Anyway, there was just one more question after the one about lineup optimization, and then Billy Beane had to catch a plane out of town. As he humorously noted, his A’s are in town, so of course he has to leave.

But really, that about wrapped it up for the afternoon, so I hope you enjoyed this running discussion about the business of baseball. If you’re so inclined, you can follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff.

Thanks for reading!

1:13: Another very interesting question from the audience.

In a roundabout way, one audience member asks about lineup optimization, noting that modern lineups don’t seem to be optimized according to the metrics in the same way that other facets of baseball have changed.

Epstein notes that lineup changes don’t actually make that much of a difference, and though he concedes modern lineups aren’t optimized, he also says “they’re not that bad.”

1:10: Zimbalist has made some interesting points throughout the afternoon, and he makes another one.

A question comes in from the audience about parity in baseball, and Epstein throws the question to Zimbalist. He says that the best way to gauge parity through numbers is looking at the standard deviation of win percentages. Zimbalist notes that every decade since the modern era until 1990 that deviation lowered — meaning there was more parity. Then, for over a decade it rose before falling again in recent seasons.

So, basically, baseball is doing pretty well in terms of parity right now.

12:55: Interesting question from the audience, as someone asks whether or not players have altered the way that they play in light of the analytics revolution.

Both Epstein and Beane haven’t seen much of it, but Breslow notes the Diamondbacks’ Brandon McCarthy as an example of a player who reinvented himself using metrics. McCarthy remade himself as a sinkerball pitcher, inducing more ground balls and walking less batters. In fact, McCarthy’s renaissance was chronicled in an ESPN The Magazine cover feature last year.

12:45: Zimbalist brings up an interesting point about the new draft rules.

Pointing out that the amount of money teams are allowed to spend on player bonuses is limited and inversely proportional to their order of finish, Zimbalist doesn’t like the system. He says that it should be based on the team’s market, using the Athletics as an example and saying that the small-market team is being penalized to be successful.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Epstein doesn’t agree with that assessment, saying it’s the right of large-market teams to step back and reinvest in the draft. Because of course Epstein would fight for large-market teams.

12:40: In a conversation that is very relevant to the 2013 Red Sox, Breslow notes that the chemistry on the team has indeed seemed to improve since last year.

However, Breslow also says that chemistry is secondary, and ultimately having talent is a much more important factor in winning. To that point, he says that good chemistry seems to naturally follow winning, while there are plenty of bad teams that have good chemistry.

Food for thought.

12:30: Beane notes the unique background of his manager, reigning manager of the year Bob Melvin.

Beane points out that, after his playing days, Melvin went to work on Wall Street, which is clearly a unique background for anyone in baseball. Beane also points out that Melvin attended Cal Berkeley.

So, Beane says that the working relationship between the front office and the field staff in Oakland is a very unique one. No specific examples, but interesting information nonetheless.

12:20: Craig Breslow finally chimes in, and says a few interesting things. He calls himself both a victim and a beneficiary of the shift to analytics, noting that he has paid attention so some of the advanced metrics.

Breslow points to his 2011 season, during which he struggled. He says he was able to look at the metrics and realize that he had been pretty unlucky on the season. Thus, he says he declined to make any major changes to his mechanics or game plan, knowing that if he continued to go along that track then he would eventually come back to the mean.

12:15: On a random note, there is a plate of brownies directly on my line of sight to the panel.

For someone who usually declines to take free food at events I’m covering (and someone who skipped breakfast), this is borderline torture.

12:10: Economist Andrew Zimbalist, another member of the panel, just went a little off topic, but made some interesting points in doing so.

Starting off on a conversation about the old undervaluing of on-base percentage, Zimbalist somehow ventured into defensive statistics. The point he was making was that while something like on-base percentage can be easily calculated, and its valuation in baseball occurred due to the introduction of some very simple math.

However, defensive statistics aren’t so straightforward. While we recognize the importance of getting a good jump on a ball, for instance, there’s no consensus on how to measure that jump. Zimbalist points out that new technology (cameras pointed at fielders, in part) is allowing us to understand more about defensive metrics, they’re still a work in progress.

12:05: Gammons’ first question, directed to Beane, is about the differences in the business of baseball since the book Moneyball came out.

Unsurprisingly, both Beane and Epstein answer in much the same. The landscape of the business has fundamentally changed, and there just aren’t as many undervalued assets out there on the market. That makes it more difficult and competitive to build a solid team.

Beane actually makes a self-deprecating joke, nothing that he wouldn’t be able to apply for his own job now with all the advanced degrees on the A’s front office staff.

12:00 p.m.: Just to give you guys an idea of what my view is like here. What you can’t really see in this picture is the amazing view behind the panel.

11:50: Red Sox reliever Craig Breslow is also on the panel. Those who know the Yale alum know that he’s one of the headiest ballplayers in the game, so he should be an interesting addition.

Aside from that, right now we’re seeing introductions from some of the sponsors of the event, including the executive director of The Foundation to Be Named Later. We’ll drop a link to them later in this live blog.

11:45: So, apparently mayor Menino was originally scheduled to be here. Considering the events of the last week, we’ll give him a pass on having to skip the event.

Speaking of which, the event has begun with a moment of silence for those affected by the Boston Marathon tragedy, so that was a nice moment.

11:40 p.m.: Howdy folks, we’re officially live.

We’re about ready to get started here in five minutes or so, but my first observation is that I’m horribly under-dressed for this thing. This isn’t so much a media event as a gala lunch-slash-fundraiser, so most people here are looking good in their suits and ties.

However, here at 60 State Street in downtown Boston we have the most incredible view of the Charles River inlet, so I’ll try to post a photo here in a bit.

In any case, stay tuned for some Moneyball talk in just a couple minutes here.

9 a.m. ET: Good morning, folks. To be honest, we’re not quite sure what to expect this morning and afternoon, but we hope you’re into “Moneyball” and sabermetrics, because we think it’s going to be informative.

Beginning at about 11:45 a.m. ET, Billy Beane and Theo Epstein — general manager and president of baseball operations of the Athletics and Cubs, respectively — are set to speak about the “constant evolution of “Moneyball” in a panel moderated by NESN’s own Hall of Famer, Peter Gammons. The event is being put on by The Foundation to Be Named Later.

Those two will be joined by a couple additional panelists to provide an outsider’s view of baseball, but generally speaking, the topic of the day will be the business of baseball.

So, we’ll begin with live updates here in our coincidentally live blog at approximately 11 a.m. However, if you’re so inclined you can also follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff for additional analysis throughout the day, MLB analysis every day of the week and the occasional limerick.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons/Theo Epstein

Besides the overall good play of the Red Sox, the secondary story is clearly starting pitching. Following up on the incredible performances by Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz, Ryan Dempster goes seven strong innings, yielding just two hits while striking out five. With that kind of starting pitching setting the tone, Boston is proving that it’s thoroughly capable of competing in the AL East, as an underdog, no less.

With the win, the Red Sox improve their record to 8-4, while the Rays fall to 4-8. Andrew Bailey (1-0) blows a save but picks up a win, while Joel Peralta (0-1) gets saddled with the loss. Time of the game was 3:03.

So, that’s about it from your Red Sox live blog for today. The Sox will promptly head to Cleveland to take on former manager Terry Francona, and finally get to play some night baseball again. So, I’m signing off for now, but if you’re so inclined you can always follow this live blogger and NESN scribe on Twitter at @ZachStoloff to chat Red Sox and all things MLB any time.

Adios!

Final, 3-2 Red Sox win: Incredible ending here, as Mike Napoli drives home Dustin Pedroia with the walkoff, game-winning run.

This live blogger has to head down to the clubhouse and John Farrell’s press conference, but I’ll be back to officially wrap things up in just a little bit.

Mid 9th, 2-2: So Bailey can’t hold down the Rays there, who get a couple hits from Jennings and Zobrist to lead off the inning and take the lead. Although Red Sox closers have been a point of concern so far this season, you have to figure they’ll turn it around sooner rather than later.

What I’d like to point out is the rookie mistake by Bradley in that last half inning.

On the soft liner by Zobrist, Bradley made a valiant attempt to try to catch the ball. However, once he couldn’t come up with it, Bradley went home with the ball rather than to second. That was absolutely a rookie mistake, as the ball should have gone to second.

With Jennings’ speed, he was likely going to score either way. However, the important thing is keeping Zobrist, who represented the go-ahead run, on first base. Although it didn’t end up hurting the Red Sox, the fact that Zobrist made it into scoring position on the play is not what you want to see.

End 8th, 2-1 Red Sox: So, Jonny Gomes does what Jonny Gomes does and draws a walk that last half inning, but otherwise nothing doing for the Sox’ offense.

So, heading to the ninth inning with a one-run lead, the Red Sox turn the ball over to Andrew Bailey to close things out. He isn’t Boston’s closer, but he obviously has plenty of experience in the role, which speaks to the depth of the Boston bullpen.

It’s a pretty convenient thing to lose one closer in Hanrahan and then have a guy with the experience of Bailey waiting in the wings.

Mid 8th, 2-1 Red Sox: And this is why the Red Sox’ bullpen has a chance to be very good. With Hanrahan unavailable and Andrew Bailey presumably filling in as closer, Uehara comes in the game as the setup man and gets the Rays in order.

Beyond that, you’ve got to like the energy that Uehara brings to the team. He’s already caught a lot of attention for his high-five-happy ways, but I suppose that’s the kind of influence the Red Sox felt they needed to fix their clubhouse chemistry. It certainly doesn’t hurt that he’s a darn good pitcher, too.

End 7th, 2-1 Red Sox: The Red Sox run themselves out of the inning on a strike-em-out, throw-em-out double play. However, perhaps it shouldn’t be that surprising Saltalamacchia was off with the pitch on a 3-2 count, but Middlebrooks may not be the best batter to call that play with.

In any case, if we assume that Hellickson’s afternoon is done, it’s an impressive outing for him, too. He goes seven innings, allowing just two earned runs on three hits and a walk. And he strikes out nine, himself.

So, this one has thoroughly been a pitching duel, and it looks like the Red Sox will finally go to their bullpen, with Koji Uehara set to come in the game and relieve Dempster.

Mid 7th, 2-1 Red Sox: On his 101st pitch of the day, Dempster strikes out his 10th batter. In this case, he just freezes Loney on a four-seam fastball. So, for Dempster today it’s been almost nothing but four-seamers, sliders and a few splitters. However, whatever he’s doing it’s been incredibly effective, has he’s yielded just two hits on the day to go along with those 10 strikeouts.

For the record, it does indeed look like Hellickson is going to be back on the mound for the Rays. While the Sox already have some action in their bullpen (I think it looks like Koji Uehara), the Rays have only just started to get someone throwing.

End 6th, 2-1 Red Sox: Longoria returns the defensive favor, robbing Pedroia of a base hit with a diving stab to his left. That’s why he’s one of the best defensive third baseman in baseball, folks.

Otherwise nothing doing for the Red Sox in that last half inning, and Hellickson continues to work fast and keep Boston off-balance with offspeed stuff. He’s at 90 pitches on the day, so look for Joe Maddon and the Rays to try and get at least one more inning out of him.

Mid 6th, 2-1 Red Sox: Who needs Jose Iglesias’ defense when you have Stephen Drew?

Longoria threw his helmet in disgust after the call (and, in truth, he may have a point) but Drew makes a heck of a play to end the inning and keep the score at 2-1. Ranging to his left, Drew dove for the ball, came up and double clutched, yet still had the time (in the opinion of first base umpire Angel Hernandez) to get Longoria at first.

Again, one heck of a play by Drew, who’s shown just what he’s capable of both with the bat and with the glove in this one. As I said earlier, he’s going to be an integral part of the success of this team.

End 5th, 2-1 Red Sox: Saltalamacchia got his pitch and almost missed it, but ultimately the ball had enough on it to find its way into the right field bullpen for a home run. And, with that, the Red Sox retake a one-run advantage.

Proving that Hellickson is always kind of walking a fine line with his lack of pure stuff, as Drew hits one hard off the Monster for a double. Like I said earlier, it’s nice to see Drew contributing, as he has a lot to offer with the bat, especially for a shortstop.

Note that both of those hard-hit balls were on fastballs, so we’ll keep an eye on how Hellickson’s location looks on the rest of the day.

Mid 5th, 1-1: Escobar hits one pretty well to center field, but luckily for the Sox it’s to the deepest part of the ballpark and Ellsbury easily reels it in. That was an 84 mile per hour slider that Dempster didn’t quite get down enough.

So, as we said previously, both starting pitchers have really settled in. This is totally going to jinx it, but that’s also making for a very nice pace to this game, which is flowing along quite quickly. Beyond making the game easier to watch for all of us, that’s something which helps out the defenses, too, by keeping them in the game and on their toes.

End 4th, 1-1: I think that was a curveball that Hellickson threw to get Napoli called out on strikes to end the inning. In any case, it was a heck of a well-located pitch, and it absolutely froze the Red Sox’ first baseman.

In truth, I like watching Hellickson pitch a lot. He’s a guy who doesn’t have much pure stuff to get by on. He also doesn’t have much of any deception in his delivery, so he doesn’t really have a lot of baseball tools as a pitcher. What Hellickson gets by on is exceptional command, and an ability to mix pitches just enough to keep hitters off-balance.

What Hellickson really lacks is a true out pitch, as his curveball is probably the closest thing he has. However, he definitely doesn’t have anything with really sharp break, so changing speeds is just so, so important to what he’s trying to do on the mound.

Mid 4th, 1-1: Dempster was locating his fastball so well today … until Longoria hits a home run on a first-pitch four-seamer over the Monster. In fact, there’s no two ways about it, that was a poorly located pitch at 86 miles per hour, and Longoria absolutely crushed it.

So, in the middle of the fourth inning we’re tied at one run apiece. Both pitchers are looking very good on the morning — which has actually just turned to afternoon — but that pitch to the Rays’ third baseman shows Dempster’s lack of a margin for error with his fastball.

End 3rd, 1-0 Red Sox: So after a torrid spring, Jackie Bradley Jr. continues to struggle to begin the season, his average hanging around .100. We’ll talk more about him later, though.

On the other side of the ball, Hellickson is really settling in, and mixing his pitches well early. His best pitch is probably his 12-6 curveball, and he’s mixing that in with a two-seam fastball and a changeup effectively. Aside from Ellsbury and Middlebrooks, no one for Boston has really hit the ball hard.

Mid 3rd, 1-0 Red Sox: In the third inning there it looked like Dempster began to mix in some splitters, but otherwise his slider and four-seam fastball have looked great. The four-seamer, in particular, is really hitting its spots.

So, no potential no-hitter today, but once through the lineup and all Dempster has yielded so far has been a bunt single with the infield shift in effect.

End 2nd, 1-0 Red Sox: Hellickson mixed in a few more curveballs, perhaps his best pitch, in that last half inning, and ends up setting the Red Sox down in order.

However, it is nice to see Drew back, healthy and contributing. Jose Iglesias had certainly shown some good things so far in 2013, but despite a hot start it’s still questionable whether he’ll hit enough long-term to justify a regular spot in the lineup. The team’s other option, Pedro Ciriaco, isn’t quite a good enough defender to play shortstop regularly, and is a total free swinger. Ciriaco makes a great utility guy, but should not see consistent at-bats.

In any case, Drew is a plus defensive shortstop, and will also contribute significantly more with the bat than most who play the position. Given some good health, he’ll play an integral role for Boston this season.

Mid 2nd, 1-0 Red Sox: Let’s be honest, when the Red Sox picked up Loney as part of the Adrian Gonzalez-Josh Beckett megatrade last August, it was the equivalent to picking up an expiring contract in the NBA. Loney was never part of the long-term plan, and was really just a warm body for the rest of the 2012 season.

That being said, this live blogger is just kind of amazed the first baseman has hung around the big leagues as long as he has. He’s never really hit for power, and in spite of some very good defense has never hit or gotten on base often enough to justify keeping a good glove at first base. Nonetheless, the Rays saw something in him, and decided to give him a chance.

It didn’t work out for Loney or the Rays in that last half inning, however, as he grounds into a double play to end the inning.

End 1st, 1-0 Red Sox: Hellickson gave Ellsbury a steady diet of two-seam fastballs to start off the game, and on the eighth pitch of the at-bat the Sox’ center fielder got his pitch and didn’t miss it. He crushes a ball over the head of Jennings, and winds up on third base with a triple.

Victorino then did what Victorino does, getting the little things done and driving home Ellsbury by getting a ground ball to the right side of the infield. Nothing else doing for the Sox, but they jump out to the early 1-0 lead, and give Dempster something to work with.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Dempster is clearly trying to establish his four-seam fastball early, throwing a slew of them to the first three Rays batters he sees. The veteran pretty much stuck to the fastball and his splitter in the first inning, so it’s nice to see him establishing a simple pattern early. That will give him the ability to mix in more pitches as the game winds on.

In any case, Dempster gets Jennings and Zobrist on strikes, and forces Longoria to ground out to his third-base counterpart Middlebrooks. Easy first inning there, as Dempster tries to carry on the stellar pitching of Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester, who are leading the rotation in spectacular fashion.

11:05 a.m.: We have first pitch!

And, for those wondering, the temperature at Fenway is 51 degrees (though the sun is out) with winds from the east at seven miles per hour.

10:50 a.m.: Here are today’s starting lineups. For both teams it’s pretty much business as usual, except Jonny Gomes drops down to the No. 8 slot in the order for the Sox. Stephen Drew hits seventh in the order.

Tampa Bay Rays

Desmond Jennings, CF
Ben Zobrist, RF
Evan Longoria, 3B
Matt Joyce, LF
Ryan Roberts, 2B
James Loney, 1B
Yunel Escobar, SS
Jose Lobaton, C
Kelly Johnson, DH

Jeremy Hellickson, RHP

Boston Red Sox

Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Stephen Drew, SS
Jonny Gomes, DH
Jackie Bradley Jr., LF

Ryan Dempster, RHP

10:35 a.m.: Well it’s an official good morning, folks. It feels a little weird to be out here at Fenway so early, but it’s also a beautiful, beautiful day. Really, you couldn’t ask for better weather for the marathon or for baseball.

In any case, with the late start time the teams skipped batting practice, so lots of players took some hacks in the cages before the game, going in and out of the clubhouses. And in addition to the letterman jackets that the Rays are sporting (Yes, I’ve seen them in the clubhouse, and they are indeed real), everybody in a uniform has 42 on their back in a nice gesture to Jackie Robinson.

We’re about half an hour away from first pitch, but we’ll be back with the starting lineups before then.

8 a.m. ET: Good morning, folks, I certainly hope you’re the early bird type.

Is it still a series sweep if one game of a four-game set is postponed? Either way, the Boston Red Sox (7-4) are staring down the opportunity to take three consecutive contests against their division rival Tampa Bay (no longer Devil) Rays (4-7), which would go a long way to establishing themselves as a legitimate early season contender in what’s sure to be a yearlong AL East battle.

So, with an early Boston Marathon start time, the Red Sox are banking that Ryan Dempster (0-1, 3.60 ERA) is a morning person, as the 35-year-old right-hander goes for his first win in a Boston uniform in his third start of the season. He’ll be opposed by third-year right-hander Jeremy Hellickson (0-1, 6.35), who’s 3-2 against the Sox with a 4.47 ERA over the past three seasons.

It’s also Jackie Robinson Day around the big leagues, as we honor the man who broke baseball’s color barrier, making far greater waves in the civil rights movement. Everybody wears No. 42, too, so that’s kind of cool.

First pitch is scheduled for 11:05 a.m. ET, but we’ll have the starting lineups and, as Vin Scully would say, “all the stats and stories” here in our live blog leading up to the start of the game. And, if you’re so inclined, you can follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff for additional analysis and biting sarcasm.

However, despite the loss, the Sox didn’t just go down without a fight, putting up an impressive eighth inning to come back from six runs down to tie the game. Another positive is the work of Ryan Dempster, who throws five innings of three-run ball, but is really only touched up in one of those frames. And don’t forget Jackie Bradley Jr., who gets another hit and another RBI to add to an already marvelous spring campaign.

Among the negatives, it certainly wasn’t what the Red Sox wanted to see from Daniel Bard, who yields three runs on a walk, a hit batter and a balk in his inning of work. His control problems seemed to resurface after he had made some positive strides this spring.

Well, that’s it for today for your Red Sox Live Blog. Your regularly scheduled NESN.com Red Sox beat writer, Ricky Doyle, will be back on the bump tomorrow. However, in the meantime, if you’re so inclined you can follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff to chat Red Sox and MLB any time.

Adios!

Mid 9th, Orioles 8-7: Well, that was a short-lived tie. Danny Valencia, who spent some time with Boston last season, hits a monster home run off of Doyle, and the Orioles are back on top.

End 8th, 7-7: You know, folks, sometimes life is good. Due to the weather this live blogger is working from home today, and while I’m following the Red Sox and live blogging via Gameday, the Angels and Brewers are on my TV via MLB.TV. Yes, it’s hard to complain.

Likewise, things are also good for the Red Sox, who score six times against two Orioles pitchers to roar back and tie the game 7-7. Boston scores its six runs on seven singles and a walk, and that included Bradley’s latest knock and RBI, making a further argument that he deserves to break camp with the Red Sox. Aside from him, Daniel Nava, Brock Holt, Mike Carp Drew Sutton, Jeremy Hazelbaker, Mauro Gomez and Jonathan Diaz also get in on the action, as we go to the final frame all knotted up.

And, for those not familiar with spring protocol, the squads might play a 10th inning, but even if the game is tied they’ll likely call it after that.

Mid 8th, Orioles 7-1: So, Terry Doyle (no relation to Ricky) does indeed come into the game to take over for Bard.

Chris Dickerson opens the inning by doubling, and eventually scores on a single by Yamaico Navarro, making the score 7-1. There have been pretty much wholesale changes for both teams. We’ll spare you all the painful spring details, but we thought it was worth noting.

In any case, Doyle is a Boston College product who relies much more on command than pure stuff to get by. He doesn’t figure to have a role on the team right now with all the bullpen depth around, but he’ll be insurance in Pawtucket should the Red Sox need a spot starter. Right now Alfredo Aceves is the sixth option, with Franklin Morales usually taking on that role if healthy.

End 7th, Orioles 6-1: Sorry folks, MLB Gameday is drunk, apparently. What I can tell you, however, is that the Red Sox went down 1-2-3 in their half of the seventh inning, with Jackie Bradley Jr. flying out to end the inning.

Should Bradley start the year with the Red Sox? With David Ortiz on the shelf indefinitely, that would be the big question right now in camp.

Mid 7th, Orioles 6-1: Not an encouraging inning there for Daniel Bard.

Machado doubles to open the frame, moving up on a ground out before Teagarden gets hit by a pitch. A balk scores Machado and moves Teagarden to second, before Brian Roberts singles, steals second, and both score on a Flaherty single.

So, Bard’s control issues seem to resurface, and the balk points to a mental error stemming from a lack of composure on the mound. This is something you rarely want to do, but it’s hard not to read into that that Bard may have been a little flustered on the mound. In any case, he definitely seemed to regress a bit in that last half inning. We’ll see if he comes out for a second.

End 6th, Orioles 3-1: Kevin Gausman comes on to pitch for Baltimore, and he gets the Red Sox to go down 1-2-3. For the record, it’s still the starters in there for Boston, as Baltimore begins its wholesale changes.

Mid 6th, Orioles 3-1: So, Dempster’s day is indeed done, and he throws five innings of work, yielding three earned runs on six hits and two walks, with a lone strikeout on 73 pitches, 45 of which were strikes.

Junichi Tazawa comes on and gets the Orioles in order 1-2-3. Actually, Tazawa pitched so well down the stretch last year it’s a bit surprising the team didn’t create a bigger role for him in the bullpen. Rather, the Sox went out and acquired Joel Hanrahan and Koji Uehara to fufill some back-end roles.

End 5th, Orioles 3-1: The Red Sox can’t quite manage to push across a run after Ryan Sweeney gets into scoring position with one out, but let’s get back to Iglesias.

Stephen Drew is set to head for Pittsburgh, I believe, to be examined by a concussion specialist, so chances are he won’t be playing Opening Day. Pedro Ciriaco is best deployed as a super utility guy — and with his free-swinging ways, not one who gets regular at-bats — so Iglesias is probably the Sox’ man when it comes to shortstop for the immediate future.

Coming into the game, Iglesias was hitting just .220 on the spring, but that sacrifice bunt actually showed a lot. In addition to his anemic hitting, before this spring Iglesias wasn’t even able to do the little things to help the team win, but even something as simple as getting down a sacrifice speaks volumes to how much his approach at the plate has improved. This live blogger is still skeptical about his ability to ever hit enough to stick as a major league regular, but he’s certainly working on improving himself.

Mid 5th, Orioles 3-1: So, for the record, the answer is yes, Dempster comes back out for a fifth inning of work, and after yielding a single to Jason Pridle, he gets Brian Roberts to bounce into a double play and Ryan Flaherty to line out to Middlebrooks.

So, one would assume that Dempster is done for the day, we’ll check on that before giving his final line, but overall it was a good outing for him. One third-inning blip, but otherwise he was able to make his pitches when he needed to and got a couple double plays to help his cause.

End 4th, Orioles 3-1: Another quick inning there for Matusz, who puts down Middlebrooks, Saltalamacchia and Gomes in order.

One interesting footnote of this game is that Orioles manager Buck Showalter has found an interesting way to get work in for two of his outfielder. Every inning Showalter has been flipping Robinson and Nate McLouth  between center field and left field. That’s something you surely won’t see during the regular season, and it’s not too common during the spring season, either. Either way, credit Showalter with finding a creative way to get both of his outfielders time at both positions.

For what it’s worth, I don’t know the defensive scouting report on Robinson, but McLouth is a barely plus defender in center. Certainly capable of playing the position regularly, but not necessarily spectacular out there.

Mid 4th, Orioles 3-1: Solid bounce-back inning for Dempster there, who starts off by walking Wilson Betemit before getting Machado to ground into a double play and Teagarden to pop out.

Not exactly sure what Dempster’s pitch count is for the day, but I’ll work on that one for you, or at least grab a figure after he’s done. But we’ll see if he goes out for another inning despite the rough third. With probably just two more starts to go before the regular season, you’d like to see Dempster stretch himself out to five innings at this point in the spring. Aside from the one blip, he’s pitched well Tuesday.

End 3rd, Orioles 3-1: Quick inning there for the Red Sox, who go down 1-2-3. Victorino, Pedroia and Napoli all ground out, so Matusz gets right back to where he was five days ago when he was shutting down the Minnesota Twins.

Mid 3rd, Orioles 3-1: Well, that’s the most damage Dempster has given up this spring, as the inning opens with a solo home run to Trayvon Robinson, then a double to Taylor Teagarden before a singles attack yields a couple more runs. Dempster does get Glynn Davis to go down looking on strikes to end the frame.

Robinson’s certainly showed a lot of power throughout his minor league career, so he’s really just looking to stick in the big leagues and certainly helped his case there. Incidentally, he was actually part of the trade that brought Erik Bedard to the Red Sox, so there’s that, as well.

End 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: Well, folks, it’s not often that you see a 4-5 double play, but, well, there you go.

Will Middlebrooks starts the inning with a single and Jonny Gomes does what Jonny Gomes does by drawing a walk. However, Ryan Sweeney then grounds into that elusive 4-5 double play, and Jose Iglesias knocks a single before Jacoby Ellsbury flies out to end the inning.

We’ll talk about Iglesias a bit more later, but that’s an encouraging sign to see him continue to hit. He may yet end up playing a big role for the team, as it remains to be seen whether or not Stephen Drew can make Opening Day.

Mid 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: Well, well, who needs Christian Vazquez when you have Jarrod Saltalamacchia?

Before being sent down to minor league camp, the young backstop had impressed the Sox with his defensive prowess behind the plate — specifically is powerful arm. Your regular NESN.com Red Sox beat writer, Ricky Doyle, recently wrote about Vazquez’s bright prospects going forward, and his potential major league career will basically come down to whether he can hit enough to justify keeping him in the lineup.

In any case, after Dempster yields a single to wunderkind Manny Machado, Saltalamacchia swiftly catches him napping for the pickoff. And, for the record, Mike Napoli was perfectly in place to make the play, so he’s clearly picking up the finer points of playing first base.

