseason run, they’re going to need Marchand, Seguin and Patrice Bergeron all contributing a little more on the offensive end.

12:10 p.m.: Claude Julien made it official when meeting with the media following the team’s morning skate: Wade Redden is out for Game 5 against Toronto.

Julien wouldn’t reveal the reason Redden is out, but the head coach said Redden is day-to-day. Julien also wouldn’t reveal who will play for the Bruins in Redden’s place. The two obvious choices are Dougie Hamilton and Matt Bartkowski. The latter was called up Thursday and joined the team for morning skate. Bartkowski was skating with Adam McQuaid during the skate, but Julien didn’t confirm anything after the skate. The head coach said that he’ll make the decision later in the day and that it will have to do with matchups.

“Well, we’ve got two [options],” Julien said. “Obviously, Dougie and Bart. One’s a right shot and one’s a left shot and we have to decide what we want to do with our pairings here. Once we decide that we’ll know who to put in. They’ve both been kind of told that, ‘We’ll let you know.’ It’s one of those two guys.”

It sure looks like it’s going to be Bartkowski, but you can never be sure about all of that at this time of year. We’ll just have to wait and see.

The Bruins didn’t change their forward lines at morning skate. In case you need a refresher, here are the forward lines.

Milan Lucic — David Krejci — Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Tyler Seguin
Rich Peverley — Chris Kelly — Jaromir Jagr
Daniel Paille — Gregory Campbell — Shawn Thornton

10:52 a.m.: The B’s may switch things up on defense, as Matt Bartkowski was recalled and skating with Adam McQuaid at morning skate. Wade Redden appears to be the odd man out. -JB

8 a.m.: The Bruins survived overtime in one of the best games we’ve seen in a long time in Game 4 in Toronto, and they’ll get their first chance to close out the series Friday.

The B’s and Maple Leafs return to TD Garden in Boston on Friday night for Game 5 with Boston holding a 3-1 series lead and looking to end their first-round series. The Bruins, when holding a 3-1 series lead, are just 9-8 in Game 5 in their history, but they’ve eventually won 15 of the 17 games they’ve held a 3-1 series lead. The Leafs, meanwhile, are just 4-10 in Game 5 situations where they’re done 3-1 and just 1-13 in those series’ overall.

Boston is in position to win the series after a thrilling 4-3 win in overtime in Game 4 on Wednesday. David Krejci continued his excellent play in the playoffs, capping a hat trick with the game-winning goal in the first overtime period. Krejci took the league lead in playoff points with that performance, and he now has five goals and five assists in just the four games.

If Krejci has been the Bruins’ No. 1 star through four games, then Tuukka Rask is at least No. 2, maybe No. 1A. The goaltender has been simply fantastic, and he took his game to a new level in Toronto. Rask set a career-high with 45 saves — a number he totaled in both games — and he kept the game alive long enough for Krejci to score the OT winner in Game 4. If he continues to play like he did in Toronto, summer won’t be far away for the Leafs.

However, Toronto has shown quite a bit in this series. After looking overmatched and outclassed in Game 1, the Leafs bounced back with a win in Game 2 before giving Boston all it could handle in Games 3 and 4.

But their backs are up against the walls, which will make a quick start in Game 5 even more important for the Bruins. If they can come out flying and take the Leafs out of the game early, there’s always the chance Toronto packs it in and the B’s cruise to a win. The good news for them is that they’ll have Nathan Horton in the lineup. Horton took a big hit from Dion Phaneuf in order to move the puck leading up to Krejci’s goal, and the Bruins forward went down hard. He told reporters Thursday that he’s feeling fine, which is good news for the Bruins, of course, with the line of Krejci, Horton and Milan Lucic playing the best it has all year.

On the other side, the Leafs will have to make some changes on the blue line. Defenseman Mark Fraser is out after taking a puck to the head off the stick of Lucic in Game 4. Toronto coach Randy Carlyle revealed Thursday that Fraser suffered a cranial fracture. Fraser said John-Michael Liles will be reinserted into the lineup in Fraser’s place. Liles played in Game 1, but he’s been a healthy scratch in the games since.

Puck drop from the Garden is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Final, Twins 5-3:

Jacoby Ellsbury worked a seven-pitch walk to lead off the final frame, but home plate umpire Lance Barksdale rung up both Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia on pitches inside for the first two outs. David Ortiz then capped off his second straight disappointing performance by lining out to first base to end the game.

The big blow to Boston came in the sixth inning. Trevor Plouffe hit a bouncer back to John Lackey with runners at first and second. Lackey turned and fired to second in order to start a double play, but his toss sailed into center field. That paved the way for a four-run inning and ultimately ruined what had been a good outing for Lackey to that point.

Jacoby Ellsbury finished the game 0-for-4, and David Ortiz went 0-for-5 for the second straight night.

The Red Sox were riding high going into their weekend series in Texas, but they’ve stumbled ever since. The Sox have lost six of their last seven.

The Red Sox will look to rebound on Friday when they host the last-place Blue Jays. Jon Lester will get the start against Ramon Ortiz, and the game’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

Good night, everyone.

Mid 9th, Twins 5-3: Will Middlebrooks committed an error in the eighth inning, but Craig Breslow made sure Minnesota’s lead stayed at two runs.

Following Middlebrooks’ throwing miscue, which allowed Ryan Doumit to reach, Oswaldo Arcia, Aaron Hicks and Eduardo Escobar all grounded out softly.

The Red Sox will need to rally in the ninth inning. The top of the order is due up.

End 8th, Twins 5-3: The Red Sox threatened a bit in the eighth inning, but they came away empty-handed, meaning they’ll need some ninth-inning magic in order to stay alive in this one.

The threat was mostly created by Eduardo Escobar, who entered the game as Minnesot’s new shortstop when Pedro Florimon exited with a leg injury. After Daniel Nava walked with one out, Will Middlebrooks hit what should have been a tailor made double play. Escobar mishandled the ground ball, though, and everyone was safe.

Fortunately for the Twins, Jared Burton buckled down following the error. Burton struck out Stephen Drew looking and then Mike Carp — who pinch-hit for David Ross — swinging to escape the jam.

Craig Breslow will start the top of the ninth for Boston.

Mid 8th, Twins 5-3: The Red Sox would ideally like to use Koji Uehara when ahead, but the energetic righty was very impressive while pitching behind in the eighth.

Uehara struck out the side after taking over for John Lackey, who went the first seven innings. Making Uehara’s eighth-inning effort even more impressive was that it happened against the middle of Minnesota’s order.

Uehara’s strikeout victims were Josh Willingham, Justin Morneau and Trevor Plouffe. All went down swinging. Willingham fanned at a nasty splitter, while Morneau and Plouffe had trouble catching up to Uehara’s sneaky quick fastball.

Lackey’s book is closed after seven frames and 102 pitches (74 strikes). He gave up five runs — although only one was earned — on six hits. He struck out eight and walked one, but it’s his costly throwing error in the sixth inning that threw this game into a tailspin for Boston.

End 7th, Twins 5-3: Dustin Pedroia worked a two-out walk in the seventh, but David Ortiz’s loud out capped off a scoreless inning.

Brian Duensing came back out to pitch the seventh for Minnesota, and he started the inning by striking out Jacoby Ellsbury. Ellsbury, who went down looking at a breaking ball, is 0-for-4 in this game and 2-for-12 in the series, which brings his season average to .263.

Shane Victorino popped out for the second out before Pedroia earned a free pass on five pitches.

David Ortiz, who had his 27-game hit streak snapped with an 0-for-5 performance on Wednesday, drilled a line drive to center that Aaron Hicks hauled in to end the inning. Ortiz, like Ellsbury, is 0-for-4 in this game.

Mid 7th, Twins 5-3: John Lackey’s night will ultimately be defined by Minnesota’s four-run sixth inning, which was aided by the pitcher’s costly throwing error. Outside of that inning, though, Lackey pitched pretty well.

Lackey enjoyed a 1-2-3 frame in the seventh. He retired Pedro Florimon on a bunt attempt, got Brian Dozier to ground out to third base and then struck out Joe Mauer swinging.

Mauer has struck out three times in this game. In the seventh, his K came on a cutter.

That will likely be the evening for Lackey, as he’s up to 102 pitches and Koji Uehara is warming up in the bullpen.

End 6th, Twins 5-3: Brian Duensing came on and ended the sixth inning by retiring Stephen Drew and David Ross.

Drew’s out was rather loud, as he smoked a line drive to left field. Josh Willingham ran back and made the catch just before the warning track. Ross struck out to end things.

Kevin Correia’s pitching line is now official. He went 5 1/3 innings and allowed three runs (all earned) on nine hits. He struck out one and didn’t walk anybody.

9:07 p.m., Twins 5-3: Mike Napoli kicked off the home half of the sixth inning with a double, and he came around to score when Daniel Nava singled into right field.

Will Middlebrooks grounded into a 6-4 force out, and the Twins will make a pitching change. Brian Duensing will take over for the starter, Kevin Correia.

Mid 6th, Twins 5-2: The complexion of this game changed in a heartbeat.

Joe Mauer led off the sixth inning with a single, and Justin Morneau walked two batters later to set up runners at first and second with one out. John Lackey then killed his own start with a costly miscue.

Trevor Plouffe bounced a ball right back to Lackey, who fielded it and fired to second base in an effort to start the double play. It would have been a huge twin killing, only Lackey’s throw sailed into center field. Mauer scored to tie the game, Morneau advanced to third base and Plouffe reached as a result.

That was only the beginning of the nightmare, though.

Ryan Doumit lifted a fly ball to right field. Shane Victorino, who leads the Red Sox with four outfield assists, made the play and delivered a perfect strike to David Ross at the plate. The umpire ruled that Morneau slid under Ross’ tag, though, and the Twins grabbed a 3-2 lead.

It got worse from there. Oswaldo Arcia, who tripled to help Minnesota grab a run in the fifth inning, drilled a two-run home run into the bullpen. The Twins now hold a 5-2 advantage. All four of their runs in the sixth inning were unearned.

While the Red Sox’ offense and pitching received a lot of praise early on this season, the defense was also fantastic. That hasn’t been the case of late, though, and it has cost them big time.

End 5th, Red Sox 2-1: We got to see some Dustin Pedroia hustle in the fifth inning. Actually, it was really a combination of hustle and a lackadaisical play by third baseman Trevor Plouffe that allowed Pedroia to reach with two outs.

Jacoby Ellsbury led off by grounding out to second, and Shane Victorino was retired for the first time on a fly out to left.

Pedroia then hit a slow roller to the left side with two outs. Plouffe cut in front of shortstop Pedro Florimon to make the play, but his throw had no zip on it whatsoever, and Pedroia was able to beat out the lollipop toss to keep the inning going.

David Ortiz followed up by making solid contact, but his missile down to first was picked by Justin Morneau, who continues to play great defense in this series.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 2-1: Oswaldo Arcia was a thorn in the Red Sox’ side on Wednesday. He’s now making his presence felt in this one.

John Lackey hung a 3-2 breaking ball to Arcia, and the Twins outfielder jumped all over it. Jacoby Ellsbury ran back toward the center-field wall and made a leaping effort. The ball banged off the wall just above Ellsbury’s glove, though, allowing Arcia to motor his way to a triple.

Aaron Hicks almost tied the game by ripping a line drive right down the right-field line. It landed on the warning track near the base of the wall. Hicks thought about going for a triple, but he threw on the brakes after rounding second and settled for an RBI double.

To John Lackey’s credit, the right-hander really bounced back from there. Lackey struck out both Pedro Florimon and Brian Dozier to end the inning and strand Hicks in scoring position. Lackey has seven strikeouts thus far.

End 4th, Red Sox 2-0: The Red Sox made it back-to-back innings with a run by adding to their total in the fourth.

Daniel Nava dropped a one-out single into right field after Mike Napoli led off by grounding out to third base.

Nava moved up to second when Will Middlebrooks hit a little roller past the mound. Shortstop Pedro Florimon charged in to make a barehanded play, and his throw to first was just in time to nail Middlebrooks.

Stephen Drew knocked in Nava with a base hit into center field. Both of Boston’s runs have now come on singles into center.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 1-0: A perfect inning was spoiled by a two-out single from Justin Morneau, but John Lackey is still cruising right along.

Lackey struck out the always dangerous Joe Mauer for the second time in the fourth inning. Mauer, who chased a curveball in the dirt in his first at-bat, went down swinging at a four-seamer in his second at-bat.

Josh Willingham grounded to Will Middlebrooks at third base for the second out. Middlebrooks doesn’t seem to be showing any ill effects of the rib injury he suffered on Tuesday, so it’s still unclear why the trainer came out in the third inning.

Morneau then dropped a single into left field. The outfield was shifted over toward right field, and Jonny Gomes also didn’t take a very good route on the ball, which allowed the blooper to drop in.

Lackey ensured the two-out knock didn’t do any damage. He got Trevor Plouffe to fly out to right.

End 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: Shane Victorino is 2-for-2. His second hit of the game in the third inning paved the way for the game’s first run.

David Ross popped out to his counterpart behind the plate for the first out, and Jacoby Ellsbury lined out to his counterpart in center field for the second out.

Victorino ripped a hot shot down to first base. Justin Morneau leaped in an effort to make the snag, but it ricocheted off his glove and into right field. Victorino, demonstrating his usual baserunning aggressiveness, ended up sliding into second with a double.

Dustin Pedroia drove in Victorino with a single into center.

Mid 3rd, 0-0: John Lackey gave up his first hit of the game in the third inning, but he also turned in another scoreless frame.

