After falling again last night, the Boston Red Sox look to get snap out of their funk in the middle game of a three-game set tonight at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL.
Today’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Rays television market, you can catch the game on Sun Sports. And if you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2011 Red Sox Radio Network.
Kyle Weiland makes his third start (fourth appearance) of the 2011 season. In his first three appearances (two starts), Weiland is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA. Tonight marks his first ever appearance against the Rays.
Jeremy Hellickson looks to pull his team even closer to the Red Sox in the AL Wild Card standings in his 26th start of the season. In his previous 25 starts, Hellickson is 12-10 with a 2.90 ERA. He’s made two starts against the Red Sox this season and is 1-1 with a 3.65 ERA (5 ER/12.1 IP). He’s made three career appearances (two starts) against the Red Sox and is 1-1 with a 5.14 ERA (8 ER/14 IP).
Click on the read more button below to see today’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day if you’re on the home page.
Here are this evening’s lineups:
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| 1. Jacoby Ellsbury | CF | 1. Desmond Jennings | LF |
| 2. Dustin Pedroia | 2B | 2. B.J. Upton | CF |
| 3. Adrian Gonzalez | 1B | 3. Evan Longoria | 3B |
| 4. David Ortiz | DH | 4. Ben Zobrist | 2B |
| 5. Josh Reddick | RF | 5. Johnny Damon | DH |
| 6. Carl Crawford | LF | 6. Matthew Joyce | RF |
| 7. Jed Lowrie | 3B | 7. Casey Kotchman | 1B |
| 8. Marco Scutaro | RF | 8. John Jaso | C |
| 9. Jarrod Saltalamacchia | C | 9. Sean Rodriguez | SS |
| Kyle Weiland | SP | Jeremy Hellickson | SP |
And here is how the hitters have fared against today’s starting pitchers:
Check back and/or refresh often as more links will be added if/when they become available before game time.
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Putting John Lackey’s season into perspective [Clubhouse Insider]
Youkilis (hip bursitis, sports hernia) stays back in Boston [Clubhouse Insider]
Beckett’s ankle improving [CSN New England]
Youkilis remains in Boston [CSN New England]
W2W4 video: Sox try to stop slide [ESPN Boston]
Beckett encouraged after throwing session [ESPN Boston]
Double trouble for Youkilis: hip, sports hernia [ESPN Boston]
Red Sox missing their chance [Extra Bases]
Red Sox get some early work in [Extra Bases]
Any pitching out there? [Extra Bases]
Beckett aiming to return next week [Extra Bases]
Updates on Bedard and Lackey [Extra Bases]
Pre-game notes from Tropicana Field [Extra Bases]
Jon Lester Wins Amica Pitcher of the Week Honors In Difficult Week for Red Sox [NESN.com]
Which Red Sox Starting Pitcher’s Injury Concerns You More? [NESN.com]
Josh Beckett Throws Different Kind of Strike for Charity (Video) [NESN.com]
Rays May Need Yankees to Start Winning Again to Complete Comeback [NESN.com]
Matsuzaka visiting team in Tampa [Projo Sox Blog]
Beckett feeling better, could miss just one start [Projo Sox Blog]
Youkilis diagnosed with sports hernia [Projo Sox Blog]
Weiland looks to snap Boston’s three-game skid [RedSox.com]
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Photo credits: Getty Images, Getty Images
