When John Lackey walked off the mound after striking out Nick Swisher to end the sixth inning on Friday, the right-hander was visibly fired up. By the time he walked off the mound after striking out Jason Giambi and Mark Reynolds to end the seventh inning, the fire spread to the Fenway Faithful who braved the soggy conditions to witness another excellent outing from the veteran.

Believe it or not, a few fans actually chanted Lackey’s name as he walked back to the dugout for the final time on Friday. It’s absolutely shocking given where Lackey’s career was headed two years ago, but it’s unsurprising given what the 34-year-old has accomplished so far this season. After all, winning solves everything.

Lackey allowed two hits, walked three and struck out eight in seven dazzling innings on Friday to pick up his third win of the season. The only run the Indians scored was unearned, and Lackey once again showed that he’s evolving into a very reliable pitcher for the Red Sox.

“The one thing he’s maintained is his stuff overall and considering the surgery’s he’s come off of, I think it’s a testament to the work he puts in in-between starts,” manager John Farrell said. “But as far as execution, it’s been a high number of first-pitch strikes. He’s been ahead in the count, not just the last two starts, but I think the majority of this year. And because of that, he’s been able to go to some secondary pitches to finish some hitters off.”

We’re only about two months into the season, but this is the best Lackey has looked since signing his lucrative five-year contract with the Red Sox prior to the 2010 season. His 2.72 ERA through his first seven starts is his best mark through his first seven starts of a season since 2008, when he was still a member of the Angels, and he’s gone back-to-back starts without surrendering an earned run for the first time since a three-start stretch with the Halos in 2006.

Even when Lackey has faltered this season, there have been plenty of encouraging signs, including his arm strength, which the right-hander admits is still increasing with each start. Lackey threw a season-high 109 pitches on Friday, and he thinks that topping the 100-pitch plateau a few more times will help get him to where he wants to be.

“It’s been a lot of fun, for sure,” Lackey said of his season. “It’s fun to get back in there with the guys and it’s a great group of guys to compete with and have success and be healthy. [I’m] not fighting a whole lot of other things, being able to execute pitches and feeling pretty good.”

Lackey is like a new man nowadays. The first sign of his seemingly newfound enthusiasm came during spring training, when showed up healthy and in great shape. Now, that fervor continues to grow with each successful trip to the mound.

“I think John had some good intensity tonight throughout,” Farrell said. “He gets a big strikeout to end the sixth inning, you could see the emotion. And I think more than anything that says that he’s not thinking about anything that’s taken place in the past — either performance-wise or injury-wise — and he’s going out and competing at a high level right now.”

Perhaps the passion was there all along, though. One of the biggest knocks on Lackey in years past was his demeanor on the mound, but having seen Lackey evolve over the past few months, it’s clear his apparent hotheadedness was more directed toward himself for not pitching up to his high expectations.

“Nah, that’s been since I was about 12,” Lackey said. “As far as intensity, that’s something I’ll always have.”

OK, it’s settled, then. The intensity is staying. But the doubt that once surrounded the polarizing pitcher? That’s quickly being tossed out the window — as long as we’ll all let it go.

“Most of you guys won’t let me forget about it,” Lackey joked of his three-year shaky stretch. “But I mean I had one bad year and needed surgery afterwards. It’s not like I’ve never been good before.”

Good before. And good again.

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

John Lackey has turned in two of his most impressive performances in a Red Sox uniform over the past six days.

The veteran right-hander completed his second straight outing without allowing an earned run Friday night, scattering a pair of unearned runs on three hits and three walks over the 13-inning span. This is a very welcoming sign for Red Sox fans, especially since, according to the pitcher himself, Lackey is still not fully recovered from elbow surgery he underwent last season.

Check out Lackey’s take on his most recent win in video above or on NESN’s YouTube channel.

The only problem is that Weis wasn’t coaching the Fighting Irish in 2011 — Brian Kelly was.

After leading the Irish to the 2006 Fiesta Bowl in his second season in South Bend, Weis was given a massive 10-year contract extension worth between $30-40 million — an absurdly large contract for a college coach at the time.

Weis led Notre Dame back to the BCS the following season with a bid to the Sugar Bowl, but his well of success quickly dried up after that. The Irish went a combined 15-21 over the next three years, prompting the university to cut ties with the former Patriots offensive coordinator in 2009. However, not all ties were severed.

Even after he had taken the head coaching job at Kansas, Weis continued to cash in on his original deal. Notre Dame is stuck paying him an estimated $2,054,744 each year, according to the Chicago Tribune, in a buyout plan that will total nearly $19 million by the time of its completion in 2015.

Kelly, on the other hand, who led Notre Dame to its first national title game since 1993 this past season, was paid roughly $1,088,179 by the school from July 2011 to July 2012.

So, Notre Dame is — and unless Kelly restructures his deal, will continue — paying its former coach about a million dollars per year more than its current one. We doubt Weis is complaining.

Photo of the night

Friday night was a soggy one at Fenway.

Tweet of the night

Again?!

Yankees announce Curtis Granderson has a broken hand -- lefty pinky knuckle. Unbelievable.

—
Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) May 25, 2013

Video of the night

Shades of Sheed.

Final, Red Sox 8-1:

One night after the Red Sox got smoked 12-3 by Terry Francona’s Indians, Boston bounced back to secure an 8-1 victory.

John Lackey was fantastic in his seven innings of work on Friday. Cleveland’s only run was unearned, and Lackey allowed just two hits and three walks while striking out eight.

Lackey has quickly become a very important pitcher on the Red Sox’ staff. He’s throwing the ball well, and it’s clear his arm strength is continuing to build. His season ERA now sits at 2.72.

The Red Sox’ offense had two big innings on Friday. The Sox jumped out to a 3-0 lead on a three-run homer from Mike Carp in the second inning. Then, they built an 8-1 lead with a four-run seventh that included two-run singles from Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia.

The start of Friday’s game was delayed 44 minutes because of rain, but once things got going, it was all Boston. The Red Sox will hope for the same result on Saturday when Jon Lester takes the hill. Saturday’s game is scheduled to start up at 1:35 p.m.

Good night, everyone.

End 8th, Red Sox 8-1: Vinnie Pestano kept the Red Sox’ offense at bay in the eighth, but the Indians have their work cut out for them.

Alfredo Aceves, who was recalled on Friday, will pitch the ninth inning for Boston. Considering his struggles earlier this season, it’s probably a good thing the lead is seven runs at this point.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 8-1: Michael Brantley doubled over Daniel Nava’s head in right field to lead off the eighth inning, but Koji Uehara cruised from there.

