End 3rd, Indians 4-3:

Ortiz absolutely unleashed on a pitch on the inner half of the plate, and drove a three-run blast into the right-field seats to get the Red Sox back in this game.

Mid 3rd, Indians 4-0: Ryan Dempster is laboring through another start.

Dempster, who entered the game on the heels of back-to-back subpar outings, gave up three more runs in the third inning, and the Red Sox now trail 4-0. The right-hander’s pitch count is up to 85.

Dempster struck out Jason Kipnis for the first out, but things unraveled after that. Asdrubal Cabrera singled into center field, and Dempster then issued back-to-back walks to Michael Brantley and Asdrubal Cabrera.

Mark Reynolds made Dempster pay for his control issues. Reynolds lined a two-run single into left-center field, which immediately drew a mound visit and got action stirring in the Boston bullpen.

The Indians weren’t done. Dempster issued his third walk of the inning — and fourth of the game — to Yan Gomes, which reloaded the bases for Mike Aviles. Aviles hit a grounder to short that Stephen Drew fielded cleanly and tried to turn into a double play, but it wasn’t hit hard enough, and Aviles beat out Dustin Pedroia’s throw at first. The forceout plated Cleveland’s fourth run.

Dempster struck out Drew Stubbs to avoid any additional damage, but it was a very bad inning overall for the Red Sox. Clayton Mortensen is warming up in the bullpen, so we’ll see how long Dempster lasts in this one.

The good news for Boston fans? The Bruins scored two goals in New York while all of this happened at Fenway.

End 2nd, Indians 1-0: The Red Sox left what could have been their first run 90 feet away in the second inning.

Mike Napoli got things going with a base hit through the left side of the infield, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia worked a walk to generate a nice scoring chance with no outs. The Red Sox, who have had trouble at times this season getting timely hits, faltered from there.

Will Middlebrooks struck out looking for the first out. He showed some fight after falling behind in the count 0-2, but Zach McAllister got him looking with a fastball on — or off, depending on who you ask — the outside corner. Middlebrooks wasn’t a fan of the call, and he might have a point, as it looked a bit outside. Still, with two strikes, it’s a pitch you’ve got to try and at least foul off.

Stephen Drew flied out to center field for the second out, although his out was somewhat productive. Napoli moved to third base on the play, setting up runners at the corners with two down. Napoli scored on a passed ball on Wednesday, so you never know what can happen when you get a runner 90 feet away from home plate.

The Red Sox didn’t have any two-out magic in them. Mike Carp grounded to shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, who made the play and took a few steps toward second base before firing to first for the sure out.

Mid 2nd, Indians 1-0: Now that the Terry Francona festivities are out of the way, the Red Sox need to settle down and play some baseball.

The Indians jumped out to a 1-0 in the second inning, shortly after Francona’s video tribute/standing ovation.

Carlos Santana got the inning started with a surprising bunt. The ball rolled right along the third-base line, and it eventually came to a stop in fair territory, allowing Santana to reach.

Mark Reynolds then walked to increase the threat a little bit more, although it looked like Ryan Dempster was on the verge of pitching his way out of it. Dempster struck out Yan Gomes and retired Mike Aviles on a flyout to right field before trouble started back up.

The Tribe got on the scoreboard when Drew Stubbs hit a blooper down the right-field line. Dustin Pedroia and Mike Napoli raced out, while Daniel Nava charged in. Pedroia eventually went into a dive, and the ball ricocheted off him. Stubbs wound up on second base, Reynolds advanced to third and Santana scored the game’s first run.

Michael Bourn, who struck out on three pitches in his first at-bat, put up a good battle against Dempster with two runners in scoring position. But the right-hander escaped any further damage by getting the speedy leadoff man to ground out to first base.

7:32 p.m.: Terry Francona just received a standing ovation as a video montage played on the Fenway Park big screen. It ended with a message thanking Tito — an “old friend.” Francona responded by touching his heart and acknowledging the Fenway Faithful.

End 1st, 0-0:  Daniel Nava was thinking three bases out of the box after driving a ball into the right-center field gap. He wisely tossed on the brakes, though.

Jacoby Ellsbury struck out to begin the bottom of the first. Ellsbury was retired in his first at-bat on Wednesday night, but he reached the next four times he came up. Let’s see if he can enjoy a similar turnaround in this game.

Nava then doubled into right-center field. He took a big turn around second base, but he thought better of the situation and retreated to the bag.

The Red Sox couldn’t cash in on the one-out double. Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz both popped out to second baseman Jason Kipnis to end the inning.

Mid 1st, 0-0: The first inning started off in impressive fashion for the Red Sox. It ended with a sigh of relief.

Ryan Dempster got the game going by making quick work of Indians leadoff hitter Michael Bourn. Dempster went with a couple of offspeed offerings before sitting Bourn down with a fastball on the third pitch of the at-bat.

Jason Kipnis made a little bit of noise for Cleveland with a single into center field, but Dempster bounced back to retire both Asdrubal Cabrera and Michael Brantley via a pair flyouts.

Brantley’s fly ball to left field seemed to cause a little bit of confusion for Mike Carp, though. Carp and Jacoby Ellsbury both converged on the edge of the warning track, and the ball almost dropped in before Carp stuck his glove out and made a lunging catch.

It was a very strange play to end the inning. Carp is making just his seventh start in left field this season.

7:12 p.m.: Michael Bourn takes a cut, but comes up empty on Ryan Dempster’s first pitch. We’re off and running at Fenway.

7:10 p.m.: Unfortunately, Terry Francona didn’t bring the Indians’ lineup card out of the dugout. Instead, it was bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. who did the honors.

Hold your applause for now, Red Sox fans.

7:05 p.m.: We’ve got overcast conditions at Fenway Park. Hopefully, Mother Nature doesn’t start acting up.

6:40 p.m.: Terry Francona has undoubtedly thought about his Fenway return, but the Indians manager also sounds like a guy who’s more focused on his current job than anything.

“I’m sure I’ll have a lot of emotions,” Francona told reporters on Wednesday. “The one thing I want to remind myself — and I have — is that this game is tough enough to play and I don’t want our guys having extra baggage during that series. I need to be very cognizant of that, that whatever feelings I’m having, I’ll deal with ‘em.

“It’s hard enough to play this game.”

There seems to be a similar sentiment kicking around the Red Sox’ clubhouse. Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz — who are as close to Francona as anyone else on the Red Sox — each said their focus is on their own team.

The downplaying of this series is for a number of reasons — the most obvious being each team’s ongoing success. Neither team can afford to get caught up in the emotions of Francona’s return because it could make life more difficult when the games start up.

Also, this isn’t exactly Francona’s first time back at Fenway. It’s simply his first time coming back as a member of the opposition. It’s still pretty special, but the focus really needs to be on these four baseball games.

6:20 p.m.: Keep in mind, folks, that the Bruins will be trying to close out the Rangers in New York on Thursday. You may or may not be a hockey fan, but if you’re interested in keeping tabs on that playoff game, be sure to check out NESN.com’s live blog at the link below.

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

4:57 p.m.: Terry Francona’s return is obviously the most talked about, but there are a number of other former members of the Red Sox organization dropping by the friendly confines this week.

Matt Albers, Justin Masterson, Rich Hill, Mike Aviles, Kevin Cash and Brad Mills are all with the Tribe these days.

3:50 p.m.: Daniel Nava will slide up into the two-hole with Shane Victorino still sidelined and a right-hander on the hill. Mike Carp will get the start in left field and bat ninth.

The rest of Thursday’s lineups are below.