Oswaldo Arcia, who racked up four hits on Wednesday, led off with a fly out to left field. It’s unclear how or if Will Middlebrooks tweaked something on the play, but John Farrell and the Red Sox’ trainer came out of the dugout to check on the third baseman. At first, it looked as if they might have been checking on Lackey — since the conversation occurred at the mound — but Middlebrooks seemed to be at the heart of the discussion. In any event, everything is apparently OK, as both players stayed in.

Aaron Hicks stepped into the box with one out, and Lackey fell behind 3-0. The righty battled back, though, and Hicks lined a 3-2 pitch back to the mound. Lackey snagged it out of thin air for out No. 2.

Pedro Florimon singled into center field with two outs and moved up to second on a stolen base, but Lackey ended the inning by getting Brian Dozier to ground out to first base.

End 2nd, 0-0: Will Middlebrooks is back in the lineup. And he’s hitting, which is something he’s struggled with so far this season.

Middlebrooks lined a two-out double into the left-center field gap. The two-bagger followed up a ground out from Mike Napoli and a fly out from Daniel Nava.

Stephen Drew threatened to give the Red Sox an early lead by yanking one to the right side. Justin Morneau made a nice diving stop, though, and he flipped to Kevin Correia, who was covering the bag, for the inning’s final out.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: It was another impressive inning for John Lackey in the second.

Lackey has clearly placed an emphasis on pounding the strike zone. He has thrown 21 pitches through two innings, and 17 of them have been strikes. Lackey has delivered first-pitch strikes to five of the six batters he has faced thus far.

Justin Morneau, Trevor Plouffe and Ryan Doumit went down in order in the second inning. The Red Sox had a hard time keeping that portion of the lineup in check on Wednesday night, so consider it a battle already won for Lackey.

Morneau and Doumit each flied out, and Plouffe struck out swinging. Lackey fanned Plouffe with a 93-mph fastball, and he now has four K’s total.

End 1st, 0-0: Shane Victorino started his night with a one-out single, but the Red Sox were otherwise shut down in the first.

Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out to lead off the game, and Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz followed up Victorino’s single with a pair of fly outs.

Ortiz went 0-for-5 on Wednesday to snap his 27-game hit streak, so it’s time to start a new streak. I guess we’ll have to wait for the next time around, though.

Mid 1st, 0-0: John Lackey’s first inning was extremely impressive. The right-hander struck out the side on 11 pitches.

Lackey’s first victim was Brian Dozier. Lackey missed with an 0-2 curveball but then went with a cutter to get Dozier to go down swinging.

For the second out, Lackey struck out Joe Mauer, who fanned at a curveball in the dirt. Mauer very rarely looks foolish at the plate, but Lackey’s deuce really fell off the table.

The inning ended with Lackey sitting down Josh Willingham looking on a pitch right down the pike. You’ve got to get the bat off your shoulder there.

7:10 p.m.: John Lackey’s first pitch is a strike, and we’re under way.

7:08 p.m.: The Red Sox have taken the field, and we’re almost ready for baseball.

6:50 p.m.: The rain has been off and on over the past hour and a half or so. It’s clearing up right now, though, so it looks like we’ll start this one up on time. Hip, hip, hooray!

5:24 p.m.:  There were some brief downpours over at Fenway Park. Now, it appears to just be drizzling a bit. Either way, it’s overcast and the tarp is on the field. Hopefully this all clears up.

5:20 p.m.: While Hanrahan’s injury is the big story over at Fenway, there is a bit of good news for the Red Sox. Will Middlebrooks and David Ross will both be in the starting lineup.

Middlebrooks and Ross left Tuesday’s game after colliding while chasing a popup in foul territory. Both players sat out Wednesday’s game, but neither player’s injury is serious enough to keep him out of Thursday’s contest. Middlebrooks will play third base and bat seventh, while Ross will catch and bat ninth.

The rest of Thursday’s lineups are below.

Red Sox (21-13)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Daniel Nava, LF
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Stephen Drew, SS
David Ross, C

John Lackey, RHP (1-2, 3.52 ERA)

Twins (15-15)
Brian Dozier, 2B
Joe Mauer, C
Josh Willingham, LF
Justin Morneau, 1B
Trevor Plouffe, 3B
Ryan Doumit, DH
Oswaldo Arcia, RF
Aaron Hicks, CF
Pedro Florimon, SS

Kevin Correia (3-2, 2.83 ERA)

5:15 p.m.: The Red Sox announced some alarming news. Joel Hanrahan has been transferred to the 60-day disabled list. The reliever was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday with a right forearm strain, but it’s apparently much worse than originally anticipated.

Hanrahan will not only miss at least two months, but he is set to visit Dr. James Andrews on Friday. That doesn’t guarantee his season is over, but a visit to Dr. Andrews is never a good sign for a pitcher. Manager John Farrell said he’s still hopeful that Hanrahan can return this season, but the possibility of surgery — perhaps Tommy John — is there.

The Red Sox added pitcher Jose De La Torre to the 40-man roster and then called him up to the majors. Allen Webster was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket following Wednesday’s game.

Click here for an opinion on Joel Hanrahan’s injury >>

8 a.m. ET: Wednesday got ugly real fast, and the Red Sox suddenly find themselves struggling to gain traction.

The Twins scored 11 runs in the first two innings on Wednesday en route to a 15-8 victory. Rookie Allen Webster was lit up in his second major league start, and Felix Doubront struggled in 5 1/3 innings of relief. All in all, it was a difficult night to be a Red Sox pitcher.

Following Wednesday’s loss, the Red Sox are now now 21-13. It’s still a very respectable record, but they’ve lost five of their last six games and two of three against the Twins. On Thursday, they’ll send John Lackey to the hill as they try to salvage a split with Minnesota.

Lackey went five innings his last time out in Texas on Saturday. He gave up three runs on six hits while walking three and striking out four. He suffered the loss in that game — as the Red Sox were swept by the Rangers — but he didn’t pitch all that bad. It was the offense that struggled mightily.

The Red Sox’ road isn’t easy right now. They’re a bit banged up, especially in the bullpen. Thursday gives them another chance to right the ship, though. The action is scheduled to kick off at 7:10 p.m. ET.

Allen Webster, making his second career major league start, lasted just 1 2/3 innings. The rookie was absolutely demolished by the Twins’ offense, which scored 11 runs in the first two innings, and Minnesota cruised to a 15-8 victory.

Minnesota’s offense banged out 19 hits total. Oswaldo Arcia led the way with four hits, while Joe Mauer, Trevor Plouffe and Ryan Doumit each had three. Doumit and Pedro Florimon went deep for the Twins, who improve to .500 (15-15) with the victory.

Webster was charged with eight earned runs in his 1 2/3 innings. He gave way to Felix Doubront in the second inning, and Doubront struggled as well. The left-hander was charged with six earned runs on 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings, and more importantly, he was once again unable to put hitters away. Doubront’s velocity has been down and his stuff has been lacking over his last few outings, and that trend continued on Wednesday.

The Red Sox actually responded to Minnesota’s four-run first inning with a five-run first of their own, which was highlighted by Jonnny Gomes’ grand slam. But it was all Twins from there, and the Red Sox have now lost five of their last six.

David Ortiz, who entered the game with a 27-game hit streak, finished 0-for-5 in the loss.

The Red Sox and Twins will finish off their four-game series at Fenway on Thursday. John Lackey and Kevin Correia will be matched up as Boston tries to salvage a split. Thursday’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.

Good night, everyone.

10:49 p.m., Twins 15-8: Here’s something we haven’t heard often. It was a rough night at the plate for David Ortiz.

Ortiz went 0-for-5, which means his 27-game hit streak has been snapped.

Mid 9th, Twins 15-8: Junichi Tazawa took over in the ninth inning and immediately ran into trouble. He eventually escaped after surrendering just one run.

Jamey Carroll and Joe Mauer hit back-to-back singles to get the ninth inning going. Tazawa then hit Josh Willingham to load the bases with no outs.

All things considered, Tazawa is fortunate to have given up just the one run. After loading the bases, he retired the next three hitters he faced. Justin Morneau lifted a sac fly to center, Trevor Plouffe struck out and Ryan Doumit flied out to left.

End 8th, Twins 14-8: The Red Sox posted another run in the eighth inning, but it’ll take a miracle for them to pull this one out.

Right after the Fenway Faithful got done cheering about the score of the Bruins game, which was posted on the Green Monster scoreboard, they were given something else to cheer about. Stephen Drew reached on what was essentially a swinging bunt, and Pedro Ciriaco walked to put runners at first and second with no outs.

It didn’t take long for that rally to die down. Jacoby Ellsbury grounded to second and beat out what was almost a double play. That set up runners at the corners, at which point Daniel Nava knocked in Boston’s eighth run with a sac fly to center.

Dustin Pedroia popped out in foul territory to end the inning, which means David Ortiz will lead off the bottom of the ninth with his 27-game hit streak on the line.

10:25 p.m., Twins 14-7: There was just a loud ovation at Fenway Park, as those still in attendance realized the Bruins scored in overtime to defeat the Maple Leafs. The B’s take a 3-1 series lead with the OT game-winner.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled baseball game.

Mid 8th, Twins 14-7: Andrew Miller was very impressive in the eighth inning, as he struck out the side.

Miller struck out Oswaldo Arcia and Aaron Hicks swinging before getting Pedro Florimon looking. Arcia and Hicks both went down hacking at a slider, while Florimon laid off a slider that caught enough of the strike zone.

Arcia’s strikeout marks the first time he’s been retired in this game. He had been 4-for-4.

End 7th, Twins 14-7: Comeback!

OK, there’s still a long way to go. The Red Sox did put up a run in the seventh inning off new pitcher Casey Fien, though.

Dustin Pedroia singled and advanced to third base when Mike Napoli smacked a base hit of his own. Jonny Gomes then drove in his fifth run of the game by lifting a sac fly to left.

David Ortiz grounded out back to the mound in the inning, which means he’s now 0-for-4. He’ll get one more chance to extend his 27-game hitting streak before all is said and done.

Daniel Nava entered the game in right field, and Mike Carp — who pinch-ran for Mike Napoli in the seventh — will remain in the game as the new first baseman. Andrew Miller is coming in to pitch for Boston.

Felix Doubront pitched 5 1/3 innings of relief after Allen Webster stumbled out of the gate. Doubront gave up six earned runs on 12 hits. He struck out four, walked two and threw 105 pitches (70 strikes).

Mid 7th, Twins 14-6: The things you see in a 14-6 game.

Josh Willingham reached on a throwing error by Pedro Ciriaco, who has had all sorts of trouble down at the hot corner the past two nights. He advanced to second base when Trevor Plouffe singled into left field.

The inning then ended in rather wacky fashion.

Ryan Doumit hit a fly ball toward the wall in left-center. Jacoby Ellsbury went back and made a leaping attempt, but it hit off the wall just above his glove. The play caused a ton of confusion — both on the field and in the press box — as it looked initially like Ellsbury had tipped the ball into the air and then caught it on the way down. Thinking it was caught on the fly, the Twins’ baserunners froze in their tracks, at which point the Red Sox completed a double play.

The play is being ruled a single, followed by an 8-6-4-3 double play. Most importantly, it ended the inning.

End 6th, Twins 14-6: If that’s the end of Ryan Pressly’s night — and it could be with Casey Fien warming up in the Minnesota bullpen — then it was a job well done by the right-hander.

Pressly came on after Pedro Hernandez stumbled through the first two innings, and he settled things down in a big way. Pressly pitched four shutout innings while allowing just two hits, walking two and striking out three.

Pressly struck out Pedro Ciriaco with a high fastball, and then got Jacoby Ellsbury and Shane Victorino on a pair of fly outs to end the sixth inning.

Felix Doubront has been asked to provide innings as well since replacing Red Sox starter Allen Webster. He hasn’t pitched with the same effectiveness as Pressly, though, and that’s ultimately why this game seems out of reach at this point.

Mid 6th, Twins 14-6: Felix Doubront actually gave the Red Sox a 1-2-3 inning in the sixth. It’s a feat the Sox hadn’t yet accomplished in this game.

Pedro Florimon and Jamey Carroll each grounded out to second base, and Doubront struck out Joe Mauer swinging to end the inning.

End 5th, Twins 14-6: Ryan Pressly hasn’t been without his struggles, but things have settled down for the Twins since he entered the game.

The Red Sox came up empty again in the fifth inning, marking their third straight scoreless inning after posting six runs in the first two frames.

Mike Napoli led off with a single, but Jonny Gomes, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Stephen Drew were retired in order.

Mid 5th, Twins 14-6: The Red Sox’ offense has slowed down a bit. The Twins’ offense hasn’t.

Minnesota posted two more runs in the fifth inning behind two doubles and two singles.

Joe Mauer led off with a double. Felix Doubront looked briefly like he had things under control, but after he struck out Josh Willingham and got Justin Morneau to ground out, Trevor Plouffe singled into left field to bring home Mauer.

Ryan Doumit then singled into left, and after a mound visit, Oswaldo Arcia doubled off the wall in left-center field.

Aaron Hicks grounded out to Stephen Drew at shortstop to end the inning, but not before more damage was done. The Twins’ lead is now eight runs, and both teams are really starting to trend in opposite directions in this game.

Minnesota’s No. 4 through No. 7 hitters are having themselves a field day against Red Sox pitching. Morneau, Plouffe, Doumit and Arcia are a combined 11-for-13 with eight RBIs. Arcia is leading the way with four hits for the Twins.

End 4th, Twins 12-6: The Red Sox threatened to chip away, but Ryan Pressly worked his way around some trouble.

Pressly endured some early control issues in the fourth. He walked Pedro Ciriaco and Jacoby Ellsbury to lead off the inning. That set the table for the middle of the order, but Boston couldn’t do anything with the free passes.

