Note: Pitching matchups are subject to change

Monday, April 30 @ 7:10 PM

Tommy Milone, LHP (3-1, 2.00) vs Clay Buchholz, RHP (2-1, 8.87)

TV: NESN, MLB.tv

Radio: Red Sox Radio Network, MLB Gameday Audio

Tuesday, May 1 @ 7:10 PM

Jarrod Parker, RHP (0-0, 1.42) vs Felix Doubront, LHP (1-0, 4.09)

TV: NESN, MLB Network, MLB.tv

Radio: Red Sox Radio Network, MLB Gameday Audio

Wednesday, May 2 @ 7:10 PM

Brandon McCarthy, RHP (1-3, 3.23) vs Daniel Bard, RHP (2-2, 3.72)

TV: NESN, MLB.tv

Radio: Red Sox Radio Network, MLB Gameday Audio

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

When the Boston Red Sox started this seven game road trip, their record sat at 4-10 and things were looking bleak. Not a lot was going well.

But things are different just seven days later.

After Jon Lester and the bullpen outdueled Jake Peavy last night, the Red Sox have won six straight games and now find themselves at .500 a lot earlier than some of the pundits said they would.

Peavy did shut down the white hot Red Sox offense last night though. They had been scoring runs like they were on sale at your local grocery store. But against Peavy they managed just four hits. Two of the hits turned out to be the difference in the game.

Ryan Sweeney blooped in a double to start off the 4th inning and after a Dustin Pedroia lineout, an Adrian Gonzalez single brought in Sweeney in what turned out to be the only run of the game. Sweeney also happened to be the only runner that the Red Sox got into scoring position against Peavy.

Lester did find himself in trouble in the 1st inning after he walked Adam Dunn and a Paul Konerko double. He got out of the jam when Alex Rios flew out. After that, Lester cruised right along, putting in his best outing of the season. The only other trouble he got in came in his last inning of work but he worked out of that as well.

From there, the bullpen did its job.

Franklin Morales got two of the three batters out he faced and after Vicente Padilla walked Konerko, he got Rios to ground out. Alfredo Aceves, who's had a bit of a flair for the dramatic when he pitches, left out the drama and retired the White Sox in order to pick up his fifth save of the season.

The Red Sox are playing really good baseball right now, hopefully that continues this afternoon before they head home.

Click on the read more button below to see today's lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the overnight and day if you're on the home page.

Destination Red Sox Nation is our look at how the minor league teams of the Boston Red Sox fare each night. Game story and box score links as well as links to team rosters, team stats and league standings can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

After picking up their fifth straight win last night, the Boston Red Sox will go for their third straight win over the Chicago White Sox in game three of a four-game set at U.S. Cellular Field on the south side of the Windy City.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the White Sox television market, you can catch the game on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. If you can't catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

Jon Lester looks to pick up his first win of the season in his fifth start of the season. In his previous four starts, Lester is 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA (16 ER/24 IP). He made two starts against the White Sox in 2011 and had a 1-1 record with a 5.93 ERA (9 ER/13.2 IP). Lester's made seven career starts against the White Sox and is 3-3 with a 5.28 ERA. Five of those starts have come at U.S. Cellular where he is 3-2 with a 4.50 ERA (16 ER/32 IP).

Jake Peavy makes his fifth start of the 2012 season. In his four starts, Peavy is 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA.  He picked up the win in his only start against the Red Sox in 2011 back on May 30th when he threw seven innings allowing three runs. Overall in his career, he's made two starts against the Red Sox and is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA (6 ER/12 IP).

Click on the read more button below to see today's lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the overnight and day if you're on the home page.

With Aaron Cook making his final start tonight for the Pawtucket Red Sox before his opt-out date on Monday, there have been whispers that Daniel Bard could be heading back to the Boston Red Sox bullpen for the rest of the season.

But after his seven inning performance last night in the 10-3 win over the Chicago White Sox, Bard is not making things easy on the Red Sox at all.

How do you justify taking him out of the rotation when he's thrown two straight quality starts, is tied for the team lead in wins at two (one came in relief) and leads the Red Sox starters with an ERA of 3.72? The next closest starter to him in ERA is Felix Doubront at 4.09.

Honestly, you can't justify at all.

The Red Sox have never come and said they wanted to limit his innings as a starting pitcher. He's thrown 19.1 so far this season. So you can throw that argument into the trash.

Sure he can help the bullpen out but the Red Sox bullpen has been a 1000 times better over the past five games. And with Rich Hill back from Tommy John surgery, the bullpen is much stronger now.

I highly doubt Cook would accept a bullpen role with the Red Sox but you never know. He's pitched well enough in Triple-A to earn a starting spot and if they don't offer him one on Monday, he could bolt to another team who needs a starter.

The Red Sox also have Daisuke Matsuzaka coming back in a month so a decision will have to be made about him as well. But at least that's another three weeks from coming to fruition.

So if you're the Red Sox, what do you do? Do you say Clay Buchholz, who's been the worst of the starters, has some weakness in his shoulder or some other phantom injury and send him out on a rehab assignment and bring up Cook? Do you put Doubront in the pen despite the fact he's pitched pretty well too? Or do they just tell Bard, look we need you in the bullpen?