End 1st, Red Sox 1-0: Shane Victorino, back from Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, gets things started for the Sox, doubling to left field. A Dustin Pedroia single moves him up 90 feet, and then credit Mike Napoli for getting the run home with a sacrifice fly.

That’s cerainly something the Red Sox are better equipped to do this year — manufacture runs. There were too many free-swingers and easy at-bats in the lineup last year, but the team’s offseason additions were largely count-working types, and guys with great baseball acumen.

So, again, credit Napoli for knowing the situation and just trying to get the ball up in the air.

Mid 1st, 0-0: So Dempster takes over right where Buchholz left off yesterday, throwing a perfect 1-2-3 inning.

This is Dempter’s fifth time out to the hill this spring, and in his last appearance he threw four innings. Thus, expect the team and the right-hander to aim for about five innings or 65 pitches on the day. We’ll see if that holds up, but that would be about his schedule at this time of the spring.

1:35 p.m.: We have first pitch! And, just an unfortunate reminder, that while it’s snowing up here in Boston, it’s 77 degrees and partly cloudy in Fort Myers.

1:15 p.m.: Hey all, officially signing on for the day, and what better way to start than with the starting lineups.

Baltimore Orioles

Brian Roberts, 2B
Ryan Flaherty, SS
Nate McLouth, CF
Glynn Davis, 1B
Wilson Betemit, DH
Manny Machado, 3B
Trayvon Robinson, LF
Taylor Teagarden, C
Jason Pridle, RF

Brian Matusz, LHP

Boston Red Sox

Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Will Middlebrooks
Jonny Gomes, LF
Ryan Sweeney, DH
Jose Iglesias, SS

Ryan Dempster, RHP

8 a.m. ET: It’s far too easy too look at results during spring training and, quite frankly, they hold little bearing on how a player will perform during the regular season. Most of the time, getting through the spring without anything noteworthy happening is a success.

However, when you’re coming off the kind of season the Boston Red Sox (13-10 in Grapefruit League play) are, it’s difficult not too get excited when looking at the performances of guys like Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz — who threw five innings of one-hit ball on Monday. Ditto for Ryan Dempster (1-1, 2.13), who’s putting together a great spring, himself. For the record, Dempster has always been a strong pitcher during March, so perhaps his consistency is the most encouraging sign to take out of his four starts so far.

For the Baltimore Orioles (13-6), they’ll send Brian Matusz (1-1, 2.70) to the mound. The 26-year-old came up to the big leagues as a starter, but in 2012 he was used by Baltimore as a swingman, and so far this spring they’ve appeared to stick with that plan, as of Matusz’s four appearances, two have come out of the bullpen. However, in his last time out, five days ago, he threw four no-hit innings against the Minnesota Twins.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET, but we’ll have the starting lineups and, as Vin Scully would say, “all the stats and stories” leading up to the game at Fenway South. And, if you’re so inclined, you can follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff for additional baseball analysis and the occasional knock-knock joke.

Final, Red Sox win 5-3:

In any case, the Blue Jays push across an unearned run after the non-error on Bradley, but ultimately Webster puts down the Jays and secures the 5-3 win.

Taking one last look back on the day, if you’re Boston, the positives you take away from this one are Clay Buchholz and Ryan Sweeney. Sweeney goes 2-for-3 in his quest to make the Opening Day roster, while Buchholz just does what he’s supposed to do, taking the next step in his preparation for April 1. The good results don’t necessarily hurt, either.

Well, folks, that about does it for this one. However, we invite you to return tomorrow when your regularly schedule Red Sox beat writer, Ricky Doyle, will return to the live blog. However, in the meantime you can follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff to chat Red Sox and all things MLB any time.

Adios!

End 8th, Red Sox 5-2: He’s erased on an inning-ending 1-6-3 double play, but, once again, how about Jackie Bradley Jr.? After that pinch-hit single, Bradley is now 15-for-28 on the spring, and, to harp on a broken record, is just doing everything within his control to prove that he belongs in the major leagues.

So, we go to the top of the ninth with the Red Sox looking to close out the game before the rain starts coming down in Fort Myers.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 5-2: Webster works around a double by Gose, and otherwise gets through the inning without incident.

In fact, after Gose doubled he was pinch run for by Kenny Wilson, who almost found out firsthand how good Christian Vazquez is behind the plate. The young catcher almost caught Wilson napping off second base, and if not for a throw that was just low probably would have gotten. As our NESN.com Red Sox beat writer Ricky Doyle pointed out a few days ago, Vazquez is thoroughly making an impression in big league camp, and is really messing with the presumptive pecking order behind the plate going forward for Boston.

End 7th, Red Sox 5-2: The Red Sox get a couple insurance runs on a ground ball by Jonathan Diaz and a sacrifice fly from Lyle Overbay. Those scores were set up by a leadoff walk from Jacoby Ellsbury and a single from Nava — both of whom were promptly removed for pinch runners.

So, the Red Sox extend their lead to three heading into the eighth inning, and Webster is set to head out for a second inning of work.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 3-2: While Rubby De La Rosa has shown he still has some work to do in the minor leagues, Allen Webster has been incredibly impressive, and may be the first option for the Red Sox should one of their starting five go down with an injury.

In Grapefruit League play so far, Webster has thrown nine innings and yielded just two runs. However, most impressively, he’s also struck out 12 batters now.

End 6th, Red Sox 3-2: Gomes and Lavarnway each go down on one pitch, which means that — oh so ironically — that Pedro Ciriaco turns out to be the only hitter in the inning to take a pitch. We kid, but seriously, Ciriaco is a total free-swinger and it was something that pitcher’s were clearly able to exploit the more the scouting report on the infielder got around baseball later in the season.

Otherwise, this game is going along at a very nice clip. It helps that it’s not being televised, but it’s also a surprisingly crisp game for what’s still relatively early in the spring.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 3-2: Luis Jimenez hits a ground rule double that no one in the ballpark thought would stay fair — Jimenez was practically in the batter’s box when it landed beyond the fence — but otherwise Andrew Bailey works an unremarkable inning.

End 5th, Red Sox 3-2: Wasted opportunity for the Red Sox there, as Ryan Sweeney grounds into a 4-6-3 double play with the bases loaded to end the inning. That situation came via walks to Pedroia and Middlebrooks sandwiching a double by Napoli. All of that, by the way, came against Claudio Vargas for the Jays.

Looks like the wholesale changes are beginning in earnest, as all three baserunners in that last half inning were replaced with pinch runners.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 3-2: So Buchholz is indeed done for the day, as he is relieved by Andrew Miller. On the day that’s four innings of scoreless ball on three hits with no walks and a strikeout. So, solid outing for Buchholz, as he follows Jon Lester in showing some very good form.

However, Miller comes in and promptly yields a double to Anderson and a home run to Jim Negrych, cutting the lead down to a run. Miller became a very effective left-handed specialist last year in Bobby Valentine’s bullpen after coming up as a starter, and the grizzly-bearded Miller responded to the new role. He figures to have a spot in the bullpen locked up this year — particularly with fellow left-handers Franklin Morales and Craig Breslow battling injuries.

End 4th, Red Sox 3-0: So Sweeney gets his second knock of the day, and this time drives home Will Middlebrooks, who led off the inning with a double. Although Lavarnway singled Sweeney to third, that’s as far as he would get and the Red Sox settle for one run, extending their lead.

For Sweeney, it’s another positive as he tried to make the team — which probably got slightly easier with the news that David Ortiz isn’t likely to be ready by Opening Day — and Middlebrooks continues to show he’s all the way back from late-season wrist surgery and some sort of flare-up earlier this spring.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 2-0: Jose Bautista doubles, but Buchholz works around it to keep the Blue Jays off the board. We’re not sure if Buchholz will be capped at four innings for today, but we’ll let you know as we go forward.

For Toronto, the reason they may be successful with the same player Miami failed with last season is its existing core — and that core is led by slugger Bautista. The right fielder has been one of the best hitters in baseball for years now, and in addition to protection from Edwin Encarnacion and the development of Brett Lawrie, but now he’ll have Jose Reyes batting in front of him, too. Regardless of how they fare in wins and losses, Toronto figures to have a prolific offense in 2013.

End 3rd, Red Sox 2-0: The Sox push across two runs behind singles from Dustin Pedroia and Mike Napoli — who is playing in back-to-back games for the first time this season. Pedro Ciriaco and Daniel Nava set up the runs with their own knocks.

However, Napoli was thrown out at second trying to stretch his knock into a double. Though that’s not the kind of thing you’d like to see during the regular season, but at this time of the year it’s good to see that Napoli is healthy and running the bases aggressively.

Mid 3rd, 0-0: The Blue Jays threaten there, getting to Buchholz for the first time, but fail to put any runs across. After Lars Anderson flied out to begin the inning, Ryan Goins and Jim Negrych both singled, putting runners on at first and second. However, Anthony Gose grounds into the 6-4-3 double play, and Buchholz works through the trouble.

End 2nd, 0-0: Ryan Sweeney doubles with two outs, but Germano puts Jonny Gomes away behind him on a 5-3 ground out, so we’re still scoreless here through two innings.

Sweeney’s a player who is thoroughly on the bubble for the Red Sox. In many ways it’s surprising that he’s still on Boston’s roster, as he originally wasn’t offered a contract by the team, and became a free agent. However, after Ryan Kalish’s injury, the team brought him back on, and now he’s in a battle for likely the very last spot on the roster among position players.

While Sweeney has the body type of someone you would think should hit 40 home runs a season (I’ve interviewed and stood next to him, he’s an impressive physical specimen), he’s simply never been that kind of player. However, he’s a solid defender who can play all three outfield spots and has the kind of on-base skills the Red Sox typically covet.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Buchholz has now retired six in a row to begin the game, getting two ground outs and Andy LaRoche to line out to Pedro Ciriaco at shortstop.

Speaking of Andy LaRoche, it’s kind of fascinating that he’s still kicking around the big leagues. The third baseman was a much-heralded prospect coming up through the Dodgers organization, but was never able to stick there. He spent three seasons with the Pirates before helping out the Athletics in 2012, and now he’s really just fighting for a job. For a guy who was projected as a middle of the order hitter, LaRoche has never shown much with the bat at this level, owning a .642 OPS in 1,332 career plate appearances.

4-A guy? Probably.

End 1st, 0-0: A couple of groundouts and a strikeout for Daniel Nava, and Germano works through his first inning without incident, as well.

Although Germano did get into one game last year for the Red Sox, he actually pitched quite a bit for the Cubs down the stretch — and he was pretty much awful. In 13 appearances (12 of those starts) the right-hander was lit up to the tune of a 6.75 ERA in 64 innings pitched. Germano’s career arc really hasn’t been what you typically see from guys who debut in the majors at 21 years old, but now he’s just fighting for a job as part of the Blue Jays’ pitching depth.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Good first inning there for Buchholz, who works through the Blue Jays 1-2-3 in the first inning.

The 28-year-old right-hander is kind of an interesting case coming into 2013. For reference sake, I began this job roughly June 1 of last year, at which time I obviously started following the Red Sox much more closely, and watching the games every day. So, from my perspective, Buchholz was a borderline ace-quality pitcher last season.

However, I obviously missed out on the first two months of the 2012 campaign, when Buchholz largely struggled. So which Clay Buchholz shows up this April? When he’s on he’s capable of leading a rotation, but when he’s not right things can snowball in a hurry.

1:20 p.m. ET: Howdy folks, officially, signing on for the day, and the first order of business, per usual, is the starting lineups:

Toronto Blue Jays

Anthony Gose, LF
Colby Rasmus, CF
Jose Bautista, RF
Luis Jimenez, DH
Josh Thole, C
Andy LaRoche, 3B
Lars Anderson, 1B
Ryan Goins, SS
Jim Negrych, 2B

Justin Germano, RHP

Boston Red Sox

Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Daniel Nava, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Mike Napoli, 1B
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Ryan Sweeney, DH
Jonny Gomes, LF
Ryan Lavarnway, C
Pedro Ciriaco, SS

Clay Buchholz, RHP

8 a.m. ET: It’s no secret that the Toronto Blue Jays (7-8) are coming into the 2013 season with a completely new look as the beneficiaries of Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria’s offseason firesale. MLB’s only Canadian team already had a core that included Edwin Encarnacion, Brett Lawrie and Jose Bautista, so Toronto figures to play a role in determining the outcome of the ultra-competitive AL East.

On Tuesday the team sends Justin Germano (0-0, 7.71) to the hill. The 30-year-old right-hander has been up and down in the big leagues going all the way back to 2004, and actually spent last season as rotation depth for the Red Sox with Pawtucket for much of the year, but did in fact appear in one game for the Sox, working 5 2/3 innings of scoreless relief against the Yankees during a July game.

The Red Sox (8-8) will counter with Clay Buchholz (1-0, 0.00), who’s being counted on to largely anchor the rotation in 2013 along with Jon Lester. This will mark the right-hander’s fourth start of the spring, and in his last outing he threw three innings and 38 pitches. So, look for something like four innings and 50 pitches this time out, and make note of the 28-year-old’s brisk pace on the mound — which was much commented upon during his last start.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET, but we’ll have the starting lineups and, as Vin Scully would say, “all the stats and stories” leading up to the game. And, if you’re so inclined, you can follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff for additional baseball analysis and nonsensical anti-jokes.

In any case, don’t get too down about this one folks. As we often repeat, the scores just don’t matter at this time of the year, and there are lots of positives to take out of this game — namely Jon Lester and Jackie Bradley Jr.

Lester, who’s being counted on as the staff ace for the 2013 campaign, has done everything so far to show he’s capable of bouncing back from last year’s calamity. On Monday afternoon he goes five innings, yielding just one earned run on three hits with no walks and four strikeouts on 54 pitches. Moreover, he retired the last 11 batters he faced.

And how about Jackie Bradley Jr.? This live blogger came into this spring thoroughly believing that Bradley should start the season at Pawtucket and see regular at-bats there before likely being folded into the Boston lineup in 2014. However, that time frame may have been moved up a year, as, quite frankly, there’s just nothing more Bradley can do to prove he belongs, and he deserves to be in the outfield mix come Opening Day. On Monday, he goes 3-for-4 with a walk, a single, a double and a home run to lead off the game.

Let’s see if that actually pans out, but this is another reminder to use the Twitter hashtag #keepJBJ if you think he deserves to be in Boston on April 1.

Anyway, that will about do it here for your NESN.com Red Sox Live Blog. Thanks for tuning in and I hope we imparted some knowledge upon you that you can take forth into your baseball-analyzing lives. But, for now, if you’re so inclined, you can follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff to chat Red Sox and MLB any time off the live-blog clock.

Adios!

Mid 9th, Red Sox 7-6: Drew Sutton singles, but otherwise nothing doing for the Red Sox in the top half of the ninth. As they fail to put across any insurance runs, we go to the final frame with Boston holding a one-run lead. It looks like Chris Carpenter — who will forever be known as the compensation the Sox received from the Cubs for Theo Epstein — will be called upon to close it out in the ninth.

End 8th, Red Sox 7-6: Well, there are no extra-inning games at this time of the spring, but the Red Sox clung to their lead in that last half inning. After Jake Jeffries reached on an error, Jordan Brown doubled him to third, but they were both left stranded by Carter.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 7-6: With that single, Bradley is now a triple away from hitting for the cycle. Although Bradley likely won’t get the chance to complete it, we’d have to imagine hitting for the cycle during spring is a rare feat, and a quick Google search tells us the last time it happened was actually last March, when Brewers prospect Scooter Gennett did it in a split squad game.

Anyway, we’ve seen Peter Abraham promoting it on Twitter, so how about the hashtag #KeepJBJ to keep Bradley on the Sox roster heading into the season. At this point we don’t even know what to say about Bradley’s 14-for-27 spring. However, the more we see him the more we feel like he should be a part of Boston in 2013.

End 7th, Red Sox 7-6: One of the overlooked aspects of last August’s mega-trade that shipped out Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford was that it wasn’t just a salary dump — the Red Sox received back some legitimate minor league talent.

However, of the two prospect pitchers Boston received, it’s clear this spring that Allen Webster is much closer to major league ready. Both him and Rubby De La Rosa have ace-quality stuff, but Webster’s command is just so much better at this point — he could end up starting games for the Sox in 2013.

De La Rosa, however, showed his weaknesses in that last half inning, walking four batters and yielding five runs (all earned) in two thirds of an inning before giving way to Anthony Carter, who gets Christian Yelich on strikes with Kevin Kouzmanoff at second base to preserve a one-run lead.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 7-1: Wholesale defensive changes for the Marlins entering the inning. We’ll spare you from going through them all, but we thought we’d let you know.

However, after Brock Holt doubles, Will Middlebrooks continues to show that his wrist issues are a thing of the past by clobbering his second home from of the Grapefruit League to left field. Suffice it to say that’s good news for Middlebrooks, who will be a key cog for the Red Sox offense. Despite coming off of injury, it’s clear that the sophomore third baseman will need to carry more of the offensive load for the Red Sox to be competitive in 2013.

End 6th, Red Sox 5-1: Alex Wilson comes on for Lester and picks up right where he left off, retiring the Marlins in order. So, that’s 14 Miami hitters in a row that have been set down.

Like we said in the intro, it’s going to be a long year in South Beach.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 5-1: Zach Phillips comes on to replace Koehler, and follows his act by getting Maier, Bradley and Iglesias in order. Yes, folks, that’s right, Bradley’s batting average has tumbled all the way down to .500, as the center fielder is 2-for-3 on the day with a walk, a double and a home run.

And it does indeed look like Lester is done for the day, so his line ends up being one earned run on three hits over five innings, and four strikeouts. We’re also seeing reports on social media that the left-hander’s pitch count ended up at 54, so that was likely a function of the Red Sox capping his day at five innings.

End 5th, Red Sox 5-1: Once again, not much to report. Lester sets down the side 1-2-3, meaning, if this is indeed his last inning, he retired the last 11 batters he faced. While you don’t want to put too much emphasis on results this early in the spring, with the kind of season Lester had in 2012, any reason for optimism is something the Red Sox will take.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 5-1: Nothing doing there for the Red Sox, as Will Middlebrooks, Carp and Mauro Gomez go down in order.

It looks like Lester is slated to go back out for one more, and likely his last, inning, so that’s a positive sign to see him working up to five innings by his fourth start. That’s pretty much right in line with what you’d like to see from Lester at this time of the year, so he’s right on schedule.

End 4th, Red Sox 5-1: That’s Lester’s second consecutive inning setting down the side in order, and he ends the frame by punching out veteran Austin Kearns.

We forgot to mention that, beginning last inning, right-hander Tom Koehler took over for Kevin Slowey to pitch for the Marlins, and it looks like he’ll be back on the hill for a second inning.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 5-1: So a couple items of note for players trying to make the Red Sox in that last half inning.

First, Mike Carp leads off the game with a home run. Being the younger player with more defensive flexibility, it figured Carp had an edge over Lyle Overbay for the last spot on the roster, and that certainly helped his cause. Secondly, Bradley doubles to tack on another run, and extend his ridiculous spring season to 13-for-25. Yes, folks, Jackie Bradley Jr. is hitting over .500 25 at-bats into Grapefruit League play.

This is a dangerous comparison, but Bradley may be forcing his way onto the roster the way Mike Trout did for the Angels last year with his play in Triple-A.

End 3rd, Red Sox 3-1: Quick 1-2-3 inning there for Lester, who looks to be settling down after yielding a couple hard-hit knocks earlier in the game. Unfortunately we do not have access to a reliable pitch count to check where the left-hander’s at for the game, but on the day he’ll be slated for about 60-65 pitches after throwing 52 his last time out to the hill five days ago.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 3-1: One thing that figured to be different about this year’s edition of the Red Sox was the team’s on-base percentage. Basically, Boston’s OBP without David Ortiz in the lineup in 2012 was abysmal, with the team throwing away many an at-bat. However, with the players the team brought in this offseason — Drew, Mike Napoli and Jonny Gomes, specifically — the Red Sox figured to be a team that would take their walks this year.

Well, they weren’t players who may get many plate appearances with the big club this year, but Bradley and Mitch Maier get things started by taking free passes, and after Napoli is hit by a pitch, Jarrod Saltalamacchia comes up with the big hit, a two-run double, to retake the lead for Boston.

End 2nd, 1-1: Casey Kotchman doubles off of Jon Lester, but otherwise nothing doing for the Marlins in their half. We’ll actually get back to Kotchman at some point in this live blog — he’s kind of an interesting player — but for now, some more bad news on the Red Sox injury front.

Peter Abraham is reporting that Stephen Drew is still experiencing concussion symptoms, which is obviously very serious when it’s a multiple-day thing — now nearly a week. Drew says he’s never had a concussion before, is just following the advice of the medical staff and will likewise await their clearance.

Update on #RedSox SS Stephen Drew: sulia.com/my_thoughts/94…

—
Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) March 11, 2013

End 1st, 1-1: One of the great things about watching the World Baseball Classic has been catching all the where-have-they-been names — guys like Hanley Statia and Karim Garcia. I feel like Juan Pierre should also be in that group, except he never left Major League Baseball.

If the statistical revolution in MLB has helped increase the value of guys like Adam Dun, it’s probably killed the valuation of Pierre, who’s been one of the most consistent performers in the sport throughout his career. However, due to the fact that he’s an impatient leadoff hitter, his value takes a hit. Still, that didn’t stop the Dodgers from handing him one of the most ridiculed contracts in the history of the sport back in 2006.

Mid 1st, Red Sox 1-0: So what’s left to say about Jackie Bradley Jr. at this point? The 22-year-old center fielder has done just about everything within his power to make the Opening Day roster, and yet it’s still likely he’ll begin the year in Pawtucket. Is he ready to make an impact at the major league level yet? It’s difficult to say whether or not he’s ready to face top-tier pitchers in midseason form, but, suffice it to say, he looks good this spring.

Bradley leads off the game with a home run, his first of the spring, and is now 12-for-24 in the Grapefruit League.

12:55 p.m.: Well, if you’re a Red Sox fan, we open today with some bad news. David Ortiz’s heels (plural, apparently) have been a big focus for a few days now, and yesterday came the news that the team was shutting down its designated hitter for about a week. Well, we figured that didn’t mean good things in terms of Opening Day, but now Ortiz seems to be confirming that targeting April 1 is a pipe dream.

In fact, according to The Providence Journal’s Tim Britton, and just about every source, Ortiz is saying that the goal is to play five or five-and-a-half months without pain. However, the good news is that the issue is no longer with Ortiz’s Achilles, specifically, but is probably an injury incurred for compensating for the original injury during rehab.

Ortiz acknowledges Opening Day unlikely: bit.ly/13PDiy2

—
Tim Britton (@TimBritton) March 11, 2013

12:45 p.m.: Howdy folks, officially signing on for the day, and the first order of business are the starting lineups:

Boston Red Sox

Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Brock Holt, 2B
Mike Napoli, C
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Mike Carp, LF
Mauro Gomez, DH
Mitch Maier, RF
Jose Iglesias, SS

Jon Lester, LHP

Miami Marlins

Juan Pierre, LF
Donovan Solano, 2B
Justin Ruggiano, CF
Chris Valaika, DH
Rob Brantly, C
Austin Kearns, RF
Casey Kotchman, 1B
Ed Lucas, 3B
Adeiny Hechavarria, SS

Kevin Slowey, RHP

8 a.m. ET: In this elongated spring season surrounding the World Baseball Classic, we’re at the point where players begin to push themselves a bit more physically to gear their bodies up for the grind of a 162-game season.

For the Boston Red Sox (8-8 in Grapefruit League play), that means Mike Napoli is slated to play the first of back-to-back games on Monday for the first time this spring. Although Napoli has said he’s never in his life experienced symptoms from the degenerative hip injury that caused to much trouble in contract negotiations this offseason, playing two days in a row will nonetheless be a good test of how he’s holding up physically, and another opportunity for repetitions at first base.

The Sox are slated to hand the ball to Jon Lester (2-0, 1.00) for his fourth start of the spring. His last time on the hill the 29-year-old left-hander threw 52 pitches, so he’ll likely be looking for something more like 60-65 on Monday afternoon as he continues his preparation for a bounce-back season.

For the Miami Marlins (6-7), at this point we all know the story of their offseason and the lowly roster the team is stuck with. Moreover, much-maligned owner Jeffrey Loria’s one and only star, right fielder Giancarlo Stanton, is still on duty with Team USA in the WBC, so he won’t be featured for the Marlins on Monday. Basically, when losing catcher Jeff Mathis — statistically one of the worst hitters in the history of the game — puts a major kink in your preseason preparation, it’s a sign the team is in for a long, long season.

Nonetheless, the Marlins will counter with 28-year-old right-hander Kevin Slowey (0-0, 0.00 in 6 1/3 innings pitched), who’s trying to bounce back in the majors after a forgettable 2012 campaign. After pitching reasonably well for the Twins as a back-of-the-rotation guy from 2008 through 2010, Slowey was forced out of the rotation picture in 2011 and traded to Cleveland (via Colorado) after the season. But in 2012 he only made eight starts with Triple-A Columbus before succumbing to a stress fracture in his ribcage. He pitched in the Dominican winter league this offseason and drew a surprising amount of interest as a free agent, eventually signing a minor league deal with Miami.

And, oh yeah, he also once climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with R.A. Dickey.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET, and Will Middlebrooks, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Jose Iglesias and Rubby De La Rosa are among the players making the 140-mile bus ride across the Florida peninsula from Fort Myers to Jupiter. We’ll have the starting lineups and, as Vin Scully would say, “all the stats and stories” leading up to the game, so stay tuned.

And, if you’re so inclined, you can follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff for Red Sox and MLB analysis, as well as the occasional limerick.

But, ultimately what’s most important to take away from this one? Well, we have to look at a couple of players coming off of injury last season: John Lackey and Will Middlebrooks.

For Lackey, it’s just one more hurdle cleared — with every additional hurdle being every time his pitch count is increased and the spring games gradually become more intense. But, for today he throws three unremarkable innings, yielding just three hits and no runs. More to the point, he seemed to be gaining a little more feel out there on the hill.

For Middlebrooks, it’s just showing that last week’s wrist setback wasn’t such a big deal. He’ll be a big cog in the Red Sox’ 2013 fortunes and expected to carry much more of the offensive load than he was as a rookie, so it’s good to see the power stroke coming around early in the spring — again, especially after the wrist tweak.

Well, that’s about it from us here for this evening, and your regularly-scheduled Red Sox writer, Ricky Doyle, will be back tomorrow afternoon as Boston takes on the Pirates at 1:35. In the mean time, however, we invite you to follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff to chat Red Sox and MLB any time.

Adios!

End 8th, Red Sox 4-3: Andrew Miller and Jose De La Torre — normally a Red Sox product, but pitching today for Puerto Rico — toe the line on the mound in the eighth, keeping the score at 4-3.

So, we’re on to the top of the ninth with the Reds Sox looking at an opportunity for a solid win over a very good WBC team. And it looks like Andrew Bailey is going to get a chance to come on and pitch the ninth inning for an unofficial save — this game isn’t even counted in the Grapefruit League standings, not that those really count for anything.

In the meantime, if you’re so inclined you can check out this piece from ESPN Boston’s Gordon Edes, which looks at former Boston shortstop Mike Aviles reuniting with a few of his former teammates.

End 7th, Red Sox 4-3: Well this is some crisp baseball, isn’t it? The game is moving along pretty well, and not much has happened over the last two innings — and since we can’t actually see this game, we can’t analyze some of the little things like execution and pitch sequencing.

But that being said, I’m kind of intrigued at the social media response that’s been largely in favor of Puerto Rico this evening.

Does anyone out there have any Puerto Rico WBC gear, by any chance? Or does anyone have a Puerto Rican flag nearby that they’re displaying while following the game?

If you do, I want you to take an Instagram picture and tweet it to @ZachStoloff. Yes, tweet a picture of your Puerto Rican support to me, and I’ll put the picture in this live blog for everyone to see.

End 6th, Red Sox 4-3: So Mortensen ends up going three innings, and though he yields another hit in the sixth he gives up no runs, so his latter two innings end up going significantly better than the first.