Drew Stubbs popped out to Dustin Pedroia at second base for the first out, and Michael Bourn flied out to right field, during which Brantley tagged up and went to third.

The inning ended with Jason Kipnis hitting a sinking line drive into center field. Jacoby Ellsbury charged in and made the running catch down around his legs.

Oh yeah, it’s still raining at Fenway.

End 7th, Red Sox 8-1: It took three Cleveland pitchers and an entire trip through the Boston order, but the seventh inning is finally over. The Red Sox scored four runs total in the frame.

Matt Albers took over with two outs in a 6-1 game, and Jacoby Ellsbury stole second base to put two runners into scoring position for Dustin Pedroia. Pedroia responded by going the other way with a pitch for two-run single to pad the Red Sox’ lead even more.

David Ortiz walked to extend the inning again, but Mike Napoli grounded to Mark Reynolds, who stepped on the third base bag to end the inning.

Koji Uehara will now enter the game for Boston after seven great innings from John Lackey.

The only run Lackey allowed in the game was unearned. He gave up two hits and walked three while striking out eight. Lackey threw 109 pitches (71 strikes), and he lowered his season ERA to 2.72.

10:10 p.m., Red Sox 6-1: Rich Hill entered the game and immediately ran into trouble.

Hill hit Jonny Gomes — who pinch-hit for Mike Carp — in the leg with a pitch. Then, after Stephen Drew struck out swinging, Jose Iglesias singled through the left side to load the bases.

Jacoby Ellsbury made Hill pay by yanking a two-run single through the right side. The hit sent Iglesias from first to third.

Daniel Nava popped out to Mark Reynolds in foul territory along the third-base line, but Terry Francona will make his second pitching change of the inning. Yet another former Red Sox pitcher, Matt Albers, is entering the game.

9:56 p.m., Red Sox 4-1: The Fenway lovefest for Terry Francona continues.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia doubled over Michael Bourn’s head in center field, which prompted Francona to take out Justin Masterson in favor of another former Red Sox hurler, Rich Hill. As Francona walked back to the dugout, the fans along the third-base line gave the Indians skipper a standing ovation.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 4-1: It sounds crazy, but I think I heard a few “Lackey” chants start up at Fenway after the right-hander’s seventh inning.

Lackey retired the side in order again, and he picked up two more strikeouts.

Jason Giambi put up an eight-pitch battle, but he eventually went down swinging on a cut-fastball from Lackey. Mark Reynolds had a similar fate.

Lackey has been very sharp throughout this game. His arm strength has been terrific, and he’s getting hitters to swing and miss, which is very encouraging after Thursday’s offensive clinic by the Indians.

End 6th, Red Sox 4-1: The Red Sox, who had been held down by Justin Masterson for three straight innings, pushed across another run in the sixth inning.

Jacoby Ellsbury struck out to lead off the inning. Masterson got him with a pitch down and in, and Ellsbury wasn’t happy with the call at all. Replays show that the outfielder might have a point, too, as the pitch looked to be a little low.

Daniel Nava, who keeps getting on base in any way possible, was then plunked in the leg, which knocked Masterson off his game a bit.

Dustin Pedroia ripped a line-drive single into left field, and David Ortiz followed up with a bloop single down the left-field line. Third baseman Mark Reynolds and shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera raced out while left fielder Michael Brantley charged in, but Ortiz’s blooper fell in the middle of the human circle.

Ortiz’s single loaded the bases. The run eventually came across in strange fashion.

Mike Napoli hit a ground ball to short, and Cabrera tried to start a double play, but Jason Kipnis’ throw to first was off the mark. Nick Swisher made the grab and tried to swipe down a tag, but Napoli tip-toed around the attempt before safely diving into first.

Nava scored on Napoli’s ground ball. Pedroia attempted to come around as well, but the Indians were able to cut him down at the plate.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 3-1: John Lackey has given up just two hits, and they both came in a two-batter span back in the third inning. Otherwise, he’s been terrific.

Michael Bourn started the sixth inning with a little grounder to the right side. Lackey charged off the mound and slid to make a play before firing to first for the out. Lackey’s effort on Bourn’s grounder drew a big ovation from the Fenway crowd.

Lackey yielded a one-out walk to Jason Kipnis, which marked the righty’s third free pass of the game, but he bounced back to retire the the next two hitters.

Lackey struck out Nick Swisher on a high fastball to end the inning.

End 5th, Red Sox 3-1: Justin Masterson is starting to look more like the pitcher who entered the game with seven wins.

Masterson has kept the Red Sox’ offense in check since the three-run second inning. In the fifth inning, he enjoyed his second straight 1-2-3 frame.

Masterson got both Mike Carp and Stephen Drew to pound offspeed offerings into the ground. The right-hander then struck out Jose Iglesias with a sinker down and in.

Masterson’s sinker has had good downward movement, and Iglesias likely would have pounded the pitch into the ground as well, but the infielder was unable to make contact.

Iglesias is 0-for-2 with two strikeouts in his first game back with the big league club.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 3-1: John Lackey has a very nice rhythm going.

Lackey enjoyed his second straight 1-2-3 inning in the fifth, striking out two hitters in the process.

Lackey started the fifth against Mark Reynolds, who singled in his previous at-bat, and he fanned the slugger with a fastball.

Michael Brantley then grounded out to short before Lackey picked up another strikeout against Drew Stubbs. Lackey got Stubbs with a good-looking changeup low and out of the zone.

Lackey, who has thrown 78 pitches (51 strikes), has five strikeouts thus far. Indians hitters have stepped out of the box a few times in an effort to throw Lackey off his game, but the tactic has yielded minimal results.

End 4th, Red Sox 3-1: Justin Masterson settled in nicely in the fourth inning as well.

Masterson sandwiched a strikeout of Mike Napoli with ground-ball outs from David Ortiz and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Masterson threw just 10 pitches in the inning — six of which came on his strikeout of Napoli. Napoli went down looking on a slider.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 3-1: John Lackey settled back down in the fourth inning.

Lackey retired Nick Swisher, Carlos Santana and Jason Giambi in order. All three outs were hit on the ground, which is always a good sign when trying to keep the ball down.

The grounds crew is doing a heck of a job out there, by the way. It shouldn’t go unnoticed on this sloppy night.

End 3rd, Red Sox 3-1: Daniel Nava simply gets on base.

Nava, who entered the game with a .400 on-base percentage, smacked a one-out single into right-center field. Nava reached in all four of his plate appearances despite Boston’s lopsided loss on Thursday, and he entered the contest with a .385 average (10-for-26) over his last seven games.