Red Sox (28-19)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Daniel Nava, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Stephen Drew, SS
Mike Carp, LF

Ryan Dempster, RHP (2-4, 4.27 ERA)

Indians (26-19)
Michael Bourn, CF
Jason Kipnis, 2B
Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
Michael Brantley, LF
Carlos Santana, 1B
Mark Reynolds, DH
Yan Gomes, C
Mike Aviles, 3B
Drew Stubbs, RF

Zach McAllister, RHP (3-3, 2.65 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: Many Red Sox fans have had this date circled on their calendar. Old friend Terry Francona is set to return to Boston as manager of the Cleveland Indians.

Francona, who helped guide the Red Sox to two World Series titles during his eight years as Boston’s manager, didn’t leave town in the most ideal way, but many Bostonians undoubtedly have a soft spot for Tito. And how could they not? Francona not only helped break an 86-year-old curse, but he also was, by all accounts, one of the most likable guys around.

Many current Red Sox players played for Francona, but you can bet the lovefest will be short-lived, mainly because it has to be. The Indians enter Thursday’s series opener atop the American League Central with a 26-19 record, and they’re a far better team than they were when the Red Sox swept them in Cleveland back on April 16-18.

Ryan Dempster will get the start for Boston on Thursday. He’s still looking for his third win of the season, and he’ll go up against Zach McAllister on Thursday.

The first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Be sure to tune in on NESN, and keep it right here with NESN.com’s live blog.

Masterson was traded from Boston to Cleveland, along with Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price, in exchange for Victor Martinez just before the trade deadline in 2009. Martinez played well during his season and a half in Boston, but he signed with the Tigers as a free agent before the 2011 season, and Masterson is currently evolving into one of baseball’s brightest young pitchers.

Ben Cherington wasn’t the Red Sox’ general manager at the time of the 2009 trade that sent Masterson packing, but he said during a radio appearance on WEEI’s Dennis and Callahan on Thursday that he would have made the same trade that then-GM Theo Epstein made. The Red Sox needed some offensive firepower that year, and they were a bit unsure as to what the future held for Masterson, who pitched as both a starter and a reliever in Boston.

“We didn’t see him performing quite like this as a starter. We thought, at the time, he would be a good major league starter or a really good reliever, and he’s probably exceeded that in a starting role,” Cherington said. “I don’t think we should be too surprised by it, though. This is a pretty impressive young man. Masterson, going back to the draft, he stood out in the draft as the top makeup on the board that year. Even though he does it in sort of an unconventional way, it’s a combination of his physical size, strength and stuff with his drive and makeup to succeed that separated him.

“We were able to get him at a spot in the draft — a lot of good work by Dan Matson, one of our scouts that year to get him — but fast forward, and if I’m in Theo’s shoes at the time, I would have done the same thing. The deal made a lot of sense at the time. We were trying to get into the playoffs, and Victor Martinez certainly helped to get us into the playoffs. We needed that bat in the middle of the lineup at a key position. He helped us for the time he was here. But not surprised at all that Justin is having success, but yeah, he’s probably exceeded our expectations.”

Masterson has had some ups and downs since joining the Indians, but he’s been very effective this season. The right-hander enters the Indians’ four-game series against the Red Sox with a 7-2 record and 2.83 ERA in 10 starts.

Martinez is no longer contributing in Boston, but he hit .336 in 56 games down the stretch in ’09 and hit .302 with 20 home runs and 79 RBIs in 127 games in 2010, so it’s hard to fault the Red Sox too much for their gamble.

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

We’ve seen many pitchers make the jump from Japan to Major League Baseball in recent years. That includes Yu Darvish, who has evolved into an ace since signing with the Rangers before last season. The next big thing to come from the East could be Masahiro Tanaka.

According to The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo, the Red Sox are among the teams closely watching Tanaka, who is currently playing for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Japan Pacific League. The Rangers, Yankees and Athletics are also reportedly interested in the 24-year-old.

Tanaka is not a completely new name among baseball enthusiasts, but CBSSports.com’s Danny Knobler reported last week that the right-hander could be made available via the Japanese posting system next winter.

Tanaka is 7-0 with a 1.92 ERA in eight starts with the Golden Eagles this season, and he owns an 82-35 record with a 2.47 ERA in 155 career appearances (153 starts). Knobler reports, however, that whichever major league team signs Tanaka – assuming he arrives in the majors at some point – will be forced to decide whether he’s a starter or a closer.

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

Photo via Wikipedia Commons/Masahiro Tanaka

According to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Red Sox have signed left-handed reliever Rafael Perez to a minor league contract.

MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reported earlier in the day on Thursday that Perez was in Boston, but that a deal was not yet official, and FOX Sports’ Jon Morosi also tweeted that Perez was in Boston.

It’s interesting that Perez’s reported signing comes with the Indians in town. The 31-year-old spent the last seven seasons with the Tribe before signing with the Twins as a free agent during the offseason. Perez was released by Minnesota last week.

Perez, who is coming off shoulder surgery, appeared in just eight games in 2012, compiling a 3.52 ERA over 7 2/3 innings. The lefty has appeared in 70 or more games in three separate seasons, though, including 2008, 2010 and 2011.

Perez went 5-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 71 appearances (63 innings) in 2011. He owns a career 3.64 ERA and 1.328 WHIP.

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

Ellsbury went 2-for-3 with two singles, two walks and a run scored in the Red Sox’ 6-2 win over the White Sox on Wednesday. It was Ellsbury’s first multi-hit game since May 4, and the very encouraging performance couldn’t come at a better time for the 29-year-old, who is clinging to his job as Boston’s leadoff hitter.

John Farrell said before Wednesday’s game that Ellsbury will remain the Red Sox’ leadoff hitter for the time being, but he also didn’t rule out eventually making a lineup change if the outfielder continues to struggle. Ellsbury entered Wednesday’s game hitting .185 with a .267 on-base percentage in 19 May games, lowering his season average and on-base percentage to .242 and .307, respectively. Those aren’t numbers you want to see if you’re a manager, especially when they’re attached to your leadoff hitter, who also happens to be a former MVP runner-up.

Wednesday’s effort won’t silence the debate about whether Farrell should consider moving Ellsbury down in the order, but it will at least turn the volume down a few notches.

Ellsbury started his night off with a ground ball back to the mound that Hector Santiago knocked down with his bare hand before firing to first base for the out. That marked the last time Ellsbury was retired by White Sox pitching.

Ellsbury singled in the second inning, walked on four pitches in the fifth inning, singled on the first pitch he saw in the seventh inning and walked again in the ninth inning. In fact, Ellsbury saved the best for last, as his ninth-inning walk off Nate Jones was his best at-bat of the evening.

Jones fell behind Ellsbury 2-0 before battling back to even the count. Ellsbury laid off a 98-mph fastball to run the count full, though, and he then fouled off four straight pitches before earning a free pass on the 10th pitch of the at-bat. The Red Sox already had a 4-1 lead at the time, so the walk’s overall importance as it pertains to Boston’s win is minimal, but it was encouraging to see the struggling free-agent-to-be make a pitcher work and kick off a rally that resulted in two more insurance runs.

Ellsbury needs to string together similar at-bats and performances to stay atop the lineup. You’ve got to start somewhere, though, so maybe Wednesday can send Ellsbury down the right path.

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

The Red Sox started off their nine-game trip by winning five of their first six games, including three straight against the Twins in Minnesota. Things were really starting to click, and it looked like the Sox were well on their way to regaining their early-season form, which had them firmly entrenched among baseball’s best. Chicago wasn’t as kind, though. The Red Sox’ back-to-back losses in the Windy City created questions about the offense, and another identity crisis slowly crept in.

