Apparently a whole lot for Darrelle Revis, as the new Buccaneers cornerback shelled out quite the pretty penny in order to wear his precious No. 24 this season.

The number had belonged to Mark Barron, a safety Tampa Bay drafted seventh overall in 2012, until Revis paid him $50,000 to part with it, according to Uni Watch’s Paul Lukas. Revis has worn No. 24 throughout his NFL career with the Jets after sporting No. 25 during his college days at the University of Pittsburgh.

Negotiating for uni numbers is nothing new (new Patriots defensive back Adrian Wilson actually made a deal for the same No. 24 upon arriving in New England, trading Kyle Arrington a year’s supply of diapers for it), but most players don’t resort to throwing down quite as much as Revis did.

Either Barron is master salesman, or the offseason’s marquee free-agent acquisition simply thought he wouldn’t miss $50,000 out of the $96 million the Bucs are scheduled to pay him over the next six years.

Photo via Facebook/Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Photo of the night

Mother Nature was in attendance at Fenway Park on Tuesday.

Tweet of the night

Boom. Roasted.

Sir Michael Miller just got Knighted. Brandon Knighted.

—
Jim Rome (@jimrome) June 19, 2013

Video of the night (GIF Edition)

Forget corked bats, Evan Gattis is going straight Styrofoam.

GIF via Cut4

]]> http://nesn.com/2013/06/darrelle-revis-pays-buccaneers-safety-mark-barron-50000-for-jersey-no-24/feed/ 0 Darrelle Revis nesnzcox Darrelle Revis David Ortiz Evan Gattis http://nesn.com/2013/06/kawhi-leonard-posterizes-mike-miller-with-emphatic-dunk-in-game-6-of-nba-finals-video/ http://nesn.com/2013/06/kawhi-leonard-posterizes-mike-miller-with-emphatic-dunk-in-game-6-of-nba-finals-video/#comments Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:41:54 +0000 Zack Cox http://nesn.com/?p=193627 ]]> Heat forward Mike Miller tried his best LeBron James-on-Tiago Splitter impression Tuesday night, but it didn’t work out as planned. Instead, Miller found himself on a poster after failing to block a thunderous dunk by San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard.

Miller has had a rough go of it in Games 4 and 5 of the NBA Finals, being held scoreless over the two contests after going 5-for-5 from 3-point range for a postseason-high 15 points in Game 3. His Heat entered Tuesday’s Game 6 on the brink of elimination, but they held on in overtime to force a winner-take-all Game 7.

Check out Leonard’s slam in the video below.

The Red Sox placed the right-hander on the 15-day disabled list with a neck strain Tuesday afternoon, activating catcher Ryan Lavarnway from Pawtucket in his place. Since Buchholz has not pitched since June 8, his move to the DL is retroactive to June 9, making his earliest possible return date next Tuesday against Colorado.

Buchholz has put up stellar numbers when healthy, posting a 9-0 record with a 1.71 ERA in 12 starts this season. He was scheduled to start Saturday night in Detroit, but those duties will now likely fall to 23-year-old Allen Webster. Webster has allowed 10 earned runs in 7 2/3 innings over two major league starts.

Buchholz threw a bullpen session between the two games of Boston’s doubleheader with Tampa Bay on Tuesday, but manager John Farrell determined that he was not yet ready to return to the rotation.

Lavarnway gives the Red Sox much-needed depth behind the plate, as the team placed catcher David Ross on the seven-day concussion DL on Tuesday for the second time this season. Ross’ previous stint was a result of taking multiple foul balls off the mask.

Reliever Alex Wilson was recalled from Triple-A in Ross’ place. Wilson is 1-1 with a 3.71 ERA in 17 big-league appearances out of the bullpen this season.

The Red Sox conclude their four-game series with the Rays on Wednesday before traveling to Detroit for four games against the AL Central-leading Tigers.

That wasn’t the case on Tuesday, when one of the strangest baseball plays you’ll ever see took place right in the middle of a College World Series game between North Carolina and LSU.

With the Tar Heels leading 3-1 in the third inning, UNC third baseman Colin Moran settled under a popup in foul territory. Left fielder Jordan Parks and shortstop Michael Russell made a play on the ball, too, before both were knocked to the turf by … nothing, it appeared.

Moran, who was selected sixth overall by the Marlins in this year’s MLB draft, made the grab and remained in the game despite getting bowled over at the ankles by Parks. Things worked out for the top-seeded Heels, as well, as they claimed a 4-2 win to knock the Tigers out of the tournament.

Check out the bizarre collision in the video below, with a hat tip to For The Win.

As Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara and Blackhawks winger Bryan Bickell dropped the gloves in front of the Boston net, Marchand and Shaw did the same.

The fights did not exactly follow “hockey code,” as a particularly heated Chara continued to pound Bickell after both had tumbled to the ice and Shaw landed a hard left to Marchand’s dome while the B’s winger lay on his back. That extra blow didn’t bother Marchand — he said he’s done it before, too — but he wasn’t a fan of another dirty trick Shaw allegedly pulled during the scuffle.

“It was a bit of a scrum there in front, and stuff happens in hockey … especially in the playoffs with tempers running high,” Marchand told CSNNE.com on Tuesday. “When [Chara] is battling with their guy, everybody is going to come in, and things just happen.

“Stuff happens. I’ve [punched a guy on the ice] before. The eye gouge is what I didn’t particularly like, but it’s part of the game. I’ve got a nice little scratch mark on my forehead from the claw marks from the … you know … kitty cat.”

Shaw scored the game-winning goal in triple overtime to give Chicago a 4-3 win in Game 1, but the Bruins responded to take Games 2 and 3. They can take a commanding 3-1 series lead with a win Wednesday night at TD Garden.

Photo via Twitter/@NHLexpertpicks

Steak Shapiro, Nick Cellini and Chris Dimino were roundly denounced in the media after their offensive jokes on 790 The Zone’s Mayhem in the AM show, and the station cut ties with all three shortly thereafter. 

The hosts have since apologized for their remarks, which Gleason has “received and accepted.” In a post on the Facebook page for his Team Gleason foundation, the 36-year-old, who played eight seasons in the NFL, wrote that he hopes this incident will raise public awareness for ALS, a disease that many do not fully understand.

See Gleason’s full response below.

Thumbnail photo via Facebook/Steve Gleason

With barely 10 seconds remaining in the third period, Zdeno Chara and Bryan Bickell began exchanging shoves in front of B’s goalie Tuukka Rask. The confrontation escalated quickly, with Chara wrestling the Blackhawks winger to the ice and landing a few solid rights.

Brad Marchand and Andrew Shaw, the teams’ respective agitators, didn’t pass up a chance to put on the foil, breaking off from the pack to engage in a bout of their own. All four were sent to the box, but the penalties were merely symbolic, as the Bruins skated off with a 2-0 win — and a 2-1 series lead — seconds later.