Justin Masterson made sure Nava’s base knock didn’t lead to any damage, though. He induced a ground-ball double play with Dustin Pedroia at the plate.

The Indians nearly blew the double play, as Asdrubal Cabrera’s flip to second was in the dirt, but Jason Kipnis did a nice job of turning the subpar toss.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 3-1: Jarrod Saltalamacchia has shown improvement behind the plate recently, but an errant throw from the catcher in the third inning helped the Indians get on the scoreboard.

Mark Reynolds and Michael Brantley led off the inning with back-to-back singles. The two hits made life difficult for Lackey, who had faced the minimum six batters before the inning, but the right-hander nearly escaped the inning unscathed.

Drew Stubbs hit a looping line drive that Jacoby Ellsbury hauled in in center field for the first out, and Lackey then struck out Michael Bourn. Lackey got Bourn looking with a fastball back in the first inning. This time around, he got Bourn to wave at a nasty curveball a few inches above the plate.

The Indians pushed across a run when Reynolds and Brantley took off as part of an aggressive double-steal. Saltalamacchia’s throw was way, way, way wide of Jose Iglesias down at third base, and Reynolds got up and motored home.

Lackey walked Jason Kipnis to put runners at the corners with two outs, but he escaped with a two-run lead intact by getting Asdrubal Cabrera to roll one over to Mike Napoli at first base.

End 2nd, Red Sox 3-0: Mike Carp could see some extra playing time in Shane Victorino’s absence, especially if he swings the bat like this.

Carp jumped all over a hanging slider on the inner half of the plate and drilled it for a three-run homer to give Boston a 3-0 advantage. The home run is Carp’s third of the season.

The table was set by David Ortiz, who walked to lead off the inning, and Mike Napoli, who singled into center field. Ortiz even had a chance to show off his wheels in the second inning when he pushed the envelope and tagged up from second base on Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s fly ball to right field.

Stephen Drew grounded out and Jose Iglesias struck out (cue the groans…kidding, kidding) to end the inning, but the damage was done.

Rain update: It’s still coming down.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Dustin Pedroia was robbed of a base hit in the first inning. He returned the favor in the second inning.

After Nick Swisher grounded out, Carlos Santana walked. Santana actually walked four times and reached base five times in Thursday’s 12-3 blowout.

Jason Giambi threatened to extend the rally by hitting a ground ball up the middle. Even with the shift on, Pedroia ranged to his right to make a great diving play. He flipped to Stephen Drew, who fired to first to complete the double play.

The Red Sox had the added benefit of 76-year-old (or somewhere around there) Giambi running down the line on the double-play ball, but it was a good enough turn that most major leaguers would have been thrown out on the back end.

End 1st, 0-0: Nick Swisher didn’t play in the first game of the series (paternity leave), but he flashed some leather down at first base in the first inning of this one.

Swisher dove to his left to knock down Dustin Pedroia’s two-out ground ball. The ball nearly sneaked through for a hit, but it was a nice play by Swisher to cover some ground near the first-base line. Swish flipped to Justin Masterson, who was covering the bag, for the out.

Masterson actually had to battle a bit to retire Pedroia. The big righty fell behind 3-0 and nearly plunked Pedroia on the wrist, but he showed some fight and eventually recorded the out to cap off a perfect inning.

Prior to Pedroia’s ground out, Jacoby Ellsbury struck out swinging and Daniel Nava grounded out. One thing that’s worth noting with Ellsbury is that he has been squaring around to bunt a lot recently. (Just tossing it out there.)

Mid 1st, 0-0: John Lackey didn’t seem to be impacted by the rain delay. He enjoyed a 1-2-3 first inning to kick off the action at a soggy Fenway Park.

Lackey struck out Indians leadoff hitter Michael Bourn to start the inning. He went with a heavy dose of fastballs, and eventually froze the speedy outfielder with a pitch down in the zone.

Lackey also struck out Asdrubal Cabrera to end the inning. He went upstairs to get Cabrera swinging, and the fastball registered at 94 mph. That’s some good velocity for Lackey early on.

Jose Iglesias, making his first career start at third base, was tested in the inning. Jason Kipnis hit a ball in his direction with one out, and Iglesias ranged to his left — even cutting in front of Stephen Drew a bit — to make the play.

7:54 p.m.: John Lackey’s first pitch following a 44-minute rain delay is in there for a strike. The game time temperature is 55 degrees.

7:53 p.m.: The rain has picked up a little bit over the last few minutes, but it looks like they’re going to start things up anyway. The Red Sox have taken the field.

7:25 p.m.: Great news. The tarp has been taken off the field, and we’ll have some baseball.

The game is expected to start up at 7:50 p.m. Grab your food and beverage now. I’ll meet you back here.

7:13 p.m.: We’re officially in a rain delay at Fenway Park. Has anyone seen any good movies lately?

7:05 p.m.: The tarp is still on the field as the rain continues to fall. It looks like we should have a window at some point, but then again, I’m no meteorologist.

6:42 p.m.: It’s become quite obvious that the start of this game will be delayed. The rain is letting up a bit, though, so that’s an encouraging sign.

Stay tuned.

5:53 p.m.: The tarp is on the field, and the rain is coming down hard at Fenway Park. Hopefully, they’ll get this game in, but the forecast doesn’t look too great.

In fact, the forecast for the whole weekend doesn’t look good, which is a rather depressing thought for anyone with Memorial Day plans.

Think if I complain enough Mother Nature will do something about this? Yeah, me neither.

5:30 p.m.: Jose Iglesias just got recalled, and he’ll immediately jump into the action.

Not only will Iglesias be in the Red Sox’ starting lineup on Friday, but he’ll get the start at third base. Iglesias, whose natural position is shortstop, has never played third base in his big league career, but he’s been working down at the hot corner in Pawtucket recently.

Iglesias has also been working out at second base down at the Triple-A level, with the idea being that he could become a utility player at the major league level. Iglesias’ call-up, obviously, came a lot sooner than expected, though, and he’ll likely be Boston’s starting third baseman for as long as Will Middlebrooks is sidelined.

Iglesias will bat ninth on Friday. The knock on the 23-year-old has always been his offense, even though he hit .450 (9-for-20) in six games with the Red Sox earlier this season before shortstop Stephen Drew’s return. Iglesias has been hitting .202 in 33 games at the Triple-A level.

David Ross is active, but Jarrod Saltalamacchia will start behind the plate once again.

Click here for an opinion on Iglesias’ call-up >>

Friday’s lineups are below.

