By Jeff Louderback A rain delay that was one minute shy of three hours knocked starter Alfredo Aceves out of the game, but four Red Sox relievers silenced the Tampa Bay Rays in Boston’s 5-1 win in the opener of a day-night doubleheader. Aceves was summoned from Pawtucket to take the mound, and he limited [...]

By Jeff Louderback In last night’s box score, the numbers that follow names like Ellsbury, Gomes, Pedroia and Ortiz immediately stand out. After all, Ellsbury and Gomes slapped four hits, Ortiz belted a walk-off home run and Pedroia collected two RBI on a double. Jose Iglesias‘ stat line is also worth a look. The 23-year-old [...]

By Jeff Louderback Dustin Pedroia has re-emerged as one of the best right-handed hitters in the American League. Still, it was surprising when Texas manager Ron Washington opted to intentionally walk the diminutive second baseman with a runner on second, no outs and the score tied 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth. Why was [...]

By Jeff Louderback One Red Sox outfielder is closer to returning from the disabled list while another appears likely headed there. On Wednesday, Red Sox manager John Farrell told the media that Shane Victorino would begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Pawtucket tomorrow. The 32-year-old switch-hitter is recovering from a hamstring strain. If the hamstring [...]

By Jeff Louderback Consider it retribution. Last month in Texas, the Red Sox were limited to four runs in three games, and as a result they departed the Ballpark at Arlington on the wrong side of a sweep. On Tuesday, Boston pounded out 17 runs and 19 hits in a 17-5 rout of the Rangers [...]

By Jeff Louderback In five career starts against the New York Yankees, 25-year-old left-hander Felix Doubront is 2-1 with a 2.32 ERA. He continued his mastery of the Bronx Bombers on Saturday night, limiting them to one run and six hits over six innings as Boston routed its rival, 11-1. While Doubront quieted the Yankees’ [...]

By Jeff Louderback Jon Lester and CC Sabathia take the mound tonight in a match-up of premiere left-handers as the Red Sox and Yankees open a three-game series at Yankee Stadium. The Red Sox, though, will be without one of their key regulars. After establishing a team record with five stolen bases in Boston’s 9-2 [...]

By Jeff Louderback Perhaps Philadelphia right-hander Jeremy Horst did not care for the time it took for Jonny Gomes to circle the bases after belting a pinch-hit home run in sixth inning on Thursday. Moments later, Horst drilled Jacoby Ellsbury, prompting the Red Sox center fielder to promptly steal second and third. Ellsbury’s single-game team [...]

By Jeff Louderback John Lackey delivered another respectable start on Wednesday, but Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Kyle Kendrick was better, and four Phillies home runs resulted in a 4-3 Red Sox loss. Kendrick limited Boston to two runs and four hits over six innings. He posted a 1.84 ERA in seven outings before he logging a [...]

By Jeff Louderback With Shane Victorino on the disabled list, the Red Sox are in need of outfield depth. It appears to be surfacing at Triple-A Pawtucket. Jackie Bradley Jr., the 23-year-old center fielder who struggled in a brief stint with the Red Sox in April (going for 3-for-31, .097), was 2-for-4 with a double [...]