Shane Victorino, who homered already in the game, grounded to second base. Jamey Carroll tried to start a double play, but Victorino managed to beat out the back end, setting up runners at the corners with one out.

Pressly settled down and retired both Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz. Pedroia grounded out sharply to first base, where Justin Morneau made the play and looked Ciriaco back to third.

Ortiz grounded out to first as well, and he’s now 0-for-3. That means his 27-game hitting streak is currently in jeopardy despite the game’s huge offensive totals.

Mid 4th, Twins 12-6: You knew that scoreless trend couldn’t keep up too long, right?

Ryan Doumit and Oswaldo Arcia led off the fourth inning with back-to-back singles, and each advanced on a passed ball charged to Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Aaron Hicks walked to load the bases, but Felix Doubront ended up getting a huge 4-6-3 double play. Doumit scored Minnesota’s 12th run on the twin killing, but in a bases-loaded situation with no outs, the Red Sox will gladly trade the run for two outs.

Jamey Carroll grounded out to third base to end the inning.

End 3rd, Twins 11-6: Ryan Pressly replaced Pedro Hernandez in the third inning, and he kept the Red Sox off the scoreboard for the first time.

No, seriously. It was a scoreless third inning all around. Amazing stuff.

Mike Napoli grounded out and Jonny Gomes, who hit a grand slam in the first inning, struck out swinging. Jarrod Saltalamacchia kept the frame alive by singling into right field, but Stephen Drew then flied out to center.

Pedro Hernandez’s pitching line is complete. The left-hander gave up six earned runs on seven hits in two innings. He struck out two, walked one and gave up two home runs. Hernandez threw 51 pitches (34 strikes).

Pressly, meanwhile, is a Rule 5 draft guy who spent last season in the Red Sox organization. He pitched 34 games between High-A Salem and Double-A Portland.

Mid 3rd, Twins 11-6: For the first time in this game, someone failed to score.

Felix Doubront kept Minnesota’s offense in check in the third inning, although it wasn’t without the lefty almost getting his head knocked off.

Doubront got Joe Mauer to ground out, and he struck out Josh Willingham looking for the second out. Justin Morneau then sent Doubront ducking out of the way on a single right back through the box.

Trevor Plouffe ended the inning by grounding into a 5-4 force out. It’s paramount that Doubront settles this game down a bit. The Red Sox need someone to eat some innings, and Doubront is probably going to be the guy.

End 2nd, Twins 11-6: You know the game is wild when the home team adds a run on a home run and it seems like a relatively calm inning.

Shane Victorino smacked his second home run of the season over the Green Monster to trim Minnesota’s lead to five. The crazy thing is, that lead is far from safe at this point.

Dustin Pedroia nearly added another run, but his fly ball to left plunked off the wall. David Ortiz ended the inning by grounding back to the mound.

Mid 2nd, Twins 11-5: Felix Doubront entered the game for the struggling Allen Webster in the second inning, but he hardly provided any relief.

Doubront started his outing with six straight balls. That put Ryan Doumit at first base and Oswaldo Arcia in a favorable hitter’s count. Arcia ended up singling into left field to load the bases.

Aaron Hicks made Doubront pay. He singled home two runs to keep the inning going.

Pedro Florimon, who started the inning with a home run, drove in two more runs. He got ahead in the count 2-0, and then shot a two-run double into the left-center field gap.

Jamey Carroll struck out to finally end the inning, but this game is nuts right now. The Twins scored seven runs on six hits and two walks in the second inning.

The book is closed on Allen Webster, and his souvenir for the game is an ugly pitching line. The rookie gave up eight earned runs on six hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings. He struck out two, walked three and gave up two home runs while throwing 54 pitches (30 strikes).

8:02 p.m., Twins 7-5: We could be in for a slugfest. Actually, we’re already in the midst of a slugfest.

The Twins went right back to work offensively in the second inning, and this game has evolved into something out of a video game. Allen Webster has been yanked with two outs in the second, and Felix Doubront — who was originally supposed to start this game — is coming on to pitch.

Pedro Florimon led off the second by pulling a 3-2 fastball into the bullpen to tie the game at five apiece.

Jamey Carroll then walked — marking Webster’s second walk of the game — and Joe Mauer doubled to put runners at second and third with no outs. Josh Willingham popped out in the infield and Justin Morneau flied out to center, but Morneau’s fly ball was deep enough to score Carroll and move Mauer to third.

Trevor Plouffe then made it a three-run inning for Minnesota by banging a double off the left-field wall. That was enough for John Farrell, as the Red Sox will be forced to turn to the bullpen early.

Even the outs in this game have been hit hard.

End 1st, Red Sox 5-4: Well then. So that’s how this game’s going to go?

The Red Sox clearly have the rookie’s back. Just minutes after Allen Webster surrendered four first-inning runs, the Boston offense put up five runs of its own — four of which came on a grand slam by Jonny Gomes.

Shane Victorino sparked the rally by dropping a bunt single down the third-base line with one out. Dustin Pedroia followed up with a long, wall-ball single that sent Victorino from first to third.

David Ortiz struck out for the second out of the inning, but Pedro Hernandez couldn’t escape the threat. Mike Napoli worked a four-pitch walk to load the bases, and then Gomes jumped all over a fastball on the inside corner. Gomes crushed the grand salami over everything in left field. It was his fourth career grand slam and his first since July 13, 2012, which also came against Minnesota.

The Sox added a fifth run and took the lead when Jarrod Saltalamacchia ripped a two-out double into the left-field corner and Stephen Drew followed up by dropping a bloop single into right field. Drew tried to stretch the hit into a double, but he was thrown out at second.

Mid 1st, Twins 4-0: The biggest strides Allen Webster has made in recent months have been with his control. Yet it was a lack of command that doomed him in the first inning.

Webster struck out Jamey Carroll swinging to begin the ballgame, but he ran into a hefty amount of trouble from there. Webster walked Joe Mauer and Josh Willingham — each on five pitches — before Justin Morneau smoked a ground-rule double down the right-field line. That allowed Mauer to score and advanced Willingham to third base.

The Twins weren’t done. Trevor Plouffe lifted a sac fly to center field to make the score 2-0, and Ryan Doumit followed up with a two-run home run into the bullpen in right field to extend the lead even further.

Oswaldo Arcia reached by lining a comebacker right off Webster, which brought John Farrell and the Boston trainer out of the dugout. Everything checked out OK, and Webster struck out Aaron Hicks to end the inning, but it was a very rough start to the ballgame for the rookie.

What makes the first inning even more discouraging is that it could ultimately lead to an early exit if Webster is unable to settle down. That will tax a bullpen that is already banged up.

7:10 p.m.: Allen Webster’s first pitch is a strike, and we’re under way.

6:45 p.m.: The tarp is off the field, the conditions are dry (for now, at least) and we’re almost ready for baseball.

6:30 p.m.: The Red Sox aren’t the only Boston team in action on Wednesday. As you may know, the Bruins and Maple Leafs will be playing Game 4 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinals series up in Toronto.

NESN has you covered when it comes to both the Sox and the B’s on Wednesday. The Bruins-Leafs playoff game will air on NESN, while the Red Sox-Twins game will air on NESNplus. If you’re unsure of your NESNplus channel, check out the listings at the link below.

Click here for Wednesday’s NESNplus channel listings >>

If you plan on tuning in mostly to the Red Sox game, feel free to tag along with NESN.com’s Bruins live blog throughout the evening. Mike Cole will take you through all of the action.

Click here for the Bruins live blog >>

5:55 p.m.: John Farrell provided an update on both David Ross and Will Middlebrooks.

Ross is apparently feeling better and can get down into a catcher’s position, so he is available on an emergency basis in this game. Middlebrooks, on the other hand, is unavailable, although tests revealed no fractures. The third baseman is dealing with soreness in his rib cage, and Farrell described him as “banged up a bit.”

Both players are out of the starting lineup. Those who are in the starting lineup can be seen below.

Red Sox (21-12)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jonny Gomes, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Stephen Drew, SS
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B

Allen Webster, RHP (0-0, 3.00 ERA)

Twins (14-15)
Jamey Carroll, 2B
Joe Mauer, C
Josh Willingham, LF
Justin Morneau, 1B
Trevor Plouffe, 3B
Ryan Doumit, DH
Oswaldo Arcia, RF
Aaron Hicks, CF
Pedro Florimon, SS

Pedro Hernandez, LHP (1-0, 3.92 ERA)

5:15 p.m.: The tarp has been brought onto the field at Fenway Park. It started pouring briefly, although it appears that the rain is beginning to let up. We’ll see how this New England weather develops throughout the evening.

8 a.m. ET: Tuesday’s loss hurt in more ways than one. Not only did the Red Sox drop a 6-1 decision to the Twins, but catcher David Ross and third baseman Will Middlebrooks each left the game with an injury.

Ross and Middlebrooks collided while chasing a popup along the wall in foul territory. Ross’ knee banged into Middlebrooks’ torso, and although Middlebrooks made a sliding catch, it was clear that the out was costly.

Ross exited after staying behind the plate for one more batter, while Middlebrooks left after his at-bat in the sixth inning. The hope, obviously, is that neither injury is serious and that each player’s departure was simply precautionary, but the collision adds to what has been a rough few days for the Red Sox.

The Sox have dropped four of their last five games and, in addition to losing Ross and Middlebrooks, they’ve lost relievers Andrew Bailey and Joel Hanrahan. That has thrust Junichi Tazawa into the closer’s role for the time being.

Getting the start on Wednesday as a result of the team’s jumbled pitching staff is rookie Allen Webster. Webster is a guy who evokes a lot of excitement in Red Sox fans. The 23-year-old has immense potential, which we already saw flashes of during his first big league start on April 21. Webster went six innings against the Royals in that outing, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits while striking out five and walking one.

Webster will have another chance on Wednesday to prove his time is now — assuming the weather holds up. Wednesday’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.

Overtime, 13:23, 3-3: Tuukka Rask has been sensational in overtime.

Phil Kessel was the latest to test him, and Rask made the save before smothering the rebound chance.

Overtime, 11:17, 3-3: We’re 11 minutes in, and we already have 16 combined shots on goal. No goals yet.

Overtime, 7:53, 3-3: The Leafs are bringing it in a big way. Tuukka Rask has been up to the challenge so far. He just made a huge glove save on Joffrey Lupul.

Overtime, 6:20, 3-3: Matt Frattin just got loose in the Boston zone, but he hit the post.

Overtime, 5:04, 3-3: The Bruins and Leafs have traded multiple chances already.

Tuukka Rask had to make a big save on Nazem Kadri which preceded a James Reimer save on Patrice Bergeron. Wild pace right now.

Overitme, 1:00, 3-3: Overtime has begun.

Third period reaction: This has been a fantastic hockey game, and since there’s probably going to be some weird goal that just erases any sort of analysis, we’ll just leave it at that for now.

As for game-winner picks, I’m gonna take Patrice Bergeron. Feel free to leave your picks for who’s gonna score the winner in the comments.

End third period, 3-3: We are going to overtime.

The Bruins had a couple of chances late, but they couldn’t put them home.

The first came when Milan Lucic chased down the puck behind the Toronto goal. He and James Reimer got tied up, and Reimer ended up batting the puck out of air. It went to David Krejci who came barreling down the left wing. The forward tried to lift it over a diving Reimer, but the goalie got just enough of it.

In the final seconds, Tyler Seguin had a chance of his own, but he missed the net by a few inches as regulation ended.

Third period, 16:35, 3-3: And that’s what you call a huge penalty kill for the Bruins.

The B’s were able to kill off the Zdeno Chara penalty, and they’re back to even strength with just a few minutes to play in regulation.  

Third period, 13:27, 3-3: The Bruins are up against it now.

Zdeno Chara was just called for high-sticking, and he’s going to the box for two minutes. This is a huge kill and the B’s are without one of their best killers.

Third period, 10:21, 3-3: This game is just so good.

Chris Kelly has returned to the Bruins’ lineup and to the ice after taking the Nazem Kadri high stick that left the Boston center bloodied.

Third period, 7:49, 3-3: Scary moment here in the third period. Mark Fraser just took a Milan Lucic shot in the face, and it may have saved a goal. Lucic appeared to have an open net as James Reimer was laying on the ground, but Lucic’s shot hit Fraser in the head.

Nathan Horton had a fantastic scoring chance a few seconds earlier, but he missed the shot high and wide.

Third period, 6:18, 3-3: The Leafs have gotten a jump out of the penalty kill, and luckily for the Bruins, they have Tuukka Rask.

Rask just stoned Joffrey Lupul right in the middle of the slot, as Lupul got loose and controlled the puck before putting one on Rask.

Third period, 5:00, 3-3: The Maple Leafs dodge a bullet and the Bruins miss out on a big-time opportunity.

The Leafs kill off the double-minor, and the Air Canada Centre is rocking again. The Bruins looked to be getting a little too cute on that man-advantage.

Third period, 19:02, 3-3: The Maple Leafs’ power play comes to a premature end.

Nazem Kadri got lazy with his stick as Chris Kelly blew by him, and Kadri gets the high-sticking penalty. It drew blood, so the B’s will get an extended 3:38 of power-play time.

Third period, 0:01, 3-3: The third period has begun, with the Bruins trying to kill off a minute of Gregory Campbell’s penalty.

Second period reaction: The biggest reaction from the second period is to just take a little break. That was exhausting.

The Bruins have done an excellent job of getting back in this game. Unsurprisingly, the B’s got their first two goals by going to the net and taking advantage of rebounds. Both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci did just that and they were rewarded with goals. The Bruins’ go-ahead goal was another power-play tally for Krejci after a brilliant pass from Nathan Horton across the slot. It’s obviously good to see that unit clicking as well.