Red Sox (28-20)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Daniel Nava, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Mike Carp, LF
Stephen Drew, SS
Jose Iglesias, 3B

John Lackey, RHP (2-4, 3.31 ERA)

Indians (27-19)
Michael Bourn, CF
Jason Kipnis, 2B
Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
Nick Swisher, 1B
Carlos Santana, C
Jason Giambi, DH
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Michael Brantley, LF
Drew Stubbs, RF

Justin Masterson, RHP (7-2, 2.83 ERA)

5:12 p.m.: Tonight’s Red Sox broadcast is presented in part by Carbonite, protect your files with automatic and secure cloud backup. Try it free at Carbonite.com. Use offer code “NESN” and get two bonus months with purchase.

5:08 p.m.: The talk around Boston earlier in the day was about the weather. That has changed in a hurry, as the Red Sox have announced some roster moves.

Shane Victorino and Will Middlebrooks have both been placed on the 15-day disabled list.

Victorino, whose DL stint is retroactive to May 21, was placed on the shelf because of a left hamstring strain.

Middlebrooks, meanwhile, is dealing with a low back strain. He was taken out of Thursday’s game following his second at-bat when his back started to tighten up.

In two corresponding roster moves, the Red Sox have recalled pitcher Alfredo Aceves and infielder Jose Iglesias.

The Red Sox also announced that catcher David Ross has been activated from the seven-day concussion list. Ryan Lavarnway was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket to make room for Ross.

8 a.m. ET: Terry Francona’s return to Fenway Park on Thursday was special, but the end result was a far cry from what the Red Sox anticipated.

The Indians jumped all over Ryan Dempster and pounded out 16 hits en route to a 12-3 victory. It was the third straight shaky outing for Dempster, who has failed four times to record his third win of the year. Now, John Lackey will be asked to put the Red Sox back on the right track on Friday.

Lackey was fantastic in his last start on Sunday. He allowed just two baserunners and an unearned run in six innings before a lengthy rain delay in Minnesota ended his outing. He picked up the win in that contest, and he’ll now look to carry the momentum back home to Fenway.

Friday’s action is scheduled to kick off at 7:10 p.m. Be sure to tune in on NESN, and keep it right here with NESN.com’s live blog for additional commentary, analysis and random spurts of ruggedness.

The Red Sox recalled Iglesias on Friday amid a flurry of roster moves, which included third baseman Will Middlebrooks going on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back strain. Suddenly, Iglesias — a player whose future is as unclear as anyone in the Red Sox system — has another chance to prove he belongs at the major league level.

The Red Sox’ shortstop situation earlier this season was one of the most polarizing topics in Boston. Stephen Drew, who signed a $9.5 million contract in the offseason, was always going to be the starter upon returning from a concussion he suffered during spring training, but Iglesias’ hot start to the year made for plenty of heated arguments on the sports talk airwaves.

The Red Sox eventually stuck to the plan, and they optioned Iglesias to Triple-A Pawtucket when Drew returned. It wasn’t a popular decision among those who wanted to “let the kid play,” and according to reports, Iglesias wasn’t too thrilled about the situation, either.

Who could blame him? It’s not every day that you send down a player hitting .450, especially when that player was once considered the shortstop of the future. And with another promising, young shortstop, Xander Bogaerts, working his way through the system at a rapid pace, it left Iglesias without a real sense of direction.

But things often get worse before they get better. Iglesias was benched for three games in Triple-A because of behavioral issues, but the 23-year-old has since shown a willingness to do whatever it takes to get back to The Show.

Iglesias worked out at second base and third base at Triple-A — even appearing in a game at third — in an effort to increase his big league value. The thought was that Iglesias could become a utility option for the Red Sox at some point. Little did they know that an injury to Middlebrooks would mean an earlier-than-expected return to Boston for Iglesias.

The Red Sox don’t have many third-base options, which is a big reason why Middlebrooks’ early-season struggles and visit to the disabled list sting even more. Essentially, it’s either Iglesias or utilityman Pedro Ciriaco, who has a .175 average to go with spotty defense this season. The Red Sox, for now, appear willing to roll with Iglesias, who was immediately penciled into John Farrell’s lineup card at third base on Friday.

Iglesias’ return to Boston doesn’t guarantee anything. There are still questions surrounding the infielder, including the one that’s hung over his head all along — can he hit? Iglesias hit .450 (9-for-20) with the Red Sox earlier this season, but many of those hits were well-placed infield singles, and he’s since gone on to hit .202 in 33 games with the PawSox.

There are also questions about how Iglesias, who never played third base in a major league game before Friday, will handle the hot corner. And even if he handles the situation well, is it wise to move him out of shortstop, where light hitters can still carve out successful baseball careers?

Nevertheless, here Iglesias is, back in Boston for another go-round. It’s largely because of circumstance, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t another huge opportunity for the young infielder. With a good showing, Iglesias could prove he’s definitely worthy of a major league roster spot this season. A poor showing will cast further doubt over his future.

Opportunity is knocking (again). It’s up to Iglesias to answer (again).

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

The Red Sox’ choice to call up infielder Jose Iglesias and pitcher Alfredo Aceves from Triple-A after placing Will Middlebrooks and Shane Victorino on the disabled list leaves the team with just one reserve outfielder on the active roster.

As The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo mentioned during Red Sox GameDay LIVE prior to Friday night’s game, Boston’s desire to work utility infielder Pedro Ciriaco into the outfield rotation may have played a role in the decision not to bring up a full-time outfielder from Pawtucket.

Ciriaco has spent limited time in the outfield in the past — appearing in seven games there for the Sox last season and two for Pittsburgh in 2011 — and saw time with the outfielders in spring training.

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

It has been less than a week since Jose Iglesias began taking reps at third base in Pawtucket, but Red Sox manager John Farrell trusts the young infielder’s instincts enough to pencil him at the position Friday night.

Iglesias impressed at shortstop during his six-game stint with the big league club back in April but has never seen action at the hot corner in the majors.

“Talking with [PawSox manager] Gary DiSarcina, it just felt like [Iglesias] took to the position naturally,” Farrell said before Friday’s game against Cleveland. “He’s a very instinctual player. He’s got very good reactions and reflexes, and that’ll be the case more at third base than being back in the middle of the infield where he’s got a little more time to get the pace and the speed of the ground ball.”

Check out the video above or visit NESN’s YouTube channel to hear more from Farrell on the rest of the team’s roster moves, plus his take of Terry Francona‘s return to Fenway.

It’s likely because Dempster’s recent struggles can be summarized quite easily.

“Well, my command’s been terrible,” Dempster said.

He’s right. Dempster, who owned a 2.93 ERA through his first seven starts, has an ERA of 10.66 over his last three outings, and control has been the biggest issue.