For as much success — and somewhat surprising success, at that — the Red Sox have had this season, they’re still a team that’s difficult to put a finger on. A sweep at the hands of the sub .500-White Sox would have made it even more difficult, especially since it would have come at the tail end of an otherwise awesome road trip.

Fortunately for the Red Sox, they won’t return to Fenway Park looking to pick up the pieces following a road trip that went off the tracks. Clay Buchholz fought his way through seven solid innings, and the Red Sox slapped a bow on their road trip with 6-2 win. The return home now involves trying to build momentum, rather than trying to turn things around.

In that sense, Wednesday’s victory was a big one. Making it even bigger, however, was how the Red Sox managed to emerge victorious.

Buchholz, who gave up one run on five hits in seven innings, wasn’t his best. He matched his season-low strikeout total with four, and he had to labor through some at-bats. The right-hander tossed 113 pitches, and the White Sox got the leadoff man on in five of Buchholz’s seven innings. That ability to generate baserunners early on in innings meant Buchholz frequently had to pitch out of the stretch, which is something that inherently makes it more difficult to establish any sort of rhythm.

But even though Buchholz’s outing wasn’t rhythmic in the traditional sense, he still kept buckling down and keeping the White Sox off the scoreboard. Chicago’s offense certainly deserves some criticism for not coming up with timely hits, but the seven innings of one-run ball were also a testament to Buchholz’s poise. And after three failed attempts at win No. 7 for the righty, a hard-fought victory to improve to 7-0 is just as encouraging as a gem.

The positives of Wednesday’s win extend beyond the mound, though. The Red Sox’ offense had its bright spots, and the defense had a couple of highlights as well.

Jacoby Ellsbury, who has taken a tremendous amount of heat recently, reached base four times via two singles and two walks. It was the type of performance a team expects out of its leadoff hitter, and it should, at least temporarily, calm the debate about whether John Farrell should move Ellsbury down in the order.

Mike Napoli also reached base safely four times. David Ortiz had two hits, including a two-run single in the first inning. Daniel Nava bounced back from two shaky at-bats early on to smack a two-run single of his own in the ninth inning.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who was initially putting together a poor night at the plate, made his presence felt by throwing out two would-be base-stealers. Before Wednesday’s game, Salty had only thrown out one attempted base-stealer all season (1-for-19, 5. 3 percent).

Wednesday’s victory wasn’t all that pretty, but the end result was exactly what the Red Sox needed. The same can be said for the road trip, which would have looked a lot less impressive if Buchholz and the Red Sox didn’t stop the bleeding in Chicago.

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

Final, Red Sox 6-2: 

Clay Buchholz was solid once again, and he finally picks up his seventh win of the season after three straight no-decisions. Buchholz allowed one run on five hits in seven innings of work. He matched his season-low with just four strikeouts, but he grinded his way through the outing, and the Red Sox are now back on a winning path.

Buchholz becomes the first Red Sox pitcher since Josh Beckett in 2007 to begin a season with a 7-0 record. The right-hander lowered his ERA to 1.73.

Jacoby Ellsbury, who has taken some heat recently, reached base four times and scored a run out of the leadoff spot. Mike Napoli (three walks and a single) also reached base four times.

Boston finishes off its nine-game road trip with a 6-3 record, and the Red Sox will now return to Fenway Park for a six-game homestand, which begins with four games against Terry Francona’s Indians. Ryan Dempster will start Thursday’s series opener, which is scheduled to kick off at 7:10 p.m.

Good night, everyone.

Mid 9th, Red Sox 6-1: The Red Sox added to their run total for the second straight inning, and Andrew Bailey will pitch the bottom of the ninth with a pretty comfortable cushion.

David Ortiz greeted the new pitcher, Donnie Veal, with a sinking line drive to center field. Ortiz made solid contact, but Alejandro De Aza charged in to make a nice snag off his shoe tops.

De Aza’s grab gave the White Sox two outs in the ninth, but Veal couldn’t finish off the escape. Mike Napoli walked for the third time to load the bases, and Daniel Nava ripped a two-run single into left field. Napoli has reached base safely four times in this game, and Nava has turned his night around after a couple of shaky at-bats early on.

Bailey, who was activated off the disabled list on Monday, will pitch for the first time since April 28.

11:08 p.m., Red Sox 4-1: The White Sox will make a pitching change, as the Red Sox have put two runners on in the ninth inning.

Jacoby Ellsbury put together a great at-bat against Nate Jones to lead off the inning, and he ended it by walking on the 10th pitch.

Jonny Gomes then singled into right field, and Dustin Pedroia struck out. White Sox manager Robin Ventura will turn to left-hander Donnie Veal with the left-handed hitting David Ortiz coming up.

End 8th, Red Sox 4-1: Koji Uehara did what he does more often than not. He got the job done, and then returned to the Red Sox’ dugout with plenty of enthusiasm.

Uehara struck out both Tyler Flowers and Alejandro De Aza in the eighth inning. He got Flowers looking on a fastball, and he got De Aza to chase a splitter.

Uehara, who always brings plenty of energy, dished out a number of high fives upon returning to the dugout. It looked like Shane Victorino wasn’t quite ready, though, as Uehara caught him off guard with a high-five bid.

Click here to see Uehara’s funny high-five smack >>

Mid 8th, Red Sox 4-1: The Red Sox’ bullpen will go to work with a little more breathing room, as the offense pushed across two runs in the eighth inning.

Brian Omogrosso, who pitched the seventh inning for Chicago, started the eighth inning, but he quickly found himself in a whole bunch of trouble. Dustin Pedroia flied out to left field to begin the frame, but David Ortiz and Mike Napoli followed up with back-to-back singles. Omogrosso then walked Daniel Nava, which loaded the bases and forced the White Sox to make a pitching change.

Nate Jones took over for Omogrosso, and he fell behind Will Middlebrooks 2-0. With the count at 2-1, Jones tried to go away to Middlebrooks, but the powerful third baseman drove a deep fly ball to the opposite field. It brought home Ortiz, and sent Napoli from second base to third base, which proved to be big.

Stephen Drew walked with two outs to reload the bases, and with Jarrod Saltalamacchia at the plate, a pitch got away from catcher Tyler Flowers. That allowed Napoli to race home with Boston’s fourth run.

Saltalamacchia eventually struck out to end the inning. He fouled a pitch off himself during the at-bat and limped back to the dugout after striking out, so that might be something to keep an eye on.

End 7th, Red Sox 2-1: Clay Buchholz is getting some hugs in the Red Sox’ dugout, so it appears his night is over.

Buchholz ended his evening by retiring the White Sox in order in the seventh inning. Dayan Viciedo struck out swinging, Conor Gillaspie flied out to left field and Jeff Keppinger flied out to right field.

Buchholz threw 113 pitches (71 strikes) over seven innings. He gave up one run on five hits, while striking out four and walking three. White Sox hitters took Buchholz deep into some counts, particularly early on, but the right-hander kept plugging along, and it’s hard to complain about the overall result.

Koji Uehara has been warming up, so he’ll likely take over when the White Sox come to bat in the eighth inning.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 2-1: Jarrod Saltalamacchia carried some momentum over to his at-bat in the seventh inning, as he picked up his first hit of the game. The White Sox’ new pitcher, Brian Omogrosso, still managed to keep the Red Sox off the scoreboard, though.