The Leafs deserve credit, too. They could have been shell-shocked by losing the lead and then falling behind in the period, but they bounced right back. Randy Carlyle looks like a genius inserting Clarke MacArthur back into the lineup, as the forward rewarded the move with a goal to tie the game 44 seconds after the B’s took the lead.

End second period, 3-3: The Bruins survive the second period, but they’re not out of the woods.

Patrice Bergeron stepped in front of a Dion Phaneuf shot from the point, and that ends the period as the puck deflected out of the zone off of Bergeron.

Second period, 19:19, 3-3: Things go from bad to worse for the Bruins. The Leafs get a 5-on-3 for 52 seconds after Gregory Campbell slashed James van Riemsdyk’s stick in half.

Second period, 18:12, 3-3: Now the Maple Leafs get a gift power play.

David Krejci, yes David Krejci, is called for roughing after getting into it with James van Riemsdyk after the whistle.

Second period, 17:23, 3-3: And the Leafs have tied it up.

A shot goes wide, and the carom goes straight into the slot where Clarke MacArthur — reinserted into the lineup for Game 4 — jumped on it. MacArthur beats Tuukka Rask five-hole, and the puck trickles through.

Second period, 16:39, Bruins 3-2: The Bruins have their first lead of the hockey game.

David Krejci and the Bruins take advantage of Colton Orr’s bad penalty, and the B’s have the lead. Krejci blasted a one-timer from Nathan Horton by James Reimer, and the B’s have the lead.

Second period, 15:41, 2-2: Colton Orr takes a stupid penalty, and the Bruins get a power play.

It’s two minutes for “being stupid” — just kidding, it was high-sticking. The B’s get another power play.

Second period, 14:34, 2-2: The Bruins’ second goal is now being credited to David Krejci.

Second period, 12:59, 2-2: It’s a whole new hockey game.

The Bruins have worked back to tie the game here midway through the third period.

Brad Marchand worked through some contact in the slot before he was able to put the puck on net. James Reimer made the original stop, but David Krejci crashes the net and crashes into Mikhail Grabovksi, pushing the puck over the line.

The goal is Marchand’s for now.

Second period, 11:00, Maple Leafs 2-1: The Bruins were able to kill the penalty with one of their best kills of the postseason.

The Bruins’ PK has been dicey — they had only killed eight of 12 Toronto power plays through three games — so it’s good to see them get back on the right track there. They were much better and much more efficient in clearing the puck quickly and not allowing much of anything for the Leafs.

Second period, 8:57, Maple Leafs 2-1: Now it’s the Bruins’ turn to kill a penalty.

Gregory Campbell was just called for hooking, and the B’s will try to kill that off.

Johnny Boychuk has returned to play after leaving with an apparent injury a few minutes ago.

Second period, 6:17, Maple Leafs 2-1: The Bruins weren’t really able to sustain much momentum after the Patrice Bergeron goal, and the Maple Leafs have tilted the ice against Boston.

The Mikhail Grabovski line just had a couple of brilliant shifts, and they’ve got the Bruins back on their heels. The Leafs were especially aggressive once they realized Boston defenseman Johnny Boychuk was hurt. The blue liner just went to the dressing room after struggling to get off the ice with what looked to be some sort of a leg, foot or ankle injury.

Second period, 0:33, Maple Leafs 2-1: Finally, the Bruins take advantage of the rebounds.

Patrice Bergeron just jumped all over a rebound from a Zdeno Chara shot, and Bergeron beats James Reimer with a wrist shot from the slot to get the B’s within one.

Second period, 0:10, Maple Leafs 2-0: The second period is underway, and the Bruins have about a minute of power play to go.

Second period reaction: I honestly didn’t think that was that bad of a period for the Bruins, despite what the scoreboard may say. However, there’s usually at least one “everything is going wrong” game for teams in a series, and maybe this is that game for the B’s.

They haven’t gotten a good bounce in front of the net yet, but James Reimer is giving them plenty of chances. The B’s put 15 shots on goal in the first period, and Reimer seemed to give them rebounds on at least half of them. The Bruins just aren’t getting to those rebounds either by not being able to get to the net or because the Leafs have done a better job of clearing the area in front of Reimer.

At the other end, Tuukka Rask is probably the reason the Bruins aren’t chasing four after one, but at the same time, he gave up goals on shots he probably would have gotten to in Game 3. In Rask’s defense, however, he looked to be screened by Zdeno Chara on the second goal. It’s tough to stop what you don’t see.

The Leafs’ lobbying for fairer faceoff practices is paying off through one period. Toronto dominated in the faceoff circle, winning 14 of 22 draws in the first period. Patrice Bergeron is just 1-for-5.

End first period, Maple Leafs 2-0: The Bruins end the period on a power play after Leo Komarov was called for charging late in the period.

Milan Lucic was felled by a Zdeno Chara shot that looked to cut the Bruins’ power forward.

First period, 18:32, Maple Leafs 2-0: The Maple Leafs, despite being outplayed for the last five minutes or so, now have a 2-0 lead.

This time it’s Cody Franson who lights the lamp. The Leafs got help when a rebound hit the referee behind the net and went straight to Joffrey Lupul. Lupul passed it across the slot to the right point for Cody Franson, and Franson threw it at net. The shot beat Tuukka Rask who may or may not have been screened by Zdeno Chara.

First period, 15:31, Maple Leafs 1-0: The Bruins couldn’t get anything on the power play in terms of goals, but it was a very good-looking power play. They got three shots with the man-advantage and came close to scoring just after the man-advantage expired, but a shot either hit the post or was stopped by James Reimer. It was tough to tell.

Either way, the Bruins need to use that momentum in the final few minutes of this period to get something going.

First period, 12:43, Maple Leafs 1-0: Boston will get the first power play of the night.

Dion Phaneuf was just called for tripping Tyler Seguin, and the call was questionable at best. Nonetheless, the B’s get the man-advantage.

First period, 10:34, Maple Leafs 1-0: The Bruins and Maple Leafs are starting to get into some run-and-gun hockey. While it might be exciting to watch, it’s probably driving Claude Julien bonkers.

Tuukka Rask has already been put in position to make a handful of difficult saves, especially in the four minutes since the last TV timeout.

The Bruins continue pepper James Reimer, though. The rebounds are still there, as Reimer just gave up another second chance after attempting to glove the puck, something he’s done a bunch of times. If the Bruins continue to go to the net, they’ll have their chances.

First period, 6:15, Maple Leafs 1-0: While the Leafs have the early lead, it hasn’t been a horrible start for the Bruins; they have certainly had their chances.

The best of the game so far came when Daniel Paille put a shot on James Reiemer who made the initial kick save. As he has all series, Reimer struggled with the rebound, and that gave Gregory Campbell a second chance. Reimer stopped that one as well.

The Bruins have outshot Toronto 5-1, but unfortunately for the Bruins, that one Leafs shot found the back of the net.

First period, 2:35, Maple Leafs 1-0: The Air Canada Centre is rocking, and it looks like the Bruins are in for a tough one.

Joffrey Lupul just scored the game’s first goal after a gorgeous pass from Phil Kessel. Kessel skated behind the net before whipping a pass to the front of the net for Lupul who banged home the one-timer.

First period, 0:24, 0-0: The game is underway.

7:04 p.m.: Naturally, there’s a lineup change for the Maple Leafs.

It looks like Clarke MacArthur will indeed be in, which means that Ryan Hamilton is out. It’s unclear at this point whether or not this is just a straight change.

6:38 p.m.: The Leafs lineup, per pregame skate, is the same as it was for Game 3. However, Clarke MacArthur is on the ice for the first time since playing in Game 1. That could possibly mean that MacArthur is back in.

Regardless, here are the lines per warmups.

Joffrey Lupul — Tyler Bozak — Matt Fratin
Mikhail Grabovski — Nikolai Kulemin — James van Riemsdyk
Ryan Hamilton — Nazem Kadri — Phil Kessel
Jay McClement — Leo Komarov – Colton Orr

6:30 p.m.: Pregame warmups have begun in Toronto for Game 4. It will be Tuukka Rask versus James Reimer. Of course.

5:45 p.m.: As we kind of touched on a little earlier in the day, Game 4 would be a good time for Patrice Bergeron’s line to break out. We spoke earlier in the season about how the Bergeron line really is the top line — although the David Krejci line technically holds that distinction — and it’s time they started proving that again.

The Bergeron line, also as mentioned earlier, is in a bit of a rut in this series. They’ve combined for one point — a Brad Marchand assist — and that’s been it so far. Tyler Seguin has had some chances so far, but he hasn’t been able to bury them yet. The best chance probably came in Game 3 when he picked up a lose puck in the slot and tried to beat James Reimer with a backhand,but the Toronto goalie made the stop.

“The line that hasn’t [hasn't been scoring] has been the Bergeron line,” head coach Claude Julien said after morning skate. “We saw [Seguin] hit the cross bar in the first game. They’ve had some chances but they haven’t capitalized. No doubt they can be a little better and we’re counting on them.”

Luckily for the Bruins, the other lines have picked up the slack. Included in that is the third line, which came along in Game 3, thanks in large part to the play of Jaromir Jagr. The Bruins would certainly like a similar performance out of the Bergeron line in Game 4.

2:50 p.m.: The big hubbub entering Game 4 is going to center around the two men that go unnoticed for much of just about every game — the linesmen.

However, given the way that this series and Game 3 in particular have played out in the faceoff dots, it’s certainly going to be a focal point. That’s because the Maple Leafs are looking to make it a focal point. The Leafs were beaten badly in the dot in Game 3, and they immediately took to lobbying for better enforcement of the rules in Game 4 and moving forward.

“When you’re at home, you think you would be afforded some of the staples of the opposition having to be down first and stop,” Carlyle told reporters Tuesday. “In our review, there were some things going on out there that we don’t agree with, as far as forcing the opposition to stop.

“When I talked to the official between periods, he stated that it was supposed to be visitor down, home down, puck down. That clearly was not happening as per video. So we’ll visit with them and talk about it.”

Carlyle wasn’t alone, either. Toronto center Tyler Bozak asserted the Bruins “cheating a little better” in the faceoff circle in Game 3 as well.

Naturally, Bruins head coach Claude Julien was asked about faceoffs on Tuesday as well, and he had a bit of a zinger for Carlyle and the Leafs.

“I looked at the video, too,” Julien said. “It is what it is. Guys getting kicked out, guys not getting kicked out.When you lobby for something, it’s because you’re looking for a break next game. That’s what Randy’s doing right now, he’s lobbying for some breaks on faceoffs. It will be interesting to see if the referees and linesmen just do their job next game and not worry about who’s crying wolf.”

Toronto, as the home team, should technically speaking have the advantage when the puck is dropped. The visiting team’s center is supposed to be stopped and have his stick on the ice before the home team centerman. That’s where the stick down, puck down comment of Carlyle’s comes from.

Julien spoke about draws again Wednesday after morning skate.

“It always has been [a big part of our game],” he said. “Every  morning skate what you see is a routine we have with our centermen and taking draws every gameday morning. Even practice, after practice, we’ll grab some of centermen and it’s an important part of our game. It’s a strength for us, and it’s a strength that we hope pays off for us. It shouldn’t be viewed as a disadvantage. It should be viewed as a strength.”

The Bruins have dominated in the faceoff circle during the series, as they have for much of the year as the NHL’s top team when it comes to draws. The B’s have won 119 of the series’ 205 faceoffs in the series.

2:35 p.m.: In case you missed it, the Vezina Trophy finalists were announced a little earlier in the day, and Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask will not be one of those up for the award.

Claude Julien was asked about that following morning skate, and he had a pretty good reaction. The head coach said he didn’t think Rask would “loose any sleep” over the snub and that Rask is more focused on what the team is doing in the playoffs right now.

“That’s more valuable than a little individual trophy voted on by people,” Julien said. “You aim for the big trophy, which is more important than the individual one. That’s what we’re gonna try to do.”

1:15 p.m.: Morning skates have wrapped up in Toronto, and in the Bruins’ case, there doesn’t look to be any differences. There were no lineup changes for the B’s at morning skate in Toronto, which one would think indicates there will be no lineup changes. That could always change, of course, but here are the B’s lines from Game 3, in case you weren’t paying attention.

Milan Lucic — David Krejci — Nathan Horton
Tyler Seguin — Patrice Bergeron — Brad Marchand
Rich Peverley — Chris Kelly — Jaromir Jagr
Daniel Paille — Gregory Campbell — Shawn Thornton

Zdeno Chara — Dennis Seidenberg
Andrew Ference — Adam McQuaid
Wade Redden — Johnny Boychuk

8 a.m. ET: The Bruins know they can win a playoff game in Toronto. If they prove that once again on Wednesday night, there’s a good chance they will be moving on to the next round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The B’s will take on the Maple Leafs on Wednesday night in Game 4 of their best-of-seven first-round series. With a convincing 5-2 win in Game 3, the Bruins carry a 2-1 series lead into the Air Canada Centre with a chance to all but lock up the series.

They’ll do just that if they turn in an effort similar to that shown in Monday’s Game 3. The Bruins got balanced scoring and even play from their four lines, and they did a good job of neutralizing a crazy crowd taking in the first home playoff game in Toronto since 2004. Boston got a big effort — perhaps the biggest of his career — out of goalie Tuukka Rask. The Boston netminder stood on his head and kept the B’s in the game early, which eventually allowed the B’s to victimize James Reimer at the other end.

The Bruins also got a breakout performance from Jaromir Jagr and the third line. Jagr, along with Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley, started to show some cohesion for just about the first time since Jagr was acquired. That, of course, only helped Claude Julien fully utilize his entire lineup. However, if you’re looking for a line to be jump-started, at least on the statsheet, it has to be the Patrice Bergeron line. Bergeron, Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand have combined for just one point in this series. If they get going, this series is over.