Dempster was no stranger to working deep into counts earlier this season, but he survived such efforts because of his ability to finish off hitters. He hasn’t been quite as effective in that department over his last few starts, though, and it’s leading to walks, baserunners and a whole bunch of pitches early on in games — a perfect storm for starting pitchers.

Dempster issued a season-high six walks and threw a season-high 127 pitches over just 4 2/3 innings in his previous start against the Twins on Saturday. He only struck out two hitters in that game — his fewest since Sept. 18, 2012 and the fewest by a Red Sox starter in 2013. That speaks to the veteran’s sudden inability to finish at-bats strong after working deep into counts.

“Even in his first seven starts or so, there was no unwillingness on his part to use the entire count and not give in to hitters, but when he’s needed to go to a slider or a split for a strike, that’s where the command of the secondary stuff has been elusive for him,” manager John Farrell said after Thursday’s game.

Dempster walked four and threw 85 pitches over a season-low three innings in a losing effort on Thursday. Farrell said that the righty didn’t complain of any abnormal stiffness following his last outing, and the skipper mentioned that Dempster’s work between starts was even adjusted to factor in his high pitch total in Minnesota.

The fact that Dempster’s struggles aren’t related to anything physical is encouraging. The velocity is similar to what it’s been all season, so the issues are very much correctable. It ultimately comes down to Dempster hitting his spots, especially when he gets into two- or three-ball counts. Losing hitters on a regular basis is something that tends to snowball, and that’s what has happened with Dempster of late.

“When he executes his release point to his slider and his split, it still has the same action. It’s just the consistency to repeat it from pitch to pitch,” Farrell said. “That’s what’s elusive right now, and that’s where you see the high pitch counts inside of an inning, and obviously the walks are what they are — they’re high.”

So how does Dempster — a 36-year-old veteran of 16 major league seasons – plan to correct his command issues?

“Just practice,” Dempster said.

Sometimes, that’s all it takes.

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

Even though the threat of relocation is gone, Kings fans are no longer taking their team’s presence for granted. They came out in droves on Thursday for a rare pep rally, titled “Long Live the Sacramento Kings,” decked out in purple and black.

Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson and majority owner Vivek Randive received the loudest cheers, but the rally-goers really should have been cheering themselves. Their efforts, which eclipsed smaller fan-led efforts in other cities to prevent their teams from relocating, painted the NBA into a corner. The league’s relocation committee unanimously voted against allowing the Kings to relocate, and the board of governors followed suit last week. NBA commissioner David Stern then helped facilitate a deal with Randive’s group to keep the team in Sacramento, nixing a deal that had been in place to sell the team to a Seattle-based group.

Check out the merriment at the Kings’ rally>>

To be fair, there were lots of reasons for Red Sox Nation to be skeptical of Lackey entering 2013. Even before missing all of the 2012 season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, Lackey had been a shell of his former self with Boston, posting a 5.25 ERA in 375 innings over his first two seasons with the Sox. Despite reports late last season that Lackey was throwing ahead of schedule, with plenty of time to build up arm strength before the following spring, it was reasonable to wonder if, at that age, he had anything left.

Well, it seems that the stories of the 34-year-old’s demise were greatly exaggerated. But here’s the thing, not only is Lackey having an effective, efficient season thus far — with a 3.31 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in six starts — but there’s good reason to believe the right-hander may be as good right now as he has at any point in his successful career.

Lackey’s best season in baseball was easily 2007, when he was valued at six wins above replacement level. In that season, he finally put together a fully healthy campaign for the Angels, going 19-9 with a 3.01 ERA and coming in third place in Cy Young voting. Lackey hasn’t performed at quite that level this year, but some of his peripherals are actually better now than they were then.

The two stats that stand out in Lackey’s 2013 season are his strikeout rate and first-pitch strike percentage. Currently Lackey has a 23 percent strikeout rate, which is better than his career-best rate of 22.3 percent, as well as his 19.3 percent rate during his 2007 season. (His last three seasons in Los Angeles were at 19.3 percent, 19.3 percent and 18.6 percent before that number fell when he came to Boston.)

Moreover, Lackey has gotten ahead of hitters with regularity this season, as he’s thrown 67 percent of his first pitches for strikes, which is good for third-best in the American League. While Lackey has always had relatively low walk rates, that figure would also rank as the best of his career. And, despite these improved peripherals, everything else about Lackey’s stuff and execution seems about the same as its always been.

During the 2007 season, Lackey’s four-seam fastball averaged 91.3 miles per hour. Likewise, he’s still averaging 90.9 mph so far in the 2013 campaign, so there’s been no significant dropoff in velocity, or at least not enough of one to precipitate much of a decline. In fact, Lackey now has a two-seam fastball that’s averaged 92.2 mph this year, which would be the hardest pitch of any in his career (going back to 2007).

Aside from that, Lackey’s pitch selection hasn’t changed much over the years. He still throws his fastball between 55 and 60 percent of the time, and, like many other veteran pitchers, his slider seems to have developed into more of a cutter, according to PITCHf/x.

There are even more reasons that Lackey’s very good start seems sustainable for the rest of the season, barring injury, of course. The .662 OPS he’s allowed batters would be the lowest of his career, and though his line drive rate against has ticked up just slightly, his ground ball-fly ball ratio would also be the lowest of his career by a wide margin.

Lastly, Lackey’s BABIP (batting average on balls in play) against this season is .302, a strong indicator that his peripherals hold true, and he’s not getting the benefit of random luck.

All in all, Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester have certainly gained far more attention for their respective returns to form in 2013. Granted, it’s just been six starts — it’d be remiss to point out that it will only be a couple more starts until a pitcher’s numbers generally stabilize — but Lackey’s turnaround has been no less impressive than Buchholz and Lester’s.

Considering the injury he was rehabbing from, perhaps it’s even more impressive.

Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen are on Forbes’ “World’s Most Powerful Couples” list for 2013, and they’re in good company. President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are just a few of the other big names to make the ranking.

Forbes points out the power couples not only for their pizzazz but also for another feature of power — their money. With Bundchen bringing in $45 million in the past year and Brady collecting a bevy of endorsements as well as his contract with the Patriots, these two aren’t just a pretty pair.

See who else joins Brady and Bundchen among the power couples of the world.

Click here to see Forbes’ most powerful couples for 2013 >>

Entering just his third NFL season, Patriots cornerback Ras-I Dowling has already been branded with the unfortunate and well-deserved tag. But, as he enters something of a make-or-break year in New England, the oft-injured cornerback might also be the Patriots’ best hope at improving their pass defense.

