So Manny will be coming back to Fenway yet again, not as big of a deal since he’s already faced the Sox earlier this season but it will be nice to hear the boos when he steps up to the plate.

Now on to the preview:

Schedule

Red Sox games are available over the radio on the WEEI Red Sox Radio Network and on NESN in the New England TV market (unless noted.)

Tuesday, August 31 @ Orioles 7:05 PM

Wednesday, September 1 @ Orioles 7:05 PM

Thursday, September 2 @ Orioles 7:05 PM

Friday, September 3 vs White Sox 7:10 PM

Saturday, September 4 vs White Sox 7:10 PM (also on MLBN)

Sunday, September 5 vs White Sox 1:35 PM (also on TBS)

Baltimore TV:  MASN

Chicago White Sox TV: CSN

Opponents In-Depth

Baltimore Orioles

48-83

5th in AL East (32.5 GB)

Probable Line-Up

Julio Lugo, 2B
Felix Pie, LF
Nick Markakis, RF
Luke Scott, DH
Ty Wigginton, 2B
Corey Patterson, CF
Matt Wieters, C
Cesar Izturis, SS
Josh Bell, 3B

Injuries

Jason Berken, SP (Shoulder) 60-day DL. Out for the season

David Hernandez, SP (Ankle) 15-day DL. Out until at least early September

Adam Jones, CF (Shoulder) Questionable for Aug. 31 vs. Boston

Julio Lugo, 2B (Head) Questionable for Aug. 31 vs. Boston

Brian Roberts, 2B (Hip) Questionable for Aug. 31-Sept. 2 series vs. Boston

Pitching Match-Ups

8/31: Beckett vs. Matusz

Matusz’s numbers in August? 3-1, 2.32 ERA. Beckett? 2-2, 6.82 ERA. Oy.

9/1: Lester vs. Arrieta

The rookie Arrieta has been struggling in his last few starts- going against Lester means his troubles will continue.

9/2: Buchholz vs. Bergesen

Bergensen is coming off back-to-back wins against the Rangers an Angels. I suspect that streak will end this week.

Who’s Hot

Felix Pie: .289 BA past 14 days

Who’s Not

Cesar Izturis: .171 BA past 14 days

Chicago White Sox

70-60
2nd in AL Central (4.5 GB)

Probable Line-Up

Juan Pierre, LF
Omar Vizquel, 3B
Alex Rios, CF
Manny Ramirez, DH
Paul Konerko, 1B
Carlos Quentin, RF
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Alexi Ramirez, SS
Gordon Beckham, 2B

Injuries

Erick Threets, RP (Elbow) 15-day DL. Out for the season

J.J. Putz, RP (Knee) 15-day DL. Out until at least mid-September

Matt Thornton, RP (Forearm) 15-day DL. Out until at least early September

Jake Peavy, SP (Shoulder) 15-day DL. Out for the season

Pitching Match-Ups

9/3: Lackey vs. Danks

Allow me to quote Bill Simmons: “I’m going to be 45 years old by the time Jon Lackey’s contract ends. Just shoot me in the forehead.”

9/4: Matsuzaka vs. Floyd

Dice-K is hurt. No surprise. However he should be able to blow his start this week against the Orioles.

9/5: Beckett vs. Buehrle

Battle of the Bs. However Chicago’s arm has the edge in this match-up.

Who’s Hot

Paul Konerko: .469 BA/4 HR past 14 days

Who’s Not

Gordon Beckham: .250 BA past 14 days

My Outlook

We’ll take care of the Orioles but the White Sox will be a struggle. 3-3.

How do you think the Sox are going to fare this week? Leave them in the comments or let Patrick know on Twitter: @dmbosstone

Jeff: “Write about Damon.”

Me: “What is going on with Damon, I thought I saw a headline…” (Note: I have been out all night and not paying attention to the news.)

Jeff: “The sox claimed him on waivers.”

Patrick: “WTF!”

Ultimately Damon decided not to leave Detroit but there are two views I’m going to take on this.

Johnny Damon as a baseball player

We know this isn’t the Johnny Damon of 2005.

Despite a power surge last year (which you can blame on Yankee Stadium,) there has been erosion in his contact rate and speed. He is definitely not the .300/20/20 guy you might have expected a few years ago. However he is still a consistent bat that could of helped a Red Sox outfield that just lost Mike Cameron and Damon’s successor in Jacoby Ellsbury.

But how much could we expect from a month of Damon? His career average in the months of September/October is .275 and his Sept/Oct average the last three years are .313 (2007), .250 (2008), and .247 (2009.)

At 36 he’s clearly in the twilight of an amazing career and we should expect him to maintain that .270 average with a couple of HR and SB thrown in.

Johnny Damon as a Red Sox

It was hard to see Damon leave the Sox for the Yankees. He’ll forever be remember by Red Sox Nation as the leader of “The Idiots” that helped break the curse in 2004. However he left Boston on a sour note when he signed with New York in 2005. It didn’t help him that he said, “There’s no way I can go play for the Yankees, but I know they’re going to come after me hard. It’s definitely not the most important thing to go out there for the top dollar, which the Yankees are going to offer me. It’s not what I need.”