One other option is a six-man rotation but I just don't see that fitting into the philosophy of what the Red Sox are doing.

Once again, the offense was outstanding.

David Ortiz continues to tear the cover off the baseball as he added another two hits including a two-run homer. Cody Ross returned from his sore knee after missing a game and had two hits and two RBIs while Dustin Pedroia added two hits.

Even Darnell McDonald got into the action last night with a career-high tying four RBIs that included a solo home run. It also looks like the change of scenery has done Marlon Byrd wonders as he had another two hits making him 7-for-22 since coming over from the Chicago Cubs.

Of the regulars on offense, Kevin Youkilis has the lowest batting average at .230. Everyone else is above .300. Given the fact the Red Sox started slowly this season, you wouldn't think that to be the case.

It may be cold in Chicago and New England for that matter but right now the offense is hot and things appear to be clicking on all cylinders.

Hopefully Jon Lester can continue that tonight in the Windy City.

We'll be back later with today's lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. So for now, let's take at look at the overnight links from the media by clicking on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

Destination Red Sox Nation is our look at how the minor league teams of the Boston Red Sox fare each night. Game story and box score links as well as links to team rosters, team stats and league standings can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

For some odd reason during Friday night's 10-3 win over the Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox skipper Bobby Valentine decided that he was going to play batboy and give his catcher Kelly Shoppach a new bat.

It didn't work out too well for Shoppach as he struck out during the at-bat.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Here's the release from Boston Red Sox announcing Tim Wakefield Day at Fenway Park.

BOSTON, MA— The Boston Red Sox will honor Tim Wakefield May 15 with ‘Thanks, Wake Day,’ a day when we say, ‘Thanks, Wake’ at Fenway Park. The club plays the Seattle Mariners at special 4:05 p.m. starting time. A pre-game ceremony tribute is expected to begin at approximately 3:30 p.m.

The right-handed knuckleball specialist, who won more games at Fenway Park than any pitcher in history, just completed a 19-year career in Major League Baseball, including 17 years with the Red Sox. He announced his retirement February 17, 2012, at the Red Sox’ new Spring Training site, JetBlue Park at Fenway South in Lee County, Florida.

Wakefield’s Red Sox reached postseason play nine times, and he was part of two momentous World Series Championships, in 2004 and 2007. His selflessness was pivotal in winning the 2004 ALCS against the New York Yankees.

A champion of charitable efforts in New England and his hometown of Melbourne, Florida, Wakefield was honored as the 2010 recipient of Major League Baseball’s Roberto Clemente Award. In 2011, the Boston chapter of the BBWAA announced the start of an annual Tim Wakefield Community Service Award in his honor.

Wakefield has been actively involved with “Pitching in for Kids,” a non-profit organization dedicated to providing grants to improve the lives of children across New England. He supports Melbourne’s Space Coast Early Intervention Center, a unique non-profit therapeutic pre-school program for children with special needs. He adopted the Center in 1992 when it was struggling financially and faced closure and has helped to raise over $10 million for the organization through his annual Tim Wakefield Celebrity Golf Classic and Memorabilia Auction. Over the last 13 years, his “Wakefield Warriors” program has enabled patients from the Franciscan Hospital for Children and the Jimmy Fund in Boston to visit with him and watch batting practice before all Tuesday home games at Fenway Park. He has also been an active participant of the Red Sox’ annual Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon and served as the organization’s Co-Captain in 2010 and 2011.

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photo credit: AP Photo

After picking up their fourth straight win last night, the Boston Red Sox look to make it five straight tonight in the second game of a four-game set with the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field on south side of the Windy City.

First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the White Sox television market, you can catch the game on WCIU. If you can't catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to it on the Red Sox radio network.

Daniel Bard makes his fourth appearance (third start) of 2012 tonight. In his previous three appearances (two starts), Bard is 1-2 with a 4.38 ERA. His lone win of the season came out of the bullpen last Monday against the Twins. Bard made two appearances against the South Siders last year and had no record with a 0.00 ERA (0 ER/3 IP). He's made eight career appearances against them and is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA (2 ER/8.2 IP). Bard's made three of those appearances at U.S. Cellular Field where he has no record with a 3.38 ERA (1 ER/2.2 IP).

John Danks will make his fifth start of 2012 for new manager Robin Ventura. In his previous four starts, Danks is 2-2 with a 5.11 ERA. He did not face the Red Sox in 2011 and last faced them in 2010 when he went 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA in two starts. Overall in his career, Danks has made seven career starts against the Red Sox and is 3-4 with a 4.14 ERA. Four of those starts have come at home where he is 1-3 with a 4.84 ERA.

Click on the read more button below to see today's lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the overnight and day if you're on the home page.

Do you know what the difference between mittens and gloves are? Well apparently NESN Boston Red Sox play-by-play announcer Don Orsillo doesn't.

Fortunately for Orsillo, Jerry Remy does and let's him know that he's wrong.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.