Dowling, 25, entered his rookie season as a starter on the outside and was expected to bolster the Patriots’ suspect secondary. He lasted just two games before rupturing a tendon in his leg and finding his way onto the injured reserved list. It was more of the same in Year 2. Just as he finagled a bigger role in the defensive rotation, he suffered a torn quadriceps, yet again ending his season.

Two seasons in and Dowling has missed more than twice as many games (23) as he has played in (nine) for the Patriots. That might be commonplace for most young players, considering it takes time to work their way into the lineup, but not for a second-round pick and definitely not for one with as much skill and promise as Dowling.

An impact player and four-year starter at Virginia, Dowling has the ideal size (6-foot-1, 210 pounds), speed (4.46-second 40-yard dash at the 2011 combine) and ball skills to be a shutdown corner in the NFL. Even with an abundance of talent in the secondary already, the Patriots’ best cornerback tandem (granted, at this far-too-early juncture) would seem to be Aqib Talib and Dowling, from a purely technical standpoint.

Kyle Arrington manned the first team with Talib to open OTAs while Alfonzo Dennard and Dowling manned the second unit — take that as you will. They all looked terrific — add as much salt as necessary, given the lack of pads and contact — in their first run-through of the offseason, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Dowling and Dennard get some first-team reps of their own in the weeks to come.

From a pure spectator standpoint, Dowling looked like the best of the bunch. He appeared crisp in his backpedal, changed direction with supreme fluidity and even broke up a few of Tom Brady‘s passes along the sideline. Talib was working hard out on the corner, and both Dennard and Arrington looked solid in their reps, but, for my money at least, Dowling appeared to be the best player out on the corner.

Now, that’s not to say he will be a starter come Week 1, but, aside from Talib manning up on one side, nothing is firmly set in the Patriots’ secondary, especially at cornerback. So, there’s no counting him out either.

Sure, Arrington was the one lining up opposite Talib during the first few days of OTAs, and his fat new contract might stake him at least a claim in the starting job, but he still seems better suited in the slot. Dennard also has a viable claim to the job, considering the secondary seemed to excel during the six games he started at the end of 2012, but the second-year slump might be lurking around the corner. There’s always the outside chance that Devin McCourty moves back to the corner — unlikely — or that rookie Logan Ryan establishes himself as a starter during camp, but really anything could happen between now and then.

It’s way too early to start predicting starting lineups, but, for now at least, Dowling seems like the right choice on the outside. That is, if he can stay healthy. And that’s a big “if.”

Have a question for Luke Hughes? Send it to him via Twitter at @LukeFHughes or send it here.

Photo via Facebook/Ras-I Dowling

DraftStreet is at the forefront of this new trend in the fantasy world and is giving a great promotion: a free one-day fantasy league with $300 in prizes exclusively for NESN fans.

This free contest will be Pick ‘em style drafting. The way Pick ‘Em leagues work is you have eight tiers of players and each tier will have players to choose from. All you have to do is select one player from each tier. There’s absolutely nothing to lose and it takes five minutes to build a team.

You can adjust your roster up until the contest starts on Friday, May 24 at 7:05pm ET at which time your rosters will lock and the Live Scoreboard will be available.

Sign up by clicking here.

Now, seriously: Ray Lewis has announced that he will be climbing a mountain soon — and not any old mountain. The former Ravens linebacker says he plans to hike the famed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The goal is to raise money and awareness for clean water projects in East Africa, according to The Baltimore Sun.

Lewis is calling the effort “TackleKili” and is raising money on his website, with supporters able to choose from several options to help him toward his goal. Those who register on the site could win the grand prize: a Ravens helmet signed by Lewis.

Mt. Kilimanjaro is known for more than its name — at 19,000 feet above sea level, it’s the highest free-standing mountain in the world. Perhaps it was just a matter of time before it became acquainted with an NFL mountain-mover himself.

Photo of the Day

A new logo?!?!?!

New Dallas Stars logos leaked? Screenshot from the official team app. @icethetics @sportslogosnet http://t.co/fybIoDhnop

—
Lyndon Eh? (@DamnOldNylon) May 24, 2013

Tweet of the Day

Look who’s on Twitter.

A little (blue) bird told me that the place to be is @twitter, so here I am! http://t.co/8AQzBsC6ia

—
Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) May 23, 2013

Video of the Day

Oh, somebody tell the Blue Jays that a driving range isn’t where you’re supposed to have batting practice. Maybe this is why they’re doing so poorly.

Stan Musial

Musial roamed the Cardinals outfield in the days when ballplayers mingled more with the common folk, but even among those who were more likely to interact with fans, Musial took it to another level. He was an active part of the St. Louis community and built a reputation through his playing days and in the years after for being a stand-up guy.

Musial seemed like the kind of man whom everyone would love to have as their uncle or grandfather, and a peak into Musial’s longtime St. Louis house confirms that he was just as reserved and old-school when it came to home décor as he was everywhere else. Musial’s $1.795 million home in no way rivals the palaces of modern sports stars, but it does confirm the suspicion that Musial was the decent, no-frills guy that everyone thought him to be.

Click here to see photos of Musial’s home >>

The Eastern Conference semifinals will not end in a sweep.

The Bruins entered Madison Square Garden on Thursday with the chance to send the Rangers home for the summer, but they could not recreate the inspired play that was a hallmark of Games 1 through 3. Those struggles included uncharacteristic mistakes from two of the team’s best players, as Tuukka Rask tripped in the crease to allow one easy goal and Zdeno Chara turned the puck over behind the net for another.

To hear what both of those players, plus defenseman Dougie Hamilton and head coach Claude Julien, had to say after the game, check out the video above.

There was a nice moment prior to the second inning of what was eventually a 12-3 Indians win. The Red Sox honored Francona, who won two World Series titles during his eight years as Boston’s manager, with a video montage on the Fenway Park big screen. A message then popped up welcoming back Francona, whom the team called an “old friend.”

The video tribute was followed by chants of “Terry” from the Fenway Faithful, and Francona acknowledged the crowd by touching his heart while standing on the top step of the Indians’ dugout.

“Well deserved. That video probably could have gone on for quite a while longer,” said John Farrell, who served as Francona’s pitching coach from 2007 to 2010 before becoming Red Sox manager this past offseason. “But it was a touch of class to acknowledge the eight years spent here — eight successful years — and obviously he’s in a good place right now as well.”

Francona’s Indians have been one of baseball’s biggest surprises through the first two months of the season, and with Thursday’s blowout win, the Tribe now sit atop the American League Central with a 27-19 record. That certainly sounds like a good place, and if Francona’s Indians can sustain their early-season success, it’ll soon be an even better place.