Well we can tell top dollar is really what you were after.

Even today Damon is still willing to hold out for the deal he wanted. After the Yankees let him become a free agent he didn’t find work (well work that wasn’t in the ring) until Detroit signed him February of this year.

In today’s free agent world the one thing fans will be loyal with are the teams. Damon as a Red Sox we cheered and Damon as a Yankee we boo’d. Does this mean Damon as a Red Sox again would of solicited our forgiveness?

Schedule

Red Sox games are available over the radio on the WEEI Red Sox Radio Network and on NESN in the New England TV market (unless noted.)

Tuesday, August 24 vs Mariners 7:10 PM

Wednesday, August 25 vs Mariners 1:35 PM

Friday, August 27 @ Rays 7:10 PM

Saturday, August 28 @ Rays 7:10 PM (also on MLBN)

Sunday, August 29 @ Rays 8:00 PM (on ESPN)

Seattle TV:  FSN

Tampa Bay TV: Sun Sports/Bay 9

Opponents In-Depth

Seattle Mariners
49-76
4th in AL West (21.5 GB)

Probable Line-Up

Ichiro Suzuki, RF
Chone Figgins, 2B
Russell Branyan, DH
Jose Lopez, 3B
Franklin Gutierrez, CF
Casey Kotchman, 1B
Adam Moore/Josh Bard, C
Ryan Langerhans/Matt Tuiasosopo, LF
Josh Wilson, SS

Injuries

Jack Wilson, SS (Hand) 15-day DL. Out for the season

Erik Bedard, SP (Shoulder) 60-day DL. Out for the season

David Aardsma, RP (Bruise) Questionable for Aug. 23-25 series at Boston

Milton Bradley, LF (Knee) 15-day DL. Might be out for the season

Shawn Kelley, RP (Elbow) 15-day DL. Out for the season

Ryan Rowland-Smith, SP (Back) 15-day DL. On Triple-A rehab assignment

Michael Saunders, LF (Shoulder) Doubtful for Aug. 24 at Boston

Pitching Match-Ups

8/24: Beckett vs. Pauley

Beckett faces off against David Pauley, a former Red Sox prospect who is coming off two wins in a row… to Cleveland and Baltimore. Pauley is enjoying minor success so far in his first extended stay in The Show.

8/25: Lester vs. Hernandez

This week’s battle of the Aces.

Who’s Hot

Ichiro Suzuki: .321 BA/2 HR/2 SB past 14 days

Who’s Not

Chone Figgins: .188 BA past 14 days

Tampa Bay Rays

Globe Staff Photo / Barry Chin

76-48
2nd in AL East (.5 GB)

Probable Line-Up

BJ Upton, CF
Jason Bartlett, SS
Carl Crawford, LF
Evan Longoria, 3B
Carlos Pena, 1B
Ben Zobrist, RF
Willy Aybar, DH
Sean Rodriguez, 2B
Kelly Shoppach, C

Injuries

Wade Davis, SP (Shoulder) 15-day DL. Expected to return for Aug. 24 start at L.A. Angels

Jeff Niemann, SP (Shoulder) 15-day DL. Expected to return for Aug. 25 start at L.A. Angels

Grant Balfour, RP (Ribs) 15-day DL. Out until at least early September

Gabe Kapler, RF (Ankle) 15-day DL. Out until at least early September

J.P. Howell, RP (Shoulder) 15-day DL. Out for the season

Pitching Match-Ups

8/27: Matsuzaka vs. Price

With a 8.33 K/9 maybe we should be calling Price Dice-K. However Dice-K has 23 Ks over 20.1 IP in his last three starts. This could actually be a duel.

8/28: Buchholz vs. Garza

Coming off four straight wins he’ll now have to face Matt Garza who is no pushover by any means.

8/29: Lackey vs. Shields

Even though Lackey has been pitching better of late, this is a match-up of two former aces.

Who’s Hot

Evan Longoria: .345 BA/3 HR past 14 days

Who’s Not

Ben Zobrist: .171 BA past 14 days

My Outlook

With a win already notched in for the week I say they end it 4-2.

How do you think the Sox are going to fare this week? Leave them in the comments or let Patrick know on Twitter: @dmbosstone

20 weeks later and most of Red Sox Nation is already looking towards football season. 20 weeks later and Jacoby Ellsbury is back on the DL with only 18 games played so far this year. 20 weeks later and I saw the Sox lose to the Rangers this past Friday despite hitting five home runs.

But alas we must carry on and look forward, not backwards. So let’s take a look at what is up for the Sox this week.

Schedule

Red Sox games are available over the radio on the WEEI Red Sox Radio Network and on NESN in the New England TV market (unless noted.)