A pivotal Game 4 gets started at 7 p.m. in Toronto.

Final, Twins 6-1: The Boston bats finally showed some life in the ninth, but it was far too little, far too late.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia led off the inning with a home run, sending Josh Roenicke’s pitch into the Monster seats. Jacoby Ellsbury then reached on a hit-by-pitch, but Shane Victorino followed by grounding into a 3-6-3 double play.

A Dustin Pedroia walk put a man on for David Ortiz, but Big Papi lined out to center to end the game.

The eighth inning doomed the Red Sox, as three errors and a shaky season debut by reliever Craig Breslow allowed Minnesota to plate four of its six runs. The Sox will be most concerned about what took place in the fifth inning, though, as David Ross and Will Middlebrooks collided while going after a foul ball down the third base line.

Both left the game with injury — though Middlebrooks played another inning before departing — and will be evaluated further after the game.

The teams are back at it tomorrow night, with game time scheduled for 7:10 p.m. at Fenway.

Mid 9th, Twins 6-0: Wilson issues a walk to Joe Mauer but is otherwise solid, and the Sox now have a large hole to dig themselves out of in the bottom of the ninth.

Josh Roenicke starts his second inning for Minnesota, with Jarrod Saltalamacchia — who struck out in his only plate appearance tonight — and the top of the order due up for Boston.

End 8th, Twins 6-0: Nothing doing once again for the Sox, and we head to the ninth. Boston has not had a baserunner since Stephen Drew singled in the bottom of the third.

Alex Wilson returns to face Brian Dozier in the top of the ninth.

Mid 8th, Twins 6-0: Well, that was certainly not the debut Craig Breslow was looking for. The southpaw allowed a double, two singles and a walk and failed to retire a batter before being lifted in favor of Alex Wilson.

Wilson has a 1.86 ERA through nine appearances this season.

He was almost able to work a much-needed 3-2-3 double play on the first batter he faced, but Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s throw back to Mike Napoli was too low, allowing Justin Morneau to score from third on the throwing error.

That sequence was followed by an extensive argument by manager John Farrell, who nearly got himself tossed. Home plate umpire Jeff Nelson wouldn’t bite, but Wilson retired Aaron Hicks on a lineout to shortstop to mercifully end the inning.

Josh Roenicke comes on to pitch for Minnesota, ending Scott Diamond’s very solid outing. The lefty threw 96 pitches, allowing three hits, no walks and no runs over seven innings.

Top 8th, Twins 3-0: There’s a sequence Pedro Ciriaco would like to forget. Ciriaco, who replaced the injured Will Middlebrooks at third base last inning, made errors on two consecutive plays to put runners on first and third with no outs.

Ryan Dempster’s night is now over, as left-hander Craig Breslow comes on for his first action of the season. Breslow, a Connecticut native, was activated off the disabled list yesterday. He was 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in 23 appearances for the Sox last season.

It didn’t take long for the Twins to capitalize off Breslow, as Joe Mauer ripped the second pitch he saw down the third base line for an RBI double, giving Minnesota a 3-0 lead.

End 7th, Twins 2-0: The heart of the Red Sox order goes down in succession, increasing Scott Diamond’s consecutive outs streak to 12.

This has easily been the best outing of the season for the young left-hander, who did not make it out of the sixth inning in any of his first five starts.

The team has given updates on both Will Middlebrooks and David Ross. Ross’ injury is being referred to as a “left quad contusion” while Middlebrooks left the game with “right side pain.”

Mid 7th, Twins 2-0: It felt like Gillette Stadium here at Fenway for a few minutes as the umpires retired to the video room to determine whether Ryan Doumit’s home run was indeed a home run. It was, and it gave the Twins their largest lead of the night.

Doumit has provided just about all of the offense in tonight’s game. He doubled and came home with Minnesota’s first run in the fifth and sent Ryan Dempster’s 2-2 offering over the Green Monster for a solo homer in the seventh.

Dempster retired the other three batters he faced in the inning. He struck out Trevor Plouffe for the first out — his eighth K of the night — and got Chris Parmelee and Wilkin Ramirez to ground out and fly out, respectively, after allowing Doumit’s bomb.

The Twins make a defensive change as the last chords of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” ring out, replacing Ramirez in center field with highly touted prospect Aaron Hicks.

End 6th, Twins 1-0: After Ryan Dempster puts the Twins down in order in the top of the sixth, Scott Diamond follows suit in the bottom half.

Diamond opened the frame by striking out Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who was making his first plate appearance after replacing David Ross behind the plate. Jacoby Ellsbury and Shane Victorino then flew out on consecutive pitches and this game is humming right along.

Dempster returns for the seventh but third baseman Will Middlebrooks does not. Middlebrooks appeared to be fine after colliding with Ross in the top of the fifth, but Pedro Ciriaco has taken his place at third base. The catcher-heavy Red Sox are well-equipped to withstand an injury to Ross, but they are not nearly as deep at third.

End 5th, Twins 1-0: The Red Sox get nothing again in the fifth, and Scott Diamond has now retired nine consecutive hitters.

Jonny Gomes opened the inning with a fly out to left field, Will Middlebrooks grounded out to second baseman and Stephen Drew left the base path while trying to evade the tag of first baseman Justin Morneau (not that it mattered too much; Morneau appeared to catch Drew’s shoulder as he ran by).

Ryan Dempster is back out for the sixth, with 76 pitches under his belt tonight.

Mid 5th, Twins 1-0: We just saw a potentially scary scene of our own here at Fenway, as Will Middlebrooks and David Ross collided with one another while sliding for a foul ball along near the Minnesota dugout. Ross’ knee appeared to make contact with Middlebrooks’ ribs, slamming the third baseman’s back against the wall.

Middlebrooks caught the ball, but both appeared to be shaken up on the play. Ross, who seemed to be favoring his left leg, remained in the game for one more batter before being replaced by Jarrod Saltalamacchia. We’ll be sure to update you with his condition as more information becomes available.

As for the change on the scoreboard, the Twins plated the first run of the game in the inning to take a 1-0 lead. Catcher Ryan Doumit led off with a double to right-center field that fell just out of the reach of a lunging Shane Victorino. Ryan Dempster then balked, allowing Doumit to advance to third, and after Middlebrooks retired Chris Parmelee with his catch in foul ground, Wilkin Ramirez singled to bring Doumit home.

Dempster then struck out both Brian Dozier and Jamey Carroll to end the inning.

End 4th, 0-0: The Red Sox still can’t seem to muster any offense against Scott Diamond, as the southpaw retires Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and Mike Napoli in order on a pair of groundouts and a weak popup.

We’re getting word in the press box of a scary scene down in Tampa Bay, where Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ apparently needed to be taken off the field on a stretcher after being hit in the head with a line drive. Those who have been cheering for the Red Sox for long enough remember Matt Clement and Brice Florie suffering similar injuries, so we’re all together in wishing Happ a speedy recovery.

Mid 4th, 0-0: Ryan Dempster ran into a bit of trouble in the fourth, but a well-timed double play allowed him to escape unscathed.

Joe Mauer singled to open the inning and an ensuing walk by Josh Willingham put a runner in scoring position for the first time tonight. But Justin Morneau grounded a Dempster splitter right back to the mound, the pitcher fired to second to retire Willingham and Stephen Drew threw to first to complete the twin killing.

Mauer advanced to third on the play, but Dempster got Trevor Plouffe to ground out to Will Middlebrooks to end the inning.

We are headed to the bottom of the fourth with the scoreboard still showing nothing but goose eggs.

End 3rd, 0-0: Apparently only the first batter of an inning is allowed to reach base tonight.

That happened to the Red Sox for the third time tonight, as Stephen Drew’s single to lead off the frame was followed by two weak popups and a groundout to first base, keeping this game knotted at 0-0.

Like we mentioned earlier, Drew has come into his own of late — highlighted by a monster performance Monday night — and has now reached base in 13 consecutive games, hitting in 10 of those.

Mid 3rd, 0-0: Three up, three down as Ryan Dempster tosses his second 1-2-3 inning of the night.

The ball never left the infield as Dempster needed 12 pitches to dispatch Wilkin Ramirez, Brian Dozier and Jamey Carroll. Ramirez and Carroll sandwiched groundouts to second baseman Dustin Pedroia around a Dozier strikeout — Dempster’s fourth of the night.

Red Sox great Carlton Fisk is in the house tonight, and the former catcher and World Series hero drew a nice ovation from the Fenway faithful when his face popped up on the Jumbotron.

Stephen Drew, David Ross and the top of the order are due up against Scott Diamond in the bottom of the third.

End 2nd, 0-0: Wasn’t David Ortiz’s career supposed to be on its last legs? He just missed close to nine months with that Achilles injury, right?

Well, the big man continues to prove that he has no desire to pack it up anytime soon. Ortiz singled to left field in the second inning, extending his hitting streak to a career-long 27 games, including all 15 games he has played this season.

Big Papi has been on an absolute tear since returning to the lineup on April 20, compiling a .436/.467/.818 slash line with four home runs and 17 RBIs.

The Sox went down in order after Ortiz reached, though, with Mike Napoli grounding out to pitcher Scott Diamond for a fielder’s choice, Jonny Gomes flying out to right field and Will Middlebrooks going down swinging.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Justin Morneau gives the Twins their first baserunner of the night with a single up the middle, but he fails to advance past first as Ryan Dempster retires the next three batters in order.

Trevor Plouffe and Ryan Doumit both skied fly balls that were easily caught by Shane Victorino and Jonny Gomes, respectively, and Chris Parmelee went down swinging for Dempster’s third K of the night.

Efficiency will be key for Dempster in the first few innings tonight, as the veteran has had a tendency to rack up high pitch counts early in his outings this season. He’s up to 32 throws already tonight, thanks to lengthy at-bats to Morneau and Parmelee.

This is especially important now with Andrew Bailey and Joel Hanrahan both unavailable and the team’s relief corps strained as it is. As John Farrell mentioned in his pregame press conference, he would prefer not to go to his bullpen prior to the eighth inning if he doesn’t need to.

End 1st, 0-0: Speedy Jacoby Ellsbury beat out an infield single in Boston’s first at-bat of the night, but that’s all the Red Sox would get in the bottom of the first.

Ellsbury’s sharp ground ball was fielded by shortstop Jamey Carroll in the hole, but Carroll was unable to recover in time to nab the leadoff man at first.

Shane Victorino then popped out to shallow center field and Dustin Pedroia, who jacked his first home run of the season last night, grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to sent the Sox back to the dugout empty handed.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Ryan Dempster retires the side in order in very Dempster-like fashion.

Dempster got the blood pumping early, sprinting over to first base to receive Mike Napoli’s underhand flip and retire Jamey Carroll for the game’s first out. He then proceeded to strike out both Joe Mauer and Josh Willingham to end the inning. Dempster struck out just four Houston Astros in his last start, but that total was well below his season average of 7.83 K’s per outing.

Let’s tackle another quick pitching point while it’s still early in this contest. We likely won’t see the effect of this until later on tonight, but Joel Hanrahan was placed on the disabled list for the second time this season earlier today, with manager John Farrell bestowing closing duties upon setup man Junichi Tazawa. Felix Doubront has also been shifted temporarily into the bullpen, so we could see him in a long relief-type role should Dempster run into trouble early on.

Jacoby Ellsbury, Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia are due up first against Twins lefty Scott Diamond.

7:10 p.m.: Jamey Carroll takes strike one from Ryan Dempster and we are underway at Fenway.

The Red Sox are sporting their usual home whites while the Twins take the field in their blue “road alternate” uniforms with “Minnesota” stitched across the chest.

Let’s play some baseball.

6:30 p.m.: It seems like just yesterday that the Twins were a perennial playoff team, but the boys from the Land of 10,000 Lakes have fallen on hard times in recent years.

Minnesota has flirted with 100 losses each of the last two season, and at 13-15 thus far, the Twins come into tonight ranked fourth in the five-team AL Central. They have won their division six times in the last 11 years but haven’t won a postseason game since 2004 and a playoff series since 2002.

Tonight they’ll send a starter to the mound in Scott Diamond that the Red Sox have just about zero experience against. Boston’s entire roster has combined for just five at-bats against the left-hander (two by Jonny Gomes and three by Shane Victorino) with none resulting in hits. Minnesota has seen Sox starter Ryan Dempster quite a bit more, with leadoff man Jamey Carroll (.429 lifetime average vs. Dempster) and cleanup hitter Justin Morneau (.500, one home run) enjoying the most success.

Pregame activities are set to begin shortly.

5 p.m.: The Red Sox pitching staff has received a sizable shakeup this week (we’ll get to that in a bit) but the rest of Boston’s lineup remains largely the same.

Stephen Drew was the hero of last night’s 11-inning affair, and the shortstop appears to have finally shaken off the brutal slump that plagued the first few weeks of his season. Drew couldn’t buy a base hit in April, hitting .119 through his first 13 games after missing more than a month with a concussion.

He has found his stroke of late, though, reaching safely in each of his last eight games. That hot streak culminated in a 4-for-5 effort Monday night in which Drew tied the game with a home run in the seventh and won it with an RBI double off the Green Monster in the bottom of the 11th, snapping Boston’s three-game losing streak and raising his own average by more than 40 points.

Minnesota’s offensive attack still runs through the two M’s (catcher Joe Mauer and  first baseman Justin Morneau), as it has for years now. Both have played a team-leading 27 games this season, with Mauer leading the Twins in average (.291) and hits (32) and Morneau, batting out of the cleanup spot, totaling a team-best 17 RBIs.

Leading the Twins in an offensive category has been akin to being the best player on a JV team this season, though. Minnesota ranks in the bottom three in the American League in nearly every offensive category, including last in hits (226) and second-to-last in runs (116).