On the other side of the ball, Team Puerto Rico brings in reliever Mario Santiago, a Dodgers prospect who have exactly one game of major league experience under his belt. Nonetheless, Santiago gets through the inning without incident, striking out a batter.

We’re starting to see some changes now from both clubs, and perhaps the most interesting is Jose Molina replacing his brother, Yadier, behind the plate. Jose and Bengie Molina, the eldest sibling, used to play together on the Angels, but the younger two of the three have never been on the same team in the majors.

Aside from that, Pedro Ciriaco and Jackie Bradley Jr. are in the game for the Red Sox, while Jesus Feliciano of the Rays takes over in center field for Puerto Rico.

End 5th, Red Sox 4-3: So Mortensen has a bounce-back inning there, holding Team Puerto Rico down his second inning out on the hill.

The Red Sox offense, however, responds in kind, scoring two runs of its own to retake the lead. Stephen Drew and Mitch Maier gets the RBIs, knocking home Lavarnway and Maier himself. All four of the Red Sox’ runs have come off of reliever Orlando Roman, who’s thrown 363 games in the minor leagues without getting up to the show.

Maier and Lavarnway both doubled, and Drew singled home the second run.

So, it’s a good offensive showing from Lavarnway facing decent-caliber pitching. The Red Sox seem to have no doubt that the young backstop will be able to make the adjustments necessary behind the plate, but standing in the batter’s box there are some questions about his viability at the major league level. But games like this during the spring will certainly help his cause.

End 4th, Puerto Rico 3-2: Clayton Mortensen is one of about three or four pitchers fighting for the last spot in the Red Sox bullpen, and that fourth innings didn’t do his cause any favors. He yields three runs on four hits, and it easily could have been more. Mitch Maier threw out old friend Mike Aviles at the plate, and Mike Napoli made a nice stop at first to prevent another run from scoring.

However, speaking of Napoli, he hits an absolutely bomb over the Fenway South Monster in left field to cut the deficit back to 3-2. According to social media reports, it may have been as high in the air as 800 feet. Suffice to say that’s probably hyperbole, but either way he hit one of his patented Moon shots — the exact reason so many people believe his swing is tailor-made for Fenway Park.

End 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: So, it’s an absolutely positive day if you’re John Lackey. The right-hander gives up his second hit of the night to Falu, but works through his third scoreless inning. He’ll now give way to Clayton Mortensen, but all in all it’s a very solid outing for Lackey, who ends up yielding no runs on three hits with two strikeouts in three innings of work. Unfortunately we don’t have access to a reliable pitch count.

Nonetheless, that’s what you’d like to see from Lackey at this time of the year. There were no major blips, just putting forth one more step on the road to complete recovery — and doing it against a very good Puerto Rican lineup.

On the other side of the ball, Ryan Lavarnway gets a base hit off of Figueroa, but otherwise nothing doing for the Red Sox offensively.

Top 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: Good stuff from Middlebrooks that last half inning if you’re rooting for the Red Sox. Although, we will note that, based off of social media comments, there are a lot of Puerto Rican supporters out there.

In any case, enjoy this Twitpic of Middlebrooks’ home run courtesy of the Red Sox.

.@middlebrooks crushes a HR over the Monster to put the Sox up 1-0 #RedSoxST13 twitpic.com/c8yoch

—
Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) March 06, 2013

End 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: So, first an FYI: We’re switching this blog to a once-an-inning update format. Normally we’d go every half inning, but right now there is a dearth of information available.

That all being said, don’t go anywhere, as just because our quantity might decrease slightly, that only means the quality is going to improve.

Moving on, Lackey gives up a hit to Carlos Rivera, but otherwise moves through another inning without incident. In the bottom half of the frame however, the Red Sox received some very good news on the state of Will Middlebrooks when the young third baseman hit his first home run of the spring. So, suffice to say that wrist scare was only just that, and Middlebrooks looks to be back on track to lead the team from the batter’s box this season.

End 1st, 0-0: So Napoli was robbed of a hit by third baseman Andy Gonzalez in that last half inning, but otherwise the Red Sox don’t manage more than a Stephen Drew walk. However, that in and of itself is a good sign.

The Red Sox clearly targeted players this offseason for their plate discipline. Drew was absolutely among them as, like his brother, he’s known for his good eye at the plate.

In any case, the Red Sox should have a lot of long at-bats this season.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Lackey gives up a hit to Irving Falu in the first inning, but otherwise nothing doing for Puerto Rico. In fact, we now have the team’s starting lineup:

Angel Pagan, CF
Irving Falu, 2B
Alex Rios, LF
Carlos Beltran, RF
Yadier Molina, C
Mike Aviles, SS
Carlos Rivera, 1B
Andy Gonzalez, 3B
Eddie Rosario, DH

Nelson Figueroa, RHP

6:45 p.m. ET: Howdy folks, officially signing on for the evening.

For the record, we’re about as disappointed as anyone this one isn’t televised anywhere (for the record, the MLB Network, which is showing most all World Baseball Classic games, is just going through their normal schedule now), but fear now, for your Red Sox Live Blog is here. At this point, we still don’t even know who’s pitching for Team Puerto Rico, but I guess that’s part of the fun of a scrimmage like this. In any case, we’ll fill you in on all the relevant information once it becomes available to us.

In the meantime, if you’re following along at home or elsewhere, now would be the time to go get yourself a beverage (adult or otherwise) and settle in for some international baseball action.

2 p.m.: Lineup!

Daniel Nava, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Stephen Drew, SS
Mike Napoli, 1B
Mike Carp, LF
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Ryan Sweeney, DH
Ryan Lavarnway, C
Mitch Maier, CF

John Lackey, P

8 a.m. ET: If you’re not yet on board with the World Baseball Classic, well, it’s time to hop on.

Yes, there are some inherent problems with the tournament’s setup, and, as a certain live blogger recently noted, the rosters aren’t nearly as exciting as they could be. However, so far the Classic has produced some great moments, namely Team Brazil surprising its way into the tournament by ousting Panama, then nearly toppling defending champion Japan in its opening game.

So if international baseball excites you, strap in, because one of the deepest teams in the tournament is set to make a visit to JetBlue Park.

On Tuesday night, Team Puerto Rico will take on the Red Sox in Fort Myers in a spring training game of its own before heading back home to San Juan to host Pool C — also featuring Venezuela, Spain and the Dominican Republic — in what will almost undoubtedly be the most lively round of the Classic. They’re passionate about their baseball in that part of the world, and that passion will be on display on Tuesday in Florida.

Puerto Rico has yet to announce its starting pitcher, but the Red Sox are set to send John Lackey (1-0, 12.00 ERA this spring) to the hill to take on a lineup that may feature the likes of Carlos Beltran and Yadier Molina. Last time out, Lackey threw 43 pitches before being pulled — necessitated by a 35-pitch second inning — which was probably a bit low considering it was his second outing, even coming off Tommy John surgery. In his third time out, look for Lackey to be somewhere in the ballpark of 55-60 pitches, though we’ll see if manager John Farrell says anything about his expectations for the big right-hander ahead of the game.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET, but we’ll have the starting lineups and, as Vin Scully would say, “all the stats and stories” leading up to the game. You can also follow this live blogger on Twitter for additional baseball analysis and biting sarcasm at @ZachStoloff.

Photo via Instagram/Boston Red Sox

So, what to take from this game? Well, really there are two key players we’ll highlight.

First, the good: Jose Iglesias. The 23-year-old shortstops seems like he’s on a mission this spring to prove all the doubters wrong and show he can hit major league pitching. He gets two doubles on the day, giving him four extra-base hits on the spring so far, in 18 at-bats.

However, for Felix Doubront there is undoubtedly something left to be desired. The goal for the southpaw should have been to come in and pound the strike zone, but instead he walked the first batter he faced — yielding two free passes in his 1 2/3 innings on the hill — and couldn’t make it two full innings before hitting his pitch limit. That’s absolutely not the kind of aggression the team wanted to see from him early.

Well, we’re going to sign off of your Red Sox Live Blog for the day. However, be sure to tune in Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET, as Boston will have a special matchup taking on team Puerto Rico in a scrimmage ahead of their first game on Friday in Pool C of the World Baseball Classic. There’s a ton of talent on that squad, so it should be a fun matchup.

In the meantime, if you’re so inclined you can follow this live blogger at @ZachStoloff to talk Red Sox and MLB any time. You may even get a cheap laugh or two.

Adios!

End 8th, Red Sox 5-1: Christian Vazquez starts off the inning with a walk, but otherwise nothing doing in the latter half of the eighth for the Sox.

So, we’re onto the ninth, and what will undoubtedly be the final frame of the game. Remember, even if the Rays tie it up, like the NFL, spring training baseball games can indeed end in ties.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 5-1: Okay, so a couple notes about the picture in the below tweet. Giant Glass is a company that specializes in auto windshields in the Boston area and commonly advertises with the Red Sox. We’re sure they make a great product, and the below tweet has no bearing on them as a company.

So, all that being said, enjoy, courtesy of Andrew Bailey:

Jeez, I didn't think it was that big #niceadvertisement http://t.co/PeLiXFsSXp

—
Andrew Bailey (@AndrewBailey40) March 04, 2013

End 7th, Red Sox 5-1: Again the Gameday feed has decided to skip ahead on us, but in the bottom of the seventh the Red Sox score thrice, and it all began on Lyle Overbay’s second hit — and second triple — of the spring. A Jonathan Diaz double, Jackie Bradley Jr. being hit by a pitch and a throwing error on a pickoff attempt fill in the rest of the offense for the three-run outburst.

For Overbay, how he handles the bat will determine whether it’s him or Mike Carp who makes the Opening Day roster, so every at-bat is key. It’s something of a fluke that his only two hits are triples, but he’s helped his cause on Monday afternoon.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 2-1: The Rays go down 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh there, with Hernandez throwing the perfect inning.

Hernandez has marginal major league stuff, but has showed good results this spring. That being said, it’s going to be hard for him to stick in the big leagues with a fastball that rarely moves above 87 miles per hour — that’s the kind of velocity we’re seeing from some of the lesser World Baseball Classic teams. It goes without saying that his southpaw status helps him, but the plain fact is that with a pitcher who relies so much on pitching to contact, he’ll have to be extremely fine to be successful in the show, and that’s a very fine line to walk.

End 6th, Red Sox 2-1: Nothing doing there for the Red Sox, who go down in order, broken up only by a pitching change.

For Jeff Niemann, it’s a very positive outing. He’s competing for a spot in the Rays rotation, and although he’s being stretched out as a starter, the fact that he’s pitching in relief in the spring suggests he’s on the outside looking in. But after 2 2/3 innings, yielding three hits and just one run, he can feel good about his efforts on Monday afternoon.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 2-1: Chris Gimenez doubles, but otherwise nothing doing for the Rays in the bottom half of the inning.

In fact, that’s the third uneventful at-bat for Wil Myers. Unfortunately we can’t tell you how comfortable he’s looked at the plate today, but we can tell you that, despite his status as the top prospect in all of baseball, he won’t be breaking camp with the Rays. Per their usual routine, they’ll undoubtedly wait until May, when Myers’ service time won’t be triggered, thus earning the team an extra year of Myers being under their control — basically one less year of arbitration.

Nonetheless, look for Myers to make a big impact once he does get called up — he’s too good not to do something with the bat. He’s a player who could end up making a huge impact on the ultra-competitive AL East.

End 5th, Red Sox 2-1: Once again, in all caps this time: HOLY JOSE IGLESIAS.

This live blogger has been as skeptical as anyone of the shortstop’s ability to consistently hit major league pitching. But he’s certainly proving all the skeptics wrong this spring, knocking his second double of the day and fourth extra-base hit in 18 at-bats.

What more is there to say other than Iglesias has thoroughly impressed so far this spring, and jumping on pitches with aggression is just what the Red Sox were probably hoping to see from him in camp. Stephen Drew probably has the shortstop spot locked down, but Iglesias is absolutely putting himself in the major league picture with this showing.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 2-1: Chris Hernandez comes on to relieve what was a very effective Doyle, and immediately hits Fontenot with a pitch. Nonetheless, Hernandez gets the next three batters to escape the inning without further incident, minus Fontenot stealing second.

Alright, are we caught up now? We think we’re caught up now.

As for Doyle, it’s another solid outing. The right-handed BC product has now thrown 6 1/3 innings on the season, allowing just two runs. Ultimately, he doesn’t project as a front-line major league starter, but Doyle could well carve a solid career in middle relief for himself if he can replicate what he’s been doing well this spring during the regular season. Like Jeremy Hellickson, who we saw earlier, Doyle doesn’t have overwhelming pure stuff, so he has to rely on command to be effective.

End 4th, Red Sox 2-1: Well, once again it becomes necessary to remind that we are doing this live blog off of MLB’s Gameday feed. The reason this is relevant to admit is because apparently the feed was running slow, and subsequently decided to motor through the fourth inning to catch up.

In any case, Jarrod Saltalamacchia doubled in the bottom of the frame and eventually scored on a double play hit into by Lyle Overbay, giving the Red Sox a 2-1 lead.

End 3rd, 1-1: Well, what did we say about Cust?

Once again, pretty much all Cust does is walk, strike out or hit home runs, and he begins a Rays rally in that last half-inning by working a walk off of Doyle. Figueroa comes up with the big hit to knock him in, and in the middle of it all uber-prospect Wil Myers grounds into a double play after striking out against Doubront in his first at-bat.

We’ll talk more about Myers at some point this afternoon, but for now we’ll just mention that, if you’re the Rays, Cust is showing exactly what you want. The team has other DH options around, such as Red Sox enemy Luke Scott, so Cust will really have to show something to the team to stick around with Tampa when camp breaks.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: Holy Jose Iglesias.

The young shortstop has already been one of the early happy surprises in Red Sox camp. It’s clear where the 23-year-old’s progress needs to happen, and it’s all with the bat.

However, in that last half inning Iglesias knocked his third extra-base hit (a double) in 17 at-bats this spring. That makes him 5-for-17 on the campaign, in what has to be very heartening for the Sox to see in terms of his future. And really, for Iglesias to stick at the major league level, he doesn’t even have to hit well, necessarily, all he has to do is hit barely well enough to justify keeping his glove on the field.

But if he can continue hitting like he has this spring, getting regular playing time in future seasons won’t be an issue.

End 2nd, 0-0: Doyle yields a double to the versatile Sean Rodriguez but otherwise gets through the inning without incident.

So, let’s go back and revisit Doubront’s afternoon. In short, it was a bit of a disappointing outing for the left-hander.

With no pressure on the results, what the Red Sox would have liked to have seen from Doubront was for him to just throw strikes, even if they weren’t the best-located within the zone. Then, the idea would be after that pattern is established, to try and refine pitches and location. However, the whole key to that plan is that you have to throw strikes in the first place.

Instead, even this early in the spring, Doubront has trouble keeping to his pitch limit, and can’t get the requisite two innings. Instead of starting a new pattern, Doubront has already shown to be falling into old habits.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Okay, folks, here’s the point where it becomes necessary to divulge we’re doing this live blog off of Major League Baseball’s Gameday feed.

Doubront gets pulled after 1 2/3 innings, so we can only assume that he must have come near his limit of 35 pitches on the day — since we’re not seeing any Twitter talk to indicate he was pulled for any injury-related reasons. In any case, Boston College product Terry Doyle gets the final out after Doubront yields a double to Jack Cust and walks Cole Figueroa.

We’ll talk more about Doubront’s day coming up here, but how about Cust trying to make it back to the show? It figures that the DH/outfielder would wind up with the Rays, as the 34-year-old is a Moneyball wet dream. Think of Cust as Adam Dunn-lite, one of the most extreme “three true outcomes” players, racking up the walks, home runs and strikeouts by the bunch. Cust was relegated to Triple-A with three different organizations in 2012, but that double will certainly help his case to stick with the Rays.

End 1st, 0-0: Mike Carp gets hit by a pitch, but otherwise nothing doing for the Red Sox in that last half-inning. Hellickson looked good, fanning both Brock Holt and Jarrod Salatalamacchia, and he’ll be a key cog in the rotation for Tampa Bay behind David Price — particularly now that James Shields has been shipped off to Kansas City.

So, we’ve traded a couple zeros through the first inning; now on to the second!

Mid 1st, 0-0: Well, suffice to say that was not the way the Red Sox wanted to see Felix Doubront start things off. As we already talked about, pitch efficiency will be key for Doubront to take the next step as a pitcher in 2013, and what that means in the early spring is keeping things simple and pounding the zone — which he didn’t do to Mike Fontenot.

Nonetheless, Doubront picks himself up after the leadoff walk and gets the next three hitters in order to get out of the inning sans damage. In fact, with two popouts and a strikeout, Doubront looked pretty good after the first batter.

1:35 p.m.: We’re underway at Fenway South. And, for those who want to be made jealous, the weather down in Fort Myers is sunny and 65 degrees.

8:35 a.m.: Here are the lineups:

Red Sox

Brock Holt, 2B
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
Mike Carp, DH
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Ryan Gomes, LF
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Ryan Sweeney, RF
Mitch Maier, CF
Jose Iglesias, SS

Felix Doubront, P

Rays

Mike Fontenot, LF
Ryan Roberts, 2B
Sean Rodriguez, CF
Shelley Duncan, 1B
Jack Cust, DH
Chris Gimenez, C
Wil Myers, RF
Cole Figueroa, 3B
Tim Beckham, SS

Jeremy Hellickson, P

8 a.m. ET: So far the Red Sox have seen a lot of positives from four of the pitchers expected to comprise their starting rotation. Ryan Dempster and Jon Lester already have a couple of solid, uneventful starts under their belts, which is exactly what you want at this time of the year. Clay Buchholz made his Grapefruit League debut over the weekend, showing he’s recovered from a minor early-spring setback. And John Lackey may still be rounding into form, but he’s taken every step so far to show the Sox he’s all the way back from Tommy John surgery.

But we haven’t seen Felix Doubront (11-10, 4.86 ERA in 2012) yet — until Monday, that is.

The 25-year-old southpaw is set to take the hill in game action for the first time this spring, and he represents a very important, intriguing cog among the starting five. Everyone agrees that Doubront has the kind of big arm that can succeed as a starter — especially coming from the left side — but it’s also very clear what’s holding up his development at this point in his career. Pitch efficiency is Doubront’s biggest hurdle to overcome, and his ability learn how to finish off hitters and work deeper into games will ultimately determine his success at the big league level.

That being said, what the Red Sox will hope to see from Doubront on Monday afternoon is for him to forget about results and pound the strike zone. He’ll have plenty of time this spring to refine his location and pitches, but for now the goal ought to be to just try and throw strikes and otherwise keep things simple. Doubront came into camp slightly out of shape but has since caught up on the conditioning side of things, and he is set to throw 35 pitches or two innings.

Doubront and the Red Sox will take on the Tampa Bay Rays for the third time this spring. The former Devil Rays are set to start Jeremy Hellickson (10-11. 3.10 ERA in 2012). In two seasons in the big leagues, Hellickson has proven himself to be a quality big league starter despite underwhelming stuff — the 25-year-old is thoroughly a command pitcher. He’ll be making his second start of the spring.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m., but we’ll have the starting lineups and, as Vin Scully would say, “all the stats and stories” leading up to the game. And for additional baseball analysis and witty quips you can follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff.

But that being said, what can the Red Sox take away from this game?

Well, first and foremost, Ryan Dempster looked great in his two innings of work, allowing one baserunner on an error but nothing more. The fact that Dempster’s seven batters went well belies the more important fact that he came through the game healthy and looks to be where he should be at this time of the year — but six nearly flawless outs are nice to see, too.

Also, on the offensive end, Ryan Lavarnway and Lyle Overbay showing something with the bat after some tough trips to the plate was a positive sign. With Mike Carp getting the RBI double last game, Overbay’s triple perhaps evened things up in the race for that 25th slot on the active roster. Yes, hat means results this spring matter a little bit more for Overbay and Carp than they do for other players.

Aside from that, he bullpen was rocked a little bit, but credit Clayton Mortensen for having a nice bounce-back inning.

Anyway, we’re going to sign off here from your Red Sox live blog, but we’d like to thank you for following along during a tough game during the dog days of early spring. We’ll be seeing you again tomorrow, where NESN Red Sox writer Ricky Doyle will take over, but, in the meantime you can follow this live blogger at @ZachStoloff for baseball analysis, qitty quips and other entertaining stuff.

Adios!

Mid 9th, Cardinals 15-2: The Cardinals get a two-out walk and a double, but the Red Sox hold them to their 15-run total.

Not the most encouraging effort from the relief corps today, but keep in mind, most of the guys who have been run out here aren’t in line for the major league roster. In fact, many of the faces we’ve seen today are mid- to late-20s non-prospects which are really only around for roster depth, and may not have much of a big league career in front of them.

End 8th, Cardinals 15-2: Quick inning there for the Sox, who go down in order to new Cardinals pitcher Eduardo Sanchez.

So, on the order of off-topic things, this live blogger is a huge fan of the movie Super Troopers. As in, it’s not just a great comedy, but great cinema in general. As a comedy, its jokes are just so well timed and clever, it’s two steps above your typical Vince Vaughn fare.

So, in that vein, do you think Joba Camberlain looks like Rod Farva? Well, here you go, enjoy:

Doesn’t @Joba_62 bear a striking resemblance to a certain Super Trooper? atmlb.com/YwUm6e http://t.co/NMzm37A6YR

—
  (@MLB) February 26, 2013

Mid 8th, Cardinals 15-2: So, not such a great half inning there for the 26-year-old Anthony Carter, who gives up three runs (though none are earned) off of three hits and a throwing error.

Well, looking at where the score is at this point, this live blogger feels like he may have failed in terms of witty quips. That being said, he promises to make this live blog more entertaining (read: off-topic) from here on out. If here’s any relevant baseball news or analysis, we’ll pass that along, too, but suffice to say this is the kind of game where entertainment needs to be sought after.

End 7th, Cardinals 12-2: The veteran Randy Choate comes on for the Cardinals, who sets the Red Sox down in order.

Choate’s been in the big leagues since 2000 with the Yankees, bouncing around with five clubs since then. St. Louis would mark his sixth major league stop.

In that last half inning, Dan Butler singles before Overbay, Mark Hamilton and Justin Henry (no relation to John Henry) go down to end the inning.

Mid 7th, Cardinals 12-2: So, the wheels fell of he bus for Pedro Beato in that last half inning.

For those who may not remember, Beato was the player to be named later the Red Sox received from the Mets to complete he Kelly Shoppach trade. Boston actually designated Beato for assignment back in December, but he passed through waivers and is in camp with the Sox.

However, that 7th inning was a disaster for the 26-year-old, yielding four runs on four hits and a walk while recording just one out. Sergio Espinosa came on in relief to shut down the Cardinals and end the bleeding.

End 6th, Cardinals 8-2: Jorge Rondon comes on for the Cardinals and, after giving up a single to Drew Sutton, puts the Red Sox down.

We are thoroughly into the part of the game where the players become less familiar, but Jose Iglesias took a third at-bat that last half inning. In fact, he lined a shot to the shortstop, continuing his trend of putting good wood on the ball. So, once again, Iglesias looks like a new man this spring — a man who suddenly learned how to hit.

Mid 6th, Cardinals 8-2: Not a good inning if you’re Red Sox minor leaguer Jose De La Torre.

For those who don’t remember, De La Torre is the player the Red Sox received from the Indians in return for Brent Lillibridge — who, you may remember, was the player the team received from the White Sox for Kevin Youkilis.

In any case, the Cardinals light up the 27-year-old non-prospect for 5 runs on four hits and a free pass in the top of the sixth.

End 5th, Cardinals 3-2: Ah, some offensive life for the Red Sox.

After Bradley grounded out to open the inning, Nava reached on an error and was driven in on a double by Lavarnway. After a strikeout by Lyle overbay (batting for Mike Carp), Mauro Gomez singled to bring home the Red Sox catcher.

So, it’s nice to see some offense coming from Lavarnway. He absoluely has he power and approach to be successful at the plate in the big leagues, the problem (at times) is a swing that can grow a little too long. Lavarnway may start the year at Pawtucket, but chances are he’ll end up getting some at-bats with the big club this season.

Mid 5th, Cardinals 3-0: Alex Wilson comes on in relief of Clayton Mortensen and puts the Cardinals down in order.

Just a brief on Wilson, the right-hander throws from a three-quarters arm slot, so there’s some intrinsic deception in his delivery. He’s 6-foot-1 and about 215 pounds, and at 26 is definitely exhausting his prospect status. However, he converted to relief pitching full-time in 2012, so we’ll see if his new role yields benefits.

End 4th, Cardinals 3-0: The Red Sox get three baserunners in the bottom half of the fourth, but again can’t do anything with them.

Anyway, let’s talk about Ryan Sweeney, who grounded into a force out in that last half inning. I’ve had the opportunity to talk to Sweeney at a couple different points in his career, and the one thing that is surprising to me about his game is that he never really developed power. If you’ve ever stood next to him, Sweeney is an absolute hulk of a human being — just a huge, well-built guy. Nonetheless, he’s just never developed the power stroke he was expected to.

That all being said, he’s still a very valuable player (I’d argue moreso than Daniel Nava) because of his ability to play any outfield spot, and his on-base skills. There’s always going to be a deficit with Sweeney between his actual abilities and what we perceive of him, but, overlooking perception, he’s an undervalued player.

Mid 4th, Cardinals 3-0: Nice bounce-back inning for Mortensen there, who gets the Cardinals to go down in order.

Mortensen and Scott Atchison (who’s now in camp with the Mets on a minor league deal) were the most unheralded parts of an unheralded bullpen in 2012. Despite the fact that the pen yielded 22 blown saves (tied with the Angels for most in the American League), that’s a stat which doesn’t tell the full story of a patchwork back end.

Atchison, despite his elbow issues, was downright dominant at times, while Mortensen has a deceptive delivery similar to 2000s setup man Scot Shields, and had a solid campaign, himself, with an ERA of 3.21 in 42 innings.

End 3rd, Cardinals 3-0: Maikel Cleto comes on for the Cardinals and puts the Red Sox down in order, 1-2-3.

Cleto’s only 23 years old and has a really arm, but already he’s bounced around between organizations. He was part of the J.J. Putz trade between Arizona and Seattle a few years back, and then before the 2011 season was traded from the Mariners to St. Louis for Brendan Ryan (who, in all fairness, has probably the best facial hair in Major League Baseball).

Nonetheless, any pitcher who can throw in the upper 90s is going to get chances, and Cleto’s about ready to transition to the major leagues on a more regular basis.

Mid 3rd, Cardinals 3-0: Well, Clayton Mortensen’s first appearance of the spring didn’t go as planned.

The right-hander yields a pair of runs after getting the first two batters of the inning. Tony Cruz gets the big hit, knocking a bases-clearing double to center field that scores Descalso and Chambers.

That’s a little unfortunate for Mortensen, who looked to be struggling with command and for whom results during the spring matter a little bit more than others. The Sox have about 10 players vying for seven spots in the bullpen, an moreover Mortensen is out of minor league options, meaning he’s have to pass through waivers if the Red Sox wanted to send him down to Pawtucket again.

End 2nd, 0-0: Well, the Red Sox get a couple baserunners and again fail to score, but that’s far from what’s most important right now.

How about Jose Iglesias? I’ll admit that I’m about as skeptical as anyone of the shortstop’s ability to develop into a good enough hitter to stick in the major leagues, but he’s certainly challenging that assumption this spring. With a home run in his first game and an RBI single on Monday, you’ve got to be impressed with Iglesias’ approach at the plate.

We’ll temper the 23-year-old’s hot start by, again, noting that it’s only the early spring, but if Iglesias is to develop into a solid hitter, this would be where it starts.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Jonathan Diaz makes an error on Oscar Taveras’ ground ball to second base, but Dempster works around it and otherwise has a perfect outing on the day. Unfortunately we don’t have access to (reliable) pitch count information this early in the spring, but although it seems like Dempster should be well below his 30-pitch plateau, it stands to figure he’s done for the day after two innings.

If so, then it was certainly a successful day for the big right-hander. I’ll end up sounding like a broken record by he end of the spring, but since results don’ matter, most pitchers just end up hoping their arm feels good after early spring starts. Nonetheless, Dempster looks a little ahead of the curve, keeping the Cardinals hitters off balance.