Omogrosso got two quick outs, although both came in rather interesting fashion. Will Middlebrooks drilled a deep fly ball to the warning track that Alejandro De Aza flagged down on the run, and Stephen Drew was retired on a strange play by shortstop Alexei Ramirez. Ramirez turned his body in a number of different directions before catching a popup that sent him tumbling to the outfield grass.

Saltalamacchia’s two-out single was nearly caught by De Aza in center field, but it popped out of his glove. Jacoby Ellsbury extended the inning even further by singling, but Jonny Gomes grounded out to end the threat.

Ellsbury has reached base safely three times in this game. He has two singles and a walk.

End 6th, Red Sox 2-1: Jarrod Saltalamacchia is having a tough night at the dish, but he’s having a great night behind it.

Saltalamacchia has struck out twice, but he’s making an impact on the defensive side of things. Salty has thrown out two would-be base stealers, including Alex Rios in the sixth inning.

Rios started the inning with a single past a diving Dustin Pedroia and into center field. Clay Buchholz bounced back to retire Adam Dunn on a high popout in shallow center field and Paul Konerko on a deep flyout to left. Rios took off with Dayan Viciedo batting, and Saltalmacchia delivered a throw right on the money.

Saltalamacchia has had a hard time throwing out runners this season, but he’s turning in a great effort in this one. Entering the game, Saltalamacchia had only thrown out one runner — 1-for-19, 5.3 percent — all year.

Making Salty’s throw in the sixth inning even more important is that it limited Buchholz’s workload. Buchholz is up to 104 pitches in this game, and no one is warming up in the Boston bullpen yet.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 2-1: Hector Santiago has given the White Sox exactly what they needed.

Chicago trails in this game, but Santiago, who started on three days’ rest in place of Chris Sale (shoulder tendinitis), has given the White Sox six solid innings and a chance to win.

Santiago retired the Red Sox in order in the sixth inning. David Ortiz flied out to center field, Mike Napoli struck out swinging and Daniel Nava popped out in foul territory along the first-base line.

End 5th, Red Sox 2-1: Clay Buchholz hasn’t generated a whole lot of momentum, and he has really had to work to record outs. But to his credit, he has gotten the job done thus far.

Jeff Keppinger led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a slow grounder to third. Will Middlebrooks charged in and decided to play it with this bare hand. He made the play, but his throw to first base was off the mark, allowing Keppinger to reach.

The play was ruled a hit, but one could certainly make the case that Middlebrooks should have been charged with an error. If he delivered a good throw, Keppinger likely would have been out. At the very least, it would have been a close play.

Buchholz battled back to strike out Tyler Flowers looking, and he nearly got Alejandro De Aza to ground into an inning-ending double play. De Aza runs very well, though, and he was able to beat out Stephen Drew’s throw at first base.

Alexei Ramirez got a very good piece of one with two outs, but Jacoby Ellsbury flashed some leather. Ellsbury ran back toward the center-field wall and made a sweet running catch to end the inning.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 2-1: Hector Santiago has done a pretty good job of settling down after a rocky first inning.

Santiago walked Jacoby Ellsbury to begin the fifth inning, but the lefty bounced back to induce a 5-4-3 double play with Jonny Gomes batting. The inning ended when Dustin Pedroia popped out to Paul Konerko in foul territory along the first-base line.

Santiago is up to 94 pitches through five innings.

End 4th, Red Sox 2-1: Paul Konerko led off the fourth inning with a hit, but the White Sox couldn’t use it as springboard toward better things.

Dayan Viciedo grounded to short after Konerko’s single, and the Red Sox again had a hard time spinning a double play. Stephen Drew threw what looked like a knuckleball to Dustin Pedroia, and it ruined any chance Boston had of completing the twin killing.

But if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Connor Gillaspie grounded to second with one out, and Pedroia started up a successful inning-ending double play.

Hector Santiago, who struck out the side last inning, will stay in the game to pitch the fifth inning.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 2-1: Hector Santiago was very impressive in the fourth inning.

Santiago struck out Will Middlebrooks, Stephen Drew and Jarrod Saltalamacchia in order. All three hitters went down hacking, and Santiago, who has thrown 83 pitches, now has eight strikeouts.

Middlebrooks and Drew both struck out on fastballs, while Saltalamacchia fanned on a changeup.

End 3rd, Red Sox 2-1: A baserunning decision allowed the White Sox to cut the Red Sox’ lead in half in the third inning.

Tyler Flowers led off the inning with a little ground ball in the infield. Clay Buchholz initially looked like he was going to make the play, but he let it roll past him. Stephen Drew made a barehanded play, but he had no chance of throwing out Flowers at first base.

Alejandro De Aza followed up Flowers’ infield single with a sensational at-bat. Buchholz started the at-bat ahead in the count 1-2, but De Aza battled back to work a walk. De Aza fouled off three straight pitches and then laid off the last two pitches he saw in order to earn the nine-pitch free pass.

Alexei Ramirez almost let the Red Sox off the hook. He nearly grounded into a double play, but Stephen Drew’s throw to second base took Dustin Pedroia a little off the bag. Ramirez was able to beat out the throw at first base, which set up runners at the corners with one out.

Alex Rios got into a very hitter-friendly 3-0 count before Buchholz battled back. Buchholz got Rios to ground a 3-2 pitch to short, but the Red Sox were unable to turn a double play because Ramirez was off with the pitch. Drew instead had to settle for throwing out Rios at first base while Flowers scored Chicago’s first run.

Adam Dunn struck out swinging to end the inning.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 2-0: Hector Santiago is pitching on three days’ rest, and is making just his fifth start of the season, so it’ll be interesting to see how long the left-hander goes in this game.

Santiago, who had a rough first inning, issued two walks in the third inning, although the threat actually wasn’t that daunting because of a double play from David Ortiz.

Santiago tried to go away against Ortiz in the first inning and the slugger made him pay by dropping a two-run single into left field. He changed his approach against Ortiz in the third, and the Red Sox DH pulled a ground ball to the right side to start up a 4-6-3 double play.

Mike Napoli walked with two outs, giving him two walks for the game. Santiago bounced back to strike out Daniel Nava, who has now struck out twice against the lefty.

End 2nd, Red Sox 2-0: Clay Buchholz’s second inning was much smoother.

Buchholz still struggled to find a rhythm during the inning’s open at-bat. He went to a three-ball count against Dayan Viciedo before eventually getting him to ground out to short.

Stephen Drew made a nice play ranging in and to his right. He scooped Viciedo’s chopper on the back hand and fired a good, strong throw to first to record the out.

Buchholz then got Conor Gillaspie to fly out to left field. Jeff Keppinger, like Viciedo, grounded out to short to end the inning.

Mid 2nd, Red Sox 2-0: Jacoby Ellsbury has been taking a lot of heat, and is facing a tremendous amount of pressure. He took a step in the right direction in his second at-bat, though.

Ellsbury singled with two outs in the second inning. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, it didn’t lead to any additional damage on the scoreboard, but it’s still encouraging considering the ongoing debate about whether or not to move Ellsbury out of the leadoff spot.

Stephen Drew and Jarrod Saltalamacchia each struck out before Ellsbury’s hit, and Jonny Gomes ended the inning with a flyout to left field.

End 1st, Red Sox 2-0: Clay Buchholz struggled to find any sort of rhythm in the first inning. But he still managed to hold down the White Sox’ offense.

Alejandro De Aza led off the inning with a single into center field. Buchholz responded by giving De Aza, who stole 26 bases last season, a lot of attention over at first base, and it paid off. De Aza tried to steal second, but he got a terrible jump, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia was able to gun him down.