Check out the scrum in the video below.

KING 5 News reported Sunday that Seattle mayor Mike McGinn and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman have engaged in talks about relocating the Phoenix Coyotes to the Emerald City. The league-owned club has until June 25 to reach an agreement with the city of Glendale, Ariz., regarding its lease of Jobing.com Arena.

Under the reported plan, the Coyotes would play at least two seasons at Key Arena — the former home of the NBA’s SuperSonics and Western Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds — while a new arena is constructed. The 51-year-old stadium holds upward of 17,000 spectators for basketball games (the WNBA’s Storm still play there) but would reportedly have a capacity of just 11,000 for hockey — the smallest in the NHL by a wide margin.

“I let [Bettman] know of the situation here, and that we were supportive of bringing the NHL to Seattle,” McGinn said. “We have Key Arena, so we talked about the potential of them being in Key Arena, while we continue to work on a new arena plan.”

Before a subpar 2013 campaign, the Coyotes — who moved to Arizona from Winnipeg in 1996 — had reached the postseason in three consecutive seasons, including a trip the Western Conference finals in 2011-12. Success on the ice has not cured the curse of empty seats, though, as the club has ranked in the bottom three in the league in attendance each of the last six seasons.

Phoenix’s average of 13,923 fans per home game during this lockout-shortened season ranked 29th of the 30 NHL teams, leading only the New York Islanders.

A pair of investors are reportedly “seriously examining” the prospect of buying the team with the intent to move them to Seattle, but in the wake of the city’s near-miss with the Kings, McGinn is not setting his hopes too high.

“I really want to bring down expectations,” he said. “We are very clearly Plan B for the NHL and this team. I feel compelled to say this after the experience we had with Sacramento than the likelihood of us having a team here in a couple of weeks is low.”

The Coyotes finished 21-18-9 this year, missing the playoffs by four points.

The company began selling T-shirts adorned with the phrase “Chicago Stronger,” an obvious play on the “Boston Strong” rallying cry that united the city in the aftermath of the marathon bombings on April 15.

“We love Boston and support/admire its people,” read part of the shirt’s description on the Cubby Tees website, “but don’t believe that the homicidal lunacy of two disturbed locals has rendered its teams invincible. This is about hockey, this is about O-6 pride, this is about the Cup.”

As expected, the shirts were lambasted in both social and mainstream media, leading the company to eventually pull them from the shelves of its online store. That was not before they posted a quite lengthy explanation, though, basically stating that the shirts were meant as a slight at those attempting to profit from or misappropriate the “Boston Strong” phrase (though by selling these shirts, that’s exactly what they were doing).

Here is an excerpt from the company’s statement (you can read it in full by clicking here):

“Anyone who believes that the shirt mocked those injured in the horrible events of Patriots’ Day regrettably missed our point and did not read/process our accompanying commentary; nowhere on the shirt’s face (or within its subtext or motivation) did we take aim at the victims or make light of the incident — nor would we ever. The design poked fun at the embarrassing self-congratulatory branding of the tragedy, and its inappropriate adoption by SOME BOSTON FANS AS A MINIMIZING SPORTS ANTHEM, not the sad reality of that day’s mayhem.”

Photo of the night

Cardinals pitcher Matt Adams appears to be busting out some Matrix moves to avoid the throw of Miami’s Jeff Mathis.

Tweet of the night

The Red Sox struggled with that second part Friday night.

Great crowd. Need some runs. http://t.co/SmYzcq6VMJ

—
Don Orsillo (@DonOrsillo) June 15, 2013

Video of the night

Varmints!

Dwight Howard

But according to a report by ESPN’s Chris Broussard, the two superstars have been in “consistent contact” about the possibility of teaming up for the 2013-14 season.

“They would love to play together if somebody can make it happen,” a source close to the situation told Broussard.

A possible landing spot for the two is Howard’s hometown of Atlanta, though Broussard reports that the Lakers center still has ill will toward the Hawks after they passed on him in the 2005 NBA draft.

“It would be very tough for him to go to Atlanta,” the source said. “He loved Atlanta when they should have drafted him in ’05 but not so much since then. But hey, everybody is an option at this point.”

Broussard also brings up the possibility of Howard staying put in L.A. but suiting up in the red, white and blue of Paul’s Clippers. Paul is said to have mended his relationship with the organization — he had reportedly been unhappy with the public’s perception of him following coach Vinny Del Negro‘s firing — and Broussard’s source claims that both see teaming up on the Clips to be the ideal situation.

Several factors could complicate the intra-city deal, though, namely the Lakers’ reluctance to trade Howard to the team that shares their building and the Clippers’ reported classification of forward Blake Griffin as “untouchable.” Griffin would likely need to be involved in any deal to acquire Howard.

There’s also the fact that Howard seemed to wilt under the bright lights of L.A. Although the Clippers receive significantly less attention in the national media, the big man may be better suited for a smaller market.

The veteran tight end, who spent nine days with the Patriots last season, signed a one-year deal with the Jets on Friday after completing a three-day minicamp tryout.

The Jets were stuck with a void at tight end after Dustin Keller left for Miami via free agency, and Winslow proved to Rex Ryan this week that he still has something left.

“It’s been a rough go-round, I guess,” Winslow told USA Today. “This last year, when you can’t control it, you get cut, you get traded, you just can’t control it.

“But I’ll tell you I’m very hungry. I’ve always been hungry. Whenever I step out on the football field, I want to beat my opponent. I just want to help this team and make plays for them.”

Last season was a tumultuous one for the former Miami Hurricane. He was traded to Seattle last May but was waived before the season, reportedly after refusing to take a pay cut. Winslow latched on with the Patriots but appeared in just one game — making one catch for 12 yards against Baltimore in Week 3 — before being released at his own behest.

A rough 2012 was a sharp downgrade from his previous seasons, though. Winslow caught more than 65 passes and gained more than 750 yards five times between 2006 and 2011, earning a Pro Bowl nod as a member of the Browns in 2007.

In New York, he’ll team up with fourth-year pro Jeff Cumberland, who currently sits atop the tight-end depth chart, to attempt to recreate Keller’s production. Cumberland is optimistic of their chances, even comparing himself and Winslow to the highly regarded tight end duo up in Foxboro.

“With my size and his size,” Cumberland told the New York Daily News, “I would be more like [Rob] Gronkowski, he would be more like [Aaron] Hernandez.”

It’ll be a tall order for Winslow and Cumberland to match the production of the two Patriots tight ends, but if Winslow performs anywhere near his potential, he can become a valuable weapon for Mark Sanchez (or whoever ends up winning the Jets’ quarterback job).

Toews beat out Bergeron by a mere 10 points (1260-1250) in voting for the award, which is given annually to the NHL’s top defensive forward, though the Bruins center received more first-place votes (78-75).