End 1st, 0-0: Missed opportunity for the Red Sox there. Jackie Bradley Jr. and Daniel Nava begin the inning with hard-hit singles (Bradley’s of the infield variety), but Ryan Lavarnway, Mike Carp and Mauro Gomez leave them stranded.

At this time of the year, that’s nothing much to sweat, however. Unfortunately, what you would have liked to have seen is Ryan Lavarnway, especially, have a better at-bat. The young catcher struggled with the bat after his call-up last season, and what you’d like to see this spring is a better approach at the plate; for him to see more pitches.

However, Lavarnway strikes out swinging on three pitches, unable to do much as move the runners along.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Good first inning for Dempster there, who sets down the Cardinals 1-2-3. He got Chambers to fly out to Bradley in center, struck out Daniel Descalso and got Matt Carpenter to ground out to second.

That’s certainly the kind of tone Dempster wanted to start early in the spring, as he’ll be counted on as an innings-eater and rotation leader on the Red Sox staff.

1:37 p.m.: We seem to be underway at JetBlue Park, with Ryan Dempster on the hill facing Adron Chambers.

And, if you care to know, the umpires for today’s game are Brian O’Nora behind the plate, Jeff Kellogg at first, Chad Whitson at second and Kolin Kline at third.

1:25 p.m.: Hey all, officially signing on for the day, and set to bring you all your need-to-know baseball analysis. But first, let’s check in with the Cardinals’ starting lineup:

Adron Chambers, LF
Daniel Descalso, 3B
Matt Carpenter, 2B
Tony Cruz, C
Oscar Taveras, CF
Ronny Cedeno, SS
Justin Christian, RF
Ryan Jackson, 1B
Rob Johnson, DH

Jaime Garcia, RHP

8:30 a.m.: Your starting nine for today:

Jackie Bradley, CF
Daniel Nava, LF
Ryan Lavarnway, C
Mike Carp, DH
Mauro Gomez, 1B
Ryan Sweeney, RF
Drew Sutton, 3B
Jose Iglesias, SS
Jonathan Diaz, 2B

Ryan Dempster, P

8 a.m. ET: After splitting the two games that comprised Monday’s split-squad action, we’d say that the Red Sox are looking to bounce back — except for the fact that no one really cares about results and scores at this time of the year.

However, the games still matter, in a sense, and they definitely still matter to someone like Ryan Dempster (12-8, 3.38 in 2012), who will be looking to make an impression upon his new teammates with his first start in a Red Sox uniform. Dempster gets the call on Tuesday, and he’ll be looking for about two innings or about 30 pitches worth of work.

On the other end, Jaime Garcia (7-7, 3.92 in 2012) gets the ball for the St. Louis Cardinals. He’s trying to bounce back from a shoulder malady that limited him to 20 trips to the hill in 2012. Normally, teams avoid pitchers with shoulder injuries the way Manti Te’o avoids the film Catfish, but apparently the Cardinals believe Garcia is fully recovered from his health woes. The team is counting on the 26-year-old to hold down a rotation spot, which is largely the reason St. Louis doesn’t have an interest in free agent Kyle Lohse.

Anyway, there’s no telling who will be on the field in a game this early in the spring, so we’ll bring you the lineups and, as Vin Scully would say, “all the stats and stories” from Fort Myers leading up to first pitch at 1:35 p.m. And, if you’re so inclined, you can follow this live blogger at @ZachStoloff for witty quips like the one above, or to chat Red Sox and all things MLB any time.

Photo via Twitter/Boston Red Sox

Final, Yankees Win 14-2:

So, with the win the Yankees finish their AL East championship season at 95-67, while the Red Sox close at 69-93. Hiroki Kuroda (16-11) picks up the win, while Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-7) gets saddled with the loss. Time of the game was 3:23.

We won't draw this one out here, there will be plenty of time to talk more baseball on NESN.com as the Red Sox retool. However, as always, I invite you to follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff so we can chat Red Sox and all things MLB all winter. Look forward to seeing you there.

Adios!

End 8th, Yankees 14-2: Here we go, folks, it's the last half inning of Red Sox baseball you get to enjoy until March.

Junichi Tazawa closes out his season with a MLB-best strikeout-to-walk ratio, and he'll undoubtedly be coming back next year as one of the bright spots from 2012.

Mid 8th, Yankees 14-2: So, seeing Danny Valencia hit for Pedroia, we are clearly at the point in the year where it's better to just give up, let the young guys play and save what the veterans have left for next year. In preperation for their game on Saturday, we suspect the Yankees will begin doing the same.

So, on the night Kuroda did his job, throwing seven innings and two runs on seven hits, striking out four in the process.

Bottom 7th, Yankees 12-2: So, regardless of what happens in the rest of this game, the Yankees will be the champions of the AL East yet again. Baltimore just lost 4-1 in Tampa Bay, ending their division-crown hopes and sending them to Texas on Friday.

Tough last day of the season for Baltimore, whose luck seemed to just run out down in Tampa Bay. Of course, looking at objective stats like run differential, the Rays are probably a better team, but that was the magic of the O's, right?

Mid 7th, Yankees 9-2: Good for Iglesias there. It's still a huge question whether or not he'll ever hit enough at the major league level to be a tenable starter, but, on the last day of the season, it's nice to see him end up with a moral victory.

Aside from that, according to WEEI, Nava is scheduled to undergo wrist surgery at the end of this season. This one seems to fall more under the category of a bump or bruise rather than a major injury, but nonetheless it's clearly something the outfielder needs to take care of. And, presumably he'll be back with Boston next year. He likely won't see nearly as many at-bats, but he's absolutely proven his value as a backup outfielder.

End 6th, Yankees 9-1: So, Cano is making himself more and more money by the at-bat, right? He was already presumed to be one of the most in-demand players in this coming offseason, but he's further proved his value down the stretch and in this very game.

The smart money says that Josh Hamilton and Cano are the frontrunners to take home the most money this offseason, but given Cano's position, lack of extra issues such as Hamilton's past and sweet swing he may well be positioning himself to take home a huge deal. Likewise, it's difficult to see him making that money with anybody but the Yankees.

Bottom 6th, Yankees 7-1: We're glad you're more interested in Red Sox Nation right now for game 162, but as we speak there is a debate going on which may decide the direction of the American nation — you may have heard about it.

That being said, we're certainly not urging to to change the channel (particularly if you happen to be tuned into NESN) but it's just something we thought we'd mention. It's always good to be cognizant of important issues, right?

Mid 6th, Yankees 7-1: At only 70 pitches through six innings, again Kuroda has been quietly going about his business — but doing so in pretty spectacular fashion.

With David Phelps going last night, that would put CC Sabathia right on
schedule to open the playoffs Saturday on four days rest, which is likely
exactly what the Yankees want. Since they look to be avoiding the wild card one-game playoff, it's clearly a huge boon to be able to open the postseason with your ace, and the Yankees have one of the best big-game pitchers in baseball.

End 5th, Yankees 7-1: Cano just looks absolutely locked in right now. As much turnover as the team has had in recent years, Cano is one of the few newcomers who has really exuded what they call "the Yankee way." Anyway, it's good timing for him, as he's been doing his part to carry the Yankees offensively with Teixeira and Rodriguez struggling.

Aside from that, Evan Longoria has hit his third home run of the game, and the Rays lead the Orioles 4-0 in the sixth inning. So, currently the scenario we proposed earlier holds true, and Baltimore could be looking at a trip to Texas tomorrow.

Mid 5th, Yankees 5-1: Through five innings, Pedroia back in the third inning and Ellsbury's scoring in the first have been the only times the Red Sox have been able to push runners as far as second base — Kuroda looks pretty comfortable out there.

Aside from that, we'll continue to give updates from around baseball, and through six innings the Angels trail Seattle 6-0. Why is that relevant? Because Cy Young candidate Jered Weaver is going to be denied in his bid for a 21st win, and phenom Mike Trout is 1-for-2 in the game, bringing his average up to .324. He'll likely fall short of Miguel Cabrera in the batting race, but it was worth taking a look.

End 4th, Yankees 5-1: So, this live blogger has spent many words professing his distrust in Ciriaco as a regular option as a starter. Well, that opinion hasn't changed, but I figured it was a good opportunity to say something positive about the utility infielder.

Despite his subtle troubles in the middle infield — and very obvious deficiencies in the outfield — Ciriaco has taken to third base very, very well. In fact, I'd go so far to say that he looks very natural at the position, even on slow rollers up the line. And, there, you saw him flash an arm that seems tailor-made to play there.

Mid 4th, Yankees 5-1: So we have an update on the Rays-Orioles game.

The Rays have homered three times and lead the O's in the bottom of the fourth. That means, as things stand right now, Baltimore would be line to head to Texas for a game on Friday to determine who would play in New York on Sunday for a five-game set.

End 3rd, Yankees 5-1: And with that, the Red Sox career of Daisuke Matsuzaka is almost certainly over. Red Sox Nation will almost certainly deem his tenure a disappointment, but remember this is a pitcher who once went 18-3 with an ERA of 2.90, and had three seasons overall in which he threw at least 150 effective innings.

That being said, the thing which derailed Dice-K's career were clearly injuries, as Matsuzaka also had three seasons in which he pitched fewer than 60 innings. Ultimately, it isn't Matsuzaka's fault that he was injured, but at the same time some disappointment is natural considering the amount of money Boston spent to acquire him.

Mid 3rd, Yankees 3-1: So, again credit Pedroia for putting everything he has into this last game despite suffering from a broken finger. It's pretty impressive to continue to see that kind of effort.

Anyway, we're ruminating over playoff scenarios here in the office, like many of you are, we're sure. So, in one scenario, if Baltimore wins tonight and New York loses, then it's possible that the Orioles could play in Tampa on Wednesday, New York on Thursday, Baltimore on Friday and back in New York on Saturday. Pretty crazy.

End 2nd, Yankees 3-1: First, a quick update: Baltimore currently trails Tampa Bay 1-0 in the top of the third inning. We have a long way to go, but if that score and this game's hold up, that would mean New York takes the East and Baltimore would be relegated to a winner-take-all wild card game Friday, and New York would host the winner of that one on Saturday.

Aside from that, Matsuzaka has again begun to miss in the middle of the plate. The pitch to Granderson actually wasn't all that bad, it was just a location that Granderson personally likes. The pitch to Martin, however, was right down Broadway.

Mid 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: So, confused about all the possibilities as games begin (and some games end) on this last day of the season?

Well, guess what, we were to. Luckily, we here at NESN.com decided to take a crack at decanting all the scenarios, and we have them for you here. A couple notes: Oakland just beat Texas and has officially won the AL West crown. Meanwhile, Washington played earlier today and won, so now it's up to Cincinnati to win and keep pace.

We'll keep you updated throughout the night as all these games unfold and the playoff picture comes into a bit clearer focus.

End 1st, Red Sox 1-0: We'll get to the playoff implications of this game and all the possible postseason scenarios, but for now let's turn our attention to Yankees starter Kuroda.

The veteran right-hander features a four-seam fastball, a slider, a splitter and the Japanese-named "shuuto" — which is really a modified sinker. So, Kuroda features several pitches that break downward, so when he's at his best you'll see him inducing ground balls on a regular basis.

Mid 1st, Red Sox 1-0: For the second day in a row, the Red Sox take advantage of having Ellsbury back in the lineup and take an early lead, this time courtesy of an RBI by Ross.

So, if this is indeed his last time to the hill in a Red Sox uniform, let's take one last look at the vast repertoire of Dice-K. The right-hander features two- and four-seam fastballs, a cutter, a changeup, a slider and curveball, a forkball and possibly the ever-mysterious gyroball.

It's certainly not saying anything new to point out that most of Matsuzaka's struggles are related to his command. That may not be unsurprising, as pitchers recovering from Tommy John surgery usually regain their velocity before their location, and some pitchers never fully recover their command at all — we're looking at you, Francisco Liriano. It always seems like Matsuzaka's either missing off the corners or right in the middle of the plate, but when he's on his game he's aggressive on the outer edges and using his array of pitches to his advantage.

7:10 p.m.: For the last time this year, we have first pitch! And, for those wondering, the gametime temperature is 70 degrees with 92 percent humidity and winds from the northeast at four miles per hour.

6:30 p.m.: On the last day of the regular season, it seems as if the Red Sox have made their best effort to feature their best possible lineup — as still depleted as that may be.

Tuesday night Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia returned to the batting order, and it didn't take those two long to cook up some offense. Behind them, Cody Ross stays in his customary cleanup roll, James Loney starts at first and Jarrod Saltalamacchia behind the plate.

For the Yankees, obviously this game is very, very important to them (we'll break down the playoff scenarios later), so they field their best team. Mark Teixeira does get dropped a couple spots in the order, but one through nine it's still a deep, powerful New York lineup that Boston has to contend with.

Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Daniel Nava, LF
Cody Ross, RF
James Loney, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Ryan Lavarnway, DH
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
Jose Iglesias, SS

Daisuke Matsuzaka, P

Yankees
Derek Jeter, SS
Ichiro Suzuki, LF
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Robinson Cano, 2B
Nick Swisher, RF
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Curtis Granderson, CF
Raul Ibanez, DH
Russel Martin, C

Hiroki Kuroda, P

6:10 p.m.: In some bizarre way, it just feels kind of right that Daisuke Matsuzaka gets to play a large role in setting the closing memories of this bizarre Red Sox season. In many ways, Matsuzaka is himself a metaphor for everything Boston experienced this season: immense talent wasted by injury and perhaps a lack of focus at times.

Nonetheless, this live blogger is thoroughly getting behind Dice-K in this one. I mean, how awesome would it be to see, after everything this pitcher and this team has been through this season, to see Matsuzaka close the year with a complete game shutout or something along those lines. I'm thinking something somwhere in between Kevin Costner in For the Love of the Game or that epic slow clap at the end of Cool Runnings.

Game 162: Dice-K throws a perfect game. You heard it here first.

— Ben Badler (@BenBadler) October 3, 2012

8 a.m. ET: So, here we are, Game 162.

This is the point in the year, having live blogged so very many Boston Red Sox (69-92) games throughout the course of the season, that I feel like I should have some closing words of wisdom to shove off on the last day of the season. Well, sorry to leave you wanting, but this has been the kind of year that is just far too difficult to find the words for. I guess there aren't really multiple words that are appropriate, but I can think of at least one: frustrating.

Tuesday was a microcosm of the Red Sox' frustrating season. Even in a game that the team played very cleanly for 8 1/2 innings, they still managed to find a way to lose — in this instance, an implosion by closer Andrew Bailey and the heroics of Yankees pinch hitter Raul Ibanez.

But, as the Red Sox prepare for their last game of the year against the New York Yankees (94-67), they have one last chance to have a say in the AL East and relegate the Bronx Bombers to a tie for the division lead and a one-game playoff with Baltimore — if the Orioles can win Wednesday.

So, to end the season, a pair of Japanese right-handers face off, with Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-6, 7.68) taking on Hiroki Kuroda (15-11, 3.34). For Matsuzaka, it's one last chance to regain some dignity in his Red Sox career, as the 32-year-old has been much-maligned over the past couple seasons — much of which he spent on the DL.

Kuroda, meanwhile, has evolved into one of the better, more consistent pitchers in Major League Baseball. Even with the presence of CC Sabathia, Kuroda has arguably been the Yankees' ace in 2012, so there's probably no one they'd rather have on the mound as their playoff fate hangs in the balance.

First pitch is again scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET, but you can tune into NESN beginning at 6 p.m. for Red Sox First Pitch and the rest of your pregame schedule. Or just stick right here with NESN.com, as this very Red Sox Live Blog will have the starting lineups and, as Vin Scully would say, "all the stats and stories" in the hours leading up to the game.

And, as always, follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff to chat Red Sox and MLB throughout this postseason and winter.

Final, Yankees Win 4-3:

Heading into Game 162, the Yankees now control their own destiny in the division. Win tomorrow and they capture the division crown. Lose and the best Baltimore can do is tie them, forcing a one-game playoff on Thursday.

With the win, the Yankees improve their record to 94-67, while the Red Sox fall to 69-92. Derek Lowe (9-11) picks up the win in relief, while Andrew Miller (3-2) takes the loss. Time of the game was 4:09.

Well, that's it for this edition of a very exhausting Red Sox Live Blog. We'll be back tomorrow for our very last one of the year, and we hope you follow along with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET.

And, as always, follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff to chat Red Sox and all things MLB.

Adios!

Mid 12th, 3-3: This live blogger does believe that's the first time he's seen a bird delay on the field.

Actually, scratch that, I can, in fact, recall at least one other bird delay. Viewer be warned, this video is of an animal dying, but does anyone remember the time that Randy Johnson, in a horribly-timed freak accident, actually killed a bird with a pitch.

End 11th, 3-3: What a play by Ellsbury. Off the bat of A-Rod that one looked like it had a real chance to get out of the ballpark, but it looked like it may have been brought back by the weather a bit, as the rain still looks to be falling lighly.

In any case, Ellsbury preserves the game for the Red Sox, who now have another shot in the 12th inning.

Mid 11th, 3-3: Curious decision by Valentine there not to pinch run for Saltalamacchia. Even if the catcher hadn't suffered an apparent injury beating out a potential double play, wouldn't you pinch run for him anyway after he reached second base?

We're not sure what the thinking is, but it was also questionable whether or not to pinch hit for Iglesias with the go-ahead run at second.

End 10th, 3-3: Off the bat that one from Ibanez looked a little bit dangerous, but it stays well inside the yard and we go to the 11th.

It's actually been a pretty impressive outing for Mark Melancon, who struggled mightily for the vast majority of the season. However, since the calendar turned to September Melancon has been very good, allowing just a single earned run over now 9 1/3 innings of work.

Mid 10th, 3-3: Anyone hoping for Daniel Nava's third home run in three games was left wanting in that last half inning, as Pedroia reaches via the base on balls but the Red Sox can't move him anywhere.

Aside from that, a very interesting decision by Joe Girardi to let Soriano pitch two innings. Presumably the thinking is that if the Yankees win this game they control their fate on Wednesday, but this is the first time that Soriano has thrown over 40 pitches in a game since 2005. That means he's absolutely lost for Wednesday, and possibly for any division tiebreaker games that could happen on Monday.

End 9th, 3-3: Wow. Just … wow.

The Yankees were on the verge of waking up on the last day of the season tied for the division lead. Now they head to extra innings with their fate completely in their own hands. All they have to do is take this game and win tomorrow and they take the division.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, can't help but feel very, very deflated. Winning this one would have felt like a complete effort, a well-played ballgame all around. Instead, the Sox are again left searching for answers and have to be very, very frustrated.

Mid 9th, Red Sox 3-1: Loney provides some rare power and an insurance run for the Red Sox, who will take a 3-1 lead to the bottom of the ninth — a potential win which would force the Yankees back into a tie for the AL East lead going into the last day of the regular season.

We're not sure if it will be Bailey coming out immediately or if the Sox will allow Breslow to start the ninth against Granderson, but here we go.

End 8th, Red Sox 2-1: Despite being picked off there, Gardner is an interesting player for the Yankees. Despite losing his regular left field job to Ichiro, he still has a lot of value as a defensive replacement and, as you saw there, a pinch runner.

Gardner is among the fastest players in Major League Baseball, and it's a great tool for Joe Girardi to have at his disposal coming off the bench in the playoffs

Mid 8th, Red Sox 2-1: By the accounts we're hearing, the rain is intensifying a bit down in New York City. At this point this has long been an official game, but in the event of a delay the Yankees will likely do everything they can to play if they are still down in the score.

That's important for the Yankees, who, as of moments ago, are up just half a game on the Orioles, who just won in Tampa Bay 1-0 over the Rays.

End 7th, Red Sox 2-1: Of all the relievers the Red Sox have seen step up their games or adapt to new roles in 2012 — and there have been many — Junichi Tazawa has been an absolutely revelation out of the bullpen.

In short, Tazawa has the best strikeout-to-walk ratio in Major League Baseball, just a tick better than Braves closer Craig Kimbrel, who this live blogger recently argued should win the NL Cy Young Award.

It's an impressive season from someone who was a completely unknown commodity coming into the year.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 2-1: Ciriaco leads off the inning with a single and steals second, but the Sox can't come up with the big hit to drive him home and extend their lead.

That leaves the Yankees down to their last nine outs down by just a single run however. It feels like Boston has lost a lot of similar games late in which they were unable to add insurance runs late.

End 6th, Red Sox 2-1: We're not sure exactly what happened with Lester — it looked to be an injury — but either way he is done after five innings of one-run ball, yielding eight hits and one walk while throwing 83 pitches. The peripherals weren't great, but ultimately it was a solid, gutsy effort from the southpaw.

Likewise, credit Rich Hill for getting himself out of the jam he created there, retiring Suzuki to end the inning. Somewhere, Teixeira is smiling that for once it wasn't him leaving runners on base.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 2-1: With the division on the line, the Yankees aren't pulling any punches. At just 86 pitches the team pulls Phelps, who had looked to be rolling right along, and goes with Boone Logan to face Loney and turn Saltalamacchia around.

Well, credit that decision making, as Logan gets his two men and shuts down the Red Sox' threat.

End 5th, Red Sox 2-1: Teixeira sure likes hitting the ball to Iglesias at shortstop. At least that time there were already two outs.

Moving on, this live blogger has just been informed of the result of Adam Greenberg's at-bat with the Miami Marlins: a three-pitch strikeout. Worse yet, Greenberg was forced to face knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. You're kidding me, right?

This live blogger was never much of a fan of the publicity-stunt idea to give Greenberg an at-bat, but he deserved better than this. If you're going to give him a chance, at least do so against a pitcher who isn't a relative freak.

Nonetheless, this live blogger won't lie. Upon being informed of the result, I may have let out a laugh at Greenberg's Tuesday misfortune. I'll temper that by saying it was partially laughter out of recognition of the fact he was put in a difficult situation, but there you go.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 2-1: Is Jacoby Ellsbury a platoon player?

History says no, but the numbers don't necessarily clear anything up. Ellsbury actually has a better batting average against left-handed pitchers, but hits them with far less power, owning an OPS of .648 against lefties and .716 against righties. While neither figure is very impressive, the center fielder is clearly more productive facing right-handed pitchers.

All that being said, did Valentine really imply that he thinks Ellsbury is a platoon player? Probably not, but what isn't ambiguous is that he thought Che-Hsun Lin was the better option in center on Monday night facing CC Sabathia.

"CC was pitching and I saw [Ellsbury] face [Joe Saunders] a couple of nights before with his breaking ball and I thought it was a situation where a right-hander might be able to do better," Valentine said. "And Lin got half of our hits so maybe that hunch was OK."

End 4th, Red Sox 2-1: It's really bizarre. This live blogger just checked back in with the box score and was surprised to realize that Lester has yielded seven hits over the course of his four innings. While he did induce a couple of double plays to shorten innings, it just doesn't feel like the lefty has been in trouble that often.

Likewise, 66 pitches isn't terribly efficient, but it isn't horrendous, either, and you would expect someone who's given up seven hits to have thrown more pithces. Either way, Lester's been effective when he's needed to be, and the cutter has looked pretty devastating against right-handed batters thus far.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 2-1: Since a rough first inning, you're seeing percisely why Phelps is a reason the Yankees are excited going forth into the future.

The 25-year-old is just practicing the fundamentals of good starting pitching perfectly: mixing his pitches, changing speeds and varying location. Right now there's nothing that the Red Sox can sit on in any count, and despite guessing right on a couple fastballs they don't have anything to show for it since that first inning.

Going back to that double play on Teixeira, Iglesias may have a pretty weak bat, but it is becoming a more legitimate question by the day whether his glove makes up for it — Nunez' hot shot notwithstanding. This very, very interesting stat comes via WEEI's Red Sox beat writer Alex Speier.

Iglesias/Pedroia DP combo is pretty amazing. Iglesias has avged roughly a DP every 11 innings; AL avg is 1 per 14 innings.

— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) October 3, 2012

End 3rd: Red Sox 2-1: Again the Yankees have runners at the corner with one out, and again Teixeira grounds into a double play to end the inning.

Last night it didn't look like the first baseman was suffering any ill-effects on his timing from the games he missed with a calf issue. Today, however, Teixeira very much looks like he's trying to get his comfort level at the plate back.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 2-1: During Ciriaco's last at-bat, this live blogger noted to his coworkers in the cubicles around him that the utility infielder was still standing at seven walks on the season.  An intern replied "Are you ever going to let that go?"

The answer is no, not likely any time soon. At this point Ciriaco's OPS is below the .700 mark, so there's not much sense in pretending he's an asset on the offensive end. I'm actually surprised he's taken to third base so well, but he legitimately seems to have settled in there as a pretty solid defender.

So Ciriaco has value as a utility guy who can fill in all over the diamond when someone needs a rest, but if the Red Sox want to improve in 2013, Ciriaco needs to be in that role, not one where he's getting regular plate appearances.

End 2nd, Red Sox 2-1: The Yankees hold a $13 million option on Curtis Granderson for 2013, and it's already been speculated that they may try to lock him up longer than that. Either way, Granderson looks to become a rich man upon re-signing or reaching free agency.

That being said, Granderson is a bit overrated, as far too much of his value comes via the home run. On top of that, his speed has greatly diminished as he's gotten older, and it's really now to the point where he's the second best center fielder (to Brett Garnder) on his own team.

That's not to say that Granderson doesn't have a lot of value, but here's guessing that he's going to be grossly overpaid in the coming years.

Mid 2nd, Red Sox 2-0: So, we thought we'd take a moment to update the ever-shifting playoff picture in the American League. As of last night, both the Angels and Rays were eliminated, meaning the five teams are set for the postseason. Postioning, however, remains to be determined.

As of this very moment, Detroit has clinched the Central, and Oakland and Baltimore are set to be the wild card teams. However, those two trail their divisions, and New York and Texas, respectively, by a game each, so the West and East titles are still very much up in the air.

So, tonight Baltimore plays Tampa Bay, Oakland and Texas will settle things amongst themselves in California, and you know where New York is and who they're playing.

End 1st, Red Sox 2-0: There's a good indication that Lester feels it tonight, as he induces a ground ball from Teixeira off a cutter in on the hands — which is the effect you'd like to see against right-handed hitters.

Now, turning our attention to Yankees starter David Phelps. The 25-year-old pitches with a confidence that doesn't reflect his actual age. None of his pitches are particularly imposing, but he can command them all reasonably well. Phelps features two- and four-seam fastballs, a cutter, a changup and a slider. The latter tends to be his out pitch.

Mid 1st, Red Sox 2-0: Well then, it just goes to show how different the Red Sox' lineup looks when Pedroia and Ellsbury are featured at the top. Likewise, how heartening was it to see Pedroia knock a solid double to the gap, knowing that he likely feels pain every swing — particularly on contact?

Aside from that, let's take a look at Red Sox starter Jon Lester.

The left-hander features a four-seam fastball, his infamous cutter, a straight curveball, a slider and show-me changeup. Obviously, this has been Lester's most trying season in the big leagues, and has left many to speculate just what's wrong with the 29-year-old. One contributing factor may be mechanical issues, as Lester used to feature an extreme over-the-top motion, and now has a distinctly lowered elbow and arm slot.

7:08: We have first pitch! And, for those wondering, the gametime temperature in New York City is 64 degrees, a little wet and winds from the northeast at 13 miles per hour.

6:50 p.m.: So, for anyone concerned, although it's apparently been raining pretty steadily in New York, the tarp will be removed and the game is scheduled to start on time.

At least, that was the word as of 15 minutes ago.

Pressbox announcement NYY_Bos game will start on time

— Gordon Edes (@GordonEdes) October 2, 2012

6:35 p.m.: Well, since he went down with an Achilles injury, we haven't heard much from David Ortiz save for the ocassional update on the status of his heel.

That relative radio silence ended today.

Big Papi told ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes some very interesting things earlier Tuesday, and, perhaps unexpectedly, they aren't too kind. In short, he referred to 2012 as a "disaster, all the way around."

Most interestingly, Ortiz largely let manager Bobby Valentine off the hook, saying numerous things about both the role of a manager and Valentine, specifically. We'll let you read the article yourself, but to synopsize: Ortiz doesn't particularly care who his manager is, insfofar as he knows how to prepare himself for baseball games. Nonetheless, he calls Valentine "supportive" of him, but says he has heard some of the talk from other players, but can't vouch for the veracity of others' stories.