Here are the full starting lineups for both teams:

Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jonny Gomes, LF
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Stephen Drew, SS
David Ross, C

Ryan Dempster, P

Twins
Jamey Carroll, SS
Joe Mauer, DH
Josh Willingham, LF
Justin Morneau, 1B
Trevor Plouffe, 3B
Ryan Doumit, C
Chris Parmelee, RF
Wilkin Ramirez, CF
Brian Dozier, 2B

Scott Diamond, P

8 a.m. ET: It took nearly five hours on Monday night, but the Red Sox finally put away the Twins in 11 innings, snapping a three-game losing skid on Stephen Drew’s walk-off double off the Green Monster.

The two teams are back at it again Tuesday, when Ryan Dempster takes the hill opposite Minnesota lefty Scott Diamond. After a bit of a shaky start to the season, Dempster has settled down in his first year with Boston. The right-hander won his last two starts (albeit against two weaker opponents in Houston and Toronto), and he has been a strikeout machine, averaging 7.83 K’s per start.

Monday’s drawn-out affair almost threw a wrench into Red Sox manager John Farrell’s pitching plans, as Dempster made the jog out to the — extremely depleted — bullpen and began warming up as the game entered extra innings.

Dempster will be matched by a fellow Canadian on Tuesday, as Diamond spent his formative years in Ontario. The southpaw is 2-2 with a 3.97 ERA through his first four starts.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. from Fenway Park, but be sure to check back in throughout the day for all your updates and analysis leading up to game time.

Final, Red Sox 6-5 (11 innings):

Stephen Drew is the hero of the evening, popping his fourth hit of the night and notching his third RBI on a big double that had no trouble scoring the winning run.

Will Middlebrooks had finally come through, lacing a single for his first hit of the night — making every Red Sox starter have a hit in this one — after Jarrod Saltalamacchia also hit a single. Saltalamacchia didn’t gamble coming around second despite Middlebrooks getting some distance on his hit, and Drew made the smart choice pay off, hitting one off the wall that easily scored Saltalamacchia.

It was a strange final inning, with Ryan Dempster up in the bullpen and Boston trying to find any way it could to win. The inning had a couple of close calls already — a Mike Napoli shot down third base looked to be going foul until the Twins reeled it in for an out, and Minnesota’s Chris Parmelee made a great catch in center field that sent the Red Sox down to their last out.

Drew was there, though, recording the third walkoff hit of his career in what is also the Red Sox’ third walkoff win of this year.

The win provides a satisfying ending for what had been an uneven night for Boston. After watching Clay Buchholz struggle at the beginning, allowing four earned runs over six innings, the Sox inched their way back with five one-run innings. They appeared to have the game in hand until the top of the ninth, when newly anointed closer Joel Hanrahan gave up a homer that pulled the Twins even again. Hanrahan ended up leaving the game soon after.

The Red Sox announced shortly before the game ended that Hanrahan had left the game with right forearm tightness and that he will be re-evaluated tomorrow.

The team also said that Dempster is ready to start Tuesday.

Boston has plenty of questions, with its pitching staff especially depleted after this one. But it was a great night for the Boston offense to get back on track. Stephen Drew was 4-for-5 with three RBIs, and Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia both went 3-for-5 with an RBI. Buchholz ended the night with nine strikeouts.

That’s it for us tonight. Come on back tomorrow as the Twins look to keep it rolling against Minnesota in the second game of the homestand.

Mid 11th, 5-5: Clayton Mortensen continues to put up zeroes, setting the plate for the Red Sox to try again in the bottom of the 11th. Mike Napoli, Daniel Nava and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who each have one hit tonight, are due up.

The Red Sox ended up showing up offensively, compiling 14 hits. The only Boston starter without a hit is Will Middlebrooks.

Koji Uehara is also warming up, so Boston may not have to turn to Ryan Dempster.

11:34 p.m.: Ryan Dempster, or perhaps a fan who looks a lot like Ryan Dempster who has just been given a Red Sox uniform, is warming up in the bullpen.

End 10th, 5-5: Alas, Mike Carp could not save the day. He came in to pinch-hit for Pedro Ciriaco but was retired. Couple that with a Shane Victorino flyout and Dustin Pedroia strikeout, and it’s on to the 11th.

Mid 10th, 5-5: Mike Napoli can field.

If anybody brings up that Napoli is supposed to be a catcher, just show them a clip of the play he made to end that inning. Ryan Doumit laced a hard one just inside the first base line, but Napoli went over to snag it. The ball ticked off his glove, but he scrambled in time to toss to Mortensen and just get the out. It was a fantastic defensive stop to cap the inning.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox need to get it done in this frame, or they may be in some trouble. Ryan Dempster, who is scheduled to start tomorrow, went to the bullpen between innings, according to several reports.The Red Sox are thin on relief, but no one thought they were this thin. Manager John Farrell has talked about cutting down on using Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa, and his reluctance to use them more than prescribed could mean dipping into the rotation, apparently, even if it messes up the rest of the week.

End 9th, 5-5: Extra innings. A lot of the juice is gone from this one, but the Red Sox apparently heard that they need to “gut out” a win, so they’ve set up the perfect scenario to do just that.

Both the Twins and Red Sox have gone to extras twice this year, and both are 1-1.

Boston didn’t do much to help its cause in the bottom of the ninth. Stephen Drew had a nice line-drive single, but Jacoby Ellsbury bounced him into a double play.

Will Middlebrooks just cannot find it right now. He struck out on a nasty inside pitch that had him handcuffed.

Scoring just one run an inning looked cute when the Red Sox were doing it, but the end of the eighth is looming larger now. If Pedro Ciriaco hadn’t been cut down at third, the Sox would have had men on first and third with two outs. Instead, the inning ended.

Something to talk about in the break: Where shall the Red Sox turn for a closer? Joel Hanrahan appeared to have hurt something when he left the game in the top of the ninth, with early guesses being that it was his right hand.

The Red Sox don’t have tons of options in the minor leagues, and both Alfredo Aceves and Daniel Bard, who would have been no-thinkers as closers before, have more red flags than answers. Hanrahan was supposed to take care of all this head-scratching.

Mid 9th, 5-5: Clayton Mortensen did his job, getting Justin Morneau out on a close play at first to end the inning.

Will Middlebrooks, Stephen Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury are due up for the hopes of a walk-off in the ninth inning. Drew has been the hero of the night so far with a home run and two RBIs. Ellsbury has one hit, and Middlebrooks’ slump continues.

10:56 p.m.: Maybe the Red Sox and Twins don’t know that it’s pretty late. Anyway, that pitching change took enough time that we could find this fantastic photo for you. Remember how I said Dustin Pedroia was totally swinging out of his shoes when he walloped that homer out of here earlier? No joke.

Pedroia pulled the classic knee-on-the-ground longball routine for that dinger. Check it out.

10:52 p.m.: The Red Sox will have to provide some final-inning magic. Joel Hanrahan was officially given the closer mantle this afternoon as Andrew Bailey hit the disabled list, but the newfound confidence did not give him enough of a boost not to allow another ninth-inning home run. The homer has been especially bad for Hanrahan this year, who has given up four when trying to finish off games en route to a 9.82 ERA.

The culprit on this one was Brian Dozier, a .241 hitter who has no home runs and just eight RBIs this year. Dozier connected on the homer after a wild at-bat from Hanrahan. After Jarrod Saltalamacchia set up a low, outside target a couple of pitches in, Hanrahan let a fastball get away up and inside, and Dozier hit the deck. He then pummeled a Hanrahan offering out of the park.

Hanrahan has been yanked from the game, and Clayton Mortensen is coming in to try to wrap up the inning. Hanrahan walked Josh Willingham before leaving, and Eduardo Escobar is pinch-running.

End 8th, Red Sox 5-4: OK. There’s got to be some voodoo going on here.

Not only did the Red Sox score one run an inning in five straight innings to put themselves ahead, but now David Ortiz has logged his first hit of the night. That means his hitting streak, now at 26 games, is kept alive — and, not to be outdone, Ortiz also made sure it was an extra-base hit. The double means he’s had an extra-base hit in all but one of his games this year. It’s like he knew what had to be done and got it taken care of before he ran out of time, just like the Red Sox. What the heck!

Pedro Ciriaco was sent in to pinch-run for Ortiz. Ortiz showed some agility and scampered back to second base after Napoli lined out, but manager John Farrell likely didn’t want to take a chance with Ortiz tweaking anything, and he sent Ciriaco in after that.

Ciriaco, however, ended the inning in a very un-Moneyball kind of way for the Sox. He tried to swipe third base after Jarrod Saltalamacchia drew a walk, and he was tagged out.

Something to note from tonight: The strange offensive night for the Sox has led to a dearth of stolen bases, generally an area of strength for them. Coming into this one, they were pretty adept at getting extra bags, but they had trouble advancing runners as they struggled to get on base tonight. Perhaps Ciriaco was trying to help with that.

The Red Sox are first in the American League with 26 stolen bases, and they’re second in MLB, with Milwaukee having 27. Boston didn’t steal its 26th base until June 15 last year. Not surprisingly, Jacoby Ellsbury is the leader with 12, which also leads MLB.

Joel Hanrahan is coming in to try to get the save.

10:25 p.m.: Pedroia. What a shot.

Perhaps the only thing more impressive than that monster — pun intended — home run off the light stand on top of the Wall was that Pedroia just about swung out of his shoes just a couple of pitches before. He looked to be pressing pretty hard against Casey Fien, but he stayed in the at-bat, and his patience was rewarded with a huge shot to left.

The Red Sox now lead, 5-4, and righty Anthony Swarzak is coming on in relief.

Mid 8th, 4-4: Craig Breslow took care of things quickly in the eighth, sending down Trevor Plouffe, Oswaldo Arcia and Aaron Hicks in order.

Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and Mike Napoli are due up in the bottom of the eighth. Pedroia and Napoli have collected four hits tonight, but Ortiz is in danger of his 25-game streak ending, as he hasn’t reached yet tonight.

End 7th, 4-4: Is this the great Stephen Drew awakening? Drew has two hits tonight, and both have scored big runs for the Red Sox. This one was a high-flying home run to right field — and by “high-flying,” Ie mean it was really high, but not much else. It just made it over the fence in right, but that’ll do.

The Red Sox couldn’t do much else that inning, but they fulfilled the prediction and have tied the game, 4-4. Drama time.

Craig Breslow gets some tight action in his first appearance for the Red Sox. He’s coming in for the eighth.

10 p.m.: The Bruins have won, 5-2, to go up 2-1 in their first-round series with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Time for the Red Sox to get going.

Mid 7th, Twins 4-3: Andrew Miller took care of the rest of that inning easily, and the Sox head into the bottom of the seventh looking to score for the fourth inning in a row. They’ve tallied one run in each of the last three frames, and it would be poetic justice to tie the game with one more here.

Then again, we’ll permit more than one run, if that’s what they really want.

Casey Fien is in to pitch for Minnesota.

Craig Breslow is warming for the Red Sox.

9:49 p.m.: Andrew Miller is headed into the game in relief.

The Twins have runners on first and second with one out.

Some highlights from the Bruins game just played on the big screen here at Fenway Park, and the crowd cheered on each goal. Boston is up 5-2, and it’s been a pretty good game.

9:37 p.m.: If you are the type that enjoy watching home runs that just make it around Pesky’s Pole, you’ll like this replay of Shane Victorino’s first homer of the season.

Also, Alex Wilson is in for Clay Buchholz. He has a 1.93 ERA this season in eight appearances.

End 6th, Twins 4-3: From our little perch up here in the press box, where you can pretty much peer down on the top of the plate, Mike Napoli paints a menacing picture. He just had a presence about him as Brian Duensing’s fifth pitch came in, and he got his bat around on the sinker to drive it into right field.

You can’t say enough about how different this Red Sox team looks from some recent renditions. When these guys are on, they have control of their at-bats, and it’s just a question of where they’ll poke the ball. Even with all the troubles Boston has had tonight, they’re ready to steal this game.

Napoli’s contact brought in Shane Victorino, who had advanced to third on a David Ortiz double play that erased the other runners. That closed the book on Vance Worley, who gets marked for nine hits, three earned runs and three strikeouts. He was getting better results than Clay Buchholz for much of the night, but the two pretty much evened out in the end.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia struck out on a big 3-2 swing to end the inning.

9:21 p.m.: The Twins are bringing in left-hander Brian Duensing. Vance Worley threw 89 pitches and will get the hook with two men on base and David Ortiz at the plate. Worley gave up two earned runs on nine hits through five innings. His line isn’t yet complete, with Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia on base.

Victorino is having one of the nicer nights of all the Red Sox. He recorded his third hit in three tries with a single to lead off the inning. Boston has tallied eight hits at this point, which is one more than the Twins, even though it doesn’t seem like it. Minnesota, of course, did most of its damage on its four early doubles.

Dustin Pedroia singled through left-hand side.

The Twins were also warming up right-hander Casey Fien but elected to go with Duensing against Ortiz.

Mid 6th, Twins 4-2: Clay Buchholz came back out to try to help a little more, and he really gave his team a hand.

Rather than having to call in a reliever to grab a few outs, Buchholz mowed down Oswaldo Arcia, Aaron Hicks and Pedro Florimon. That’s 116 pitches for him, but those last 12 were certainly worth the effort in keeping the bullpen rested a bit more.

End 5th, Twins 4-2: The Red Sox leave the bottom of the fifth with just one run, but the team saw good offense for the first time tonight, so the Sox have to be happy with that. The inning ended on a tag at home plate as Stephen Drew tried to score on a Jacoby Ellsbury double and instead was called out. Boston did get one run in the frame, though, courtesy of Drew.