Buchholz still struggled to settle in after that, as he walked both Alexei Ramirez and Alex Rios, but he struck out Adam Dunn and retired Paul Konerko on a sharp line drive to left field to end the inning. Jonny Gomes made a nice sliding grab on Konerko’s lineout.

Buchholz threw 22 pitches in the frame, and only 10 were strikes.

Mid 1st, Red Sox 2-0: The Red Sox were no-hit until the seventh inning on Tuesday. They obviously have different plans for this game.

David Ortiz — the guy who broke up Jose Quintana’s bid for a no-hitter on Tuesday — dropped a bloop single into left field to give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

Jonny Gomes was hit by a pitch after Jacoby Ellsbury grounded back to the mound to kick things off. Dustin Pedroia then ensured Ortiz went to work with two runners in scoring position by doubling down the left-field line. Hector Santiago hung a 2-1 changeup, and Pedroia turned on it, drilling it down into the corner.

Ortiz’s two-run single wasn’t hard hit by any means. Santiago actually made a really good pitch down and out of the strike zone, but Ortiz poked it into left field to get the job done.

The Red Sox threatened to add more when Mike Napoli walked and Ortiz surprisingly swiped third base (no, seriously), but Santiago struck out both Daniel Nava and Will Middlebrooks to limit the first-inning damage.

8:11 p.m.: The first pitch to Jacoby Ellsbury is a strike, and we’re underway.

8:04 p.m.: Clay Buchholz still leads the American League in ERA with a 1.78 mark. Win No. 7 has been very elusive, though.

This is Buchholz’s fourth crack at winning his seventh game. If he succeeds in improving to 7-0, he’ll become the first Red Sox pitcher to start a season 7-0 since Josh Beckett in 2007.

7:45 p.m.: It’ll be interesting to see how long the Red Sox stick with Jacoby Ellsbury in the leadoff spot if he continues to struggle. It’ll be even more interesting to see who John Farrell inserts at the top of the order if he does eventually make a lineup change.

Farrell made his weekly appearance on WEEI on Wednesday, and he said that Ellsbury is still Boston’s leadoff man right now. He didn’t rule out a change, though, noting that the Red Sox moved Ellsbury out of the leadoff spot in the past. That came in 2009 when Terry Francona was still Boston’s manager, and Ellsbury responded by going on a tear and recapturing the job later that season.

In an ideal world, Ellsbury will play his way out of his current slump. If that doesn’t happen, though, I think the Red Sox really have no choice but to make a change.

Click here to read Farrell’s comments >>

5:25 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury is still leading off for the Red Sox. Take a look at Wednesday’s lineups below.

Red Sox (27-19)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Jonny Gomes, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Daniel Nava, RF
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Stephen Drew, SS
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C

Clay Buchholz, RHP (6-0, 1.78 ERA)

White Sox (21-23)
Alejandro De Aza, CF
Alexei Ramirez, SS
Alex Rios, RF
Adam Dunn, DH
Paul Konerko, 1B
Dayan Viciedo, LF
Conor Gillaspie, 3B
Jeff Keppinger, 2B
Tyler Flowers, C

Hector Santiago, LHP (1-2, 2.78 ERA)

8 a.m. ET: The Red Sox’ offense sputtered again on Tuesday, and Boston lost its second straight game against the White Sox. Clay Buchholz will now be asked to fend off a sweep while trying to end the Red Sox’ nine-game road trip on a positive note.

Boston is 5-3 on its current trip, but it’d be hard to get too fired up about the overall results if it ends with a three-game sweep in the Windy City. The Sox were riding high after taking care of business in Minnesota, but they haven’t been able to come up with timely hits in Chicago, and now they’re once again staring a mini skid in the face.

Buchholz will be making his fourth attempt at picking up win No. 7. He still owns a perfect 6-0 record, but he’s received a no-decision in each of his last three starts. Buchholz gave up two runs over seven innings in his last start against the Twins on Friday, but the Red Sox needed 10 innings to pick up a 3-2 victory. Buchholz will go up against Hector Santiago on Wednesday.

Wednesday’s game will kick off at 8:10 p.m. Be sure to tune in on NESN, and follow all of the action right here as well.

Jacoby Ellsbury

John Farrell said on WEEI’s Salk and Holley on Wednesday that Ellsbury will continue to lead off “for the immediate time, right now,” but the Red Sox skipper didn’t rule out making a change if the outfielder continues to struggle at the plate.

“I’m not going to say that that would be the case forever,” Farrell said of Ellsbury leading off. “But our goal is to get him going — it’s happened to him before where he was dropped down in the order to get his legs back underneath him and get him going. That has certainly not been ruled out. For now, he still remains in that leadoff spot.”

Ellsbury is hitting just .242 in 45 games this season, and his on-base percentage sits at .307. He’s been especially inconsistent in May, hitting .185 with a .267 on-base percentage in 19 games this month.

Since Ellsbury isn’t getting on base, there is a growing sense that Farrell could eventually make some lineup changes. Ellsbury was dropped down in the order back in 2009 when Terry Francona was Boston’s manager, and it sparked the outfielder, so perhaps a similar move could pay dividends this time around. A lot goes into such a decision, though.

“What I don’t want to do — and I mentioned this a number of times — I don’t want to go through a complete revamping, turning the lineup upside down and shifting two or three guys to the front of the order and replacing those guys in that six or seven slot area,” Farrell said. “Again, trying to get the highest on-base guys at the top of the order based on matchups as to how guys are going. Some people might point to Daniel Nava as a primary one- or two-hole hitter, but he’s done such a good job for us in that six-hole of driving in runs and hitting for power, plus getting on base. … It’s not just, ‘Hey, take this guy out of the slot and he becomes a different hitter just because we get him from the one-hole to the six- or seven-hole.’”

Farrell said that video shows Ellsbury has the same swing mechanics now that he had during his monster 2011 season. That seems to suggest that some thoughts — whether it be frustration or something else — could be creeping in. Farrell doesn’t think the struggles have anything to do with the 29-year-old’s looming free agency, though.

“There’s some inconsistency in timing, no doubt about it,” Farrell said. “It’s encouraging that last night, he gets on two times, one by a walk and one by a base hit up the middle. He’s working with [hitting coach] Greg Colbrunn, obviously — early work, extra BP. I don’t necessarily think … I know a lot of people are going to say ‘Well, he’s got pending free agency, and that’s the elephant in the room that’s weighing him down.’ I don’t get that sense. I think it’s human nature [to look at] what lies ahead. But Jake has always been a guy that, when adjustments are recommended, they take some time for him to incorporate, and we’re going through that right now.”

Ellsbury is slated to become a free agent after this season. He figures to be in line for a nice payday, but his stock is certainly dropping with each subpar plate appearance.

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

Jacoby Ellsbury

The Red Sox will have to decide whether or not Ellsbury fits into their long-term plans. They could ultimately decide to re-sign Ellsbury, but they haven’t yet engaged in talks with the outfielder’s agent, Scott Boras, regarding a possible contract extension, according to WEEI.com.

Ellsbury is slated to become a free agent after this season, and his free agency figures to be an interesting one. The 29-year-old is likely in line for a nice payday, but there has been plenty of debate about the type of player Ellsbury will be going forward. He had a huge 2011 season, finishing second in American League MVP voting, but he’s also battled injuries and periods of inconsistency throughout his career.

Many assume the Red Sox will move forward with Jackie Bradley Jr. as their center fielder after this season, but a lot could change over the next few months. Ellsbury is hitting .242 with one home run, 14 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 45 games this season.

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

Derek Lowe

Lowe cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Rangers, according to reports. Lowe can either accept the assignment to Triple-A Round Rock or he can choose to become a free agent.