Likewise, Ortiz seems to feel that the blame for this "disaster" season" can be shared all around the club house and front office, so in that respect the big designated hitter isn't necessarily saying anything with his words, if that makes sense.

Whew.

5:45 p.m.: On Monday it was revealed that Dustin
Pedroia had suffered a fractured finger, keeping him out of the lineup
for the opening game of the series versus the Yankees. Likewise, Jacoby
Ellsbury was also held out for reasons unknown, severely weakening the
Sox' batting order, which, apparently, the Baltimore Orioles were none too pleased with.

But no matter, as Pedroia and Ellsbury are penciled back in for Tuesday night's edition, giving the Red Sox a significant boost in firepower.

The return of those two means that Daniel Nava — who has home runs each of the past two days — gets to take advantage of his hot bat by moving into the third slot in the batting order, with Cody Ross protecting him.

On the Yankees' end, despite being the coldest hitter on the team, Alex Rodriguez continues to hit third in the order, as Mark Teixeira — having just returned from missing time with a calf injury — hits behind the third baseman in the cleanup role.

Check out the lineups for both the Red Sox and Yankees below:

Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Daniel Nava, LF
Cody Ross, RF
James Loney, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Ryan Lavarnway, DH
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
Jose Iglesias, SS

Jon Lester, LHP

Yankees
Derek Jeter, SS
Nick Swisher, RF
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Robinson Cano, 2B
Russell Martin, C
Curtis Granderson, CF
Eduardo Nunez, DH
Ichiro Suzuki, LF

David Phelps, RHP

8 a.m.: Among the positives the Boston Red Sox are looking to take out of 2012 and into 2013 are that they do have some solid options among starting pitchers. In fact, it's easy to make an argument that, between Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront and John Lackey, four-fifths of the rotation is already set for next season.

Well, after having a mostly spectacular second half and earning strong consideration to take on the "ace" mantle going forward, Buchholz blew up in equally spectacular fashion against the New York Yankees on Monday night, allowing eight runs on six hits — including three home runs — in a nightmare second inning the 28-year-old wasn't allowed to complete. Suffice to say, that wasn't how he wanted to finish out the season.

So, on Tuesday the Sox hand the ball off to Lester, who just faced the Yankees earlier this month on Sept. 11, going 5 1/3 innings while yielding five hits and three runs. In four games started on the season against New York, the left-hander is 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA in 22 2/3 innings.

Opposing Lester will be spot starter David Phelps, giving Ivan Nova some extra rest. Phelps has consistently slid back and forth between the rotation and bullpen all season, and two starts ago he faced the Red Sox, capturing the win while throwing 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET, but you can tune into NESN beginning at 6 p.m. for Red Sox First Pitch. Alternatively, just stick right here with NESN.com, as this very Red Sox Live Blog will have the starting lineups and, as Vin Scully would say, "all the stats and stories" in the hours leading up to the game.

And, as always, follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff to chat Red Sox and all things MLB any time day or night.

As of this very moment, the Yankees remain one game up on the Orioles for the AL East lead, who are half a game clear of Oakland for the second seed in the wild card race. Tampa Bay and Los Angeles are all but an afterthought at this point.

With the win the Yankees improve their record to 93-67 while the Red Sox fall to 69-91. The winning pitch is CC Sabathia (15-6), while Clay Buchholz (11-8) takes the loss. Time of the game was three hours on the mark.

Well, that's it for us from your Red Sox Live Blog, but be sure to tune in tomorrow for game 161 of the regular season. First pitch is again scheduled for 7:05.

Adios!

End 8th, Yankees 10-2: The pinstripes add another run on two hits. Eduardo Nunez reaches on an infield single, moves to second on a Brett Gardner groundout and scores on a Melky Mesa ground-ball single up the middle. Mesa's hit is the first of his major league career.

Mid 8th, Yankees 9-2: Perhaps lost in this blowout is that Sabathia is throwing another gem. At 103 pitches and the game well in hand we'd be very surprised to see the lefty go for the complete game, but this one is case in point why Sabathia is an ace.

Through those eight innings of work Sabathia has allowed just four hits and one walk while striking out seven. The only real blemish on his evening was Nava's solo home run.

If things stay as they are, Sabathia would be in line to start a potential one-game wild card playoff on Friday on regular rest.

Mid 7th, Yankees 9-2: Credit Gomez for helping the Red Sox plate their second run on the night. Specifically, credit Gomez for laying off of that final slider that Sabathia threw him.

Most young players wouldn't be able to spit on an offering like that — particularly against an imposing figure like the big New York left-hander — so it says something about Gomez's pitch recognition that he was able to work a walk there.

In fact, this live blogger has been saying for a while that Gomez should be seeing at-bats over James Loney, who's upside has long been determined. Though they both may be the same age, Gomez may yet have something to prove and somewhere to go as a hitter.

Mid 6th, Yankees 9-1: Last Wednesday, the 2012-13 Celtics campaign began in earnest, as the team opened its training camp in Waltham.

With Ray Allen gone to the Miami Heat and the team generally a very veteran one, there's been a fair amount of turnover, and thus our NESN Daily Poll asks which newcomer are you most excited to watch during the preseason?

Among the choices Jason Terry and Courtney Lee, so all the new blood should do much to invigorate the team on the heels of its Eastern Conference Finals loss to Miami.

Mid 5th, Yankees 9-1: Are the Yankees poised for a deep playoff run? The team certainly has all the tools, most notably a solid frontline starting rotation and a pretty excellent relief corp — even in spite of the midseason loss of closer Mariano Rivera. The offense, too, is still pretty good, if over-reliant on the home run.

Well, Bobby Valentine sure thinks that the Yankees have what it takes to go deep into the postseason, and this live blogger is compelled to agree. With the Angels now apparently out of the playoffs, Texas and New York are the clear frontrunners to represent the AL in the World Series. With all due respect to Baltimore, Oakland and Detroit, those teams just don't have the depth that the Rangers and Yankees possess.

Mid 4th, Yankees 9-1: Off the bat, that looked like a well-hit ball from Lavarnway, who's still struggling at the plate despite seeing regular at-bats for weeks now, sharing DH and catching duties with Saltalamacchia.

Lavarnway hasn't hit a home run since the middle of September, and doesn't have hits in consecutive games since August. Likewise, his defense is still a work in progress, but is probably coming around faster than his bat right now.

Mid 3rd, Yankees 9-0: That last at-bat really showed just what Ciriaco's limitations are as a professional baseball player.

Sabathia had no inention of giving the utility infielder anything to hit, and if you're an opposing pitcher why would you? Ciriaco has shown time and time again that he basically refuses to take a walk, and will chase anything to make sure that doesn't happen. That lack of plate discipline just isn't tenable going forward.

While Ciriaco may have proven his value this year as a capable backup, he's also proven just what his limitations are. He's now had regular major-league at-bats, and we know what kind of player he is. And Ciriaco just isn't a big league regular starter.

Bottom 2nd, Yankees 7-0: Well, not much to say there about Buchholz. It's actually hard to imagine that his back issue isn't still bothering him, as the right-hander just didn't look like himself in that last half inning. Basically everything he threw was right in the middle of the plate, and major league hitters just won't miss that.

And that will be the way Buchholz ends his 2012 season — yielding a two-run double to Robinson Cano. Talk about disappointing from the man who had been probably the biggest highlight of the Red Sox' downward spiral of a second half. For the past month or two we've been talking about Buchholz' evolution into an ace-caliber pitcher — he sure didn't look like it there.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: He's really grown into his repertoire this season, and Red Sox starter Buchholz features one of the biggest arrays of pitches in all of baseball.

Buchholz will throw two and four-seam fastballs, a devastating changeup, a slider a cutter and a straight curveball. About the only thing that the 28-year-old doesn't feature is a sinker.

End 1st, 0-0: Although he's one of the best pitchers in all of Major League Baseball, Sabathia actually has one of the simplest approaches you'll ever find from a starting pitcher.

Sabathia throws just three pitches: a four-seam fastball, a slider and a changeup. The thing that makes the big left-hander effective, however, is the fact that he can throw any one of those pitches for a strike at any point in the count, and each one of them has swing-and-miss stuff. Sabathia will use the changeup most often as his strikeout pitch, but he's capable of overpowering hitters with any one of them.

7:08 p.m.: We have first pitch! And, for those wondering, the gametime temperature in New York City is 69 degrees with 47 percent humidity and winds from the west at nine miles per hour. Basically, it's a beautiful night for baseball.

7:00 p.m.: It didn't make much news, but on Wednesday the Red Sox added a new member to their front office, hiring former Angels scouting director Eddie Bane as a "talent evaluator."

Bane is one of the more underrated minds in baseball, and his firing was likely completely undue in Anaheim, so if you would like to read this live blogger's opinion on what Bane's hiring means for the Red Sox, follow this link.

6:05 p.m. ET: It's been oft-noted that the Red Sox are working with a depleted roster that won't be retooled until this coming offseason, but Monday's lineup looks a little bit uglier than usual, with both Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury out of the lineup for Boston.

That created a chain reaction throughout the starting lineup, with Mauro Gomez hitting in the cleanup role, Ryan Lavarnway DHing and hitting fifth, Danny Valencia at third base and Che-Hsuan Lin in center field.

If the Red Sox are to win this one and deal a blow to New York's bid to win the AL East, they'll likely rely on Clay Buchholz to turn in a solid start, and the offense to scratch and claw to manufacture some runs.

Check out the lineups for both squads below:

Red Sox
Pedro Ciriaco, 2B
Daniel Nava, LF
Cody Ross, RF
Mauro Gomez, 1B
Ryan Lavarnway, DH
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Danny Valencia, 3B
Che-Hsuan Lin, CF
Jose Iglesias, SS

Clay Buchholz, SP

Yankees
Derek Jeter, SS
Ichiro Suzuki, LF
Alex Rodriguez, DH
Robinson Cano, 2B
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Nick Swisher, RF
Curtis Granderson, CF
Russell Martin, C
Eric Chavez, 3B

CC Sabathia, SP

8 a.m. ET: As the Los Angeles Angels lost the second leg of a doubleheader to the Texas Rangers on Sunday night, both the New York Yankees (92-67) and the Baltimore Orioles secured playoff berths for 2012, just as we enter October. For the Yankees, they've been to the playoffs ever year since 1995 save for 2008, while the Orioles are enjoying postseason play for the first time in 15 years — quite a disparity.

And as play opens on Monday, the final series of the season, the two ballclubs find themselves tied atop the AL East, with three games to play. With the new playoff format there's a lot on the line, as no one wants to have to endure the random chance of a one-game playoff, likely against the Oakland Athletics.

So as the Boston Red Sox (69-90) travel by train north to the Bronx borough of New York City — having just been swept by the Orioles in a three-game set in Camden Yards — one might say that the Sox are just trying to make things more difficult on New York by letting the Orioles win. And as the Red Sox close out a disappointing 2012 season, at this point nothing would give the team (and Red Sox Nation) more pleasure than to relegate the Yankees to a winner-take-all scenario.

So what if the Red Sox just lost 90 games for the first time since 1966? Tune in, as Boston has a big chance to spoil New York's fun. Mark Teixeira's also expected back from injury for the Yankees, so there's always the possibility of seeing the first baseman resume his grudge match with Vicente Padilla.

To open the three-game series, the Red Sox send presumed-ace Clay Buchholz (11-7, 4.22) to the hill. During Buchholz's last time on the mound, the right-hander yielded four runs for the third time in six starts, in this instance to the Tampa Bay Rays. He also gave up nine hits and five earned runs over six innings in his only start against the Yankees this year. However, since the All-Star break the 28-year-old has a 3.11 ERA and .225 opponents' batting average, so overall Buchholz is a big reason for optimism in 2013.

Opposing Buchholz is Yankees ace and go-to starter in the clutch, CC Sabathia (14-6, 2.42). Landing on the disabled list twice this season, the outstanding number of innings Sabathia's thrown over his career may be finally catching up with him, and that lack of rhythm may have tempered his season a bit. Nonetheless, Sabathia has managed to throw 192 innings over 27 starts, recording a 1.16 WHP and 190 strikeouts. In his only start against Boston this year, the left-hander gave up eight hits and six runs over six innings.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET, but you can tune into NESN beginning at 5:30 p.m. with Monster Monday. Or just stick right here with NESN.com, as this very live blog will have the starting lineups and, as Vin Scully would say, "all the stats and stories" leading up to the game.

And, as always, follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff to chat Red Sox and all things MLB any time.

Final, Rays Win 4-2:

With the loss, the Red Sox' overall record falls to 69-87, while the Rays improve to 85-70. Alex Cobb (10-9) picks up the win, while Jon Lester's (9-14) tough-luck season continues, as he gets saddled with the loss. Fernando Rodney, meanwhile, continues his resurgent dominance by notching his 45th save in 47 chances — one more for Rodney's Archery Club.

Well, that's it for us from your Red Sox Live Blog. Boston's off on Thursday, but we'll be back with another edition as the Sox head south to Baltimore to take on the magic Orioles as they fight for their playoff lives.

And, as always, follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff to chat Red Sox and all things MLB any time.

Adios!

Mid 9th, Rays 4-2: Craig Breslow's Yale roots and pre-med education have been well documented throughout his career. Perhaps then, given his educated nature, it shouldn't come as much surprise that the lefty studies Sabermetrics to try and give himself an edge over other players on the diamond.

Incidentally, Brandon McCarthy's cover story for ESPN The Magazine earlier this year had a very similar angle, in which the starter talking about his own statistical analysis and how he uses it to maintain an advantage over opponents.

It looks like Breslow studies in a similar vein. Should it be any surprise they both have spent time in the Oakland organization?

Mid 8th, Rays 4-2: So that's four outs on strikeouts recorded in five batters faced for Melancon, who continues his nice outing.

Otherwise, among the attendees for today's ceremonies was The Rocket, Roger Clemens. We won't harp on it too much, but we'll just point out that Clemens' recent publicity tour has been interestingly timed — rather conveniently, actually, considering Clemens' impending Hall of Fame candidacy.

On Wednesday, Clemens spoke to the media, and professed his love for Boston in the process. Check out the article linked to hear more about Clemens' visit, and check out the tweet below for a photo of from his day in the media room.

Roger Clemens speaking at Fenway Park – lockerz.com/s/248003039

— Didier Morais (@DidierMorais) September 27, 2012

End 7th, Rays 4-2: That's twice now that Ciriaco has struck out looking on pitches he immediately knew were strike three.

That's the problem with the utility man's long-term viability boiled down to its essence: lack of pitch recognition. Already you're seeing more and more teams realize that they don't need to pitch Ciriaco in the zone to get him out. He'll largely do opposing pitchers a favor by chasing pretty much whatever.

And suffice to say that Ciriaco is not the second coming of Vladimir Guerrero, and doesn't possess the ability to hit a home run off his shoe tops.

Aside from that, click here to see the video of Jose Iglesias' fifth-inning highlight-reel play to rob Evan Longoria of a base hit.

Mid 7th, Rays 4-2: The Red Sox' bullpen has been a strength most of the year, but the Rays take advantage of Clayton Mortensen and Rich Hill and add to their lead in that last half inning.

Mark Melancon, however, continues his superb September by striking out Jennings to end the inning. In six games in September (seven innings pitched) the 27-year-old right-hander has yielded just a single run, notching eight strikeouts against just one walk. It's been quite a turnaround for Melancon, who now resembles the pitcher who admirably served as the Astros' closer in 2011 much more closely than at any point this year.

End 6th, Rays 3-2: The Red Sox manage to get one back there on Loney's sacrifice fly, but are still snakebitten by the inability to get the big hit with men in scoring position. After getting the first to runners on, Pedroia's run is the only one they get, as Saltalamacchia and Lavarnway each strike out after Loney's fly ball.

That's been a theme of the Red Sox ever since the August trade that shipped out Adrian Gonzalez — inability to hit with runners in scoring position. Nonetheless, the Sox did manage to cut their deficit, so now within a single run we'll see if they can muster anything else against the Rays.

Mid 6th, Rays 3-1: So Lester looks to have settled down a bit, but his cutter hasn't fully returned. It looked like he tried to throw it there to Zobrist, who promptly banged it off the Green Monster for a double.

This was mentioned on-air by Don and Jerry, but Pedro Martinez' comments while visiting the booth yesterday were very telling. Martinez never really threw a cutter, but he clearly understands that to make the pitch work you have to be able to pitch inside effectively — which many young pitchers take years to learn.

In the case of Lester, the cutter just doesn't have its usual sharp late break over the last couple innings. So, we'll keep an eye out to see if he improves as the night continues.

End 5th, Rays 3-1: So, according to Pedro Martinez, had the Red Sox not won the 2004 World Series, the pitcher would have been so morified that he would have retired rather than suffering through another season.

That seems like a bit of a stretch — athletes often talk in similar extremes that they don't really mean. Nonetheless, it's a reflection of just how desperate the franchise was at that point in time that Martinez would even say something like that in jest, years later.

Mid 5th, Rays 3-1: Very simply, Lester's cut fastball stopped cutting.

That's the pitch it looked like the southpaw was attempting to throw on both of those home runs, and each time they remained flat, just high-80s pitches right in the middle of the zone, begging to be hit hard.

Moving on from that, however, how about that play by Iglesias? That one had the mark of Omar Vizquel on it, as the quick transfer between glove and hand on that play was just incredible. There just aren't many baseball players in the world who have hands like that. We're still skeptical that Iglesias' bat is ever going to offset his glove, but with plays like that, it's pretty close.

End 4th, Red Sox 1-0: So, chances are if you're a Red Sox fan you also have some affinity for the New England Patriots. Likewise, we're guessing many readers of this Live Blog are well apprised of the controversy surrounding the NFL's replacement referees and Bill Belichick's grabbing of one of them after Sunday's loss to the Ravens.

Now that we know the penalty for the coach's actions is a $50,000 fine, we want to know what you think. So head on over to Wedensday's NESN Daily Poll to get in some voting practice in advance of November, and decide whether the fine matches the crime.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 1-0: Through four innings, Jon Lester has faced the minimum, walking Longoria to lead off the second inning but erasing him on a double play.

Aside from that, the Rays haven't mustered anything against Lester, who looks to be hitting his spots with percision tonight. We'll wait another inning or two to openly talk about what Lester's in line for, but he definitely looks to have an edge in this game. Specifically, the cutter looks more impressive than it has recently, as the Rays hitters don't look comfortable at all up there against Lester.

End 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: At this point, the Rays have a couple young starters in their rotation — Jeremy Hellickson is another — who are long on polish but a bit short on pure stuff.

Thus far, Cobb isn't doing anything terribly fancy, just trying to get ahead with his fastball to set up his other pitches. The right-hander has impressive command overall for a 24-year-old, but doesn't seem to have any pitches which really wow you. So, while such pitchers may have a limited ceiling, they're serving as cheap, servicable starting pitchers in the here and now.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: Holy wow Luis Tiant has a great mustache. The hipsters in Allston are clearly jealous of that one.

Among current players, the award for best facial hair has to go to the Seattle Mariner's Brendan Ryan, who has featured a couple interesting looks throughout his career. When he was with the Cardinals it was the hipster 'stache, but throughout the 2012 season it's been the full-on fu manchu.

End 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: It's nice to see Nava looking comfortable and locked in at the plate again.

After being recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket in early May, Nava posted OPS figures of .900 and .892 in May and June, respectively. Anyone who knows anything about baseball scouting or statistical analysis figured Nava would come back down to Earth a little bit, but July was a definite struggle, as the outfielder had an OPS of .474.

Then came the injuries, and since returning in the middle of this month, Nava's mark is .613 in 41 at-bats. Nonetheless, the 29-year-old has looked like he's seeing the ball much better over the past couple days, as he could be fighting for a job in 2013.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: We've said it before and we'll say it again, though Loney's bat may be a huge question mark, he's among the best defensive first basemen in the game.

That double play was just another shining example. Pena didn't hit that ball very hard, so credit Loney for using his quick hands to get the ball to second quickly and give Iglesias a chance to turn two.

Loney's play at first recalls a former Red Sox player by the name of J.T. Snow, who was the best defensive first baseman this live blogger has ever seen. Beyond having about the softest hands this side of Omar Vizquel, Snow had incredible range for a first baseman.

End 1st, 0-0: Cobb definitely could have gotten at least one borderline pitch on the outside corner to Pedroia, but he gets through the inning without incident.

So let's turn our attention to Red Sox starter Jon Lester. During his peak, the lefty had an extreme over-the-top motion that kept him on top of his pitches and gave his cutter, in particular, a sharp motion. However, over the course of this season Lester's arm angle looks to have dropped a bit, and though he's since corrected that to an extent, it may have been a factor in his midseason struggles.

Lester features a straight four-seam fastball, his infamous cutter, a curveball, a slider that's been used more than ever before this year and a show-me changeup.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Nine pitches in and Lester is through his first inning in order. That's always something we now keep an eye on in the southpaw's starts, as his early-game struggles during his midseason rough stretch were well documented.

Aside from that, how about our usual scouting report on Rays starter Alex Cobb. The right-hander features the typical slate of a four-seam fastball and straight changeup, but he also has a splitter that has a couple different actions on it. One version of the splitter is a typical split-fingered fastball, the other looks a lot more like a cutter, and when it's on can be very tough on right-handed hitters especially. All in all, Cobb's repertoire might be a little bit short for a starting pitcher, but the 24-year-old certainly has some time to develop.

7:26 p.m.: We have first pitch! And, for those wondering, the gametime temperature is 70 degrees with 73 percent humidity and winds from the southwest at 10 miles per hour.

7:20 p.m.: Yes, we are well aware of all the pomp and circumstance currently happening at Fenway. Don't worry, we'll get to it, and we'll probably have a few opinions to share about the all-time Fenway squad.

For now, before the game starts, let's talk about the Cy Young awards. Just to keep teasing you, we'll get to the AL a little bit later, but how about the National League? Well, as it so happens, this live blogger just expounded on the subject, and my pick is Atlanta Braves closer Craig Kimbrel. Really, the only two valid choices for the award are the Mets' R.A. Dickey and Kimbrel.

Actually, scratch that. Clayton Kershaw should be an absolutely viable option, but he's had a lot of bad luck this year in the form of lack of run support. And, unfortunately for Kershaw, the voters won't overlook a little blemish like having only 12 wins to your credit.

All that being said, Kimbrel has only pitched just under 60 innings in 2012, but in that time has struck out nearly half the batters he's faced, which is a flat incredible rate.

Read more about Craig Kimbrel's Cy Young case by clicking here.

6:40 p.m.: While Jose Iglesias has gotten some seriously consistent playing time at shortstop, the rest of the Red Sox lineup has largely alternated between veteran and young looks in many games.

Case in point: on Tuesday night both Mauro Gomez and Ryan Lavarnway found themselves in the lineup (and on the field), but a day later James Loney takes over at first base and Lavarnway moves over to the DH slot to accommodate Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who's behind the plate on Wednesday.

Aside from that, Jacoby Ellsbury remains sidelined despite Bobby Valentine originally intimating that the center fielder could return to close out Fenway Park's slate of games, Pedro Ciriaco moves back to third base but stays in the leadoff role and Daniel Nava moves down to the No. 8 spot in the order.

Check out the lineups for both teams below:

Tampa Bay Rays
Desmond Jennings, LF
B.J. Upton, CF
Ben Zobrist, SS
Evan Longoria, 3B
Jeff Keppinger, DH
Carlos Pena, 1B
Ben Francisco, LF
Ryan Roberts, 2B
Jose Lobaton, C

Alex Cobb, RHP

Boston Red Sox
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
Scott Podsednik, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Cody Ross, RF
James Loney, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia
Ryan Lavarnway, DH
Daniel Nava, LF
Jose Iglesias, SS

Jon Lester, LHP

6:10 p.m. ET: Ah, the things you can learn from Wikipedia.

This live blogger doesn't claim to be the most up-to-date on all facets of pop culture, and reality TV is definitely one of those that I've eschewed. Nonetheless, I'd seen so many references in my Twitter feed and online to an unknown entity called "Honey Boo Boo" that it was something I had to look up.

Well, I suppose this is why I'm not too keen on reality TV, as I just don't see the appeal of following this familar around all the time, but the show is obviously pretty popular, so there you go.

But what does this have to do with baseball, you might ask. Well, it turns out that McIntyre, Georgia isn't just the home of the Thompson family, but also the origin of former Marlins, Padres, Dodgers and Yankees starting pitcher Kevin Brown. With his temper, now there was someone that should have had their own realty program. We'd still like to see video of him breaking his hand while punching his locker.

Maybe him and Jeff Kent could get together to do a project about mercurial All-Stars in retirement.

8 a.m. ET: All year the Boston Red Sox (69-86) have celebrated the 100th birthday of Fenway Park, but on Wednesday those festivities come to and end. In doing so, the organization will announce its All-Fenway Team prior to the game, but then it's all business, as the Sox try to salvage a two-game series split with the Tampa Bay Rays (84-70), and try to play spoiler to Tampa's playoff hopes.

To do that, the Sox send left-hander Jon Lester (9-13, 4.96) to the mound. The 28-year-old has faced Tampa Bay just once this season, all the way back on May 25. In that game, Lester was lit up for seven earned runs over just four innings of work, but over his last 53 1/3 innings of work (eight starts) the southpaw is 4-3 with a 3.88 ERA — a vast improvment over his midseason struggles.

He'll be opposed by Alex Cobb (9-9, 4.27), who is coming off four consecutive starts in which he has pitched exactly seven innings. In all but one of those he gave up exactly one run (the other he yielded three), so the 24-year-old — just another green Rays pitcher — is clearly on a roll coming into this one.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m., but we may well get started late due to the pregame ceremonies. That means NESN's pregame schedule kicks off at 5:30 p.m. ET with Red Sox First Pitch. Or just stick right here with NESN.com, as our Red Sox Live Blog will have the starting lineups and, as Vin Scully would say, "all the stats and stories" leading up to the game.

And, as always, follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff to chat Red Sox and all things MLB any time.

Final, Rays Win 5-2:

With the win, the Rays improve their overall mark to 84-70, while the Red Sox fall to 69-86. Price (19-5) gets within one game of 20 wins on the season, while Clay Buchholz (11-7) is saddled with the loss. Time of the game was 2:50.

Well, that's it for us from our Red Sox Live Blog, but don't fret, we'll be back with another edition tomorrow as the Red Sox try to split this brief two-game set, and end Fenway Park's centennial celebration on a positive note. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET, but don't forget about the 6:30 ceremonies — we'll have those live on NESN, which means Red Sox First Pitch gets bumped up to 5:30. Or just stick right here with NESN.com for all your pregame needs, and all your postgame desires to wrap up this one.

And, as always, follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff to chat Red Sox and all things MLB.

Adios!

Mid 9th, Rays 5-2: Last chance for the Red Sox here, as they'll have to mount something against Price, which they haven't been able to do since the early going.

The lefty has been absolutely locked in since the middle innings, and shows no signs up letting up thus far. He's still throwing in the mid-90s with ease.

End 8th, Rays 5-2: Price continues to roll along, and at 102 pitches he could be in line to finish out this one on his own. Stepping up with a complete game — especially with his team facing dire
straits in the playoff race — should help boost his Cy Young
credentials.

The big change for Price on this night is that he seems to be featuring his curveball a lot more than he normally does. Moreover, he's hitting his spots with it very well, giving him yet another weapon to add to a litany of others.

Mid 8th, Rays 5-2: Once again, well done for Atchison, who does his part to keep the Red Sox close.

It's pretty amazing that we're even seeing the right-hander pitch at this point in the season, considering the original diagnosis on his elbow. It's actually pretty fascinating considering we were under the
impression that his UCL was seriously injured. Also fascinating: how one
doctor said Atchison needed Tommy John surgery while another said he
could simply rehab the elbow.

Nonetheless, Atchison seems to be suffering absolutely no ill effects from the injury.

End 7th, Rays 5-2: So, apparently William Shatner was out at Fenway some time over the last week or so, and wearing a Red Sox hat no less.

This gives this live blogger an opportunity to share the one piece of Shatner trivia that he knows: the mask that Michael Myers wears throughout the "Halloween" movie franchise is actually an impression of Shatner's face, painted white obviously.