The other finalist, Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk, finished a distant third in voting with 737 points (eight first-place votes).

In captaining Chicago to the NHL’s best record, Toews ranked third in the league in plus-minus (plus-28) and tied for second with 559 faceoffs won.

Bergeron was close behind with 549 faceoffs won, despite missing six games due to injury, and was the only centerman with more than 300 draws to post a face-off percentage above 60 percent (62.1). He ranked second among Boston skaters in assists (22), tied for third in points (32) and led the squad in plus-minus (plus-24) while leading all Bruins forwards in average time on ice (19:08).

Both players were workhorses during Wednesday night’s three-overtime epic in Chicago, combining for 100:04 of ice time. Bergeron was the only one of the two to get on the scoresheet — with a goal early in the third period — but Toews’ Blackhawks came away with a 4-3 win to take a 1-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final.

Though he fell short of the Selke, Bergeron did garner some hardware on awards night, earning the King Clancy Memorial Trophy as the player that “best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.”

Bergeron’s contributions to the team on the ice are undeniable, but he has also been active in the community since first coming to Boston in 2004. His most notable charitable endeavor comes in the form of his Patrice’s Pals program, which brings patients from local hospitals and other children’s organizations to TD Garden to experience Bruins games.

“It means a lot, it’s a huge honor. Obviously, any time you have the chance to help out the community, it’s something that speaks a lot to me and I want to do,” Bergeron said in a statement released by the team. “Like I said it’s a huge honor, and I’m very happy about it. I like to lead by example and just work as hard as I can on and off the ice and help whoever I can.”

Toews was also a finalist for the Bridgestone Messier Leadership Award given “to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice during the regular season,” but was beaten out by Ottawa’s Daniel Alfredsson.

In all, the NHL announced six award recipients Friday afternoon. Ottawa’s Paul McLean earned the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach, Pittsburgh’s Ray Shero was named general manager of the year, Lightning captain Martin St. Louis won the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship and Wild goalie Josh Harding was awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy, given annually to the “player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.”

Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid, who required emergency surgery mid-season after a blood clot was discovered in his shoulder, was also a finalist for the Masterton Trophy.

The winners of the Hart (most valuable player), Vezina (top goaltender), Norris (top defenseman), Calder (top rookie) and Ted Lindsay (“most outstanding player”) awards will be announced prior to Game 2 on Saturday.

As part of their “Social Media Night” promotion, the TinCaps’ game jerseys featured not only the team’s official Twitter handle (@TinCaps), but also the handles of their more than 6,000 followers.

So many organizations overdo it with their use of social media, but these unis actually look pretty cool. Check out a close-up in the video below.

During a 2-1 loss to the Cardinals on Thursday, television cameras were perfectly positioned to capture one (possibly “over-hydrated”) Mets fan lose his balance and plummet down a few rows of Citi Field seats. The team that poor guy supports has been tripping over itself all year, too, entering Thursday with the third-worst record in baseball.

New York’s 24-37 mark — despite the emergence of rookie phenom Matt Harvey, who was handed his first loss Thursday — trails all major league clubs outside of Houston and Miami.

Check out the tumble in the video below.

The latest in a long line of moving commercials was released Wednesday, hours before the puck dropped for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, and depicts one of hockey’s oldest traditions: the postgame handshake.

Does it measure up to some of the iconic spots from years past? Judge for yourself in the video below.

Giants reliever George Kontos drilled Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen after teammate Marco Scutaro was beaned earlier in the game, and that pitch resulted in Kontos having a rather miserable birthday.

Kontos, who turned 28 on Wednesday, was not only demoted to Triple-A Fresno for the first time this season, he was also informed the league had suspended him for three games for his incident with the Pirates outfielder. The suspension complicates a potential return to the big leagues for the right-hander, as he will only be able to serve it while he is on a major league roster.

Home-plate umpire Wally Bell ejected both Kontos and Giants manager Bruce Bochy after Kontos’ eighth-inning pitch caught McCutchen on the hip. Bochy also received a one-game suspension, which he will serve Wednesday. The beanball appeared to be retribution for a hit-by-pitch that knocked Scutaro out of the game the inning prior, though Kontos denied hitting McCutchen intentionally.

The ejection closed out a rough outing for Kontos, who allowed three runs on four hits, two walks and a home run over just 1 1/3 innings in what turned out to be an 8-2 Pirates win.

See the pitch that led to Kontos’ unfortunate birthday present by clicking here.

Former New York Rangers coach John Tortorella interviewed about the Vancouver Canucks’ coaching vacancy on Tuesday, Katie Strang of ESPN.com reports, while the Rangers spoke with former Canucks boss Alain Vigneault about taking over Tortorella’s old job.

Both were fired by their respective clubs last month after disappointing playoff exits — Tortorella’s to the Bruins in the conference semifinals and Vigneault’s to the Sharks in the opening round.

Any discussions are still in the preliminary stages, though, as Tortorella has also been linked to the vacant position in Dallas and the Rangers have reportedly gained permission to speak with former Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. Ruff had been the longest-tenured coach in the NHL before he was let go mid-season.

Vigneault was one of the most successful coaches in Canucks history. He holds the franchise record for career wins and led Vancouver to two Presidents’ Trophies and a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2011.

Tortorella won a Cup with the Lightning in 2004 but could not replicate that postseason success in New York. The Rangers reached the playoffs four times during his five-year tenure but advanced past the conference semifinals just once, falling twice in the first round.

Final, Rays 8-3: Jake McGee shuts the door, and the Red Sox drop the second game of this three-game series.

Jon Lester did not show his best stuff for Boston tonight, walking a season-high seven batters and surrendering seven runs in just 4 2/3 innings of work.

On the other side, Roberto Hernandez was very solid for Tampa Bay. Hernandez, who was known in the baseball world as Fausto Carmona until recently, allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks over seven innings, striking out seven.

These two teams will face off in the rubber match Wednesday night at 7:10 p.m., with Boston’s Alfredo Aceves opposing highly touted Rays prospect Chris Archer.

Thanks for joining me tonight. Goodnight, everyone.

End 8th, Rays 8-3: Some overeager baserunning by Sean Rodriguez (who steals up five runs? C’mon now) wiped a leadoff single off the basepaths, and Jose De La Torre was able to complete what has been an overall solid relief outing.

Rodriguez was caught in a rundown between first and second and eventually tagged out by Stephen Drew after being chased around a bit by David Ross — which was a sight you don’t see everyday.

De La Torre then walked Ben Zobrist but struck out Evan Longoria and induced an inning-ending groundout to close out the home half of the eighth.

The Red Sox now have a five-run hole to climb out of in the ninth with Tampa Bay reliever Jake McGee on the mound.

Mid 8th, Rays 8-3: After 122 pitches, Roberto Hernandez’s night is finally done.