Just when the Red Sox looked like they didn’t have anything going offensively, a couple of guys came through. One of the nice things about the Red Sox’ lineup this year is that, rather than having a few really strong players and then a few that are still trying to prove themselves in the big leagues, they have a decent, talented roster throughout. There’s no reason why the No. 9 guy won’t produce as much as someone farther up in the order (unless, of course, the No. 9 guy is going through one of those slumps that quite a few Red Sox are going through right now).

Drew, batting just .191 coming into this game, may be one of those guys, but he did his part in the bottom of the fifth. After Daniel Nava led off with a big double off the top chunk of the Green Monster, the Red Sox appeared to be doomed when both Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Will Middlebrooks struck out. (Middlebrooks looked particularly overmatched in his final fan.)

Drew, however, got around on a pitch that he dropped into center field, scoring Nava. Ellsbury worked the next count to 3-1 then ripped a double of his own to right-center.

That pitch was so well-struck that Drew thought he could scoot home, but the throw to Joe Mauer made it, and Drew was ruled out on an interesting leaping tag where Mauer collected the ball and almost landed on top of Drew as he tagged him out.

Mid 5th, Twins 4-1: Clay Buchholz has had to work in ways tonight that he hasn’t had to all season. While he’s struck out eight, tonight has been his worst outing of the season by far. He’s given up seven hits for four earned runs, and his pitch count is at 104 after another wobbly inning.

Joe Mauer started it with a ground-rule double, and Josh Willingham followed that with a hard-hit liner over second base. Dustin Pedroia lunged at the ball and just about knocked it down, but it was smoked hard enough that Pedroia would have had to have been perfectly in place to intercept it.

Pedroia’s placement did keep Mauer from scoring on the shot, but a Justin Morneau fly to left took care of getting Mauer home on the next play.

Buchholz got to work on his infield skills, which the Red Sox’ pitchers have been practicing all season, on the next play, getting Chris Parmelee on a grounder. He then got Trevor Plouffe to pop one up on the first base line, but Mike Napoli couldn’t reel in the tall shot as three Sox converged on the ball. Napoli was given an error on the play, just the second on the season for the catcher-turned-first baseman who has looked like a natural at the corner bag.

Trevor Plouffe got some serious wood on the fifth pitch of the next at-bat, but Jacoby Ellsbury had the speed to track his blast down in center field, catching the fly on the run to end the inning.

That’s likely it for Buchholz, who has really labored tonight. The bullpen, which manager John Farrell was so happy to see freshly stocked with the arrival of Craig Breslow, is due to try to keep Minnesota off the board the rest of the way.

End 4th, Twins 3-1: Shane Victorino is back, and the Red Sox are on the board.

Victorino snagged his first home run of the season leading off the bottom of the fourth, clubbing a 3-2 pitch down the right field line. The ball floated nicely and looked ready to drop for a hit, but with that short porch, Victorino got the bonus homer when it fell just to the left of Pesky’s Pole. That’s about as economical as a home run can be in this park.

Victorino looked to ignite a rally of sorts, with Dustin Pedroia depositing the first pitch he saw into center field. David Ortiz grounded into a double play, though, and Mike Napoli grounded out to end the inning.

Vance Worley has used 53 pitches to get through four innings. He could stay out here for a while.

Mid 4th, Twins 3-0: The Twins have found a way to Clay Buchholz again, with doubles once again doing the damage.

Oswaldo Arcia and Aaron Hicks both ripped doubles that scooted down the right field line. Both batters were pretty lucky to get wood on the pitches — the shots were less hard hits than pulls that squeaked past the infield and into the part of the park where Shane Victorino had to give chase.

Nevertheless, they got the work done, plating a run.

Buchholz looked strong throughout the inning, even with the two sharp shots. He started it off by striking out Trevor Plouffe then got Pedro Florimon on strikes after Arcia and Hicks got on base.

Stephen Drew cleaned up a Brian Dozier grounder at short to end the inning.

End 3rd, Twins 2-0: The Red Sox had offensive troubles coming into this one, and they’ve continued.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia knocked a double off the wall to start the frame, but none of his teammates could get him home. Will Middlebrooks, Stephen Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury — who tried his best to beat out a throw to first — went down in order to squash a scoring opportunity.

Does Vance Worley know something we don’t? He looks completely in charge of this game.

Mid 3rd, Twins 2-0: With all this hullabaloo about spitters and movement on fastballs, it can’t be forgotten that Clay Buchholz still has a pretty nice changeup. That pitch has been doing some work for him tonight.

Buchholz and Justin Morneau battled for seven pitches, with Buchholz relying on location to work the count before catching Morneau on a deep-striding swing for a changeup strikeout.

Buchholz is just striking out a ton of batters this year — about three more a game than his previous season high (or twice as many as any other season, by a rough count). This game is no exception. With six strikeouts through three innings, Buchholz could challenge his season-high of 11, even if he’s allowed the most earned runs of any start this year.

Josh Willingham flew out to start the inning, and Chris Parmelee struck out to end it.

End 2nd, Twins 2-0: David Ortiz is cranking, but he’s not quite cranking far enough. Ortiz lifted a fly to center field to start the inning that had the crowd going, but it fell harmlessly into Aaron Hicks’ glove. Still, looking at Ortiz’s stat line as he came to the plate is just fun: .440, 4 HR, 17 RBI. This guy is playing his 14th game, remember.

Mike Napoli and Daniel Nava were both easily retired to keep Boston off the board through two innings.

Mid 2nd, Twins 2-0: Clay Buchholz looked a lot better that inning.

He struck out Pedro Florimon and Brian Dozier and then got Joe Mauer on an infield hopper.

Buchholz has thrown 46 pitches so far, but his economic approach to that frame could set him up to salvage what has been his worst start of the season so far. He has four strikeouts already.

End 1st, Twins 2-0: Dustin Pedroia’s struggles continue. The second baseman, who managed just a weak single to break a 14-at-bat hitless streak Sunday, bounced into a double play to make this a fast inning for the Sox.

Boston got a man aboard on Shane Victorino’s tall fly, which dropped over second. He followed a groundout from Jacoby Ellsbury.

Don’t forget to hop over and see how the B’s are doing tonight.

Mid 1st, Twins 2-0: Well, that’s not how most people were drawing this one up to start.

Clay Buchholz has looked off his mark since just about the first pitch, and the Twins are taking advantage of his offerings. While the righty did dig deep and get himself out of a bases-load jam, the Minnesota hitters aren’t have any trouble getting cuts on his pitches, and they’ve been aggressive.

Josh Willingham and Joe Mauer both smacked deep doubles off the wall in left field to start the inning, and a sharp Justin Morneau blast through the hole between short and second scored another Twins run.

Morneau and Mauer both come into tonight’s contest with strong lines against Buchholz, and Morneau has been especially good against the Sox, batting .342 in his career.

Buchholz got into even more trouble with the next part of the order. He walked Chris Parmelee then got into a prolonged plate battle with Trevor Plouffe, who broke a bat fouling off a pitch before drawing a walk of his own. With the bases loaded, Buchholz worked down Oswaldo Arcia on eight pitches before getting him on a huge swing for the strikeout. Aaron Hicks then struck out on three pitches to kill the rally and get Buchholz out of the inning with only two runs across.

For what it’s worth, I don’t see Buchholz’s pitches dancing around that much. It looks a lot like good fastball placement and swings-and-misses from here. Take from that what you will.

7:11 p.m.: First pitch! It’s a sorta chilly night at Fenway Park. Nothing to complain about, but with the sun going down, it’s definitely not warm.

6:05 p.m.: The big story of tonight is going to be Clay Buchholz, no matter what he does.

Rarely do we get to use a cliche to its most literal measure, but Buchholz’s every move will be watched tonight. Whether he douses his head with water, licks his fingers, twists his hand around the ball in a funny way or wipes rosin on his shirt, bum or scalp, everyone is going to be watching after he was accused of doctoring the ball in Toronto.

David Schoenfield of ESPN.com has some interesting statistical analysis on the matter, comparing the movement on Buchholz’s pitches. (Note that from 2012 to 2013, the movement has been largely the same, but whatever was going on against the Blue Jays was quite different, according to Schoenfield.)

Dirk Hayhurst is also back on the case, and he’s saying that somebody is going to have to break some of those these-are-the-rules-but-nobody-ever-says-anything rules if Buchholz is going to get stopped.

Tonight could go one of three ways. One, Buchholz could come out and pitch a terrible game, and people could say it was because he changed something to try to hide illegal activity (or that he was just spooked by the accusations). Two, he could come out and pitch a great game with limited goop and gyro pitches, quieting the critics. Third, he could pitch a great game but have enough rosin and water flying around to get everyone upset. Twins manager Rod Gardenhire already sounds like he’s not going to be marching out there and asking Buchholz to change his shirt or anything, so it sounds like much of the drama will be in the eyes of the beholders off the field.

However it goes, know this: Any hopes that Buchholz was putting this behind him after one questioned game is likely wishful thinking.

5:12 p.m.: Well, it looks like we won’t have to wait until after the game for all of the Twins’ thoughts on the The Great Spitter Controversy of 2013. Twins manager Rod Gardenhire isn’t buying into the accusations, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Gardenhire said that Buchholz has always had movement on his pitches.

5 p.m.: John Farrell was also asked about what the Toronto folks had to say about Clay Buchholz doctoring the ball, and whether the Twins would bring that up today. Farrell didn’t have much more than a shrug, and he again defended his pitcher.

“There’s nothing to be hidden — nothing to hide on Clay’s part,” Farrell said.

We may have to see what kind of evening Buchholz puts together before hearing what the Twins think.

4:25 p.m.: Manager John Farrell has confirmed that Andrew Bailey is on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his biceps. With Bailey already out for eight days, Farrell said he was optimistic that the reliever could return once the disabled-list stay was finished. The team has ruled out long-term damage, Farrell said.

Farrell said that Joel Hanrahan will assume the closer role, and he said the fact that Hanrahan is no longer dealing with physical or mental effects of his hamstring injury, for which he went on the 15-day DL,  bodes well for the team.

Craig Breslow takes Bailey’s spot on the roster. Breslow, a lefty, has been especially strong against left-handed batters, but Farrell wouldn’t pigeonhole him into that type of role just yet.

“He’s a guy that takes almost a starter’s approach to shorter outings,” Farrell said, adding that the Sox would hope to use him in situations where he could take care of righties as well.

Above all, Farrell said, it’s just nice to have a fresh arm. The Boston bullpen has been putting in extra time over recent days, with Kuji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa especially seeking their workloads stretched.

3:50 p.m.: Andrew Bailey has been dealing with soreness in his right biceps for the last week, and the Red Sox have opted to send him to the disabled list, according to reports. Left-hander Craig Breslow has been activated after spending much of the year rehabbing in Triple-A Pawtucket from an injury of his own.

3:25 p.m.: This is who the Red Sox and Twins will be sending onto the field tonight:

Red Sox

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

Clay Buchholz, P

Twins

Brian Dozier, 2B
Joe Mauer, C
Josh Willingham, LF
Justin Morneau, 1B
Chris Parmelee, RF
Trevor Plouffe, 3B
Oswaldo Arcia, DH
Aaron Hicks, CF
Pedro Florimon, SS

Vance Worley, P

11 a.m.: Let’s just wrap up those last three games in Texas like the leftover Chinese food on the counter and put them in a tightly tied trash bag for the curb. 7-0, 5-1 and 4-3 losses, as well as 14 strikeouts from Yu Darvish, left a funny feeling coming out of Sunday, and the weekend’s results aren’t going to smell any better today.

Instead, the Red Sox can turn to two standbys that have done them well this season. Playing at Fenway Park on Monday evening with Clay Buchholz on the mound, Boston (20-11) is set up to strengthen its 11-5 home record in a potential bounce-back four-game series against the woeful Minnesota Twins (13-14). The Twins are finishing a 10-game road trip in which they’ve gone 2-4.

While the Red Sox were hard to beat throughout April, they looked more like the team predicted to flounder coming into the season during their weekend sweep in Texas. They lost three games in a row for the first time this season against the Rangers and struggled to produce hits.

The Sox’ batters will likely have more opportunities against Minnesota’s Vance Worley (0-4, 7.22 ERA), who gave up six earned runs on 10 hits (three of them home runs) in his last start. But Boston’s real hope lies in Clay Buchholz (6-0, 1.01 ERA). The right-hander is not only one of the best in Major League Baseball this year, going seven innings in each of his starts, but he’s also coming off accusations in Toronto that he’s been doctoring his pitches. In his first start since effectively being called a cheater, Buchholz can prove his side of the argument with another dominant game.

Buchholz is 3-1 with a 4.25 ERA against the Twins in his career. He’s struck out 22 in his 29 2/3 innings pitched, but few Twins facing him Monday night have seen him for more than a few at-bats — except for Minnesota’s biggest trouble-makers, that is. Justin Morneau (.500) and Joe Mauer (.300) both have strong marks against Buchholz.

It all starts at 6 p.m. with Red Sox First Pitch, which will be offered, along with the game, on NESNplus as the Bruins take on the Maple Leafs over on NESN. (Get your channel listings here.) We’ll keep you up-to-date on news and analysis throughout the day, so be sure to check back here, with first pitch being fired at 7:10.

Third period, 18:43, Bruins 5-2: The Bruins save their best for last.

A couple of great shifts answer the growing momentum the Leafs had built, and eventually, it’s David Krejci who scores the empty-net goal.

This one is over.

Third period, 15:11, Bruins 4-2: The Bruins are just trying to survive the third period at this point.

Tuukka Rask is standing on his head, as the B’s are no doubt counting down the minutes and seconds until this one is over.