So, you know, if voyaging to the final frontier wasn't frightening enough, there's another reason to be afraid of the greatest spoken word artist in our lifetime.

Mid 7th, Rays 5-2: Through six innings, Price is only at 79 pitches, so the Red Sox may have to contend with the southpaw for another couple innings, at least.

Despite giving up seven hits, Price hasn't walked a single batter, which is largely what's keeping him in this game. He's also retired 10 of the last 11 batter's he's faced, so suffice to say that the 27-year-old has gotten into a groove over the past few innings.

End 6th, Rays 5-2: Don and Jerry have a very different style in the booth than many television broadcasters around Major League Baseball. Specifically, they're much more likely to break into off-topic chats about their lives outside of the booth, dancing and other topics.

But don't count homerism among the pair's broadcast, according to the Wall Street Journal. As reported by the newspaper — actually, the publication did the study itself — Don and Jerry have the least-biased broadcast across all of baseball, in terms of rooting for the home team.

Check out the link above to learn more.

Middle 6th, Rays 5-2: Tough break there for the Rays. As we here at NESN.com have mentioned a couple times throughout the day, Molina had been the Rays' hottest hitter coming into the game, going 7-for-14 over his last five starts.

Aside from that, it's an error on Nava? Really? Well, you surely can't accuse the Fenway official scorekeeper of hometown bias, as Nava might have made a slight bobble on the ball coming off the Green Monster, but we're not sure that there's a reasonable expectation to play a ball cleanly off the wall.

Molina should be credited with one more RBI and Nava should be charged with one less error.

End 5th, Rays 3-2: Price retires the side in order for the second inning in a row, and both pitchers looked to be pretty well locked in here in the middle innings.

Ciriaco, in particular, looked to be flailing away in that last at-bat, clearly not having a good idea what was coming from Price. This live blogger will have to admit that Ciriaco has kept up his hitting far, far better than I expected, but the fact that the infielder has so few walks and will chase pitches out of the zone with such unwavering consistency is undoubtedly troubling.

Ciriaco may have a good future as a super utility man beyond 2012, but pitchers have and will continue to figure him out given consistent at-bats over the course of a whole season.

Mid 5th, Rays 3-2; Buchholz continues to roll right along, and now he has retired 11 of the last 13 Rays that he has faced. Also, at 77 pitches through five innings, he should have another couple frames in him, so Felix Doubront: take notes on how to keep the pitch count down when you don't have your best stuff.

End 4th, Rays 3-2: With two strikeouts in that last half inning, Price looks to be back on track going through the Red Sox 1-2-3.

If you're watching the NESN broadcast, one thing Kevin Millar mentioned in his visit to the booth with Don and Jerry was that modern day pitchers seem to have an over-reliance on the cut fastball. Although he said it as if it was a question, this live blogger was just under the impression that the newfound popularity of the cutter was common knowledge, an accepted fact in baseball circles.

The reasons that the cutter has become so popular aren't hard to decipher. It requires a more subtle arm action, which makes it easier to teach. And, of course, when thrown right it's a very effective pitch — as Mariano Rivera has proven throughout the latter stages of his career by throwing it almost exclusively.

Mid 4th, Rays 3-2: Buchholz has settled down considerably, retiring eight of the last nine Rays he's faced.

The right-hander has had a few outings like these, even among his second-half successes. He seems very capable of quickly losing his command for one inning at a time, but that usually only ends up being a blip in an otherwise dominant outing. We'll see if this one follows that same pattern, but Buchholz has definitely had a tendency to let one inning get to him.

At 66 pitches through four innings, it's not what you'd call an economical night for Buchholz, but it's easy to see how his efficiency could have been even worse after the second inning in which his command just seemed out the window.

End 3rd, Rays 3-2: This really hasn't been a great day for Red Sox baserunners.

First Valencia gets thrown out rounding first base too aggressively after his RBI single, now Ciriaco makes a poor effort trying to steal third, gets thrown out and nearly kills the Sox' ability to score in the bottom of the third inning. In fact, Boston had to get some major help from Price to plate Nava, who scores on a balk before Ross strikes out to end the inning.

Ross is one of the streakiest players in Major League Baseball, and right now he definitely isn't locked in.

Mid 3rd, Rays 3-1: If anyone out there is watching the NESN broadcast of the game, this live blogger has heard that Pedro Martinez is supposed to be among the most interesting interviews among baseball players.

It probably shouldn't be much of a surprise given the way he pitched during his career, but Martinez is supposedly a scholar when it comes to talking about sequencing and the art of pitching in general. Of course, when you have the kind of devastating stuff that Martinez did during his playing career, it makes everything else easier, but oh what I wouldn't give to be able to interview Martinez.

End 2nd, Rays 3-1: That's unfortunate baserunning on the part of Valencia there, who may have inadvertently killed a rally.

Especially from a player who's fighting for at-bats and a big-league job, you'd like to see better execution in the fundamentals, so that won't bode well for him going foward.

Nonetheless, Valencia's swing looked good on the single off Price, as did Gomez, who takes some aggressive rips but doesn't necessarily look like he's hacking or flailing up there. This live blogger has long been on record that Gomez should be seeing some more at-bats, and he's proving why he deserves them thus far in this contest.

Mid 2nd, Rays 3-0: Buchholz definitely lost his command in that last half inning. After issuing the two walks to begin the frame, it was a very predictable middle of the stike zone fastball to Jeff Keppinger, who swung like he knew it was coming — because he did.

Aside from that, how about Gomez over at first base, robbing Joyce of extra bases. One of the knocks on Gomez is his defense, but he looked pretty fluid there, and if he can continue that kind of play he may well force more consideration for the role next year, especially considering his numbers at Triple-A this year.

End 1st, 0-0: Likewise, Price gets through the first inning in order, so let's turn our attention back to Buchholz.

The right-hander throws an innumerable amount of pitches, including two and four-seam fastballs, a devastating changeup, a slider, a cutter and a straight curveball. But beyond that, he can vary the action on any of those pitches — and the slider and cutter have similar break — so when Buchholz is going well it's actually kind of difficult to gauge what pitch he's throwing — even in high definition.

During his successful second half, Buchholz has largely been pitching off the four-seam fastball, using his changeup as his out pitch and working in his other breaking stuff with great variation.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Buchholz gets through the Rays 1-2-3, but for now let's talk about Tampa Bay starter David Price.

In short, the 27-year-old is a Cy Young candidate for a reason: pure stuff. Price throws two and four seam fastballs, a cutter, a changeup and a show-me curveball mainly to change speeds. Basically, Price consistently comes at hitters with hard stuff, and when his location is spot on, he's near unhittable.

His Cy Young case is an interesting one, as well. With 18 wins and a 2.58 ERA, he would seem to be right in the thick of things, but if Tampa's playoff bid fails that may be a hard sell. He does have far more strikeouts than hits allowed, however. Whatever happens with the hardware, it's been an impressive season.

7:23 p.m.: We have first pitch! And, for those wondering, the gametime temperature is 66 degrees with 49 percent humidity and winds from the southwest at 12 miles per hour.

7:10 p.m.: Not having grown up with the Red Sox, as I'm sure many of this Live Blog's reader's have, I can say I legitimately don't know who Adam Hyzdu is. But there he is, holding the 2004 World Series tophy.

I will approve the use of the Dropkick Murphys as a soundtrack to this whole ceremony, but a quick glance at Baseball-Reference.com informs me that Hyzdu spent exactly 17 games with the Red Sox in 2004 — and 129 with Pawtucket. In those 17 games the outfielder went 3-for-10 with one home run, two RBIs and two doubles. However, he did have a heck of a year in Triple-A, with a slash line of .301/29/79, not to mention 84 walks. Hyzdu also spent a number of years in Japan.

Anyone have any memories of Hyzdu? Share them via Twitter at @ZachStoloff, and we may share your answers here in our Red Sox Live Blog.

6:55 p.m.: Check out tonight's starting lineups for the Rays and Red Sox below.

With Jacoby Ellsbury out at least one more day nursing some undisclosed injury, the Boston batting order does seem significantly weaker — and, as we all know, it was a stripped unit to begin with. Since the late-August trade, anyway.

In any case, it's nice to see faces like Mauro Gomez and Ryan Lavarnway in the lineup. Those are the kids of guys that need to be given some regular at-bats as the season comes down to its final week. It's more than a little unfair to not give rookies the benefit of knowing they're going to be in the lineup for a few consecutive days, and the Red Sox have a great opportunity to do so, being well out of a playoff race.

Of course, the old credo is that you play your best lineup against contenders, regardless of where you are in the standings. However, like many of baseball's unwritten rules, that one, too, may be going out the window.

Tampa Bay Rays
Desmond Jennings, LF
B.J. Upton, CF
Ben Zobrist, SS
Evan Longoria, 3B
Adam Scott, DH
Jeff Keppinger, 2B
Matt Joyce, RF
Carlos Pena, 1B
Jose Molina, C

David Price, LHP

Boston Red Sox
Pedro Ciriaco, DH
Daniel Nava, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Cody Ross, RF
Maro Gomez, 1B
Ryan Lavarnway, C
Danny Valencia, 3B
Che-Hsuan Lin, CF
Jose Iglesias, SS

Clay Buchholz, RHP

6:10 p.m. ET: So, perhaps he won't be making any appearances in Houston this season, after all.

The Rocket has landed in Boston, folks. On Monday night the Red Sox hosted their annual alumni dinner, and as you can see from the picture below, it was attended by some luminaries from Red Sox teams past. Then, earlier Tuesday Roger Clemens was spotted hanging out around the cage while the Red Sox took early batting practice.

Regardless of all that Clemens has been through since his retirement, he's still an integral part of Red Sox history, which puts the team in a bit of an awkward spot. The Giants, for instance, have largely cut ties with any memories of Barry Bonds gracing their outfield.

All that being said, Clemens would probably do well to keep his Major League Baseball contact to a minimum, but there's no harm in welcoming him back for these kinds of nostalgic ceremonies.

A meeting of the minds. #RedSox Alumni dinner. twitpic.com/ay2zry

— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) September 25, 2012

Rogers Clemens at Fenway Park today:yfrog.com/nyw2pkjj#RedSox #MLB

— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) September 25, 2012

8 a.m. ET: Remember last week, when the Boston Red Sox (69-85) won the first two matchups in a four-game series down in Tampa Bay, and the Rays (83-70) looked like their season had been dealt a death knell?

Well, throw that out, as six consecutive wins later the Rays are still hanging on in the American League wild card race, and enter play Tuesday just three games back of Oakland — albeit with nine left in the season. Of course, the road to a one-game wild card playoff is even more steep than that, as the Rays would also have to leapfrog the Angels, who are one game ahead of them, to enter the postseason.

So after Tampa Bay's contribution to last season's final-day debacle, the Red Sox would probably like nothing more than to seal the Rays' 2012 fate, and they have an opportunity to do just that in this bief two-game set. It also marks the last two games during Fenway Park's centennial celebration, so there will be a couple of special ceremonies to do right by the 100-year-old stadium.

It also means Red Sox Nation gets one final look at their presumed ace going into the 2013 season, right hander Clay Buchholz (11-6, 4.14). The 28-year-old's ERA stood at 5.53 a full three months into the season, but just two and a half later has been lowered well over a full run, as Buchholz has allowed a mark of just 2.93 since the calendar turned to July, and has thrown more innings in 2012 than ever before in his professional career.

Opposing Buchholz will be Cy Young candidate David Price (18-5, 2.58), who has an MLB-best ERA, and 188 strikeouts to match. His last time out on the hill, against these very Red Sox, the 27-year-old threw 7 1/3 innings of three-run ball, striking out seven and yielding an uncharacteristic eight hits.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET, but you can tune into NESN beginning at 6 p.m. with Red Sox First Pitch. Or you can just stick right here with NESN.com, we'll have complete pregame coverage, and this very Live Blog will have the starting lineups and, as Vin Scully would say "all the stats and stories" in the hours leading up to gametime.

And, as always, follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff to chat Red Sox and all things MLB.

Final, Rays Win 13-3:

And, of course, the sixth inning was an absolute nightmare, where the Red Sox just couldn't throw strikes. We'll spare you all the numerical details.

With the win, the Rays improve to 79-70, while the Sox fall to 68-82, ensuring Boston's first losing season since 1997. Chris Archer (1-3) picks up the win, while Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-6) takes the loss. Time of the game was 3:21.

Well, that's it for us from our Red Sox Live Blog, but never fret, we'll be back with another edition Thursday as Boston tries to secure a four-game series win in Tampa Bay. First pitch will again be at 7:10 p.m., but you can tune into NESN beginning at 6 p.m. with Red Sox First Pitch.

And, in the meantime, follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff to chat Red Sox and all things MLB any time day or night.

Adios!

End 8th, Rays 13-3: Earlier today, NESN reported that former Oasis vocalist Liam Gallagher actually missed the end of a soccer match between Real Madrid (of whom he is a huge fan) and Manchester City basically because he was too excited.

It's been a while since Oasis has been in the news, and considering all the amazing gossip surrounding the fued between Liam and his brother, Noel Gallagher, that's a shame. So, we here at our Red Sox Live Blog decided to do you a favor.

Click here to read an amazing interview conducted by Chuck Klosterman for Grantland about a year ago, in which the music journalists sits down for a hilarious chat with Noel. Just a hint of what to expect:

"I never said that I was the greatest thing since Lennon and McCartney …
well, actually, I'm lying. I probably did say that once or twice in
interviews."

And

"I really wonder what would have happened if Be Here Now had sold like Morning Glory.
What would we have done the next time? Just imagine if that album had
sold 30 million copies. I probably would have grown a mustache and
started wearing a f–king cape."

Mid 8th, Rays 12-3: It's been a while since the Sox offense has been able to mount any kind of attack. In fact, since the third inning Boston has been largely silent. Granted, the game is probably out of reach, but the offensive unit had looked much more dangerous in recent games.

Nonetheless, Tampa Bay's strength is its pitching, and it's showing why tonight.

End 7th, Rays 12-3: There's been a lot of debate lately about how to handle the expanded 40-man rosters in September, with the contention being that the larger rosters slow games down late in the season.

On the one hand, it's absolutely true that the larger rosters make for longer games, and many clubhouses become physically cramped when welcoming up the minor leaguers to the big club — Fenway's visiting clubhouse is among the worst.

But all that being said, September is a time when many rosters are wearing a bit thin, so the extra ammunition probably helps prevent injuries. However, ultimately it's a fan's game and it needs to be tailored to be watchable.

Mid 7th, Rays 12-3: In certain situations, this live blogger has been encouraged to move beyond just baseball and incorporate pop culture and whathaveyou into this live chronicling of the Red Sox. A 9-run blowout seems like the appropriate time, no?

On that note, I highly, highly reccoment checking out the new album by Grizzly Bear, which was just released yesterday in the United States. The foursome has already been making the rounds on late night television, checking in with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon and a host of others.

Additionally, the band is also playing a sold-out show at the Orpheum here in Boston this Saturday — and this live blogger will indeed be there.

Click here to hear a stream of "Shields."

End 6th, Rays 12-3: So, uhm, Scott Atchison has been pretty good this season, and he continues it by mercifully ending the 6th inning on a double play.

Aside from that, we'll save any editorial comments on that last half inning.

Bottom 6th, Rays 9-3: Perhaps that wasn't the best situation to bring Daniel Bard in. Granted, it's the kind of low-pressure situation you would like to give him a chance to throw some pitches, but we're not sure doing it in the middle of an inning was the best idea.

Normally, when a pitcher is struggling as Bard has been since he was demoted to Triple-A earlier this season, managers try to give them a clean inning to begin in a blowout game. And though this is close to a blowout at this point, the Rays already had a significant amount of momentum in the inning. Ideally, you'd like to give Bard a fair chance to regain some confidence.

Unfortunaltely, it looks like Bard is anything but confident right now, as his Steve Blass-like issues continue with three walks in five batters faced.

Mid 6th, Rays 5-3: After some early struggles and command issues, Archer has really settled down and given the Rays some stability.

That was actually the first time Archer has sent the Sox down in order, but the last time the Red Sox had any sustained threat was in the third inning. Since that point Archer has retired nine of 11, allowing just a walk to Nava and a single to Ellsbury.

More to the point, Archer is just hitting his spots better, and actually seems to be using his developing changeup to great effect on the evening.

End 5th, Rays 5-3: This live blogger is not an overall proponent of James Loney. In short, the 28-year-old has had plenty of time over his career to evolve into the hitter the Dodgers always thought he would be, and it just hasn't happened. Loney patently doesn't have the bat to justify regular plate appearances while filling a corner infield role.

All that being said, his defense is flat brilliant, as we've seen as much during his brief time with the Red Sox. His first-step reactions are impeccable, he has incredible hands and is always positioned in the right place. It's been a pleasure to watch Loney work at first base.

End 4th, Rays 5-3: We feel we spoke too soon in this instance.

A couple of times throughout this blog we'd mentioned Matsuzaka's ability to not let his bad innings snowball, which has been a characteristic of his all year. Well, we just had to wait a little bit longer for that to actually happen, as the wheels just came off in the bottom of the fourth.

Matsuzaka is a strange animal. He seems to be either far too fine with his pitches, missing the zone entirely, or he lives right in the middle of the plate, and usually gets hit very hard when he does so. There's rarely any middle ground.

Either way, credit Alfredo Aceves for coming in and ending the inning, particularly given the fact that he hasn't pitchd in a week.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 3-2: Earlier we mentioned that Archer's primary hindrance as a starting pitcher are his lapses in control. Throughout his minor league career, the 23-year-old has always maintained high walk rates, and, despite his success, 2012 has been no different.

Through 128 innings pitched with Triple-A Durham, Archer walked 62 batters, almost one every other inning. The inverse of that is that Archer struck out an impressive 139 batters, so he can definitely get away with a few more free passes than most.

But that being said, the major leagues is a much bigger jump than any other level of baseball, and control issues tend to be magnified when you're consistently facing the best hitters in the world in terms of pitch recognition.

End 3rd, Red Sox 3-2: We won't say that this is a new-and-improved Matsuzaka, because yielding a couple runs over three innings isn't spectacular, but we're definitely seeing an improvement from the right-hander.

As we mentioned earlier, Matsuzaka has a tendancy to let his bad innings snowball on him. However, twice in this game he's allowed a single run when the Rays were threatening for more, so just the fact that he's been able to limit damage is a step in the right direction. Another step, of course, would be a scoreless frame.

So let's see if he has that in his bag of tricks.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 3-1: Jacoby Ellsbury has finally gotten his legs under him, as the numbers have indicated. According to Bill James' esoteric temperature gauge, Ellsbury came into this game registering as an 88, and that's only likely to increase, as the center field has two RBIs already on the night.

Going back to Sept. 8 — a span of 10 games coming into Wednesday — Ellsbury has gone 15-for-46, which includes two home runs and eight RBIs. He's also stolen a couple bases, on top of everything else.

End 2nd, 1-1: Despite initially getting himself into trouble — to be fair, none of those base hits were struck particularly hard — credit Matsuzaka for limiting the damage and getting himself out of the inning there.

Being able to minimize a threat is clearly not a skill Dice-K has thrived with. Quite to the contrary, one little trickle has a tendancy to open the floodgates against the right-hander. But Matsuzaka strikes out Pena and gets Molina to ground into a double play to put away the Rays while yielding just the one run.

Mid 2nd, 1-0 Red Sox: Well, it's disappointing for the Sox not to push any runs across there after getting the first two on, but let's turn our attention to Boston starter Daisuke Matsuzaka.

During his time as the Red Sox' pitching coach, John Farrel tried to limit the number of different types of pitches Matsuzaka would throw on any given night, but it's no secret the right-hander has an almost inumerable arsenal of pitches.

Matsuzaka features two and four-seam fastballs, a cutter, a straight curveball, a slider, a changeup, a forkball and (possibly) something called the gyroball. Realistically that one's probably just a variation of the cutter, but when Matsuzaka first came over to America the myth of that pitch took on a life of its own.

For the 32-year-old, the story is always the same: be more aggressive, avoid nibbling. Matsuzaka has as many weapons as any big league starter, but it seems far too often that he doesn't trust his stuff, preferring to be too fine on the corners, and inevitably issuing free passes or running his pitch count up.

End 1st, 1-0 Red Sox: So, what to expect from rookie right-hander Chris Archer?

The 23-year-old has some great pure stuff, but, as you'd expect, he hasn't completely learned the art of pitching yet. By all accounts, in the minors he had trouble with free passes, with a walk rate in Triple-A hovering around 5 per nine innings. He also hasn't really developed his secondary pitches much.

That being said, what Archer does have is a mid-90s fastball that naturally sinks and thus generates a lot of ground balls. He also was reported to have one of the most-developed straight curveballs in all of Minor League Baseball, but his changeup — which he actually featured a couple times in the first inning — still has some work to do.

Mid 1st, 1-0 Red Sox: Well, then, that's certainly a nice change of pace for the Red Sox. Even though they've been playing much better of late, they've still often found themselves behind early. So, it will be interesting to see how the team reacts to the inverse.

Particularly, it will be interesting to see hor Matsuzaka reacts, as he's often been the culprit in terms of putting the Sox behind early. We'll see how he works with an early lead. Hopefully for the Red Sox that gives the right-hander the license to be more aggressive in the strike zone.

7:11 p.m.: We have first pitch! And, for those wondering about the gametime weather down in Tampa … don't! The Red Sox and Rays are inside the Tropicana Dome, so we don't think the elements will have any say in this one.

6:35 p.m.: So the Red Sox seem to have found a winning formula with their starting lineup, and thus the only major change from Tuesday night is that Daniel Nava takes over in left field for Scott Podsednik.

Aside from that, the only other difference in the lineup is that Ryan Lavarnway and Jarrod Saltalamacchia switch their defensive assignments, with the rookie taking over behind the plate while Salty sees no defensive action on Wednesday.

This live blogger had the opportunity to speak with Lavarnway at some length last week, and it was a very interesting conversation. The 25-year-old realizes that his first responsibilities are to defense, and specifically his ability to aid his starting pitcher. Lavarnway says his goal on any night is to maximize the unspoken communication between a pitcher and catcher, so any night without shake-offs or cross-ups is the goal.

That's definitely a positive, as unspoken communication will be key on this evening, as Lavarnway and starter Matsuzaka don't even speak the same language.

Either way, check out the lineups for both teams below:

Red Sox
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Cody Ross, RF
James Loney, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, DH
Ryan Lavanway, C
Daniel Nava, LF
Jose Iglesias, SS

Daisuke Matsuzaka, RHP

Rays
Desmond Jennings, LF
B.J. Upton, CF
Ben Zobrist, SS
Evan Longoria, 3B
Luke Scott, DH
Jeff Keppinger, 2B
Matt Joyce, RF
Carlos Peña, 1B
Jose Molina, C

Chris Archer, RHP

6 p.m. ET: So, this live blogger found a recent Tweet by Grantland writer Jonah Keri very interesting.

It's no secret that teams like the Oakland A's and Tampa Bay Rays have a very constricted payroll. Then, the obvious question is how such teams are able to compete when they don't have the ability to import the kind of talent that others do. Well, the answer is simple: those teams find bargains and undervalued assets.

However, in at least two cases, the Rays made decisions that weren't all that shrewd, and it may end up being the difference between them making the playoffs and missing out. Carlos Pena has long been a favorite of the Rays, and it's not all that difficult to see why. Pena usually has a batting average that hovers around the Mendoza Line, so he usually comes at a pretty good bargain. At the same time, however, Pena displays a lot of power and also takes walks at a very high rate, so the Rays clearly believe Pena is undervalued.

All that being said, Pena and designated hitter Luke Scott are the second and fifth highest-paid players on the Rays, respectively, making a combined $13.25 million. The problem is, those two have a combined WAR (wins above replacement) of 0.3, which just isn't very good.

So, it would seem the Rays are performing in spite of two of their highest-paid players, not because of them. Usually teams with limited resources have a difficult time competing when such players don't pan out (look at A's signings like Hideki Matsui and Mike Piazza), but the Rays' relative success this year speaks to the talent on the rest of the squad.

Luke Scott and Carlos Pena have combined for 0.3 WAR this season. Making $13.25 mil, more than 20% of Rays payroll.

— jonahkeri (@jonahkeri) September 13, 2012

8 a.m. ET: After enduring one of the roughest stretches in club history throughout a West Coast road trip earlier this month, all of the sudden the Boston Red Sox (68-81) have won four out of five and, more importantly, are dealing some serious body blows to the postseason hopes of the division rival Tampa Bay Rays (78-70). Even if Boston won't have much October baseball, the Red Sox can find solace in giving some payback to a team that helped oust them from the postseason in 2011. The Red Sox can put another nail in the Rays' coffin with a win on Wednesday.

To accomplish that, they'll turn to much-maligned Japanese import Daisuke Matsuzaka, who probably hasn't even qualified as "inconsistent" but nonetheless has shown brief flashes of the ability that made him such a hot commodity upon coming to America. Going back to an Aug. 27 start against Kansas City, Matsuzaka threw seven innings of five-hit, one-run ball. But since then, the right-hander has had outings of 3 2/3 innings, 1 1/3 innings and 5 1/3 innings, respectively.

Opposing him will be 23-year-old Chris Archer, one of the fruits of the Matt Garza trade. Just three starts (four games) into a promising big-league career, Archer has already impressed, throwing 22 1/3 innings and allowed just 15 hits and seven walks, striking out 28 in the process. The youngster clearly has swing-and-miss stuff.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m., but you can tune in to NESN with Red Sox First Pitch beginning at 6 p.m. You can also stick right here with NESN.com and our Red Sox Live Blog, as we'll have the starting lineups and, as Vin Scully would say, "all the stats and stories" leading up to the game.

And be sure to follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff to chat Red Sox and all things MLB.

Final, Red Sox Win 7-5:

Felix Doubront get his first win in exactly two months, a July 18 victory over the White Sox. Conversely, Jeremy Hellickson picks up the loss, while Andrew Bailey gets his fifth save of the season.

Well, that's it for us from your Red Sox Live Blog. We'll be back with another edition tomorrow, however, so be sure to join in with all the fun as the Red Sox try to win their third consecutive game over the Rays. First pitch is again scheduled for 7:10 p.m., but we'll be with you all day here at NESN.com.

You can also follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff to chat Red Sox and all things MLB any time.

Mid 9th, Red Sox 7-5: This live blogger had the opportunity to watch Fernando Rodney throw a lot over the past couple seasons, and no one is more surprised to see his resurgence during the 2012 campaign.

His velocity has never left him, but with the Angels Rodney looked like his career was done. His mechanics were a mess and he just had no command to speak of. Likewise, he's probably a pretty good candidate for Comeback Player of the Year, and kudos to the Rays for picking off an incredible bargain, and (correctly) banking on a player being due to rebound.

End 8th, 7-5 Red Sox: Well, Bobby Valentine's decision to pull Vicente Padilla after just one batter paid off there, as Craig Breslow comes in and gets the job done. The lefty preserves the two-run lead, and presumably turns the game over to closer Andrew Bailey.

Something tells us Padilla won't be happy about that move, but the fact that it was successful negates all. On a completely unrelated note (wink), did we mention that Alfredo Aceves isn't even in the bullpen for this game?

Mid 8th, 7-5 Red Sox: Well, this has sure been a long game, as we're nearing the four-hour mark and are still motoring right along. That's largely due to the number of pitching changes and the fact that the Rays, finding their backs up against the wall in the playoff push, are clearly playing very deliberately.

All that being said, we actually missed the opportunity to talk about Doubront's outing. Take away the third inning, and it's a pretty stellar effort for the left-hander, who ended his day by retiring 11 of the last 12 Rays he faced.

Once more, for emphasis: Doubront needs to find a way to eliminate the one bad inning, keep his pitch count down and work deeper into games, but this was a step back in the right direction after struggling mightily since about the end of July.

End 7th, 7-5 Red Sox: Tazawa's done an excellent job all year not allowing inherited runners to score, but he can't keep the Rays down there, yielding a two-RBI single to Zobrist.

In fact, the Rays have two hits on the night overall, and they are both RBI singles on the part of Zobrist, who has plated five on the evening.