Joe Maddon sent his starter back out for the eighth inning, but Hernandez failed to record an out before being lifted in favor of Joel Peralta.

Herandez opened the eighth by hitting Dustin Pedroia in the elbow area, which caused both dugouts to tense up after last night’s shenanigans. This beanball did not seem to be intentional, though, and Hernandez looked like he regretted it as soon as it left his hand.

David Ortiz then reached when Ryan Roberts couldn’t handle his ground ball, sending Hernandez to the showers.

Peralta retired all three batters he faced, though, allowing the Rays to take a five-run lead into what they hope will be their final at-bats.

End 7th, Rays 8-3: After allowing a home run to the first batter he faced, Jose De La Torre has settled down. He completed his second straight inning of scoreless relief, with a little help from Jose Iglesias on the defensive end.

With nobody out, Iglesias lunged to his left to get his glove on a ball hit sharply by Ryan Roberts. After knocking it down, he jumped to his feet and — flat-footed — fired to first to retire the second baseman with time to spare.

After a Jose Molina strikeout, Matt Joyce walked, stole second and took third when David Ross’ throw sailed high into center field. Ross may have tweaked something on the play, as he could clearly be seen grimacing after letting the ball go.

Desmond Jennings grounded out to end the inning.

Mid 7th, Rays 8-3: Jose Iglesias notched his second base hit of the night, but that’s all the Red Sox would get against Roberto Hernandez.

After Iglesias led off the seventh with a single, Jacoby Ellsbury grounded into a 3-6-3 double play and Shane Victorino flied out to shallow left-center field to quickly put a bow on the inning.

End 6th, Rays 8-3: The Red Sox finally completed their first 1-2-3 inning of the night, with Jose De La Torre rebounding from a rocky fifth to sit the Rays down in order.

De La Torre retired Evan Longoria (via strikeout), Yunel Escobar (via flyout) and James Loney (via groundout) on just nine pitches.

Rays starter Roberto Hernandez returns for a seventh inning of work, though Joel Peralta is now warming in the bullpen.

Mid 6th, Rays 8-3: Roberto Hernandez retires the side on his 104th pitch of the night.

Hernandez has not surpassed the 105-pitch mark since his third start of the season way back on April 16, so it will be interesting to see if Joe Maddon chooses to send him out for a seventh inning of work.

David Ortiz singled through the Papi shift to open the sixth, breaking a streak of seven consecutive outs for Hernandez.

The righty then struck out Mike Napoli and got Daniel Nava to fly out to center before walking Stephen Drew and inducing an inning-ending popup off the bat of David Ross, who has yet to reach base tonight.

End 5th, Rays 8-3: And that’ll do it for Lester.

The Sox starter managed to get the second out of the inning after catching Ryan Roberts in a rundown, but he then served up his third home run of the night, this one a two-run shot by Matt Joyce, to officially drop the curtain on his outing.

Lester’s final line: 4 2/3 innings, seven runs, eight hits, seven walks, three home runs, three strikeouts. Not ideal.

Joyce has been the centerpiece of the series for the Rays, homering twice in two games and triggering last night’s benches-clearing scrum after being plunked by John Lackey.

Newly promoted Jose De La Torre, the only fresh arm in the Red Sox bullpen, relieved Lester. The rookie did not fare much better than his predecessor, though, allowing a home run to Desmond Jennings, the first batter he faced, and walking Sean Rodriguez on four pitches before getting Ben Zobrist to fly out to right to end the inning.

Though he would normally be pulled after that performance, the sorry state of the Boston ‘pen likely means De La Torre will return to the mound in the sixth.

Bottom 5th, Rays 5-3: Jon Lester had surpassed his season high for walks, and the bullpen phone is starting to ring.

After James Loney lined out to open the bottom of the fifth, Lester walked Ryan Roberts and Jose Molina consecutively, prompting pitching coach Juan Nieves to get right-hander Jose De La Torre up in the ‘pen.

Mid 5th, Rays 5-3: The Red Sox again get nothing against Roberto Hernandez, who has retired the last seven batters he’s faced.

Two of the outs in the top of the fourth were routine enough (groundouts to shortstop and second base), but they bookended a highlight-reel grab by Sean Rodriguez, who laid out to haul in a sinking liner off the bat of Shane Victorino.

End 4th, Rays 5-3: For the third straight inning, the Rays score with two outs.

This latest run came via the long ball, as Evan Longoria took Jon Lester deep to extend Tampa Bay’s advantage to 5-3. Longoria’s homer came on the same pitch as Desmond Jennings’ bomb back in the second — a mid-90s sinker over the middle of the plate.

Lester induced a pair of infield popups to open the inning and rebounded from Longoria’s home run, getting Yunel Escobar to ground out to shortstop.

Mid 4th, Rays 4-3: Three up, three down, as Roberto Hernandez strikes out the side in order in the fourth.

The right-hander sat down Stephen Drew and David Ross swinging before getting Jose Iglesias looking for his fifth K of the night.

Sean Rodriguez, Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria are due up next for the Rays.

End 3rd, Rays 4-3: No team wants to hold a lead in this one.

After falling behind in the top of the third, the Rays plated two more runs in the home half to take the lead for the second time tonight.

Ben Zobrist opened the inning with a single up the middle. Jon Lester then sandwiched a pair of strikeouts around a walk to Yunel Escobar to set up men on first and second with two outs.

The Rays then followed with three straight singles. Ryan Roberts drove in Zobrist with the tying run, and Jose Molina’s soft line drive drive fell out of the reach of Jacoby Ellsbury to plate Escobar.

Matt Joyce also reached on an infield single, beating out the throw by Stephen Drew, but Desmond Jennings grounded out with the bases loaded to end the frame.

John Farrell will almost certainly have to go to his bullpen early in this one, as Lester has already thrown 70 pitches (with just 37 strikes) and walked five batters — one shy of his season high.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 3-2: Jose Iglesias has now hit safely in 14 consecutive games.

The third baseman reached on a leadoff single and quickly found himself on third.

Jacoby Ellsbury dribbled a slow grounder down the first-base line, and James Loney poorly decided to try to snipe Iglesias at second. His throw was off the mark and way late, and the Red Sox had two men on with no outs.

Shane Victorino then dropped down a sac bunt to advance the runners — his team-leading third sacrifice of the season.

Roberto Hernandez stuck out Dustin Pedroia swinging and intentionally walked David Ortiz, setting up a bases-loaded situation for Mike Napoli. The first baseman has been on fire with the bases chucked this season, and he came through again, driving in Iglesias and Ellsbury with a bloop single to center field.

Daniel Nava almost brought home another pair of runs, but center fielder Desmond Jennings was able to run down his sinking fly ball in the right-center-field gap to retire the side.

End 2nd, Rays 2-1: The scoreboard may not seem too dire right now, but things have gone from bad to worse for Jon Lester.