Lowe could opt for free agency in the hopes of catching on with another major league team, but it’s unclear if any team would be willing to give him a big league opportunity. The right-hander struggled with the Rangers this season, and at 39 years old, he’s no spring chicken.

Lowe went 1-0 with a 9.00 ERA over 13 innings. All nine of his appearances with Texas came out of the bullpen, but he pitched as a starter as recently as 2012. Lowe went 8-10 with a 5.52 ERA in 21 starts for the Indians last season before Cleveland released him. He then signed with the Yankees and made 17 relief appearances, going 1-1 with a 3.04 ERA in 23 2/3 innings.

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

The Red Sox have followed up their 3-9 stretch with a five-game winning streak, which included a three-game sweep of the Twins in Minnesota. Suddenly, Boston looks like the team that started off the season among the American League’s elite, and that has put a stop to the brief hysteria that was starting to settle in throughout Red Sox Nation.

There are still questions, though — there always are. And it just so happens you fired some of those pressing questions in my direction this past week. Let’s take a look, shall we?

Are the Red Sox a playoff team?
– Kelsey Beauvais

Nice. Let’s kick off this mailbag with a question that’s straight and to the point. After all, isn’t a playoff berth — and eventually a World Series title, of course — all that really matters at the end of the day?

Well, Kelsey, if you asked me this question on April 1, I would have told you, “no.” (Check out somewhere within the Twitter feed, if you don’t believe me.) I thought the Red Sox would be a lot more competitive than many people expected, but I also thought the American League East was too deep for them to earn a playoff berth.

Let’s just say my tune has changed.

There were two reasons I thought the Red Sox would at least be competitive: Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz. And coincidentally, they’re the biggest reasons I now think the Red Sox are a playoff team. The tandem might not keep up its current pace, but it’s a two-headed monster that’s difficult for any opponent to deal with. If the rest of the rotation can be respectable, there’s no reason the Red Sox can’t be contenders come September and October.

I also think that the other teams in the AL East have some issues, which could ultimately help the Sox get into the postseason — whether it be via a divisional crown or a wild card berth.

The Yankees have battled through injuries, but you have to wonder if they’ll eventually falter, especially if the rotation doesn’t stay healthy. They were dealt a blow when Andy Pettitte went on the 15-day disabled list, and while that injury doesn’t appear serious, it really shows just how thin of a tightrope the Yankees are walking.

The Orioles’ offense has been potent, but I still think their rotation will lead to their demise. The Rays are dealing with a major issue when it comes to their ace, David Price, who has been placed on the disabled list after an awful start to the year. And the Blue Jays are an all-around train wreck.

The Red Sox, obviously, have some issues of their own, but I think they’re much more talented and much deeper than a lot of us gave them credit for before the season.

What is the status of Ryan Kalish? With Daniel Nava’s contributions, do they expect Kalish to still contribute with the Red Sox, or is he minor league-bound?
– Wesley Hoag

Ryan Kalish is somewhat of a forgotten character in the Red Sox’ mix right now, which is unfortunate, because I’ve always been a fan of Kalish’s game. I’d be very surprised, however, if he makes any major contributions at the big league level this season.

Kalish, who had offseason shoulder surgery, has been working down in Fort Myers — both physically and mentally, according to MassLive.com’s Evan Drellich. The hope is that he’ll be able to start swinging soon, and then at that point build up enough strength to start playing in games. All indications are that he’s progressing nicely, but the whole swing thing will be a huge step, as that’s where his injury was detected.

Perhaps if all goes well, Kalish can come back and be a nice outfield bench option when the rosters expand in September, but he’s most definitely minor league-bound when he’s first ready for game action. Kalish’s situation doesn’t have any impact whatsoever on Nava, who has been one of the Red Sox’ better players this season.

What is your opinion on Major League Baseball switching over to safer, softer baseballs — like children use? It would reduce injuries from players being hit with the ball. This would also make it far safer for spectators and enhance their experience at the ballpark. At the end of the day, it is just a game. No one should have to risk injury when it can be prevented. Looks to me like a no-brainer. Player safety “MUST” be made a priority. Sounds like progress to me.
– Anthony

Somebody get this guy a Shirley Temple.

Hey Rick, enjoy your stuff! Do you think it’s time to take Felix Doubront out of the starting rotation and make him the long reliever? Allen Webster needs a shot to start.
– John Lee, Colonie, N.Y.

Felix Doubront, in my opinion, is one of the most perplexing issues the Red Sox face right now. It’s not often that you see a pitcher’s velocity drop and his swing-and-miss ability essentially evaporate without any physical issues whatsoever, yet that’s the current situation with Doubront. John Farrell has said multiple times that the left-hander checks out fine physically despite a major decline in his overall stuff.

Doubront walked a tightrope last season because of his inefficiency and lack of command, but he survived more often than not. This season, that tightrope has become even thinner, and it seems like the Red Sox’ patience has as well.

For now, I think the Sox will continue to try to iron out the issues that are plaguing Doubront, who continuously racks up walks and teeters on the edge of disaster. But as I said in last week’s mailbag, I wouldn’t be shocked if Allen Webster ends up in the starting rotation by season’s end. If Webster pitched well in his second major league start on May 8, then we might not even be having this conversation, because the job could have been his. Webster’s rough outing essentially bought Doubront more time, and now it’s up to the lefty to show he still belongs in the Red Sox’ rotation.

If Doubront doesn’t right his ship, fails to find a rhythm, keeps walking an absurd amount and throws 15 million pitches through four innings each time out, then I agree that the Red Sox absolutely have to consider doing something. The difficult part is figuring out what that “something” is.

Doubront is out of options, meaning he’d have to pass through waivers in order to be assigned to the minors, so the long relief route that you suggest isn’t far-fetched. There aren’t many more true long relievers in the game today, but perhaps Doubront could assume some sort of role in the bullpen.

Is that ideal? No. But neither is Doubront’s performance thus far.

How come in every article — whether it’s written by you or Ian Browne — every time before John Farrell’s name you write “Red Sox manager?” Is this really necessary? Don’t you think everyone knows who John Farrell is by now?
– Jefferson, Worcester

You win, Jefferson. I’ll stop.

How’s Jose Iglesias doing in Triple-A?
– Taufiq Ramadhan

Short answer: not so hot.

Iglesias has struggled at the plate, and he was benched for three games recently for behavioral issues. PawSox manager Gary DiSarcina says he thinks Iglesias learned from the benching, but we’ll need to see how this whole thing plays out.

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

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.

Ellsbury, who received his first game off on Sunday, has been struggling at the dish of late, and manager John Farrell could soon find himself with a decision to make. Farrell said Saturday that he’s not ready to move Ellsbury out of the leadoff spot, but he also admitted that there are no absolutes.

If Farrell holds true to his word, it’d be the right approach. The Red Sox should see how Ellsbury handles the leadoff role upon returning from his off-day, and maybe even allow him to try and push through his struggles during the Red Sox’ six-game homestand that begins on Thursday. If Ellsbury is not on track by then, however, Farrell should consider making a change in order to ignite a spark in the free-agent-to-be.

Ideally, Ellsbury will figure things out. His speed is an asset regardless of where you put him in the lineup, but we’ve seen at times this season just how dangerous the top of the order can be when both Ellsbury and Shane Victorino are clicking. Ellsbury makes life extremely difficult for opposing pitchers once he gets on base, and Victorino’s ability to handle the bat against both lefties and righties maximizes Ellsbury’s baserunning potential.