Bottom 7th, 7-3 Red Sox: You can never be sure there's a correlation, but we'll point out that Clayton Mortensen warmed up several times before actually being brought into the game there.

That's generally not a good way to use relievers, but let's see if Junichi Tazawa can get out of the jam.

Mid 7th, 7-3 Red Sox: How nice is it to finally see Ryan Lavarnway contributing with the bat? This live blogger spoke with the rookie catcher about a week ago, and we had a very nice chat about pitcher-catcher communication and defense in general, so I'm confident he'll pan out defensively over the long term.

The bat, however, remains to be seen, as Lavarnway's clearly going to need to hit to earn a job. But after coming up with a big double on Sunday in Toronto, and four RBIs on Friday, it's another gapper for the 25-year-old there, this time plating a couple. If Lavarnway can hit, it presents a very nice problem for Boston: two viable catchers for one role.

End 6th, 4-3 Red Sox: Per Sean Rodriguez: if your defense of porous, and you're having trouble keeping your OPS over .600, why are you continuing to see at-bats? Nonetheless, Rodriguez has gotten into 110 games and has now seen more than 300 trips to the plate this season.

Aside from that, how about Doubront. The lefty has now retired 10 of his last 11, and is pitching with the kind of bullish agressiveness that he needs to feature more often. The results speak for themselves.

Mid 6th, 4-3 Red Sox: That is a doubly bad break for the Red Sox — triply so if first base coach Alex Ochoa isn't alright.

The Rays give the Red Sox another gift run on Rodriguez's error, but by all rights the Sox should have had a two-run, 5-3 lead, except for the fact that the errant throw picked off Ochoa, enabling Keppinger to pick up the ball and throw home to get Podsednik.

But in addition to that, Ciriaco's bat was still blocking home plate, as Podsednik clearly didn't want to slide. Upon watching the replay it appears that he would have been well out, anyway, but either way the Red Sox should have an extra insurance run.

End 5th, 3-3: In typical Doubront fashion, the lefty is at 91 pitches through five innings thus far. That, of course, is a much higher number than you would like to see, but it also means the Red Sox may try to squeeze one more inning out of him. Boston has had some bullpen action at a couple points during this one, but we'll keep an eye on it.

Otherwise, however, Doubront has really settled down since a difficult third inning. He's retired eight of his last nine, but the one he didn't set down? You guessed it, a walk to Jennings.

Mid 5th, 3-3: Under normal circumstances, Hellickson would be given the opportunity to work through his struggles in that last half inning. However, the fact that he was pulled in favor of Jake McGee is reflective of just how desperate the Rays are at this point in the season.

Being five games back of the Orioles for a wild card slot and 5 1/2 back of the Yankees for the AL East, the Rays are clearly at a point where they can't afford to stumble anymore.

Aside from that, credit Ciriaco and Ellsbury — and their speed — for getting that rally started. As we mentioned earlier, if the Rays lose tonight it gets very, very difficult to see them leapfrogging both the Angels and the Orioles, so the Sox could really do Tampa Bay some damage.

End 4th, Rays 3-1: So, call that a bounce-back inning for Doubront, who gets the Rays in order — including two strikesouts — in that frame.

It's just another example of the Jekyll and Hyde season that Doubront has endured. One minute he looks brilliant, the next he looks incapable of finding the strike zone.

Mid 4th, Rays 3-1: Loney hasn't provided much in the way of offense — that being said, his defense at first base has been nothing short of brilliant — but he knocks in Ross there to get the Red Sox on the board.

Then, however, both Sox catchers strike out, ending the threat. For Saltalamacchia, that's just part of his game, but Lavarnway needs to start showing a little more at the plate.

End 3rd, Rays 3-0: One would assume that Doubront is penciled in for a rotation slot in 2013, but there are clearly some issues he needs to work out between now and April: command and composure.

Doubront always says the right thing in interviews, and is always there to answer to the press for his mistakes and triumphs, so he clearly knows how he's supposed to conduct himself on the hill.

Nonetheless, once he's out there the emotions have had a tendancy to bubble over, which needs to change immediately. For one it doesn't help the lefty's mindset, but moreover it's not difficult to make the inference he was getting squeezed by home plate umpire D.J. Reyburn on a couple pitches up in the zone.

In terms of command, we have nothing new to offer. This Live Blog has been mentioning Doubront's issues with control all season, as has everyone else in the media. To prove he's worth keeping in the rotation long term, Doubront needs to take the next step and keep the walks and pitch count down.

Mid 3rd, 0-0: Pedroia has had a couple good at-bats, but has nothing to show for it, and there leaves the go-ahead run on third base. So, it's more of the same for the Red Sox offense.

It's also more of the same for the Rays defense, which has been sloppy throughout the season, and particularly of late. There, they allow Ellsbury to get all the way to third on an errant pickoff attempt.

End 2nd, 0-0: Doubront threw a couple very impressive two-seam fastballs to Roberts in that last at-bat. The way you can tell the difference between the two and four-seam varieties of fastball is twofold: movement and velocity.

A two-seamer will move much more, as you saw with the tail on those pithces from Doubront. The four-seamer is a straighter, harder pitch, and the lefty will usually reside in the mid-90s when throwing that one, with his two-seamer dropping down to the 91-93 mph range.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: That was one impressive curveball to end the inning from Hellickson, who absolutely froze Podsednik at the plate, just catching the outside corner.

In many wasys, Hellickson is a complete statistical anamoly. For those not too familiar with Sabermetrics, BABIP is an acronym that stands for "batting average on balls put into play" — keep in mind that this excludes home runs. For any player, whether they are a pitcher or a hitter, BABIP always tends to trend back towards the .300 mark, meaning a pitcher who has allowed a BABIP lower than .300 hundred is considered to be lucky, while yielding a BABIP over .300 is unlucky.

Well, in each of his first three seasons, Hellickson has allowed marks of .267, .224 and .258, which at this point is clearly more than luck. It's probably an indication of just how good Hellickson is in pitching to contact, but it's a very atypical metric, indeed.

End 1st, 0-0: So, as we mentioned before, it isn't too typical to see Hellickson rack up two strikeouts in an inning. The K just isn't part of the 25-year-old's typical gameplan, as Hellickson largely pitches to contact, and will yield a lot of fly balls.

When he came up he was mostly a three-pitch pitcher, relying on a four-seam fastball, changeup and curveball. However, he's able to give each of those offerings different looks, he'll throw his changeup to both right and left-handed batters and has developed a sinker and cutter over the past couple seasons.

All in all, Hellickson is a pitcher who usually has exceptional command, and knows how to deploy his vast array of pitches. He's like the inverse of Doubront: Hellickson doesn't have nearly the pure stuff of the left-hander, but is able to use his tools much more percisely.

Mid 1st, 0-0: That was a bit of an abberation for Hellickson in that last half inning, producing two strikeouts, but we'll get to him with our next entry.

For right now, what to look for from Felix Doubront? The southpaw is a rather frustrating pitcher to watch, as he routinely yields a high number of walks and generally throws far too many pitches — pitching to contact is clearly not his strength. All season, the problem for Doubront has been trying to be too fine with his pitches, rather than taking the aggressive strategy and letting his stuff do the work for him.

Doubront features a litany of pitches: two- and four-season fastballs, a curveball, slider, changeup, sinker and has been working on a cutter throughout the year. Basically, the 24-year-old has an arsenal of pitches at his disposal, but his success will depend on how well he commands them.

7:12 p.m: We have first pitch! And, for those wondering, the weather down in Tampa Bay… well, who cares about the weather? We hear there are some storms down south, but the Red Sox are inside the Tropicana Dome, so we don't think the elements will be an issue.

7:00 p.m.: It's surely been nice to see Jacoby Ellsbury return to form over the last week, as the center fielder's power stroke had been conspiculously absent since returning from the DL in mid-July. Over the last nine games, however, the 29-year-old has gone 14-for-41, including two home runs and seven RBIs.

He should make for a productive duo in combining with Dustin Pedroia — the other power source in the Sox lineup of late — as the two go back-to-back hitting second and third, respectively.

On the Rays' end of things, Evan Longoria has been back with the club for more than a month now after missing the entirety of three months with a torn hamstring. Since his return, the star third baseman's metrics (.760 OPS) have been a bit lackluster, but his overall totals (eight home runs, 24 RBIs in 36 games) have been a boon for a Rays offense that has struggled manufacturing runs all season.

Check out the lineups for both teams below:

Red Sox
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Cody Ross, RF
James Loney, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Ryan Lavarnway, DH
Scott Podsednik, LF
Jose Iglesias, SS

Felix Doubront, LHP

Rays
Desmond Jennings, LF
B.J. Upton, CF
Ben Zobrist, SS
Evan Longoria, DH
Jeff Keppinger, 1B
Ben Francisco, RF
Ryan Roberts, 2B
Chris Gimenez, C
Sean Rodriguez, 3B

Jeremy Hellickson, RHP

12:15 p.m.: If it's the spoiler role that was left to the Boston Red Sox (67-81), it's one they are filling admirably as the season winds to a close. The Sox may be on the outside looking in on the playoff picture, but they still have a major opportunity to decide who continues playing and who goes home in October, as the club's last 14 games all come against the Tampa Bay Rays (78-69), Orioles and Yankees.

On Monday, the Red Sox put a major dent in Tampa's postseason push, as Boston's 5-2 win put the Rays five games back of a wild card spot. And with Oakland all but out of reach and the Angels still between them and Baltimore, the Rays' season is absolutely on the brink — having gone 3-7 over their last 10 games — with another loss meaning a veritable death knell for manager Joe Maddon's club.

How sweet would that be for the Red Sox, after last season's final day?

To accomplish that, Boston turns to young left-hander Felix Doubront (10-9, 5.11), who has struggled to the tune of an 0-4 record and 8.13 ERA over his past six starts. However, the 24-year-old looked revitalized his last time out against the Yankees, going 6 1/3 innings and yielding just two runs on four hits in a tough-luck 2-0 loss — which, in typical Doubront fashion, did include five walks and 105 pitches. In his only start against the Rays this year, Doubront struck out seven over 5 2/3 innings of work back on May 12, picking up the win.

He'll be opposed by righty Jeremy Hellickson (8-10, 3.22), who's had a wealth of experience against the Red Sox this season. Over four starts, Hellickson has gone 1-1 with a 4.38 ERA against Boston, including 7 2/3 innings of three-run ball back on May 27.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET, but you can tune into NESN beginning at 6 p.m. with Red Sox First Pitch. Or just stick right here with NESN.com, as we'll have the starting lineups and, as Vin Scully would say, "all the stats and stories" leading up to the game.

And as always, follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff to chat Red Sox and all things MLB.

Final, Yankees win 2-0:

Phil Hughes (15-12) picks up the win, while Felix Doubront (10-9) gets saddled with the tough-luck loss. Rafael Soriano picks up his 38th save of the season.

Well, that's it for us from your Red Sox Live Blog. We'll be back with another edition tomorrow, however, as the Red Sox take on the Toronto Blue Jays across the border.

In the meantime, be sure to stick with NESN.com for all your postgame needs, and follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff to chat Red Sox and all things MLB any time.

Adios!

Mid 9th, Yankees 2-0: Last chance for the Red Sox offense, which has been stymied all night. It's really kind of ironic, actually, as Doubront has gotten great run support all year, which has allowed him to have a winning record despite a middling ERA. So, it just seems a little unfair that on a night he puts in a really good outing, the Red Sox bats can't get anything going.

So, on to the bottom of the ninth inning, with the Sox down by two runs.

End 8th, Yankees 2-0: The bullpen gets it done for the Yankees, who continue to hold the Red Sox scoreless on the night. Outstanding effort by Hughes, and then David Robertson gets Ryan Lavarnway to fly out to end Boston's threat.

Mid 8th, Yankees 2-0: Well, it's "Sweet Caroline" time here at Fenway, but so far the score has not been so sweet.

In fact, Hughes hasn't allowed the Red Sox to get much of anything started, with 87 pitches through seven innings. He looks well locked in, so Boston may have to find a way to manufacture a run to back Doubront's solid outing.

Mid 7th, Yankees 2-0: Junichi Tazawa really has had a heck of a season. Specifically, he's done really well with not allowing inherited runners to score.

Well, that trend did not play out last inning, but Tazawa did well to limit the damage to one run. He certainly wasn't the first pitcher to yield a bloop single to Jeter on a pitch that jammed the shortstop.

And actually, a stat that needs to be noted: Jeter just tied Willie Mays for 10th all-time in hits. An incredible career continues.

Jeter ties Willie Mays on all-time hits list with No 3,283. Tenth.

— Gordon Edes (@GordonEdes) September 14, 2012

End 6th, Yankees 1-0: So we've been asking you to share your Red Sox pictures with us using the hashtag #NESNFenway, and we finally have a submision. In fact, not only do we have a submission, but it's apparently via Miss Massachusetts 2008.

Thanks to @aliciazitka for the photo, it's exactly the kind of family moment we're looking for. Pretty adorable.

So check out the submission below, and be sure to send us your Instagram Red Sox-related photo!

Daddy Daughter date to #Fenway #RedSox ⚾❤ #Nesnfenway #redsoxnation instagr.am/p/MTidgLQ4PD/

— Alicia Zitka (@aliciazitka) September 13, 2012

Mid 6th, Yankees 1-0: Is Felix Doubront's night done? Right now there is no one warming in the Red Sox bullpen, but at 93 pitches it's hard to imagine the southpaw going much further.

Doubront has looked as good as he has all season, but he hasn't often gone past the 100-pitch barrier, so it will be interesting to see what he has left if Bobby Valentine leaves him out there.

Then again, this may well be a case where Valentine's hand is forced. The rotation has clearly had difficulty going deep into games lately, and the bullpen is likely pretty worn down.

If done, Doubront's now has 4th quality start in as many outings vs Yankees this yr. Again, he'd be 1st Sox since Bill Lee in '74 to do that

— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) September 14, 2012

End 5th, Yankees 1-0: Well, this will inevitably jinx it, but we have to mention that by the standards of a typical Red Sox-Yankees game, this one is moving along at lightning-quick speed.

That is, of course, because the game has been so crisply pitched thus far, and it's a different sight from a matchup that typically features lots of offense. Both Doubront and Hughes have had at least one minor hiccup, but through their last inning of work, respectively, they each seem to have re-found their groove on the mound.

Mid 5th, Yankees 1-0: From our vantage point up here in the press box, it really didn't look like there was a play at the plate. It was a deep fly ball and Rodriguez still has decent speed.

However, apparently Doubront didn't care for the fact that Jones' fourth-inning sac fly was cut off on the throw home.

Check out Doubront's reaction in this pretty hilarious animation.

End 4th, Yankees 1-0: After the first inning, Hughes had looked very effective, mostly just pitching off his fastball, which seemed to have a lot of movement on it.

In that last half inning, however, Podsednik finally forced him out of the zone, and then Loney and Ross hit balls hard, so look for Hughes to change up his sequencing and work in some more offspeed stuff from this point forward.

Nonetheless, the Red Sox had a golden opportunity to put themselves on the board, but Nava can't come through and the Yankees stay ahead by a run.

Mid 4th, Yankees 1-0: Call it reverting back to old (bad) habits.

For the record, Doubront was absolutely squeezed by home plate umpire Tom Hallion in Martin's at-bat; any one of those four pitches could have been called a strike. However, Doubront absolutely tried to get too fine with his pitches in that last half inning, not trusting his stuff and yielding consecutive free passes.

Also, the team would do better to pay more attention to Yankees baserunners — even A-Rod. Rodriguez could have been using a walker and ended up at second base. The Red Sox were paying him no mind, and the third baseman got an enormous jump.

End 3rd, 0-0: We won't editorialize on this much, but it's been clear in recent weeks that Alfredo Aceves is on his own program.

While on the west coast road trip, the former closer was suspended for the three games for conduct detrimental to the team, and that was before a bizarre outing in Seattle. In that game — in one inning, actually — Aceves engaged in three bizarre plays: trying (and failing) to catch a pop up he should have left to his infielders, making pickoff throws to Pedroia at second base (who clearly didn't know they were coming) and refusing to exchange baseballs with the home plate umpire.

And that was all before last night's mound walkaround. Nonetheless, Aceves is still on the roster, and has suffered no further consequences beyond the initial suspension.

Mid 3rd, 0-0: Well, well, well. That's something we haven't seen from Doubront all year: quick, early count outs.

Pitching to contact has absolutely not been one of Doubront's strengths, but it's something he'll clearly have to work on, as it's a fair assumption he's locked up a spot in the Red Sox rotaion for 2013.

End 2nd, 0-0: We know there have to be some active Instagram-ers out there, so again, we invite you to share your Red Sox pictures with us — whether you're at the game, at home or on the go — via either Instagram itself or Twitter, using the hashtag #NESNFenway. If we see something we like, we'll share it with everybody here on our NESN.com live blog.

In fact, even this live blogger shared an Instagram pic from down on the field before the game. Check it out using this link (Twitter's embed feature seems to be having some issues).

Mid 2nd, 0-0: As we mentioned in the last post, the key to Doubront's night will be his command. Of course, that's not much for analysis and is true of any pitcher, but it's a bit more true for Doubront.

All season, the lefty has had trouble putting away hitters, which has led to many high pitch counts and relatively short outings in otherwise effective starts. Well, Granderson's at-bat was a good sign, as after setting him up 0-2, Doubront threw another marvelous curveball that Granderson had a hard tim laying off. Doubront then came back to strike out the Yankees center fielder with an overpowering high fastball.

If Doubront can pull the strikg on the curveball to lefties like that, it will go a long way to keeping the Yankees off the board and his pitch count reasonable.

End 1st, 0-0: Well, Hughes certainly wasn't fooling the Red Sox hitters in that inning, as both Podsednik and Loney get good wood on the ball, only to have Granderson reel them in. That catch on Podsednik, especially, was probably a WebGem, in ESPN parlance.

So, what to expect from Doubront tonight. The lefty features a cavalcade of pitches to choose from: two and four-seam fastballs, a cutter, curveball, changeup and slider. The problem is, despite his insistence otherwise, the all the innings the 24-year-old has racked up this year have appeared to have taken their toll, as his command just hasn't been very good in quite a while. That being said, his velocity hasn't taken much of a hit, so the Red Sox will hope Doubront is feeling rested and loose out there.

Mid 1st, 0-0: Well, that was one heck of a curveball that Doubront threw to Cano, who dove out of the way like it was coming right at him. We'll take a look at the southpaw's arsenal of pitches next half inning, but for now let's turn our attention to Yankees start Phil Hughes, and what to expect from him.

When Hughes first came up to the big leagues, he threw three pitches almost exclusively: a four-seam fastball, a curveball and a changeup. Since then, however, the right-hander has developed a slider and a cutter, which he'll use left often, but the slider especially can be a very effective pitch against right-handed batters when it's on. Look for Hughes to keep it simple early on, and then mix in additional pitches as the game progresses.

7:12 p.m.: We have first pitch! And for those wondering, the gametime temperature is 73 degrees with 69 percent humidity and winds from the south at 13 miles per hour.

In short, it's a beautiful night for baseball.

6:55 p.m.: We're going to try something different tonight. Who's a fan of the $500 million smart phone application Instagram?

Well, if you happen to be at the game tonight (or even if you don't) we invite you to share your pictures from tonights game by using the hashtag #NESNFenway (on either Twitter or Instagram) to share your pictures with us. If we like them, we may well share them here on the live blog, or on NESN.com.

So, please share your Fenway pictures, how you're enjoying the game at home or any way you care to show your Red Sox pride.

6:45 p.m.: Are you a celebrity stalker? Then you'll love this update from tonight's game.

As you may have seen on NESN's pregame show, Bill Cosby is in attendance at the game, sporting a Red Sox jersey. Also, we hear they're Yankees fans, but Mad Men's Jon Hamm and Curb Your Enthusiasm's Larry David are also in attendance.

What is this, a Dodgers game?

Bill Cosby on Yawkey Way twitter.com/PeteAbe/status…

— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) September 13, 2012

6:30 p.m. ET: As you may have heard, Red Sox Nation has welcomed a new member into the fold, as Dustin Pedroia's wife, Kelli gave birth to a son on Wednesday, the couple's second child.

As such, the Sox will be without their hottest hitter for Thursday night's rubber match against the Yankees, which is clearly unfortunate for the team — but we can give the Pedroias a pass for that one. Family clearly comes first (especially when a playoff spot isn't on the line).

So Ivan De Jesus takes over at second base for the evening, with Mike Aviles back at shortstop a night after letting Jose Iglesias show what he can do. The Sox will also be featuring a lot of speed at the top of the lineup, as Jacoby Ellsbury and Scott Podsednik will get it started.

For the Yankees, Alex Rodriguez makes his return to third base after spending some time in the DH role coming off the disabled list. Likewise, suffering a left ankle injury on Wednesday, Derek Jeter will take that slot on Thursday.

Check out the lineups for both teams, below:

Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Scott Podsednik, DH
James Loney, 1B
Cody Ross, RF
Daniel Nava, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Mike Aviles, SS
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
Ivan De Jesus, 2B

Felix Doubront, LHP

Yankees
Derek Jeter, DH
Nick Swisher, RF
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Robinson Cano, 2B
Russell Martin, C
Andruw Jones, LF
Curtis Granderson, CF
Steve Pearce, 1B
Eduardo Nunez, SS

Phil Hughes, RHP

8 a.m. ET: If the New York Yankees (80-62) were expecting to come into town and have a struggling Boston Red Sox (64-79) squad lay down dead for them on their way to a postseason berth, clearly the Sox had other plans.

After taking Tuesday's series opener in walkoff fashion, The Red Sox showed a lot of fire in losing to the Bronx Bombers 5-4 on Wednesday, with both Cody Ross and manager Bobby Valentine getting ejected for arguing balls and strikes. Considering each team's relative place in the standings, however, the first two games of the series have probably been much more competitive than the Yankees would like or expect, and the Red Sox certainly hope to further complicate New York's playoff hopes, as the club finds itself tied with the Orioles atop the American League East.

All that being said, the Red Sox would clearly love nothing more than to make the Yankees' path to October that much more difficult, and to try and take this three-game set, Boston will send Felix Doubront (10-8, 5.21) to the mound. The 24-year-old left-hander — much like the rest of the Red Sox rotation outside of Clay Buchholz — has clearly been struggling of late, yielding a 6.47 ERA over his past 72 1/3 innings pitched, a span of 14 starts. So, clearly, it's been a while since the southpaw has been on his game. In 11 starts to being the season, however, Doubront posted a 3.75 ERA over 62 1/3 innings.

Opposing Doubront will be Phil Hughes (14-12, 4.13), the talented right-hander who's battled injuries and inconsistent results throughout his career. In 2012 the 26-year-old native Southern Californian has mostly been able to avoid the injury bug, and has allowed three runs or less in 11 of his last 14 starts. However, games like his four-inning, seven-run performance against Toronto in the middle of August are always in play, keeping Hughes from reaching "the next level," as they say.

First pitch is again scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET, but you can tune in to NESN beginning at 6 p.m. with Red Sox First Pitch. Or just stick right here with NESN.com, as we'll have the starting lineups and, as Vin Scully would say, "all the stats and stories" in the hours leading up to first pitch.

Also, be sure to follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff. I'll be reporting, writing, live blogging and tweeting live from Fenway, and will try to keep things entertaining for you.

8 a.m. ET:

As the New York Yankees (79-61) come to town, the star-studded squad finds itself one game up in the American League East on a Baltimore Orioles team comprised largely of no-names and spare parts. Moreover, Baltimore is just a game ahead of Tampa Bay and a game and a half above Los Angeles in the wild card hunt, so if New York doesn't play well through the first week of October, missing the playoffs is a very real possibility.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, are in a total freefall, having lost 11 of their past 12 games. They have the exact same number of wins in September as the New England Patriots. That being said, there are still some individual performances that have given the Sox reason for optimism, and denting the playoff hopes of New York would go a long way toward righting the bad feelings of a lost season.

One of the recent bright spots for Boston has been Jon Lester (9-11, 4.99), who has looked to be on his way to returning to form after enduring — like the rest of the team — a very tough season. In five July starts, Lester allowed opposing hitters a 1.059 OPS, going 0-3. Since the calendar switched to August, however, Lester has yielded just a .659 OPS in 48 2/3 innings, going 4-3.

Opposing the southpaw will be arguably the Yankees' best starter on the 2012 campaign, Japanese import Hiroki Kuroda (13-10, 3.14). The right-hander has started three times against the Sox this season, posting a 3.74 ERA in 21 2/3 innings, winning one game and receiving two no decisions.

First pitch is schedule for 7:10 p.m. ET, but you can tune into NESN beginning at 6 p.m. for Red Sox First Pitch and the rest of your pregame lineup. Or just stick right here with NESN.com, we'll have the starting lineups and, as Vin Scully would say, "all the stats and stories" right here in our live blog leading up to the game.

And be sure to follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff, as I'll be writing, blogging and tweeting live from Fenway Park.

With the win, the Mariners improve their record to 67-71, while the Red Sox fall to 63-75, going 1-8 on their nine-game West Coast road trip.

Kevin Millwood (5-12) gets the win, while Aaron Cook (3-9) gets saddled with the loss with Tom Wilhelmsen picks up his 24th save of the season.

Well, that's it for us from your Red Sox Live Blog. Boston's off on Thursday but will (finally) be back in the friendly confines of Fenway to open a series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Adios!

End 8th, Mariners 2-1: Again, Aceves does the job for Boston, preserving the one-run deficit.

So now, on to the ninth inning! As the Red Sox try to make up that one run and steal another game, and the series, from the Mariners.

Mid 8th, Mariners 2-1: Yet again, the Red Sox leave the tying run in scoring position, as Loney strikes out to end the top of the eighth. Even Ross couldn't get the job done, grounding out with one out in the inning.

Considering the lineup can still boast Ross, Ellsbury and Pedroia on a daily basis, the offensive fall-off might be a bit surprising — even with the losses of Middlebrooks, Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez. But whatever the reason, the Red Sox offense has mostly just been stymied along the Left Coast.

End 7th, Mariners 2-1: So the combination of Andrew Miller and Alfredo Aceves gets the Red Sox through that inning and keeps it close.

Moreover, it's just kind of nice to see Aceves out on the mound without a major incident, as some of his behavior last week was just bizarre to say the least.

Really now, the onus is absolutely on the Boston offense to put something together and support their pitching.

Mid 7th, Mariners 2-1: Does anyone else think "Furbush" is actually an apt description of Brendan Ryan's facial hair?

Either way, the Red Sox again fail to take advantage of an opportunity with a runner in scoring position. Cook's done his job, limiting the damage against him to two runs over six innings, but the offense just hasn't been able to support him with much of anything. Take Cody Ross out of the equation, and this road trip would be even far more ugly than it is.

End 6th, Mariners 2-1: So it looks like Millwood is about done on the night.

Solid outing for him, as he goes six innings yielding just a single run on four hits, throwing 92 pitches.

Likewise, with cook at 93 pitches himself, it'll be interesting to see if the Sox try to extend him for one more frame.

Mid 6th, Mariners 2-1: Although the Red Sox have finally stolen a game on the West Coast, Cody Ross has been about the only offense the Sox have provided over the past 26 hours or so.

Overall, Ross has been the only nice surprise in a season which has just been disappointing for the Sox. The outfielder may be among the streakiest hitters in baseball, but he's been arguably Boston's most consistently productive hitter, when you consider the time missed by the likes of David Ortiz and Will Middlebrooks.

End 5th, Mariners 2-0: Nice bounce-back inning for Cook there, who gives up a single to Thames, but even that ball was on the ground up the middle.

Moreover, it was a return to the quick pace that we like to see from Cook, who is at his best when he gets into a steady rhythm. The bullpen should be back to some sense of normalcy after being work out for much of the seven-game losing streak, but it would only be a positive if the veteran could give them some more innings at 85 pitches.

Mid 5th, Mariners 2-0: That's five shutout inning thus far for Millwood, who's doing nothing fancy but just enough to keep the Sox hitters off balance.

Like always, Millwood is just working off his fastball to get ahead in the count early, then relying on the offspeed stuff as a secondary option. That's the kind of game plan which should be easy to adjust to, but then again, if a pitcher's htting his spots then hitters are usually at their mercy.