Lester struck out Jose Molina looking and got Matt Joyce to fly out to the warning track to record a pair a quick outs.

But he then hung a sinker right down the pipe to Desmond Jennings, and Jennings responded by hitting it out of the park.

After two innings, Lester has already thrown 44 pitches. That, especially tonight, is not good.

Mid 2nd, 1-1: The Sox put the leadoff man on again, but the Rays bailed themselves out with a twin killing of their own.

Daniel Nava singled to open the second, continuing his fortnight-long tear, but Stephen Drew grounded into a double play to wipe him off the basepaths.

Roberto Hernandez then struck out David Ross to retire the side, and we head to the bottom of the second tied at one run apiece.

End 1st, 1-1: This is not the start the Red Sox need.

The Rays plated just one run in their half of the first — a well-timed double play made sure of that — but Jon Lester is having serious trouble locating with any of his pitches.

Lester walked four batters in the opening frame and threw just nine of his 26 pitches for strikes.

Desmond Jennings led things off by beating out an infield single that Dustin Pedroia charged but could not relay to first in time.

Lester then walked Sean Rodriguez on five pitches before Ben Zobrist grounded into a key 4-6-3 double play. Lester followed this up with three consecutive walks, though, including one to James Loney to bring home the tying run.

Ryan Roberts grounded out to the pitcher with the bases loaded to end the threat, but this start could spell trouble for the Sox. Boston’s bullpen is already severely taxed after working overtime last night, and John Farrell could really use a long outing from his starter.

Mid 1st, Red Sox 1-0: It wasn’t quite the offensive explosion we saw yesterday, but the Red Sox got on the scoreboard first again in the opening frame.

Jacoby Ellsbury opened the game with a base hit and stole second with Shane Victorino at the plate. Victorino also singled, advancing Ellsbury to third.

Dustin Pedroia then brought the lead runner home with a sacrifice fly to right field, giving the Sox an early 1-0 lead.

Victorino stole second, as well, but Roberto Hernandez struck out David Ortiz and got Mike Napoli to ground out to third base to end the inning.

This is the first season in Tampa Bay for the pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona, who spent spent the first seven years of his career in Cleveland.

Hernandez — at the time going by the name he used to obtain a visa after emigrating from the Dominican Republic — was at times dominant for the Indians, but he was wildly inconsistent. He posted ERAs of 3.06 and 3.77 in 2007 and 2010, respectively, earning an All-Star nod in the latter, but finished each of other five seasons with an ERA above 5.03.

The right-hander also holds a particularly undesirable place in the history books. As the Tribe’s Opening Day starter in 2011, he became the first starter to allow 10 runs or more in his team’s first game since the 1940s.

The Rays will send Desmond Jennings, Sean Rodriguez and Ben Zobrist to the plate first against Jon Lester.

7:10 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury takes ball one from Roberto Hernandez and we are underway.

6:50 p.m.: If you’re looking to get your fill of flying fists and can’t wait for tomorrow’s Bruins-Blackhawks game, you might want to keep your eyes on Tropicana Field tonight.

John Lackey’s beaning of Matt Joyce last night emptied both benches and led Rays manager Joe Maddon to question Lackey’s status as a good teammate.

That scuffle was tame by Sox-Rays standards, but this series is just getting started. Don’t be surprised if tensions boil over again before the Red Sox head back up north.

6 p.m.: Last night’s five-and-a-half-hour affair taxed the pitching staffs of both clubs.

Franklin Morales, who was scheduled to start Wednesday night, was pressed into emergency relief deep into extra innings, wiping him out of the equation for tomorrow’s series finale.

That dilemma has led to some roster finagling on the part of the Red Sox, who place Clayton Mortensen on the 15-day disabled list earlier today and activated reliever Jose De La Torre.

De La Torre will bolster a depleted Boston bullpen tonight, but his second career stint in the majors will likely last just one day. John Farrell announced in his pregame press conference that the team will call up Alfredo Aceves to start in Morales’ place Wednesday night, likely sending De La Torre back to Triple-A.

5:05 p.m.: Mike Napoli spent last night’s series opener in the dugout after struggling (2-for-14, eight strikeouts) in three games against the Angels over the weekend. His bat will be back in the middle of the order against Roberto Hernandez tonight, though, and Jose Iglesias’ will be back at the bottom.

John Farrell has said he plays to give Iglesias, who is hitting a team-leading .446 in 23 games, at least three starts a week now that Will Middlebrooks has returned from the disabled list.

Middlebrooks got the start last night and struggled at the plate, singling in the first then going hitless in his final six at-bats.

The Rays, meanwhile, have given their batting order the full shuffle. Only Evan Longoria, playing third base and batting cleanup, will hit in the same slot as last night.

Check out the full starting lineups for both teams below.

Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Daniel Nava, LF
Stephen Drew, SS
David Ross, C
Jose Iglesias, 3B

Jon Lester, LHP

Rays 
Desmond Jennings, CF
Sean Rodriguez, LF
Ben Zobrist, RF
Evan Longoria, 3B
Yunel Escobar, SS
James Loney, 1B
Ryan Roberts, 2B
Jose Molina, C
Matt Joyce, DH

Roberto Hernandez, RHP

8 a.m. ET: Monday night was a long one at Tropicana Field.

The Red Sox and Rays played nearly five and a half hours of baseball, with the Red Sox giving away a six-run lead in regulation and another two-run lead in extra innings before Daniel Nava finally won it with an RBI single in the top of the 14th.

The game was so long, in fact, that the fact that the teams nearly came to blows in the sixth inning was almost forgotten by the time the Trop closed up shop early Tuesday morning. That scuffle surely has not been forgotten by the players, though, and the longstanding tension between these two teams will be a storyline to watch as this series continues.

With both teams completely emptying their bullpens in the 14-inning affair (the Rays even had infielder Ryan Roberts warming up in the late stages), it will be increasingly important for Tuesday’s starters to eat up innings. Jon Lester (6-2, 3.60 ERA) takes the mound for Boston while Tampa Bay counters with Roberto Hernandez (3-6, 5.03).

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m., with coverage beginning at 6 p.m. on NESN.

Final (14 innings), Red Sox 10-8: It’s over!

A 6-4-3 double play ended the 14th inning and allowed the Red Sox to claim a 10-8 win in Monday night/Tuesday morning’s marathon affair.

The Sox coughed up a 6-0 lead early in the ballgame and an 8-6 lead in the 10th inning, but an RBI single by Daniel Nava in the top of the 14th allowed them to walk away victorious after nearly five and a half hours of action in Tampa Bay.

These two teams will get right back at it Tuesday night, with the second game of this three-game set scheduled to start at 7:10 p.m.

Props to everyone who stuck with this one until the end. Get some sleep. We’ll see you back here again later tonight.