To their credit, the Red Sox are in a pretty good place themselves right now. It’s hard to complain about a 28-20 start to the season, especially given last year’s debacle. The Sox need to make sure the Francona hoopla doesn’t get to them this weekend, though. Otherwise, it could be a disappointing few days in Boston.

Francona certainly deserves to be honored for all of the success he achieved as Red Sox manager, but the Indians are a dangerous team. Sox fans got a firsthand glimpse of that on Thursday, when Cleveland’s offense pounded out 16 hits and chased Red Sox starter Ryan Dempster from the game after just three innings. Things aren’t going to get any easier, as the Indians will send their ace, Justin Masterson, to the mound on Friday.

The Francona tribute on Thursday was definitely a nice touch, as it gave Red Sox fans a chance to look back at some great days in the franchise’s history. But now, the focus really needs to shift to the task at hand, or else the Red Sox’ homestand won’t be a pleasant one.

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

Ryan Dempster did not have his best stuff Thursday night, allowing four runs on five hits and four walks in what turned into a 12-3 win for the Indians. The three innings pitched were a season-low for the veteran right-hander, who was critical of his performance in the clubhouse after the game.

“My command’s been terrible,” Dempster said. “I’ve walked 10 guys in my last nine innings, and they’re unnecessary walks. I have to fix that. … The last couple games I haven’t been throwing the ball where I want to throw it. I’ll get back to doing that.”

For more from Dempster and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, check out the video above, or watch it on NESN’s YouTube page by clicking here.

With 13:19 to play in the second period, the Bruins had a 2-0 lead against a Rangers team down 3-0 in the series. Inexplicably, the B’s let the Rangers back into the game with ugly and careless play. Now the Bruins head home for Game 5 on Saturday.

Maybe the Bruins thought the Rangers would just go away after falling behind by two goals. Maybe the Bruins thought a two-goal lead was a good enough cushion to sit on and breeze through the rest of the game.

It wasn’t, of course. The Bruins didn’t necessarily take their foot off the gas, but they were uncharacteristically sloppy.

Just about every glaring Bruins mistake led to a Rangers goal. When Tuukka Rask caught an edge in his crease in the second period, Carl Hagelin was there to slide the puck by for the second goal. When Zdeno Chara coughed the puck up behind his own net, Derek Stepan was there to take advantage of the uncharacteristic giveaway and beat Rask, who was slow getting from post to post. When the Bruins took a too many men on the ice penalty in the third period, which they compounded by puck-watching on the penalty kill, Brian Boyle was there to make the B’s pay with a goal that tied the game 3-3. Finally, it was Dougie Hamilton letting Chris Kreider behind him on a 2-on-2 rush in overtime, as Kreider poked home a gorgeous pass from Rick Nash for the game-winner.

“At the end of the day, it’s pretty simple: We didn’t play well enough,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “Not outworked, and I thought we competed as hard as we did, but we didn’t execute the way we can.

“We were a little sloppy, we were. We weren’t as crisp as we had been in the past games. Eventually they came back and found a way to win this hockey game.”

Those are all of the negatives, and they are negatives that could have easily been prevented with just a little more mental toughness. There are plenty to choose from, no doubt, but all is not lost for the B’s. In fact, that’s far from the case. The Bruins will play on Saturday night at home, and they’re still holding a 3-1 series lead. The Rangers still have to win three more games before the B’s win one. It’s that simple.

And there are positives to take from the Game 4 loss, no matter how ugly it looks on the surface. For instance, Tyler Seguin actually scored a goal. The B’s were also able to pot a pair of power-play goals. Rask, for his struggles early in the game, bounced back to make a couple of highlight-reel saves.

These are all small victories, though. They don’t make up for the fact that the Bruins won’t be spending their Memorial Day weekend with their feet up by the pool waiting to see who they’ll face in the Eastern Conference finals.

But the Bruins are still a long way away from trading in their sticks for golf clubs, and they know that as well as anyone, even with their history being what it is.

“There’s no panic here,” Julien said. “Like I said, had we been outworked and not been there at all, it would be different here. But we didn’t get outworked. All it was is our team wasn’t executing as well as we have been lately, and we gotta go back home and play a better game. Our work ethic was there.”

They can take solace in the fact that although they played one of their worst games of the spring, they’re still just one win away from advancing. Bad games happen. This one just came at a very, very bad time. They better learn their lesson, though, because another showing like this in Game 5 and the temperature will be turned up in a big way.

Final, Indians 12-3:

Francona’s Indians jumped all over Ryan Dempster early, and they then put the game out of reach with a six-run sixth inning en route to a 12-3 victory.

Michael Bourn, Mark Reynolds and Drew Stubbs each had three hits apiece for Cleveland, while Carlos Santana reached base five times (four walks and a single).

Daniel Nava reached base four times, and David Ortiz connected on a three-run home run in the third inning to cut Cleveland’s lead to 4-3, but the Indians’ offense was relentless against Dempster and Co.

Dempster lasted just three innings before John Farrell turned to the bullpen. Dempster gave up four runs on five hits and four walks. He struck out four and threw 85 pitches (52 strikes).

John Lackey will take the ball on Friday as the Red Sox look to bounce back from a very disappointing start to the homestand. The action is scheduled to kick off at 7:10 p.m.

Good night, everyone.

Mid 9th, Indians 12-3: Andrew Miller got some work in in the ninth inning.

Miller retired the Indians in order, striking out two in the process. The left-hander fanned Asdrubal Cabrera on a slider, and he then got Michael Brantley looking on a 96-mph fastball.

“The Final Countdown” now comes over the Fenway Park loudspeaker as the Red Sox look to rally from nine runs down in the ninth inning.

End 8th, Indians 12-3: The Red Sox came oh-so-close to putting up their first run since the third inning, but the opportunity went by the board.

The Red Sox got two men into scoring position when Daniel Nava led off the eighth inning with a single, and Ryan Lavarnway — pinch-hitting for David Ortiz — doubled over Michael Bourn’s head in center field. Mike Napoli struck out swinging, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia lined out to third base, though, and Cleveland still owns a nine-run lead.

Nava has been one of the Red Sox’ lone bright spot in this game. He has reached base four times (two singles, two walks), and he scored on David Ortiz’s three-run homer.

Napoli has struck out three times after going down swinging in the eighth.

Mid 8th, Indians 12-3: Drew Stubbs became the third Cleveland hitter with three hits in the eighth inning, but the score stayed the same.

Stubbs doubled off the new pitcher, Junichi Tazawa, with one out, and he joins Michael Bourn and Mark Reynolds with three hits.

Both Bourn and Cord Phelps grounded out after Stubbs’ double to end the inning.

