Terry Francona might not have ended his time as Red Sox manager in storybook fashion, but he didn’t let that spoil his feelings toward his former team when he visited. Now, it’s a different story.

While speaking with the media before his first return to Fenway as an opposing manager, Tito spoke about his feelings coming back to the ballpark where he helped lead a team to two championships. Check out what he had to say in the above video or on NESN’s YouTube channel.

The Red Sox were arguably the best fielding team in baseball through April, but the Boston gloves have stiffened since. The Sox entered Wednesday night ranked ninth in the American League in fielding percentage (.985), errors (25) and double plays turned (39), raising the question of what manager John Farrell can do to reverse this trend.

Jose Iglesias‘ name has come up as someone who is known for his defensive prowess, especially now that he is being worked in at positions other than shortstop down in Pawtucket. The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham thinks Iglesias’ tools could certainly help the Red Sox in the field, but he feels that the 23-year-old still needs to improve his offensive game to merit a promotion.

To hear more from Abraham, check out the video above or visit NESN’s YouTube channel.

Base hits have been elusive for Red Sox leadoff man Jacoby Ellsbury in the last few games. After his first day off all season on Sunday in Minnesota, Ellsbury was back in the Sox lineup on Monday in his usual leadoff spot.

The center fielder grounded out to second base in all four of his appearances at the plate Monday, continuing a road trip that has seen his batting average drop from .257 to .241. On the Sox’ current road trip, Ellsbury’s average is a paltry .125.

Check out the video above to hear Jim Rice break down Ellsbury’s batting struggles, or check it out on NESN’s YouTube channel.

The Red Sox bullpen fell victim to the injury bug over the last few weeks, but it is on its way back to flourishing. Closer Andrew Bailey was activated off of the 15-day disabled list on Monday and Righty Jose De La Torres was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket.

Bailey is 1-0 on the season with five saves and a 1.46 ERA. He has 20 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings. The righty returns to the Sox’ bullpen for the first time since April 28, after being placed on the DL with biceps tendinitis.

Red Sox manager John Farrell doesn’t plan to throw Bailey right back into the fire, though. Check out the video above to  see how Farrell plans to use Bailey in the coming games, or watch on NESN’s YouTube channel.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See more from Abraham in the video above.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As someone who spent 19 years in the majors, Tim Wakefield knows that a 162-game season is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.

All teams experience patches of adversity throughout the season-long grind, and Wake says that it’s when things aren’t going to plan that you discover the true character of a team. The Red Sox are falling into their first funk of 2013, as they have lost five of their last six games after jumping out to one of the best starts in franchise history.

Check out Wakefield’s take on the Sox’ recent struggles, plus a look at newly promoted Jose De La Torre, in the video above.

Orlando Cepeda earned each of his 11 All-Star nods while playing in the National League, but the Hall of Famer also spent one season in Boston — and made baseball history in the process.

In 1973, the Red Sox signed the aging first baseman under the condition that he would only be expected to bat, making him Major League Baseball’s first full-time designated hitter. That was 40 years ago, and Cepeda returned to Fenway Park on Wendesday to commemorate the occasion.

Check out his pregame interview with Peter Gammons in the video above.

The Red Sox bullpen seemed to be in pretty good shape so far this season, until closers Andrew Bailey and Joel Hanrahan were both placed on the disabled list.

Right-hander Junichi Tazawa will close games until either Bailey or Hanrahan is healthy enough to return, but the shakeup in the back of the bullpen has had an effect on the starting rotation as well. Fourth starter Felix Doubront has experience as a reliever, and he was moved to the bullpen on Tuesday.

Allen Webster will get the start Wednesday in place of Doubront, and if he does well, the young righty has the opportunity to change the Red Sox’ conversation about sending him back down to Triple-A Pawtucket.

To hear what Webster will have to do to solidify his spot with the Red Sox, check out the video above.

Thumbnail photo via Facebook/Pawtucket Red Sox

Red Sox hurler Clay Buchholz has the best ERA in Major League Baseball based on his own ability, but some bitter Toronto broadcasters accused Buchholz of doctoring the baseball during his start against the Blue Jays last week.

Monday night against the Twins is Buchholz’s first start for the Sox since the start against Toronto, and manager John Farrell has said Buchholz has nothing to hide. Rob Bradford joined the set of Red Sox Gameday LIVE to give his take on why the accusations won’t affect Buchholz’s play.

Check out the video above to hear what Bradford had to say.

Andrew Bailey will finally see what’s wrong with his sore biceps on Monday morning when he goes in for an MRI.

The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham said on Red Sox Gameday Live that the test is mostly for Bailey’s peace of mind so he knows what he’s dealing with. Acquiring Joel Hanrahan has looked to be a smart decision so far this season, as has keeping Bailey despite trading for the former Pirates closer.

Both players have experienced injury issues, but the team has been able to juggle their closers effectively. The key is to get both players healthy so Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa can limit their innings.

Watch the video above to hear Abraham and NESN’s Tom Caron discuss the Red Sox’ closer situation.

Patrick House has lost 215 pounds in three years and has committed his life to staying active and fit. Last month he finished his third Boston Marathon, and on Saturday he took part in another run close to his heart.

The 4th annual Run/Walk to Home Base event raises money and awareness for clinical care and support services for more than 500 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families. The Season 10 Biggest Loser participant ran in the event to honor a friend in the Marine Corps who died just before House ran his first Boston Marathon. House said participating in the run and supporting the cause was “awesome.”

Hear what else House had to say in the video above.

Mike Napoli isn’t the only former Texas Ranger to make the move up to Boston this season. Reliever Koji Uehara also called Arlington home last year, and the 38-year-old right-hander has made quite the impression on Red Sox fans during his short tenure with the team.

Through his 13 appearances, Uehara holds a 1.54 ERA and has struck out 14 over 11 2/3 innings. He’s also become known for his boundless enthusiasm, as he is often seen high-fiving everyone in the Red Sox dugout after coming off the mound.

Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy broke down what has made Uehara so effective during Red Sox GameDay LIVE on Friday. Check it out in the video above.