End 14th, Red Sox 10-8: For the second time in extra innings, the Red Sox have taken the lead.

Shane Victorino singled to open the 14th and took second on Dustin Pedroia’s deep flyout.

The Rays then elected to intentionally walk David Ortiz to set up the three-way force. The walk would prove inconsequential, though, as Daniel Nava singled to center to score Victorino from second.

After Jonny Gomes flied to left for the second out, Jarrod Saltalamacchia drove in an insurance run, scoring pinch runner Jose Iglesias from second with a base hit.

Will Middlebrooks flied out to right fielder Matt Joyce to end the inning, and now it’s time to see if the Sox can hang on to this two-run lead — a feat they were unable to accomplish in the 10th.

End 13th, 8-8: Franklin Morales walks pinch hitter Ryan Roberts but is otherwise perfect, adding two strikeouts to shut down the Rays in the 13th.

Both the Red Sox and Rays have now exhausted their bullpens, which means we may get to see some position players on the mound if this game continues much longer.

Mid 13th, 8-8: Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Stephen Drew both singled in the 13th, but they were sandwiched around a 6-4-3 double play that killed any chance for momentum.

Jacoby Ellsbury flied out to left field to end the inning.

Franklin Morales, who was scheduled to start Wednesday against these Rays, has come on in relief for the Red Sox. That means Boston will likely need to call up a pitcher from Pawtucket (likely either Alfredo Aceves or Allen Webster) to fill the void.

End 12th, 8-8: Matt Joyce almost left the yard for the second time tonight, but Jacoby Ellsbury was able to settle under his deep fly ball at the warning track for the second out of the 12th.

Koji Uehara completed his second perfect inning by striking out Ben Zobrist, and the scoreboard now reads lucky number 13.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who drove in what were thought to be the game-winning runs back in the 10th, will bat first for the Red Sox.

Mid 12th, 8-8: After four and a half hours, some of the hitters seem to be growing impatient.

Cesar Ramos retired David Ortiz and Daniel Nava on two total pitches (a popout to third and a bunt attempt popped out to the catcher, respectively).

It took a little longer to retire Jonny Gomes, who entered as a pinch hitter for Mike Carp, but Ramos struck out the former Ray looking to end the inning.

Gomes will move to left field in the home half of the inning, with Nava shifting into Carp’s spot at first.

End 11th, 8-8: That was quick.

Koji Uehara retired the side in order, inducing a groundout and two weak fly balls. Uehara needed just seven pitches to get through the 11th, six of which he threw for strikes.

Time for the 12th. Get excited, people.

Mid 11th, 8-8: Nothing doing for the Red Sox in their half of the 11th.

After Stephen Drew struck out to open the inning — his fourth K of the night — Jacoby Ellsbury drew a walk.

A pair of stolen bases put him on third with two outs — Shane Victorino flied out for the second — but that’s as far as the leadoff man would get.

Home-plate umpire Tom Hallion rung up Dustin Pedroia looking on a pitch that the second baseman was none too pleased about. It could have been juuust a bit outside, and Hallion waited a split-second before launching into his enthusiastic strike-three call, but it stood nonetheless.

Time for the bottom of the 11th here at a rapidly emptying Tropicana Field.

End 10th, 8-8: This is not the closers’ night.

After Fernando Rodney allowed a pair of runs in the top of the 10th to give the Red Sox an 8-6 lead, Andrew Bailey did the same.

The Rays put their first five batters on base against the Boston closer (two hits, three walks), allowing a leadoff homer to Jose Lobaton and loading the bases with no outs.

But after walking in Tampa’s second run of the inning, Bailey managed to escape with the winning run 90 feet away.

With the bases still loaded and nobody out, Bailey got Evan Longoria — who homered back in the first — to ground into a 5-2-3 double play. Pinch hitter Sam Fuld then dropped down a two-out bunt, but it was too strong, allowing time for Dustin Pedroia to field the ball and fire to first for the final out.

After more than four hours of action, we head to the 11th.

Mid 10th, Red Sox 8-6: Fernando Rodney was lights-out in the ninth inning. Joe Maddon elected to send his closer back out for the 10th, but the results weren’t nearly as favorable for the Rays.

Rodney walked Dustin Pedroia to open the inning. David Ortiz then grounded into what should have been a double play, but the “Papi shift” prevented the Rays from turning two. Ben Zobrist elected to throw out Ortiz at first base, allowing Pedroia to advance to second.

Pedroia then stole third as Daniel Nava walked. Nava was allowed to reach second on defensive indifference, and — after Mike Carp struck out for the second out– both runners came home on Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s line drive to center.

That did it for Rodney, who was lifted in favor of Jamey Wright. Wright struck out Will Middlebrooks looking to end the inning.

Tampa Bay now finds itself staring at a two-run deficit in the bottom of the 10th.

End 9th, 6-6: Free baseball in Tampa Bay!

Clayton Mortensen allowed a one-out single to James Loney but otherwise worked a flawless ninth, and we head to extra innings with the Sox and Rays tied up at 6-6.

Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and Daniel Nava are due up first for Boston in the 10th.

Mid 9th, 6-6: Fernando Rodney slams the door shut in the ninth, and the Rays will have a chance for the walk-off.

The Tampa closer, operating in a non-save situation, struck out Stephen Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury before getting Shane Victorino to ground out to second.

Drew has especially struggled tonight, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

End 8th, 6-6: Yep, we’re tied.

Junichi Tazawa’s wild pitch allowed Yunel Escobar — who had doubled with one out — to score from third, knotting this game up at six runs apiece.

After Matt Joyce grounded out to Dustin Pedroia, Ben Zobrist also doubled, his fourth hit of the game.

With two outs, what appeared to be a routine popup almost proved disastrous, as every Red Sox infielder converged on Kelly Johnson’s weak fly just behind the mound.

Pedroia came up with the sliding grab, though, and this game will stay tied heading into the ninth inning.

Mid 8th, Red Sox 6-5: Jake McGee sits the Sox down in order, including a pair of strikeouts, and we enter the bottom of the eighth with Boston clinging to a one-run lead.

Jose Lobaton, Yunel Escobar and the top of the order are due up first against Junichi Tazawa.

End 7th, Red Sox 6-5: Remember that six-run lead? Well, it’s now down to one.

James Loney homered off Andrew Miller with one out in the seventh to bring the Rays to within one run after trailing 6-0 earlier tonight.

Tampa Bay could not put the potential tying run on base — thanks in part to Shane Victorino’s running catch at the warning track of a Luke Scott fly ball — but momentum is now clearly on the side of the home team as we head to the eighth.

Mid 7th, Red Sox 6-4: In the first inning, the Red Sox clubbed seven hits, batted around and scored six runs. Since then? Two hits, two walks, zero runs and no innings with more that four batters.

