Red Sox Hope to Rebound From Afternoon Loss With John Lackey in Nightcap

Hurricane Earl took care of the Red Sox-White Sox scheduled meeting Friday night. To make up for it, the clubs will play a day-night doubleheader Saturday.

The afternoon affair will mark the first meeting between the two teams in 2010. They also meet four times in Chicago near the end of the month.

The pitching matchups will remain the same, with Clay Buchholz and John Danks lined up for the opener. John Lackey and Gavin Floyd go in the nightcap.

The twinbill marks the return (again) of Manny Ramirez to Fenway Park. He was claimed off waivers by the White Sox earlier in the week.

WHEN AND WHERE

White Sox (73-60) at Red Sox (76-58)
Saturday, Sept. 4, 1:05 p.m. & 7:10 p.m. NESN
Fenway Park, Boston

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HEAD TO HEAD

The Red Sox have won or tied each of the last seven season series.

PITCHING MATCHUP

LHP John Danks (12-9, 3.65 ERA) vs. RHP Clay Buchholz (15-5, 2.21 ERA)

If the Red Sox do indeed fall short of the playoffs for just the second time in eight years, then at least we can enjoy watching Buchholz make a bid for the Cy Young Award. The righty leads the majors in ERA and was named American League Pitcher of the Month for August after going 4-0 with a 1.03 ERA in six starts.

However, Buchholz has given up 12 runs on 13 hits (five home runs) in 7 2/3 innings over two career starts against the White Sox. With a day off last Monday and the rainout, Buchholz will have six full days of rest. He is 4-5 with a 4.22 ERA in nine starts with that much time off.

Danks was 12-8 with a 3.19 ERA after dominating Minnesota on Aug. 11. In three starts since then, he is 0-1 with a 7.79 ERA. Like Buchholz, he has not enjoyed these meetings — the lefty is 1-4 with a 5.08 mark in five starts vs. Boston.

RHP Gavin Floyd (9-11, 3.86 ERA) vs. John Lackey (12-8, 4.60 ERA), 7:10 p.m.

Lackey has given up at least five earned runs in four of his last six starts and has surrendered 50 hits in 40 2/3 innings during a 2-3 stretch. He was reached for five runs on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings at Tampa Bay on Sunday, falling 5-3.

Lackey is 9-3 at home in 2010. He is 3-5 with a 4.06 mark vs. Chicago in his career.

Floyd, on the other hand, has yielded two earned runs or less in 14 of his last 16 starts, including Sunday at home against New York, which handed him a tough 2-1 loss.

The 27-year-old right-hander is 3-0 in five career appearances (four starts) against the Sox and owns a 2.13 ERA in Fenway Park.

LINEUPS

Game One

Game Two

STAT SHEET

Red Sox

• Third baseman Adrian Beltre needs two RBIs to reach 1,000 for his career and two runs to reach 900.
• Righty Scott Atchison has a 2.53 ERA over his last 16 appearances.
• First baseman Mike Lowell is 8-for-16 (.500) in his last four games.

White Sox

• First baseman Paul Konerko is one of five active players with at least six 30-homer seasons with their current team.
• Outfielder Alex Rios is 11-for-29 (.379) with three home runs over his last seven games.
• Chicago is 11-17 against A.L. East opponents.

BLACK AND BLUE

Red Sox

• Second baseman Dustin Pedroia underwent successful surgery Friday. He said on Thursday that doing so would give him a 90 percent chance of being at full health for spring training.
• Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury has another broken rib near where he was hurt earlier in the year, the result of a collision at first base in Texas on Aug. 13. He will likely miss the remainder of the season.
• Center fielder Mike Cameron had season-ending surgery Friday to repair an abdominal tear.
• First baseman Kevin Youkilis had successful surgery to repair the torn right adductor muscle on his right hand. He will miss the remainder of the season.
• Catcher Jason Varitek (broken right foot) continues to try to recover from a broken right foot. He has yet to be able to run at full speed, one of the last major obstacles before he can eye a rehab stint. Varitek will also get a scan on Friday.
• Right-hander Junichi Tazawa underwent Tommy John surgery in March. He is out for the year.

White Sox

• Second baseman Gordon Beckham hopes to return from a bruised right hand that caused him to miss two starts.Right-hander Jake Peavy had season-ending surgery July 14 to repair a detached muscle in his back.
• Left-hander Matt Thornton also may return from a sore left forearm. He has been on the DL since Aug. 18.
• Right-hander J.J. Putz is on the DL with right knee tendinitis.
• Left-hander Erick Threets had Tommy John surgery Aug. 28.

OUTLOOK

It’s never easy to sweep doubleheaders but Boston could use a big day at the ballpark. That responsibility falls on the Texans, Buchholz and Lackey.