End 7th, Indians 12-3: Scott Barnes pitched the seventh inning for Cleveland, and 1-2-3 went Boston.

Stephen Drew flied out for the first out. Mike Carp struck out swinging for the second out. Jacoby Ellsbury grounded back to the mound for the third out.

Maybe this is just the Red Sox’ way of thanking Terry Francona. It has to be, right?

Mid 7th, Indians 12-3: The Indians almost tacked on a little bit more, but an inning-ending double play helped Craig Breslow avoid any damage.

Carlos Santana walked with one out, and Mark Reynolds roped a single into the left-center field gap. Santana was held at third base and Reynolds was held at first, largely because of Cleveland’s nine-run advantage.

Breslow got Yan Gomes to ground back to the mound with one out and runners at the corners, and he started up a 1-6-3 double play to end the top of the seventh.

More and more fans are filing for the exits. In addition to the blowout, there’s some rain falling at Fenway.

End 6th, Indians 12-3: Cody Allen replaced Zach McAllister after the starter went five innings. He enjoyed a very easy frame.

Mike Napoli and Jarrod Saltalamacchia each struck out looking to start the sixth inning. Allen froze both hitters with curveballs.

Pedro Ciriaco, who took over at third base when Will Middlebrooks left with back spasms, flied out into shallow right field in his first at-bat.

Craig Breslow is coming on to pitch the seventh inning for Boston.

Mid 6th, Indians 12-3: The Indians are in the driver’s seat.

Mark Reynolds greeted Alex Wilson — who took over with the bases loaded and no outs –with a single into center field to extend Cleveland’s lead to 7-3.

The Indians were just getting started.

Yan Gomes should have been retired when he popped up into foul territory along the first-base line, but Mike Napoli couldn’t make the play. Napoli looked a little shaky from the start, and the ball popped out of his glove to give Gomes another life.

Gomes didn’t disappoint. He connected on a two-run double to left field to put the Indians in control 9-3.

The Tribe added two more runs when Drew Stubbs hit a line drive over Jacoby Ellsbury’s head and into the triangle in center field. Reynolds and Gomes each scored, while Stubbs hustled all the way to third base for a standup triple.

Michael Bourn tacked on Cleveland’s 12th run with a single into right field. He’s now 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored.

Mortensen gave up five earned runs on five hits and three walks in two innings of work. Wilson has been charged with two earned runs — one run was unearned — on four hits through an inning.

9:37 p.m., Indians 6-3: Clayton Mortensen’s night is over, and he wasn’t much more effective than Ryan Dempster.

Mortensen gave up two walks and a single to begin the sixth inning, and the Red Sox will now turn to Alex Wilson with the bases loaded and no outs.

End 5th, Indians 6-3: Daniel Nava continues to be an on-base machine, but the Red Sox couldn’t use his one-out walk to chip away in the fifth.

Jacoby Ellsbury struck out to begin the inning before Nava walked on seven pitches. Ellsbury is 1-for-3 with a bunt single and two strikeouts in this game, after reaching base safely four times on Wednesday night.

Nava, whose on-base percentage is up to .396, took second base on a two-out wild pitch from Zach McAllister. The Red Sox couldn’t cash in, though, as David Ortiz — who is responsible for driving in all three of Boston’s runs — grounded out to third base.

9:20 p.m., Indians 6-3: Will Middlebrooks’ injury, which forced the third baseman out of the game after his second at-bat, is being described as “lower back spasms.”

Mid 5th, Indians 6-3: The Red Sox needed Clayton Mortensen to come in and play damage control after a rough outing from Ryan Dempster. But Mortensen is having a hard time keeping the Indians off the scoreboard as well.

Mike Aviles singled with one out in the fifth inning, and he then stole second base. Jarrod Saltalamacchia — who threw out two would-be base-stealers on Wednesday — delivered a strong throw after a pitch that was high and out of the strike zone, but Stephen Drew couldn’t corral it.

Michael Bourn, who is now 2-for-4, drove in Aviles with a single into right field.

End 4th, Indians 5-3: Zach McAllister did a nice job of bouncing back in the fourth inning after a rocky third inning.

McAllister retired Will Middlebrooks, Stephen Drew and Mike Carp in order. Middlebrooks struck out, giving him two strikeouts in this game, and Drew and Carp each grounded out.

Most importantly, though, Middlebrooks is coming out of this game. It’s unclear what’s wrong with him — aside from him not producing — but I’ll certainly pass along any information as it becomes available. Middlebrooks, of course, dealt with a rib issue earlier this season.

Pedro Ciriaco is taking over at third base.

Mid 4th, Indians 5-3: Clayton Mortensen didn’t fare too well in his first inning of work. He allowed the Indians to get a run back.

Michael Bourn led off the inning with a double, and he came around to score when Asdrubal Cabrera singled into left field with one out.

Mortensen issued a two-out walk to Carlos Santana to set up runners at first and second, but the righty escaped the inning by getting Mark Reynolds to ground into a 6-4 forceout.

Dempster’s night is over after just three innings, which continues a string of rough starts. Dempster entered the game 0-2 in his last three outings. He gave up five runs and threw 127 pitches in just 4 2/3 innings in his last start against the Twins on Saturday, and he surrendered six earned runs in five innings against the Blue Jays on May 12.

In this game, Dempster gave up four runs on five hits. He struck out four, walked four and threw 85 pitches (52 strikes) in three frames.

End 3rd, Indians 4-3: Terry Francona probably wouldn’t mind if he could still pencil David Ortiz’s name into his lineup card.

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.

Jacoby Ellsbury started the third-inning rally with a bunt single down the third-base line. Mike Aviles let the ball roll in the hopes of it going foul, but it rolled past the third base bag in fair territory to give Ellsbury a leadoff single.

Daniel Nava then walked before Dustin Pedroia almost put the Red Sox on the scoreboard. Pedroia singled into center field, and third base coach Brian Butterfield waved Ellsbury home. It wasn’t a very wise decision, however, as Ellsbury was gunned down by Michael Bourn for the inning’s first out.

Ortiz didn’t waste any time when he stepped into the box following what could have been a deflating out. Ortiz jumped all over the first pitch he saw — a 92 mph fastball from Zach McAllister — and launched the game-changing, three-run homer.

If Ellsbury didn’t get thrown out at the plate, we’d be looking at a tie ballgame, but there’s plenty of baseball left. The Red Sox are suddenly in much better shape.

John Farrell isn’t going to waste any more time with Ryan Dempster. He’s turning to the bullpen early, as Clayton Mortensen is coming in to start the fourth inning.

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.