The Sox went down scoreless again in the seventh, with Dustin Pedroia drawing a leadoff walk but having it wiped away when David Ortiz grounded into a 6-3 double play.

Daniel Nava flied out to center for the third out.

Craig Breslow’s night is done after just one batter, as Andrew Miller comes on to work the home half of the seventh.

End 6th, Red Sox 6-4: Things just got very interesting here in the sixth.

John Lackey retired Jose Lobaton and Yunel Escobar on consecutive groundouts before plunking Matt Joyce right between the numbers, which the leadoff man did not take kindly too.

Joyce had some choice words for Lackey as he strolled to first, prompting Jarrod Saltalamacchia to get between batter and pitcher.

The confrontation escalated to some minor shoving, and both benches emptied out onto the field. It ended up being little more than a “baseball fight,” though, with no punches thrown and a lot of guys standing around.

For teams with a surprisingly violent history together, including this classic Pedro Martinez-Gerald Williams brawl, tonight’s will barely register.

No players were ejected, but John Lackey lasted just one more pitch. Ben Zobrist ripped a double to right field on the first pitch he saw, sending Joyce to third and Lackey to the showers. Tampa was again unable to capitalize with men in scoring position, though, as Craig Breslow struck out Kelly Johnson swinging to end the inning.

Joel Peralta will come on to pitch the seventh for the Rays.

Mid 6th, Red Sox 6-4: The Red Sox have put a runner on in five of six innings tonight, but they have been unable to update the scoreboard since their six-run opening frame.

Jacoby Ellsbury reached on a two-out single, but Alex Torres retired Jarrod Saltalamacchia via groundout, Stephen Drew via strikeout and Shane Victorino via flyout to complete a second scoreless inning of relief.

End 5th, Red Sox 6-4: John Lackey finally enjoys a stress-free inning, retiring the side in order for the first time tonight.

James Loney grounded out to Mike Napoli, who flipped to Lackey for the first out.

Luke Scott then flied out to left field and Desmond Jennings grounded to Dustin Pedroia, sitting the Rays down in 1-2-3 fashion.

The fifth inning marked the first time all game that Tampa Bay did not either score or put a runner in scoring position.

Alex Torres returns for a second inning on the mound for the Rays.

Mid 5th, Red Sox 6-4: Impressive inning by Alex Torres, as the 25-year-old southpaw strikes out the side.

Torres got both David Ortiz and Daniel Nava looking to open the inning. Mike Carp then singled, making him the first Red Sox batter to tally two hits tonight, but Jarrod Saltalamacchia struck out swinging to close out the frame.

James Loney will come to the plate first against John Lackey in the home half.

End 4th, Red Sox 6-4: The Red Sox have seen their six-run lead dwindle down to four runs, then to three, and now to just two.

Jose Lobaton singled to open the inning, advanced to second on Yunel Escobar’s base hit and — after Matt Joyce popped out in foul territory — scurried home on Ben Zobrist’s single to left field.

Escobar and Zobrist tagged up into scoring position on a deep flyout by Kelly Johnson, but Evan Longoria was unable to bring them home, lining out to Daniel Nava to end things in the fourth.

Alex Cobb’s night is over, as left-hander Alex Torres takes over for Tampa Bay. Torres has made just five appearances for the Rays this season, allowing only one hit and zero runs over 11 2/3 innings. He faced one batter during a May 16 loss to Boston, inducing a groundout.

Mid 4th, Red Sox 6-3: This looks a lot more like the Alex Cobb that brought a 2.39 ERA into tonight.

After striking out both Stephen Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury, Cobb walked Shane Victorino, marking the third time this season the righty has walked three batters in a game.

An error by first baseman James Loney on a pick-off attempt allowed Victorino to advance to second and a wild pitch sent him to third, but Cobb struck out Dustin Pedroia looking to strand the runner.

The Red Sox have recorded seven hits tonight, but all came in the first inning. Only two batters have reached since, both via base on balls.

End 3rd, Red Sox 6-3: The Rays continued to chip away at Boston’s early advantage.

The inning’s first three batters — Ben Zobrist, Kelly Johnson and Evan Longoria — all singled to load the bases with no outs.

Longoria, who homered in the first, reached on a broken-bat fly ball that fell in front of left fielder Daniel Nava, who had been positioned near the warning track.

James Loney lined out to Mike Carp, but the first baseman narrowly missed tagging out Longoria for the second out.

Dustin Pedroia was similarly unable to turn two, as Luke Scott’s fielder’s choice allowed Zobrist to score from third for the Rays’ third run of the night.

John Lackey struck out Desmond Jennings to end the frame. Both starters have racked up high pitch counts early on tonight. Lackey sits at 53 after the third inning while Alex Cobb has thrown 73.

Mid 3rd, Red Sox 6-2: Alex Cobb is looking to put that six-run first inning behind him, and he’s not doing a bad job of it so far.

Cobb retired Mike Carp, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Will Middlebrooks in order for his first 1-2-3 inning of the game, striking out Salty for his first K.

These next few games will be pivotal for Middlebrooks. John Farrell has already said that Jose Iglesias — who remained with the big league club after Middlebrooks’ return but is not in the lineup tonight — will start at least three games a week, and that number could increase if Middlebrooks cannot break out of the slump that has plagued him for much of the season.

He got off to a good start tonight, though, singling and driving in a run in his first plate appearance since returning from the disabled list.

End 2nd, Red Sox 6-2: John Lackey looked a bit shaky again in the second, but the Rays were unable to touch him for any more runs.

After Luke Scott flied out to open the inning, Desmond Jennings singled up the middle and swiped second base.

Jose Lobaton grounded out weakly to the pitcher, but Lackey needed seven pitches to record the out, and the soft ground ball allowed Jennings to reach third.

No. 9 hitter Yunel Escobar walked to put runners on the corners, but Matt Joyce — who homered to open the Rays’ half of the first — couldn’t push them across. Joyce absolutely demolished a 3-0 pitch from Lackey, but it sailed foul, and he dribbled the next pitch to second baseman Dustin Pedroia for the inning’s final out.

Mid 2nd, Red Sox 6-2: Alex Cobb issued a walk to David Ortiz, his second of the night, but the second inning was otherwise much smoother for the young right-hander.

Cobb got both Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia to ground out to second baseman Ben Zobrist to open the frame. He then walked Big Papi but induced a center-field popup from Daniel Nava to retire the side.

Noted Red Sox enthusiast Luke Scott will be the first to come to the plate against John Lackey in the bottom of the second.

End 1st, Red Sox 6-2: Tampa Bay needed just two pitches to take a bite out of the Red Sox’ early lead, as Matt Joyce sent John Lackey’s second offering into the right-field seats for a solo homer.

Lackey then struck out Ben Zobrist looking and got Kelly Johnson to fly out to Jacoby Ellsbury in center, but he was again victimized by the long ball.