Third period, 9:58, Bruins 4-2: We’re going to play some 4-on-4 hockey after things get a little chippy in front of the benches.

James van Riemsdyk gets his nose dirty (again), and then that leads to Brad Marchand and Phil Kessel getting into it. They get the penalties, as they’re sent off for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Third period, 8:42, Bruins 4-2: The third period has been played at a pretty furious pace, and we just went three or four minutes without a stoppage.

The Maple Leafs, to their credit, have been very good in the third period. They came out with a good jump, and that only intensified with Phil Kessel’s goal.

Now it’s on the Bruins to weather the storm. They can’t get too passive, though, and they must continue to come at Toronto. If they do, the two-goal lead should be enough, despite how much better the Leafs are playing.

Third period, 0:47, Bruins 4-2: The Bruins have done a good job of clearing rebounds all game long, until now.

Dennis Seidenberg wasn’t able to clear the rebound from a James van Riemsdyk shot, and Phil Kessel jumps all over it. Kessel buries the rebound to make things a little more interesting.

Third period, 0:10, Bruins 4-1: The third period is underway, with the Bruins looking to kill off Milan Lucic’s penalty.

Second period reaction: That’s another great period for the Bruins, who look much more like the B’s we saw in Game 1 than in Game 2.

Then again, so do the Maple Leafs. Toronto has been incredibly sloppy with the puck, and the breakouts and play in their own zone remain the issue. Both Jake Gardiner and Ryan O’Byrne had some major issues with the puck behind the goal line, and that was made worse by Jaromir Jagr. The Boston forward was able to steal the puck after the Toronto D-men fumbled around with it. Jagr was able to feed Rich Peverley who buried his chance. Then it was Phil Kessel who coughed it up later in the period, which led to Daniel Paille’s shorthanded goal.

End second period, Bruins 4-1: The second period is over, and the Bruins are in the driver’s seat with the three-goal lead.

Second period, 19:27, Bruins 4-1: There goes the Boston power play.

Milan Lucic was called for hooking, and the power play ends.

Second period, 18:04, Bruins 4-1: Now the Bruins can really put it away.

Nazem Kadri was called for boarding Dennis Seidenberg, and the Bruins go on the power play with hopes of increasing the lead to four before the period ends.

Second period, 16:37, Bruins 4-1: Phil Kessel just made a bad turnover, and Daniel Paille made him pay in the worst way.

Kessel turned it over at his own blue line on the power play, and Daniel Paille said “Thanks, Phil,” before scoring a shorthanded goal.

Boston has the 4-1 lead now.

Second period, 15:24, Bruins 3-1: The Bruins just got sloppy with a line change, and it costs them in the form of a penalty.

The Bruins were caught with too many men on the ice, and that means another power play for Toronto. Tyler Seguin will serve the penalty.

Second period, 14:35, Bruins 3-1: Just 50 seconds later, the Bruins respond.

Milan Lucic does a masterful job of setting up Nathan Horton, who just buried a shot under the crossbar to push the lead back to two.

 Second period, 13:45, Bruins 2-1: The first home postseason goal for the Maple Leafs since 2004 belongs to Jake Gardiner.

The young defenseman got the first Toronto goal of the game, a power-play tally, after Chris Kelly was unable to clear the puck. Gardiner beat Tuukka Rask with a wrist shot, thanks to a ton of bodies in front of the net.

Second period, 11:52, Bruins 2-0: It’s another power play for the Maple Leafs.

Tyler Seguin was just called for tripping, and Toronto has the man-advantage again.

Second period, 10:12, Bruins 2-0: The Bruins were not able to score on their shortened power play.

They’re starting to pick up the physical play at the other end, too. Just ask Joffrey Lupul, who was railroaded by Milan Lucic.

At some point, James Reimer’s inability to glove shots will come back to hurt the Leafs. He’s been giving up a ton of second chances on pucks he tries to gloves. He’s simply not catching them. It hasn’t caught up to him yet, but it will.

Second period, 7:45, Bruins 2-0: The Toronto power play ended just as quickly as it began.

Just 46 seconds into the man-advantage, Daniel Paille got loose for a potential breakaway, but he was eventually hooked by Tyler Bozak, who gets called for hooking. We’ll have 1:14 of 4-on-4 before an abbreviated Bruins power play.

Second period, 7:04, Bruins 2-0: The Maple Leafs have a chance to get back into it here.

David Krejci was just called for slashing, which means the Leafs are going on their second power play.

Second period, 5:57, Bruins 2-0: The Bruins didn’t get anything on the power play, but a couple of minutes later, the B’s get on the board.

Jaromir Jagr just did a tremendous job of forechecking, and that led to a horrible turnover from Ryan O’Byrne behind the Toronto net.

Jagr was quick to take advantage of that, stealing the puck away and centering it to Rich Peverley in front. Peverley one-timed it by James Reimer to give Boston a 2-0 lead.

Second period, 2:17, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins have done a good job of controlling the puck here in the second, and it pays off with a power play.

Ryan O’Byrne gets the interference call, and the Bruins have their first man-advantage of Game 3.

Second period, 0:20, Bruins 1-0: The second period is underway.

First period reaction: That was, all things considered, a real good first period for the Bruins.

The crowd was, as expected, pretty wild in the early going. The Bruins did a great job of weathering that to open the game and not let things get away from them. A lot of that stems from Tuukka Rask making a couple of big saves early in the period to keep Toronto off the board, which also allowed the B’s to eventually get going offensively. The transition has been much better in this one, and the Bruins are working the three zones much more efficiently in this game than in Game 2.

The Bruins have done another great job in the face-off circle. They won 10 of the 18 first-period draws, including one big one midway through the period. David Krejci’s clean win got the puck back to the point, where Adam McQuaid was able to put a shot on goal from the point, a shot that got by James Reimer sneaking in over his right shoulder.

We’d be remiss not to give any credit to the Boston third line. While they haven’t found the back of the net yet, they were much better in the first period than they were at any other point during Games 1 and 2. Rich Peverley and Chris Kelly are a combined 9-f0r-10 in the face-off dot, and Jaromir Jagr has been arguably the best player on the ice.

End first period, Bruins 1-0: The first period comes to an end, as the Bruins were able to kill off the penalty. Jaromir Jagr stepped out of the penalty box and went straight to work in the Toronto zone getting a couple of scoring chances for the B’s in the final second.

We’ll break it all down in a bit.

First period, 17:42, Bruins 1-0: It took almost 18 minutes, but we have our first penalty.

Jaromir Jagr is called for tripping, and the Bruins now have a huge penalty kill to make in order to take momentum to the room.

First period, 13:42, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins strike first.

Adam McQuaid just scored his first career playoff goal, and the Bruins have the early lead. David Krejci won a faceoff back to McQuaid at the right point, and the defenseman just put on net. There was plenty of traffic, and James Reimer might not have even seen the puck. It beat him over the right shoulder, and the B’s take the early lead.

 First period, 10:07, 0-0: The Bruins just got the best chance of the game so far, thanks to James Reimer. The Bruins couldn’t convert the best chance of the game so far, thanks to James Reimer.

The goalie tried to glove a shot from Brad Marchand, but couldn’t hold it, and the puck bounced toward the slot. Tyler Seguin pounced on it in the slot and forehand to backhand but was denied by Reimer from in close.

That has seem to given the Bruins a jump, though, after the Leafs brought it pretty strong for a few minutes after the first TV timeout.

First period, 6:11, 0-0: This game has featured a good pace in the early minutes, and it’s starting to get a little chippy, with Adam McQuaid and Zdeno Chara pushing and shoving with Colton Orr and company before the TV timeout.

The Bruins’ third line has been their best line in the early going, and that’s huge for the B’s. We talked earlier about how Jaromir Jagr and that line as a whole need to be better, and so far, they’ve answered the call there. Jagr had a chance from a bad angle to James Reimer’s left, but the Bruins winger couldn’t put it away.

First period, 0:08, 0-0: Game 3 is underway.

6:40 p.m.: And here are the Bruins’ line combinations and defensive pairings straight from the team’s Twitter page. There’s no change in the forward lines, and Andrew Ference returns in place of Dougie Hamilton on the blue line.

Milan Lucic — David Krejci — Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Tyler Seguin
Rich Peverley — Chris Kelly — Jaromir Jagr
Daniel Paille — Gregory Campbell — Shawn Thornton

Zdeno Chara — Dennis Seidenberg
Andrew Ference — Johnny Boychuk
Wade Redden — Adam McQuaid

6:37 p.m.: Here are the Maple Leafs’ line combinations, via James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail.

Joffrey Lupul– Tyler Bozak — Matt Frattin
Ryan Hamilton — Nazem Kadri — Phil Kessel
James van Riemsdyk  – Mikhail Grabovski – Nikolai Kulemin
Colton Orr — Jay McClement — Leo Komarov

6:30 p.m.: The two teams have taken the ice in Toronto for pregame warmups. We’ll have line combinations shortly.

6:15 p.m.: With everything that’s gone in the league since Saturday night’s game, it sure seems like it’s been forever since the Bruins and Maple Leafs last played.

You can get caught up with everything that’s going on around the league by checking out nesn.com/NHL.

3:05 p.m.: It’s tough to argue that the Jaromir Jagr trade was anything but beneficial for the Bruins, after the future Hall of Famer made his impact felt in coming to Boston.

However, the early production from Jagr has seemed to plateau a little bit down the stretch, and that’s carried into the playoffs. Jagr has yet to register a point in the series, is a minus-2 and has looked very sluggish at times. However, Bruins coach Claude Julien isn’t too afraid that Jagr won’t be able to bounce back.

“I think there are a lot of things that come into play here,” Julien explained after practice Sunday. “No. 1, he came, as you know, at the trade deadline, he missed the last couple of games, he’s never had the same linemates. To his defense, it’s important to have some cohesion with your linemates and stuff like that.”

Jagr has also been battling a pretty nasty case of the flu (or flu-like symptoms) as of late, and Julien says Jagr still isn’t back to full health; that could be playing a role in Jagr’s lack of production.

“It’s a little bit of, I don’t think he’s 100 percent yet, and I know he’s told us he doesn’t feel 100 percent yet, but certainly we hope to see that because he’s a good player.”

It would be a huge boost for the Bruins to get Jagr going. The third line that he skates on has yet to really give the Bruins anything, while the other three lines have been pretty solid through two games. If they can something (anything) out of the third line, it should be a big help. That will likely start with Jagr performing better, though.

2:15 p.m.: We’ve already talked about how crazy it’s going to be up in Toronto for Game 3, and so far, we’ve seen plenty that says the city of Toronto is ready to go.

Toronto mayor Rob Ford proclaimed Monday as “Blue and White Day,” calling on Torontonians to wear the colors of the Leafs.

A story in Monday’s edition of The Globe and Mail outlined the craziness going on in the city right now. According to the article, “poor seats” for Monday’s game are getting $300 on the secondardy market. You can read the entire story by clicking here.

12:50 p.m.: The Bruins and Maple Leafs have both wrapped up their respective morning skates, and we really don’t know much about what either team will do lineup-wise in Game 3.

The Bruins held an optional skate this morning, which was well-attended. Only Nathan Horton and Tuukka Rask opted not to skate in advance of Game 3 at Air Canada Centre.

Meanwhile, Toronto head coach Randy Carlyle said that he wasn’t going to reveal any details in regards to his lineup before the game begins. You would think, however, that there wouldn’t be too much change for Carlyle and the Leafs with the way they played in Game 2.

8 a.m. ET: They’ve been waiting for this in Toronto for almost an entire decade, and the Bruins will get to see firsthand what playoff hockey up there really means.

The B’s and Maple Leafs will meet Monday night in Game 3 of their first-round series in the Eastern Conference playoffs series. It will be When the puck drops at Air Canada Centre, it will mark the first playoff game in Toronto since 2004.

The home crowd will have plenty to cheer for, too. The hometown Leafs are coming home after evening the series with an impressive Game 2 victory, bouncing back from being torn apart in Game 1. The crowd was expected to be nuts even before Game 2, and now that the Maple Leafs are coming home with a win to their credit, the B’s have to be expecting a very hostile environment at the ACC.

“They have good crowds during the regular season and you expect to get ramped up during the playoffs,” Milan Lucic told reporters after practice Sunday in Boston. “They’re the center of the hockey world, so there’s definitely a lot to look forward to going into Toronto for Game 3 and 4.”

For the Bruins, it will be about getting back to what made them so successful in a decisive Game 1 win. Boston was sharp in the series opener at both ends of the ice, and they certainly took a step backward in the second game. Bruins coach Claude Julien knows that his team must be much better in Game 3 if they’re going to regain the series lead.

“I thought, overall, our game certainly wasn’t as sharp as it was in Game 1,” Julien said Sunday. “I think the mental part of our game, and again, you’ve heard me say that often, just has to be a little sharper in decision making. It was a physical game and I’m not going to criticize the effort, but the mistakes are what I think were the biggest difference, and they played well. We keep saying the same thing over and over; give them credit, they were a different team, they played well and we knew they were going to play better. We didn’t bring our A-game in [Game 2].”

Julien and the Bruins will get a little reinforcement for Game 3. Veteran defenseman Andrew Ference, who has 107 playoff games to his name, will be eligible to return to the lineup. He missed Game 2 after being suspended for an elbow in the series opener. His return should stabilize the defense pairs for the Bruins after they had to split up the top pairing of Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg. That should help Julien in his ongoing chess match with Toronto head coach Randy Carlyle, with the latter looking to avoid the potential top pairing of Chara and Seidenberg when putting his top lines out on the ice. The Leafs did a masterful job of that in Game 2, and that was one of the difference-makers.

Game 3 in Toronto is set to begin at 7 p.m.