Ellsbury’s havoc-wreaking ability, however, is contingent upon him getting on base, which is something that the speedy outfielder just isn’t doing at the moment. He put together a nice April, hitting .283 with 11 stolen bases, but he’s hitting just .189 in May, which has limited him to just two thefts. Ellsbury’s season average is down to .246, and his on-base percentage sits at .309, making him statistically one of the worst leadoff hitters in baseball through the first month and a half.

“There’s times where he’ll show good patience, he’ll work deep in the count, and the next at-bat may be a little bit overaggressive trying to make something happen. And it comes down to timing,” Farrell said. “We see him where he’s squaring up some balls, he gets on base and he’ll create some havoc. But the consistency to which he’s made himself known for is a little elusive right now. He’s a key part for us. We need him to, and we may need to work with him, to get him going every day. But his consistency has a huge effect and a huge impact on who we are offensively.”

If Farrell eventually moves Ellsbury down in the order, it wouldn’t be the first time the 2011 All-Star has been shifted out of his traditional leadoff spot. Former Red Sox manager Terry Francona moved Ellsbury down in 2009 — when Farrell was Boston’s pitching coach — after Ellsbury demonstrated some mediocre discipline. The result was Ellsbury drastically improving his plate presence and eventually recapturing his natural role.

The logic at the time of Francona’s move was that Dustin Pedroia and J.D. Drew gave the Red Sox a better 1-2 combination in terms of getting on base. Farrell might decide to take a similar approach this season and see if someone like Victorino or Daniel Nava is up to the challenge.

For now, the Red Sox will be patient, but Boston gets its first taste of interleague play in a National League ballpark on May 29. There’s no need to put a hard-and-fast date on a potential lineup change, but since interleague play lends itself to some lineup adjustments anyway, perhaps it’d be a good time to try and shake things up.

“We have to get him going, bottom line,” Farrell said. “There’s a human behind every name, and there’s a psyche you have to work with. That’s where stability and continuity has a purpose and a place.”

A lineup change may or may not help Ellsbury. But if he keeps struggling, it’s at least worth trying temporarily. The Red Sox’ offense is far more potent when Ellsbury is on top of his game, and therefore Farrell should exhaust all options when it comes to getting him on track.

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

Roberts rose to stardom with the then-World Wrestling Federation in the late 1980s and early 1990s. From his patented DDT finisher and snake named Damien to his strange promos, Roberts was one interesting character.

But, as is sometimes the case with professional wrestlers for whatever reason, Roberts’ life has gone off the tracks a bit in recent years. According to reports, he’s in the process of picking up the pieces, and apparently attending Braves games is part of that process.

Roberts was in attendance for the Braves’ game against the Dodgers at Turner Field on Saturday. He wasn’t there to just catch a ballgame, though. Instead, Roberts was there to do what he does best: entertain.

Check out Roberts’ interesting rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” in the video below.

Lavarnway is a player in flux. The Red Sox’ signing of veteran backup catcher David Ross to a two-year deal in the offseason meant that Lavarnway, once considered Boston’s backstop of the future, was looking at some more time in the minors despite spending the tail end of the 2012 season with the major league club. It was somewhat surprising considering Boston’s catching situation seemed to be all set — with Lavarnway backing up Jarrod Saltalamacchia — but the organization clearly wasn’t 100 percent sold on Lavarnway’s 46-game stint at the end of the Bobby Valentine era.

The Red Sox’ skepticism was warranted. Lavarnway is still developing defensively and has tremendous offensive upside, but he looked overwhelmed at the big league level. The Yale graduate hit just .157 and got on base at a .211 clip in 166 plate appearances last season, creating plenty of debate about how high his ceiling really is.

Lavarnway will turn 26 in August, and while he still has plenty of time to become an everyday catcher — or even a backup — at the major league level, he’s currently in the midst of a crucial time in his professional baseball career. Obviously 26 isn’t old, but given the wear and tear that catchers endure, he needs to begin proving he’s big league-ready.

Making an impact became more difficult for Lavarnway in the wake of Ross signing a two-year pact. Lavarnway has been playing well at Triple-A Pawtucket, hitting .313 with two home runs and 15 RBIs in 22 games, but it doesn’t quite have the same effect, especially since we’ve already seen him thrive in the minors. That’s what makes Lavarnway’s brief stints with the Red Sox this season so important.

Lavarnway was called up earlier this season when Alfredo Aceves was demoted because he was the best available bat in the minors, but the catcher never saw any game action. Lavarnway has already received two starts since being called up with Ross on the seven-day concussion disabled list, though, and while he’s only 1-for-7 at the plate, there have been some positives to take away.

Lavarnway put together a pretty good game on Saturday night in Minnesota, as he was certainly a factor in the Red Sox’ 12-5 win. Lavarnway finished 1-for-4, but his lone hit was an RBI single, he hit another ball hard right at Twins center fielder Aaron Hicks in the fourth inning and he tacked on an insurance run with a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning.

It was Lavarnway’s contributions in the field that stood out most on Saturday. He helped save a run in the third inning by blocking a splitter in the dirt from Ryan Dempster with Josh Willingham on third base. And later, he withstood a collision at home plate and hung onto the baseball to complete a double play and keep the Red Sox’ two-run lead intact.

To say that Saturday’s effort proves Lavarnway is a big league-caliber catcher would be a huge overstatement. He needs to consistently show efforts like that, however, in order to prove he is still Boston’s catcher of the future.

Lavarnway might not get a lot of chances in the majors this season, which only makes each opportunity that much more important.

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

Ortiz had a monster game as part of the Red Sox’ 12-5 win over the Twins on Saturday, and in the process, he effectively reassured us that his slow start to the month of May isn’t anything to be concerned about.

Ortiz went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs, a single, a walk and six RBIs on Saturday, marking the second straight game that the slugger reached base safely four times. Ortiz went 3-for-4 with a walk and an RBI in Friday’s series-opening victory in Minnesota, and his free pass came in the 10th inning of a tie ballgame.

It’s hard to believe that Ortiz, who suddenly looks locked in at the plate again, stumbled through an 0-for-17 stretch earlier this month. Ortiz finished April with a .500 average (18-for-36), but a 9-for-47 start to May dropped his average down to .325, and his on-base percentage went from .513 to .360. The drastic drop is due largely to the sample size becoming much greater, but it took until Friday — his 14th game of the month — to record his first multi-hit game of May. That was after finishing April with five multi-hit performances in the Red Sox’ final six games of the month. (So much for that whole April showers bringing May flowers thing.)

The slump appears to be long gone, though, and Saturday’s big game was exactly what the Red Sox needed. Ryan Dempster was very inefficient through his 4 2/3 innings. He surrendered five runs and labored through 127 pitches while yielding a season-high eight hits and six walks. Dempster was lucky that the Twins couldn’t capitalize on a few golden opportunities, but he was even luckier that Ortiz was spearheading an offensive attack that provided plenty of run support.

Despite Dempster’s struggles, the Red Sox never trailed, and Ortiz was a big reason why. The slugger kicked off the scoring with a three-run home run in the first inning, and he answered the Twins’ run in the bottom of the second with an RBI single in the top of the third. Then, after Minnesota pulled within two runs with a three-run fifth inning, Ortiz helped put the game out of reach with a two-run blast in the seventh.

The Twins were constantly playing catch-up, and it was mostly playing catch-up against one man. That isn’t to take anything away from the rest of the Red Sox offense — a unit that generated 12 runs on 13 hits — but Ortiz’s effort was something to behold. And given the recent circumstances, it was the most encouraging of the team’s offensive performances.

Perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised. Ortiz always kills his former team, and he’s been particularly good since the Twins moved to their new home at Target Field. Sometimes you just need a little reassurance, though, and smacking baseballs all over the place will provide just that.

Ortiz seems to be heating up once again. It’s no coincidence that the rest of the Red Sox are following suit.

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

The Yankees have been one of the biggest surprises in baseball this season, not because they’re winning, but because they’re winning with spare parts. The Bronx Bombers have been without many of their stars, including Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson, yet they’ve clawed their way to the top of the American League East.

Those setbacks, while major, pale in comparison to Pettitte’s injury, though.

The Yankees find themselves in first place largely because of their starting pitching, and Pettitte has been a big part of that. The overall numbers — 4-3 record, 3.83 ERA, 1.30 WHIP — aren’t eye-popping, but Pettitte has been very consistent with the exception of one outing. The lefty gave up seven earned runs on 10 hits over 4 1/3 innings against the Astros on April 29, but he’s allowed three runs or fewer in each of his other seven starts.

Simply put, Pettitte gives the Yankees a chance to win when he takes the mound, and now New York will be forced to rely on 25-year-old rookie Vidal Nuno. Nuno’s first major league start on Monday went well — he tossed five shutout innings and got the win — but replacing a proven veteran presence like Pettitte is no easy task, especially when Phil Hughes’ recent struggles leave questions about where his season is headed.

CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda will need to continue anchoring the Yankees’ rotation in Pettitte’s absence, while the rest of the staff picks up the slack. David Phelps turned in another solid performance on Saturday, allowing just one earned run over seven innings, and he’ll need to continue pitching well for as long as Pettitte is sidelined — which the Yankees are optimistic won’t be long.

But even if Pettitte’s trip to the 15-day DL is precautionary, it still highlights just how thin of a tightrope the Yankees are walking. Ivan Nova could return before long, although he was hardly effective in his four starts before going down. And perhaps Michael Pineda, who hasn’t pitched in a Yankees uniform since being acquired prior to last season, will return and showcase his natural talent at some point this summer. Neither of those scenarios are a sure thing, though, so the Yankees should proceed with the mindset that any contribution from those two hurlers is an added bonus.

Will Pettitte’s recent injury kill the Yankees’ season? Probably not, especially if he only misses a couple of starts. However, if the injury bug sticks around and starts chomping away at him and the rest of the rotation, it could become awfully difficult for the Yankees to continue motoring along atop the division.

The Yankees have survived some big blows to their offense, but they simply cannot afford injuries to their rotation.

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

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.

Yu Darvish tossed 130 pitches in eight innings against the Tigers on Thursday despite the Rangers leading 10-4. Manager Ron Washington’s decision to leave Darvish in the game for so long has been a talking point ever since, but the whole debate is fruitless.

Baseball fans, coaches, players, pundits and statisticians have spent countless hours in recent years tossing in their two cents about the importance — or lack thereof — of hard-and-fast pitch counts and innings limits. Yet after sifting through all sorts of empirical data, bickering about individual scenarios and listening to plenty of stories about “how the game used to be,” we haven’t arrived at one universal rule or line of logic that makes total sense. We never will, and therefore making a firm determination on Darvish’s outing against the Tigers is downright impossible.

Every pitcher’s body is different. Every start, whether it be because of stressful situations or the types of pitches thrown over the course of the outing, is different. Every situation is different. Blah. Blah. Blah. Long story short: How long a pitcher stays in the game is something that should be determined on a case-by-case basis. No numbers, case studies, past scenarios or tall tales should override how a pitcher feels, how effective he’s been and what the situation in question calls for.

That’s why criticizing Washington as if he did something completely egregious is not only unfair, but it’s also ridiculous. We can hold Washington’s feet to the fire all we want, but then what is our end game? Are we simply making it a point to grill Washington on his managerial decision so that we have a leg to stand on if Darvish suddenly fizzles out in the second half?

Looking at the situation as a whole, there are a ton of people — myself included — who would have turned to the bullpen after Darvish threw 115 pitches through seven innings. That decision has nothing to do with pitch counts, per se, but a lot to do with whether rolling Darvish back out there with a six-run lead was all that necessary. Without being in the dugout alongside Darvish on Thursday, though, it’s stupid to definitively say, “Mr. Washington, you crossed the line.”

We can debate pitch counts and innings limits until the cows come home, and then keep a watchful eye on the cows’ workload once they enter the equation. But the topic, especially as it pertains to Darvish’s outing, is way too subjective to lay the hammer down on Washington.

Agreeing with or disagreeing with Washington’s decision is one thing. Making a big stink about a few extra pitches is another.

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

Will Middlebrooks smacked a bases-clearing double in the ninth inning of Thursday’s game to lift the Red Sox to a 4-3 win over the Rays. He stepped up to the plate in the 10th inning of Friday’s game with a chance to play hero again, and he bunted.

Middlbrooks, who dug in with runners at first and second and no outs, dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Pedro Ciriaco — who pinch ran for David Ortiz — to second base and Dustin Pedroia to third base. The bunt paved the way for Jonny Gomes’ game-winning sacrifice fly two batters later — after Stephen Drew was intentionally walked — and further verified that the Red Sox’ No. 1 priority is winning ballgames.

Never before had Middlebrooks been asked to drop down a sac bunt in a big league ballgame, but just as John Farrell said following the Red Sox’ first ninth-inning come-from-behind victory on Thursday, there’s a first for everything.

“What we’ve seen is he’s a very good athlete. He’s got good hand-eye coordination. Knowing that it wasn’t part of his game as an offensive player, still I thought the game situation called for it,” Farrell told reporters following Friday’s 3-2, extra-inning win. “He executed it perfectly. … Just gave him a heads up that it may be coming. In the 1-0 situation, knowing they’d have to throw him a strike, it was the pitch that he did a very good job with.”

Farrell’s decision to have Middlebrooks bunt was surprising. Middlebrooks came through in the clutch on Thursday, he has been making strides offensively of late, and Farrell has shown reluctance in the past to take the bat out of his hot hitters’ hands.

The Red Sox trailed 3-2 in Saturday’s game against the Blue Jays when Middlebrooks led off the ninth inning with a double. Instead of trying to bunt Middlebrooks over with Stephen Drew at the plate, thus putting the tying run 90 feet away with one out, Farrell opted to let Drew swing away. Drew ended up lining out, Daniel Nava flied out and Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out to end the game. Some second-guessing ensued, but Farrell was steadfast in his decision to let Drew take his cuts.

Friday’s decision came in a much different situation, of course, as the game was tied and the successful bunt moved two runners into scoring position with one out. But Farrell easily could have given in to the temptation to see what Middlebrooks could do for an encore, especially since a big inning wasn’t outside the realm of possibility after the first two hitters reached. Farrell didn’t give in, though, and the Red Sox have a win to show for it.

Farrell isn’t the only one who adapted. If Middlebrooks — who despite going 0-for-4 on Friday hit a deep fly ball to the warning track in the fourth inning — wanted to see if he could be the hero two nights in a row, who would blame him? Instead, the 24-year-old more than willingly accepted the situation.

“I came up and [third base coach Brian Butterfield] came up and talked to me,” Middlebrooks told reporters. “They had a pitching visit, I told him, ‘If you want to give it to me I can get it down.’ They didn’t give it to me first pitch, second pitch they gave it to me and I got a good pitch to do it on.”

A single, walk, bunt, intentional walk, sac fly sequence — or, in other words, station-to-station baseball at its finest — hardly contains the drama of a three-run double in a two-run ballgame. It can still yield the same winning result, though, and it’s obvious that’s all the Red Sox cared about.

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