Evan Longoria saw just one pitch from Lackey (a 92-mph fastball) and sent it over the wall for Tampa’s second solo shot of the inning.

James Loney flew out to center before the Rays could do any further damage. It looks like we could be in store for an old-fashioned slugfest between these two division rivals.

Mid 1st, Red Sox 6-0: As ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian pointed out via Twitter prior to first pitch, the Red Sox have been a dangerous team in the first inning this season. But even by their standards, this first inning was something else.

The Sox caught fire early again tonight, putting the first eight batters of the game on base to rack up a 6-0 lead against Tampa Bay’s Alex Cobb.

Jacoby Ellsbury got things started with an excellent at-bat, fouling off four pitches before singling up the middle.

Shane Victorino then doubled down the first-base line, and Dustin Pedroia brought them both home on a base hit up the middle of his own.

Cobb, who was actually born in Boston but grew up as a Red Sox fan in Florida, employs a bit of an unorthodox windup, pausing slightly with his left knee raised before delivering to the plate.

Still with nobody out, Cobb walked David Ortiz on four pitches. Daniel Nava then doubled off the wall, missing a home run by mere feet, to score Pedroia and Papi and increase Boston’s cushion to 4-0.

Mike Carp — starting at first in place of Mike Napoli, who struggled this past weekend against the Angels — promptly brought Nava home with a single to left field. Carp advanced to third on Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s double into the left-field corner, and then came home with the Sox’ sixth run of the inning when Will Middlebrooks singled to left in his first at-bat since returning from the disabled list.

Cobb finally got a break when Stephen Drew — the ninth batter of the frame — popped out to shortstop, and Ellsbury grounded into a 6-3 double play to mercifully end the inning.

It looks like the Sox have decided to give starter John Lackey some run support tonight. He’ll face Matt Joyce, Ben Zobrist and Kelly Johnson in the bottom of the first.

7:12 p.m.: Sick of Tebow talk already? Good, me too. Let’s play some baseball.

Jacoby Ellsbury takes strike one right down the middle from Alex Cobb and we are underway from Tampa Bay.

5 p.m.: John Lackey endured his worst outing of the season the last time he pitched at Tropicana Field, but the loss he took on May 14 was more a result of the Trop’s “quirks” than a poor performance on the mound.

Lackey was yanked after 4 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on nine hits and a walk in a 5-3 Tampa Bay win. All five of those runs came in the fifth inning, though, with the final two coming home when Mike Napoli lost sight of a Matt Joyce popup amid the catwalks and speakers hanging high above the infield.

Lackey also had the misfortune of opposing Rays ace Matt Moore in that contest, against whom Boston managed just three hits. Poor run support has plagued the right-hander throughout this season. In Lackey’s three wins, the Red Sox have scored a combined 19 runs, but in his other six starts (five losses and a no-decision), they have totaled just 12.

Here is the lineup Tampa Bay will be fielding tonight, with Joyce leading things off:

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

Alex Cobb, RHP

2:50 p.m.:  Here’s who the Red Sox are starting tonight:

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

John Lackey, P

2:45 p.m.: Will Middlebrooks is back, and the odd man out, as has been speculated, is Pedro Ciriaco.

Ciriaco had his shining moments last season on a team that had little else to offer, but he hasn’t been anything but an average fill-in on the big league roster this year. With Jose Iglesias playing some truly inspired baseball in Middlebrooks’ absence, it only made sense to keep Iglesias around as the utility infielder.

Ciriaco has been designated for assignment, and he is out of options, meaning any team can scoop him up. Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe and others, though, think there’s a good chance he could clear waivers and stay with the team.

Middlebrooks, meanwhile, returns to the lineup and will start tonight at third base. The Red Sox have said the corner bag is his spot going forward, although he was in quite a slump when he hit the 15-day disabled list with a lower back strain.

2:30 p.m.: John Lackey has put up quality numbers in the Red Sox rotation this season, but he hasn’t always had the wins to show for them. That could change Monday night.

The Red Sox (39-25) are hitting the road for a seven-game stretch against American League East opponents. The first three games will be in Tampa Bay against the Rays (34-28), with the final four coming in Baltimore against the Orioles (35-28). The Red Sox lead the AL East going into Monday, but the Yankees are just a game and a half back, with the Rays and O’s close behind.

Lackey (3-5, 2.79 ERA) has put up some stellar starts this season, but he hasn’t always had the run support he’s needed to get the W, including last Wednesday’s six-inning, one-earned-run effort against the Rangers. One team that has gotten to Lackey this season, though, was the Rays. Tampa tagged him for five earned runs the last time they met, on May 14 — the highest run total allowed and least amount of innings pitched (4 1/3) by Lackey this year. Since then, though, Lackey has been stellar, giving up just four earned runs in four games.

The Red Sox will face a pitcher they’ve beat before this season in Alex Cobb (6-2, 2.39 ERA). In their two meetings this year, the Sox have come up winners both times, 5-0 on April 14 and 4-3 on May 16. Cobb is 2-0 with a 1.21 ERA and 17 strikeouts in his last three starts, though.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m., with more news to come here in the meanwhile.

But unlike Tebow’s highly publicized competition with Mark Sanchez in Jets camp last summer, it is an undeniable certitude that Tebow will not be the starter under center for the Patriots this season. In fact, he may not be playing quarterback at all.

Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com cites a source saying that New England’s plan is for Tebow to “study a great deal at tight end,” where he would learn from two of the NFL’s best in Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

Tim Tebow will sign with New England, source confirms to me. Plan, I'm told, is Tebow will study a great deal at tight end.

—
mike freeman (@realfreemancbs) June 10, 2013

Tebow’s surprising playoff run with Denver during the 2011 — which ended abruptly with a 45-10 beatdown at Gillette Stadium in the divisional round — led many to argue that his unorthodox and mechanically flawed approach to quarterbacking could indeed yield a successful NFL career. Last year’s dismal season in New York led all but the most ardent of Tebow supporters to abandon ship, though, as he attempted just eight passes and saw limited time on the punt team even while Sanchez struggled mightily in the starting role.

Tebow has the body type and mobility to fill a tight end/H-back role, but he would need to adjust to playing a brand new position seamlessly if he hopes to see time in the Patriots’ sophisticated offense. In the meantime, Tebow will likely serve as the third-string quarterback behind Tom Brady and Ryan Mallett, though it certainly wouldn’t be surprising if Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels — who drafted Tebow in the first round in 2010 — find ways to utilize him in specialty situations.

Update: SportsCenter tweeted Monday afternoon that the Patriots are expected to keep Tebow at quarterback, not find him a new position. So, there’s that.

Tim Tebow is expected to stay at QB, not change positions. He will work w/ Patriots OC Josh McDaniels, who drafted him in 1st rd in Denver.

—
  (@SportsCenter) June 10, 2013