End 4th, Mariners 2-0: This seems like it's been Cook's M.O. lately: be rolling along just fine with little sign of trouble and then run into a wholly tough inning.

This time, however, Cook at least managed to limit the damage, getting back to his game and inducing a couple ground balls to Loney over at first base.

Mid 4th, 0-0: A night after blasting the game-winning home run, Lavarnway has now left four men on base, ground into a double play with one out and runners at the corners in the second, and just now grounding out to third with the bases loaded.

It might be considered a little unfair to Lavarnway to bat him in the DH role, given that it's likely something he's never been asked to do before. Someone like David Ortiz, for instance, is the exception to the rule, but even veterans often have difficulty adjusting to batting four times a game without playing in the field to stay warm, much less a rookie.

End 3rd, 0-0: Cook actually looks like he's leaving the ball further up in the zone, but it hasn't mattered thus far.

That's because through three innings Cook has struck out five Mariners, which is very, very unusual for the veteran right-hander. Rather, Cook's M.O. is to avoid both walks and strikeouts, preferring to induce early-count groundouts. That's the advantage of a sinkerball pitcher: economy of pitches.

Mid 3rd, 0-0: Just a reminder folks, with football season now upon us and the Patriots about to kick off on Sunday, today's NESN Daily poll asks which new addition on defense will have the biggest impact during the season.

With several new names to choose them, you can make your voice heard by clicking the above link and voting. Either way, the Titans will have a lot on their hands on Sunday.

End 2nd, 0-0: You've just got to love watching Cook pitch — when he's on, at least.

The Red Sox have been known in recent years to carry pitchers who take a lot of time in between pitches. However, Cook's just the opposite, working with a Mark Buehrle-like pace that's characteristic of sinkerball pitchers. It helps keep the infielders fresh and on their toes.

Mid 2nd, 0-0: Well, Lavarnway can't come up with the early heroics in this one, but we'll give him a pass after his big blast Tuesday night.

Aside from that, who heard about Bobby Valentine's controversial radio comments earlier today? Well, we don't delve into it too deeply, but it's just a reminder that all these guys really care about how this season has unfolded. No one's "checked out," and anyone who suggest otherwise really doesn't have much of an understanding about professional athletes — or professional coaches.

Manny Ramirez, on the other hand, that may be a rare case where the opposite was true.

End 1st, 0-0: We've already scouted Cook a bit, so let's look across to the other dugout and Millwood.

Like Cook, little about Millwood's game has changed over the years. He still features the same repertoire of a fastball, slider, curveball and a changeup that he almost exclusively throws against left-handed hitters. At this point he's largely just a back-end of the rotation innings-eater, but if his command is good on any particular night he's still capable of being very effective.

Mid 1st, 0-0: So, what to expect from Cook tonight.

Last time I spoke with him, Cook admitted that his game plan is the same in 2012 as it's been throughout the entirety of his career. What that means is Cook lives and dies with the sinker, and if he's getting good downward action on it and keeping it down in the zone, then he's going to be successful. However, if it gets up… then you'll see more of his last time out against Oakland.

10:10 p.m.: We have first pitch! And, for those wondering, the gametime temperature is again 70 degrees with 51 percent humidity and winds from the northwest at seven miles per hour.

9:20: The Red Sox largely seem to be alternating from night to night between a more veteran lineup and one featuring the likes of Jose Iglesias — geared towards 2013 and beyond (that's a phrase we've used a lot lately).

And tonight's one of the games that features the veterans, with James Loney at first base, Mike Aviles at shortstop and Jarrod Saltalamacchia behind the plate. Ryan Lavarnway, however, does get to see some at-bats again as the DH a night after delivering the game-winning home run.

Check out the lineups for both teams below:

Red Sox
Scott Podsednik, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Cody Ross, RF
James Loney, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Ryan Lavarnway, DH
Mike Aviles, SS
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B

Aaron Cook, RHP

Mariners
Dustin Ackley, 2B
Trayvon Robinson, LF
Kyle Seager, 3B
John Jaso, C
Jesus Montero, DH
Eric Thames, RF
Mike Carp, 1B
Casper Wells, CF
Brendan Ryan, SS

Kevin Millwood, RHP

8:10 p.m. ET: So how good does it feel to be coming off a win?

There's lots of odd stuff still going on in Red Sox Nation, including manager Bobby Valentine's somewhat combative interview with WEEI earlier today, but winning a game and snapping the team's seven-game skid will likely do a lot to relieve some of the immediate tensions surrounding the organization.

So, what's next? Well, winning two in a row would be the obvious reply, and to start a winning streak in earnest the Red Sox turn to right-handed sinkerballer Aaron Cook (3-8, 5.35). The 33-year-old veteran was roughed up pretty well in August to the tune of a 1-4 record and 6.46 ERA, and was one of the culprits during the Sox' losing streak, lasting just 2 2/3 innings while yielding seven hits and six runs his last time out. However, in a June 29 start at Safeco Field, Cook threw an 81-pitch, two-hit shutout masterpiece, so he'll be looking to repeat that success in Seattle.

Cook will be opposed by another longtime Major Leaguer, 16-year and seven-organization veteran Kevin Millwood (4-12, 4.36). The 37-year-old's strikeout rate (101 in 150 innings pitched) may suggest declining stuff, but despite the overall win-loss record, Millwood has been a pretty consistent contributor this season. The ironic stat in Millwood's like might be that he's fared better away from the pitching-friendly confines of Safeco, yielding a very tenable .264 opponents' batting average on the road, compared to his .293 mark in the Pacific Northwest.

First pitch is schedule for 10:10 p.m., but you can tune into NESN beginning at 9 p.m. with Red Sox First Pitch. Or you can just stick right here with NESN.com, as this very live blog will have the starting lineups and, as Vin Scully would say, "all the stats and stories" over the next couple hours.

You can also follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff to chat Red Sox and all things MLB.

The Boston Red Sox mercifully snaps its seven-game losing streak, beating the Seattle Mariners 4-3 behind a three-run home run by Cody Ross and a solo shot by Ryan Lavarnway.

With the win, the Red Sox improve their record to 63-74, while the Mariners fall to66-71. Jon Lester (9-11) gets the win, Beavan (9-9) gets saddled with the loss and Andrew Bailey picks up his second save of the season.

Well, that's it from this edition of your Red Sox Live Blog. We'll be back with another edition tomorrow, and first pitch is again scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET.

For now, adios!

Mid 9th, Red Sox 4-3: We'll see if not adding any insurance runs comes back to hurt the Sox, but credit Oliver Perez — who was nearly out of baseball for his control issues — for getting Ellsbury in a key situation. Suffice to say, it was also a solid decision to not pitch to Pedroia.

For now, on to the bottom of the ninth! As the Red Sox try to hang on to their 4-3 lead and mercifully snap their seven-game losing streak.

End 8th, Red Sox 4-3: Loney has made a number of stellar defensive plays in this one. But more than that, the first baseman has shown the subtle value of positioning, with several balls hit right at him at times Loney was playing in atypical places on the diamond.

Apparently Loney likes to play well off the first base bag, and it's something that's served him well tonight, as have his soft hands and reaction time.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 4-3: So who's in now for the Red Sox? Miller was warming, but it looks like it might be the mercurial Padilla, who's really thrived in a late-inning role after spending most of his career as a starter.

So, the bullpen is setting up just as it should, as the Sox look to actually have a little continuity they haven't had in weeks in terms of definition of roles.

End 7th, Red Sox 4-3: Why haven't we spent more time talking about the job Junichi Tazawa has done of late?

All year it just seems like every time a bullpen arm goes down with injury, gets sent down or traded, someone else rises to the occasion to take their place. Well, Tazawa has posted a 1.69 ERA over his last eight outings, a total of 10 innings.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 4-3: Now, presumably, the game gets turned over to the bullpen, so it will be interesting to see how Bobby Valentine deploys his troops.

It stands to reason that Alfredo Aceves is no longer part of the late-innings situation, but who is? Well, Andrew Bailey is the closer, and Vicente Padilla hasn't done anything to lose his claim on the setup role. So who do we see in this instance? Breslow? Miller? Mortensen? Is Mortensen even in the big leagues right now?

We shall soon see.

End 6th, Red Sox 4-3: Earlier we were talking about the adjustments that Lester had made throughout this game, and it actually appears he's gotten strong as it's played out. In fact, that last half inning was his first 1-2-3 frame in the game.

At this point, the southpaw actually qualifies for a quality start. One would have to imagine he's done after 111 pitches, but this was a positive outing for Lester. He managed to provide some innings and keep his team in the ballgame without his best stuff.

That's valuable going forward to 2013 and beyond.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 4-3: Signs of life!

First Ross comes up with two on and uses that natural uppercut swing of his to take a hanging curveball from Beavan and hit it well out of the yard. Then, a couple batters later, Ryan Lavarnway takes a fastball out of the yard in a very similar spot.

That's absolutely heartening to see from the Sox, who haven't just lost games on this road trip, but really haven't put up much of a fight. However, the team has now managed to knock Beavan out of the game — who was rolling right along until that last half inning.

End 5th, Mariners 3-0: As we've mentioned a couple times already, Lester had been using his curveball much more often in recent starts.

Well, for whatever reason the lefty hasn't done so nearly as often this evening, but he just got Olivo looking on a vintage slow curve to end the 5th. It's been a pretty effective pitch for Lester and represents his greatest change in velocity from his other pitches.

On days when the cutter isn't quite working, it's turning into an effective secondary pitch for Lester.

Mid 5th, Mariners 3-0: So thus far we haven't mentioned that Beavan has been dealing.

Through five innings, the 23-year-old left-hander has yielded just three hits, no walks and no runs while striking out a single Red Sox batter. That's called effectively pitching to contact, and so far Beavans has done well to work his pitches on both sides of the plate, keeping the ball away from the barrels of the opponents' bats.

End 4th, Mariners 3-0: Lester looks to have made some mid-game adjustments, as he's definitely doing a better job of keeping the ball out of the middle of the plate since Montero's hard-hit single up the middle.

More to the point, Lester's made himself slightly more efficient, now at 74 pitches through four innings. He may not have his best stuff, but even with Buchholz's seven innings last night, the bullpen is still likely pretty gassed from the entirety of this road trip, so this might be the kind of game he'll just have to slog through.

Mid 4th, Mariners 3-0: Earlier in the day, we here at NESN.com reported that former Mets star Keith Hernandez was considering shaving his trademark mustache.

Hernandez being in the news again just brought to mind one of the more entertaining sports moments in scripted television, when the former first baseman made a lengthy cameo on Seinfeld, showing off some pretty impressive thespian skills, especially for an athlete.

Follow this link to check out a Youtube video of Hernandez and the Seinfeld crew spoofing the movie JFK.

End 3rd, Mariners 3-0: Well, credit Lester for bouncing back. However, this may well be the kind of night — just as in Toronto — where the lefty just has to take one for the team and see how many innings he can go.

Otherwise, again, Lester just doesn't look like he has his good stuff out on the hill. He's missing his spots in the middle of the plate and all his pitches look distinctly flat. Oddly enough, Lester hasn't been featuring the curveball in the same way he has been lately, but the fastball, cutter and slider just aren't moving very much.

Mid 3rd, Mariners 1-0: Let's keep a close eye on Lester.

Not only has the southpaw not been particularly sharp just far, but he's already at 47 pitches through just two innings pitched — and only 26 of those have been strikes.

Lester's going to have to get it together quick if he wants to join Clay Buchholz in taking some pressure off of an overused bullpen.

End 2nd, Mariners 1-0: So what's up with Lester's yellow kicks?

As you can read in greater detail by clicking here, NIKE Baseball teamed up with the Livestrong campaign, and Lester decided to don the cleats given his history as a cancer survivor.

It might be considered a bit of an odd decision given that everything Lance Armstrong has been in the news for recently has been negative — realistically, anyone who denies the fact that Armstrong doped at this point is just in serious denial — but, well, there you go.

Mid 2nd, Mariners 1-0: Loney came oh-so close to tying the game there, missing a home run by what looked to be a foot or two. Likewise, credit Saltalamacchia for hitting the ball on the ground on the right side and getting Loney over to third.

From that point on, however, the Red Sox hitters really failed, as with a runner at third, one out and the kind of troubles the team has been having lately, Boston desperately wanted to get that run across. However, Lavarnway hits one right at a drawn-in Brendan Ryan and Ciriaco flies out to center — and Loney is stranded at third.

End 1st, Mariners 1-0: Another day, another early deficit for the Red Sox and Jon Lester, who yield a run on a Monter RBI single.

Anyway, let's take a look at what Blake Beavan has to offer. The right-hander doesn't have overwhelming stuff, but was considered a solid enough prospect that he was made part of the trade that sent Cliff Lee to Texas in 2010. The 23-year-old features a low-90s four-seam fastball, a high-80s two seamer, a developing changeup and a slider.

Command will be the name of the game for the youngster. He's not considered to have the stuff to be a frontline starter, but he has more than enough to at least be an innings eater and win on any given night.

Mid 1st, 0-0: So let's take a look at what Jon Lester has to offer before he hits the mound.

Obviously the left-hander has been much more effective over his last four starts (3-1, 3.21) than the previous six times out (0-5, 8.73), marking an impressive turnaround. Lester features a straight, four-seam fastball, a cutter, a curveball which he's used much more often lately, and the occasional changup or slider.

Despite Lester's improvement of late, his mechanics still don't look quite what they did in his prime, featuring a distinctly lower, more sidearm arm slot. However, it hasn't seemed to matter much, as Lester's cutter has gotten a bit more horizontal, but combined with an improving and oft-used curveball, the southpaw's been able to keep hitters off balance.

10:10 p.m.: We have first pitch! And, for those wondering, the gametime temperature at Safeco Field is a very comfortable 70 degrees with 45 percent humidity and winds from the northwest at nine miles per hour.

9:40 p.m.: With much of the focus on the poor efforts of the starting rotation throughout this West Coast road trip, the offense has been unfairly let off the hook a little bit.

With just 16 runs scored over the seven-game losing streak, the hitters need to do a little bit more to carry their weight, with Monday's 4-1 loss to Jason Vargas and the Mariners a prime example.

However, just look at tonight's lineup. Despite a few familiar names in there, it's absolutely not the lineup the club expected to be fielding into September, so likewise it isn't necessarily fair to expect too much of a group that's now largely composed of unknown quantities.

Check out the lineups for both teams below:

Red Sox
Scott Podsednik, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Cody Ross, RF
James Loney, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Ryan Lavarnway, DH
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
Jose Iglesias, SS

Jon Lester, LHP

Mariners
Dustin Ackley, 2B
Franklin Gutierrez, CF
Kyle Seager, 3B
Jesus Montero, DH
Justin Smoak, 1B
Miguel Olivo, C
Trayvon Robinson, LF
Casper Wells, RF
Brendan Ryan, SS

Blake Beavan, RHP

9 p.m.: So, we have a minor Red Sox trade to report, but it actually has a pretty interesting backstory behind it.

Today the Red Sox acquired catcher Guillermo Quiroz from the Mariners — so it shouldn't take him long to report to Boston's clubhouse — for cash considerations. Quiroz, 30, was in Triple-A Tacoma, and will be called up immediately. It gives the Red Sox a backup catcher, something they'd been missing often lately with one of the duo of Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway taking hacks as the designated hitter many nights.

However, an interesting note: Quiroz actually played in the 1994 Little League World Series, representing Maracaibo, Venezuela and claiming the title. However, their opponent that year was a team representing Northridge, California, whose star first baseman ended up playing a little NFL football. His name was Matt Cassel, ever heard of him?

8 a.m. ET: There's no sense in denying or tiptoeing around it. This has been an awful road trip for the Boston Red Sox (62-74), and everybody — players, fans, coaches, front office and ownership alike — are all probably just frustrated by this point.

All that being said, these are some of the expected growing pains for a team trying to see what it has for the future looking toward 2013 and beyond. General manager Ben Cherington admitted as much when talking about last Saturday's megatrade — it wasn't a deal that was designed to make the team better in the here and now. Nonetheless, would it be too much to ask to avoid an eight-game losing streak?

To sidestep that fate, the Red Sox will have to rally behind Jon Lester (8-11, 5.01) as he takes on a rather lackluster Seattle Mariners (66-70) offense. In the left-hander's last time on the hill, Lester actually threw an eight-inning complete game against the Angels, but of course any eight-inning complete game implies a loss, as the 28-year-old also yielded nine hits, three walks and five runs.

Lester will be opposed by 23-year-old right-hander Blake Beavan (9-8, 4.95). A former first-round pick of the Texas Rangers, Beavans was part of the Cliff Lee trade in 2010, and he is coming off seven innings of two-run ball in his last outing — although, granted, that was against an anemic Twins offense.

First pitch is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET, but you can tune to NESN beginning at 9 p.m. for Red Sox First Pitch and the rest of the pregame action. Alternatively, you can visit with us here on NESN.com, as this very Red Sox Live blog will have the starting lineups and, as Vin Scully would say, all the stats and stories in the hours leading up to Blake Beavan's first toss of the night.

And, as always, follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff to chat Red Sox and all things MLB.

Final, Mariners Win 4-1:

However, if you're looking for a positive to take out of this game, Clay Buchholz pitched pretty brilliantly aside from a hiccup in the fourth inning.

With the win, the Mariners improve their record to 66-70, while the Red Sox fall to 12 games under .500 and 62-74. Jason Vargas (14-9) picks up the win, Buchholz (11-5) gets saddled with the loss and Tom Wilhelmsen picks up his 23rd save of the season.

Well, that's it for us from your Red Sox Live Blog. Stick with NESN and NESN.com right now for all the postgame action, and be sure to check back right here for another edition of the live blog tomorrow, with first pitch scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET as the Red Sox try to finally steal a game on the left coast.

And, as always, follow this live blogger on Twitter at @ZachStoloff to chat Red Sox and all things MLB.

Adios!

End 8th, Mariners 4-1: That felt like a very long half inning considering that no runs were scored.

In any case, the Red Sox go down to their final at-bat trailing by three runs they'll need to make up if they plan to snap their six-game losing streak and capture their first game on this west coast swing.

So, on to the ninth! With the red Sox down 4-1.

Mid 8th, Mariners 4-1: One of the easiest ways to tell the difference between an analytical baseball fan and your typical blowhard is when they question the effort of the players. Despite the projected emotions of some fans, it's just so rarely accurate to ever say a player or a team has "quit" — Manny Ramirez might be an example of the rare exception. Professional athletes generally have too much pride for that.

All that being said, it's undeniable that the Red Sox have looked increasingly listless as their West Coast losing streak has progressed. So, credit Pedroia for trying to creat some energy on the field and doing everything he can to spur on the team.

End 7th, Mariners 4-1: After 109 pitches, it's a safe assumption that Buchholz is done for the night. And, despite the fact that he's on the hook to lose this one, the Red Sox really owe their newfound ace a debt of gratitude.

Buchholz becomes the first pitcher since Jon Lester's eight-inning complete game agains the Angels in Anaheim to get out of the fourth inning. In fact, this outing was mostly just vintage Buchholz, as the right-hander yielded just six hits and struck out eight in his seven innings of work.

It was just one inning, with Buchholz giving up four runs in the fourth, that hurt the Red Sox starter. Throw out that one frame, and Buchholz was as dominant as ever.

Mid 7th, Mariners 4-1: The Red Sox get their first look at Ivan De Jesus there, who grounds out to shortstop to end the inning.

The 25-year-old infielder has had minimal time in the major leagues with the Dodgers, earning just 65 at-bats over the past two seasons and hitting .231. He's been a pretty consistent bat throughout his minor league career, however. Nothing spectacular, with an OPS of .760 over the course of eight seasons, but it does suggest he could manage to stick around as a backup infielder.

End 6th, Mariners 4-1: So, apparently just down the road from us at the TPC Boston, Rory McIlroy is about to capture the Deutsche Bank Championship.

If the 23-year-old can hold on for the victory on the 18th hole, it would mark the third win for the Irish golfer in 2012, including the PGA Championship just last month. It stands to reason that McIlroy would be the frontrunner for PGA Tour player of the year now, owning one more victory than Tiger Woods, and, of course, that major in his back pocket.

The youngster is a bit more prone to ups-and-downs than Woods was at a similar age — McIlroy's blowup at the 2011 Masters won't be soon forgotten — but might actually be a better player when he's on his game. Scary thought for the rest of professional golf.

Mid 6th, Mariners 4-1: Yet again, the Red Sox are doing little to make Vargas uncomfortable out there on the hill or interrupt his gameplan.

Rather, Vargas is thoroughly in a rhythm on the hill. Pedroia might have given a reasonable effort to throw a monkey wrench his way by stealing second, but the lefty is now through six innings having yielded just five hits and no walks. That's two runs yielded in 14 innings pitched against the Red Sox this year for Vargas.

End 5th, Mariners 4-1: It's no secret that after dumping about $260 million worth of future payroll commitments, the Red Sox are going to have some money to spend this offseason.

Given the "disciplined" approach that general manager Ben Cherington has professed, it remains to be seen how the Sox actually spend that money, and what free agents they deem worthy of the investment, but NESN.com has a few ideas to bounce around.

Follow this link to check out a photo gallery featuring a number of free agents the Sox could pursue this winter.

Mid 5th, Mariners 4-1: Well, we're halfway through this one, and thus far it looks like the game may be on a similar trajectory to Vargas' last time out on the hill against the Sox.

Once again, Vargas looks to be settling into a rhythm against the Boston hitters, who aren't doing much of anything to break up his pace or gameplan. Vargas doesn't have the stuff to execute complex pitch sequences, he's mostly just getting early-count strikes and putting the Sox hitters in a hole.

End 4th, Mariners 4-1: Ah, well, there's the Murphy's Law in action that Red Sox Nation has come to expect in 2012. Suffice to say that inning got away from the BoSox a bit there. It's one thing to see a pitcher hit around, but it feels a bit more painful to watch a team kick the ball around a little bit.

Nonetheless, Iglesias made up for his miscue, for the first time since he was called up from Pawtucket showing the glove that we have heard so much about. That was a pretty sweet turn by the young shortstop, showing some amazing, soft hands.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 1-0: If you're superstitious, this is usually the kind of thing you're not supposed to say, but as an objective journalist, let's just go ahead and mention it.

Thus far the game is just flying along, which is the kind of result you can expect in a pitching-dominat game.

Ironically, Buchholz is actually among the slowest pitchers in baseball in terms of time taken between pitches (former Red Sox Josh Beckett and Erik Bedard are also up there), so we'll see if the trend hold up, but right now the game certainly has a nice pace to it.

End 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: That's seven in a row put down by Buchholz, who continues to make a compelling case for ace status heading into 2013. Is it too early to tab the 27-year-old for an opening day start next season?

Aside from that, nothing too fancy from the right-hander, who's just living off the fastball and not trying to be too fine with location. With the Mariners lineup, a pitcher can get away with more mistakes than usual, a fact further aided by SafeCo Field's cavernous dimensions.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: If you happen to be watching the NESN telecast, Jerry Remy just pointed out something out Ciriaco this live blogger finds very relevant.

Coming into the game, Ciriaco's strikeout to walk ratio is 31-3, which is plainly unacceptable from a player trying to play his way into a regular role for 2013 and beyond. Basically, the ratio would indicate poor pitch recognition in general, beyond a general aggressive approach at the plate, meaning it's going to be very difficult for Ciriaco to maintain his success once the scouting report on him makes its way through the league.

It likely already has.

End 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: So, through two innings Buchholz looks pretty solid. Not that it's necessarily difficult to look good pitching against Seattle.

Nonetheless, the key for Buchholz today is going to be very simple, just sticking to the gameplan, pitch off the fastball and let the Mariners get themselves out.

Mid 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: Say it with me now, all in unison:

"He plays the game the right way."

So oft-repeated is that phrasing about Pedroia that it almost feels like a cliche at this point. However, in this bizarre season and amidst all the strife, it's been very heartening to see the not-quite 4-foot-9 second baseman continue to play hard every night and sacrifice himself even though the team isn't contending in 2012.

Going forward, Pedroia's clearly going to be a big piece of the puzzle as the Red Sox try to turn it around, as his day-to-day example is integral for setting the tone of the ballclub.

End 1st, Red Sox 1-0: So, we've already seen him for one inning, but looking into the other dugout, what to expect from Jason Vargas tonight?

Well, suffice to say Vargas doesn't have the litany of pitches that Buchholz does. The lefty features a modest fastball, a cutter and his best pitch is probably his changeup. When he dominated the Red Sox earlier this year, Vargas largely kept the Sox off balance by working both sides of the blate and effectively mixing his pitches.

Having seen him just a couple months ago, however, that's going to be harder to do for Vargas a second time around, as the southpaw isn't big on deception.

Mid 1st, Red Sox 1-0: Well, well, well. It's a role reversal in Seattle.

For once, mercifully, it's the Red Sox who get on the board early, as Ross drives in Pedroia to give the Sox an early 1-0 lead.

Aside from that, what to expect from Clay Buchholz today? The 27-year-old right hander's biggest weapon is the number of pitches he can throw for strikes, and he'll be featuring two fastballs — of the four and two-seam variety — a curveball, changeup and a cutter. He also has several different actions on the curveball and slider, so when he's on hitters have a really tough time sitting on any pitch against Buchholz.

4:10 p.m.: We have first pitch! And for those wondering, the gametime temperature in Seattle is 67 degrees with 56 percent humidity and winds from the northwest at seven miles per hour.

3:15 p.m.: Yet again, the Red Sox look to be letting a few of the unproven, younger players take their hacks on the afternoon, giving starts to Pedro Ciriaco — who's really become an everyday player at this point — Mauro Gomez, Ryan Lavarnway, Ryan Kalish and Jose Iglesias.

The lineup undoubtedly looks much, much different than anything the Red Sox probably expected they'd use in the spring. But in the final month of the season and 11 games under the .500 mark, no one should really be surprised by anything at this point. It's been a bizarre season, suffice to say.

Nonetheless, it's time for some evaluation of the younger players, to see what they have to offer for 2013 and beyond.

As for the Mariners, it's not just that their lineup lacks star power, but it really lacks any power at all, ranking 27th in Major League Baseball in runs scored.

Check out the lineups for both teams below:

Red Sox
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Cody Ross, RF
Mauro Gomez, 1B
Ryan Lavarnway, C
Mike Aviles, DH
Ryan Kalish, LF
Jose Iglesias, SS

Clay Buchholz, P 

Mariners
Dustin Ackley , 2B
Franklin Gutierrez, CF
Kyle Seager, 3B
John Jaso, DH
Justin Smoak, 1B
Eric Thames, RF
Miguel Olivo, C
Carlos Peguero, LF
Brendan Ryan, SS

Jason Vargas, P

8 a.m. ET: There's no sense tiptoeing around it. The Boston Red Sox' (62-73) starting pitching has been awful throughout the course of this nine-game West Coast swing.

Ever since Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched seven innings of one-run ball a week ago last Monday in a matinee game against the Kansas City Royals, the only halfway decent efforts the rotation has provided were via Jon Lester (an eight-inning, complete-game loss) and Clay Buchholz (seven innings of four-run ball), both against the Angels.

However, the rest of the starters on this trip — Zach Stewart, Aaron Cook, Felix Doubront and Daisuke Matsuzaka — were all lit up in succession. None made it out of the fourth inning, and they put a huge amount of stress on the bullpen in the process.

So the Sox turn to their best pitcher, Buchholz (11-4, 4.50 ERA), to try to turn around the rotation's fortunes in one of the best pitcher's parks in Major League Baseball as Boston takes on the Seattle Mariners (65-70) at SafeCo Field. The 27-year-old Red Sox right-hander will be opposed by Jason Vargas (13-9, 3.90), who largely dominated Boston in Seattle on July 1, throwing eight innings while yielding just five hits, two walks and a single run in a 2-1 Mariners victory.

First pitch is scheduled for a Labor Day special at 4:10 p.m. ET, but you can tune into NESN beginning at 2:30 p.m. for Monster Monday. You can also stick right here with NESN.com, as this very live blog will have the starting lineups and, as Vin Scully would say, "all the stats and stories" in the hours leading up to Vargas' first toss of the afternoon.

And, as always, follow this live blogger at @ZachStoloff to chat Red Sox and all things MLB.