Papelbon gets unexpected vacation

Papelbon gets unexpected vacation

Lester chewing up more than batters

Lester chewing up more than batters

Boston's turnaround starts with offense

After dropping five straight contests by two runs or fewer, Boston left no doubt about the outcome of Thursday night's series opener against the Yankees. The Red Sox will try to win the second game of the four-game set on Friday, when Josh Beckett faces Darrell Rasner.

Lester flips script in rematch with Yanks

Thursday's historic shutout at Yankee Stadium was another significant step in Jon Lester's evolution. The one-time patient became the medic. The pupil became the tutor. The distracted kid became a Cool-Hand Luke adult.

Pawtucket's Zink tosses two-hitter

Pawtucket's Zink tosses two-hitter

Lester blanks Yanks with five-hitter

Jon Lester was masterful on Thursday night, pitching the first shutout by a Red Sox lefty at Yankee Stadium since 1973 as Boston rolled to a 7-0 win in the first of four games. Dustin Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

Mussina, Masterson to face off on FOX

Saturday's Game of the Week on FOX will show veteran righty Mike Mussina against Red Sox rookie Justin Masterson in a game that will pit age against youth as the Yankees host the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium at 3:55 p.m. ET.

Sox rely on Timlin's veteran guidance

With bullpen breakdowns largely responsible for three of the five losses in their current slide, the Red Sox hope that Mike Timlin can provide a little stability. The 42-year-old righty was activated prior to Thursday's game following a bout with left knee tendinitis that put him on the disabled list back on June 17.

Crisp's return gives Red Sox flexibility

To Red Sox center fielder Coco Crisp, a five-game suspension equaled five days of full boredom. And watching the Red Sox lose five in a row in his absence didn't exactly make the time go by faster. The switch-hitter returned to active duty on Thursday for the opener of a four-game series at Yankee Stadium. He batted seventh in manager Terry Francona's starting lineup.

Red Sox confident a turnaround is near

They were swept out of Tampa Bay and into the pressure cooker of Yankee Stadium. Perhaps the Sox are about to face their first moment of truth of 2008. In the middle of a five-game losing streak, the Red Sox are 3 1/2 games behind the Rays as they start this series. The last thing they want to do is allow the Yankees to creep up on them.

Sox to activate Timlin for Yanks series

The Red Sox will activate veteran reliever Mike Timlin from the 15-day disabled list in time for Thursday's opener of a four-game series at Yankee Stadium.

Bullpen falters, Sox swept by Rays

Craig Hansen and Manny Delcarmen were charged with six runs in the seventh inning, and neither right-hander recorded an out. That's how a 4-1 lead turned into a 7-6 loss and a three-game sweep at the hands of the American League East-leading Tampa Bay Rays.

Kelly mulling over his options

Over the next few weeks, Casey Kelly is going to have quite the decision to make. Drafted by the Sox in the first round of last month's First-Year Player Draft, Kelly also has the option of playing quarterback at Tennessee. But as he watched Manny on Wednesday, he was simply soaking in the moment.

Ortiz getting closer to returning to Sox

The steps keep coming for David Ortiz in his quest to return to the active roster. The designated hitter has moved off the tee and is at the point in his recovery where he can hit soft toss.

Drew named AL's top hitter for June

Right fielder J.D. Drew batted .337 with 12 home runs and 29 RBIs in June, and on Wednesday that won him American League Player of the Month honors.

Three's company in AL East showdown

It's time to strike up the band for another Boston-New York showdown, but this series has a decidedly different feel to it -- the Tampa Bay Rays have cut in as serious threats to both the Red Sox and the Yankees, marking themselves as the third wheel in the usual tango between the AL East powerhouses.

Sox seek to step up behind Dice-K

Without Big Papi's bat, the rest of the Red Sox's hitters have looked listless and have been rendered ineffective at stopping the bleeding of the club's current four-game skid.

Wakefield outdueled in St. Petersburg

As strong a performance as Tim Wakefield turned in, it resulted in a stinging 3-1 defeat to the Rays, who now hold a season-high lead of 2 1/2 games in the American League East over the Sox.

Red Sox remain confident in Ellsbury

As the old saying goes, speed doesn't go into slumps. The same can not be said for Jacoby Ellsbury's bat.

Buchholz impressing in Triple-A stint

A month after landing in Triple-A, you can be sure that Clay Buchholz won't mind at all if the Red Sox begin to let statistics impact their judgment.

Varitek works diligently to solve slump

Though it was an off-day for Jason Varitek, the veteran catcher was drenched in sweat when he returned to his locker roughly an hour and 45 minutes before Tuesday night's game against the Rays.

Ian Browne's MLBlog

Fantasy Report: Lustin' for Dustin

Wakefield seeks 20th win against Rays

It's like hitting a ball in slow-pitch softball. Or trying to swat at a butterfly. Those are some of the many comparisons Rays batters used when trying to describe Tim Wakefield's signature knuckleball.

Red Sox add security after threat

The Red Sox beefed up their security for this three-game series at Tropicana Field against the Rays and the reason has nothing to do with the on-field hostilities that occurred between the two teams at Fenway Park in early June.