Tuesday, August 17 vs Angels 7:10 PM

Wednesday, August 18 vs Angels 7:10 PM

Thursday, August 19 vs Angels 7:10 PM (also on MLBN)

Friday, August 20 vs Blue Jays 7:10 PM

Saturday, August 21 vs Blue Jays 7:10 PM

Sunday, August 22 vs Blue Jays 1:35 PM

Los Angeles Angels TV:  FS-W

Toronto TV: SNET

Opponents In-Depth

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

AP Photo/Alex Gallardo

60-59
2nd in AL West (8 GB)

Probable Line-Up

Bobby Abreu, LF
Erick Aybar, SS
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Torii Hunter, RF
Hideki Matsui, DH
Howard Kendrick, 2B
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jeff Mathis, C
Peter Bourjos, CF

Injuries

Joel Pineiro, SP (Oblique) 15-day DL. Out until at least mid-September

Rich Thompson, RP (Shoulder) 15-day DL. Out until at least early September

Kendry Morales, 1B (Ankle) 15-day DL. Out for the season

Jason Bulger, RP (Shoulder) 15-day DL. On Triple-A rehab assignment

Brian Stokes, RP (Shoulder) 15-day DL. On Triple-A rehab assignment

Chris Pettit, CF (Shoulder) 60-day DL. Out for the season

Pitching Match-Ups

8/17: Buchholz vs. Haren

Best match of the series. Haren is an Ace but is trying to buck his history of second half slumps and isn’t getting a whole lot of run support from the Angels.

8/18: Lackey vs. Weaver

Lackey faces his former team and an unlikely ace in Jeff Weaver.

8/19: Beckett vs. Kazmir

Beckett is still looking for his mojo while Kazmir is a Red Sox killer. This won’t end well.

Who’s Hot

Bobby Abreu: .370 BA past 14 days

Who’s Not

Jeff Mathis: .100 BA past 14 days

Toronto Blue Jays

Reuters Photo

63-55
4th in AL East (9 GB)

Probable Line-Up

Fred Lewis, LF
Yunel Escobar, SS
Jose Bautista, 3B
Vernon Wells, CF
Adam Lind, DH
Aaron Hill, 2B
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Travis Snider, RF
Jose Molina, C

Injuries

John Buck, C (Thumb) 15-day DL. Expected to begin Double-A rehab assignment Aug. 16

David Purcey, SP (Ankle) 15-day DL. Out until at least early September

Dirk Hayhurst, RP (Shoulder) 60-day DL. Out for the season

Jesse Litsch, SP (Hip) 15-day DL. Out for the season

Dustin McGowan, SP (Shoulder) 60-day DL. Out for the season

Pitching Match-Ups

8/20: Lester vs. Cecil

Battle of the lefties!

8/21: Matsuzaka vs. Romero

Romero is putting together a pretty solid season while Matsuzaka is putting together a house of cards that represents his season.

8/22: Buchholz vs. Marcum

What a week for Buchholz after facing Haren in LA he’ll have to face Toronto’s ace to end the week.

Who’s Hot

Adam Lind: .425 BA/3 HR past 14 days

Who’s Not

Fred Lewis: .152 BA past 14 days

My Outlook

I have a really bad feeling about the pitching LA has to offer. I say it’s a 3-3 split.

How do you think the Sox are going to fare this week? Leave them in the comments or let Patrick know on Twitter: @dmbosstone

All the way past the Trade Deadline.

What did I miss? Well more injuries for one. Lots of injuries. In fact I’m back just in time to see Kevin Youkilis get sidelined with another torn muscle in his right thumb. The DL continues to eat up players from the roster like Albert Haynesworth at a CiCi’s Pizza buffet.

The trade deadline would of been a good chance to stock up on some 2nd half help, but the only acquired player of note is Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who isn’t even in the majors right now.

A real quick breakdown of Salty, the catching prospect that is finally with Boston after a season or two of trade rumors: since making his debut in 2007 he hasn’t developed the power potential that many have seen in him. At the same time he hasn’t been given the playing time as well.With V-Mart back, Saltalamacchia is nothing more than a prospect who’s window is closing.

So at 60-45, 6.5 games behind in the AL East and in the AL Wild Card, it looks like a lackluster season for the Sox. However with a weekend series against New York, can they make a move to keep some playoff hopes alive?

Schedule

Red Sox games are available over the radio on the WEEI Red Sox Radio Network and on NESN in the New England TV market (unless noted.)

Wednesday, August 4 vs Indians 7:10 PM

Thursday, August 5 vs Indians 7:10 PM

Friday, August 6 @ Yankees 7:05 PM

Saturday, August 7 @ Yankees 4:10 PM (on Fox)

Sunday, August 8 @ Yankees 8:00 PM (on ESPN)

Cleveland TV:  STO

New York Yankees TV: YES

Opponents In-Depth

Cleveland Indians
45-61
Tied for 4th in AL Central (15 GB)

Probable Line-Up

Trevor Crowe, CF
Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
Shin-Soo Choo, RF
Shelley Duncan, LF
Jordan Brown, DH
Matt LaPorta, 1B
Lou Marson, C
Jayson Nix, 3B
Jason Donald, 2B

Injuries

Travis Hafner, DH (Shoulder) 15-day DL. Out until at least late August

Carlos Santana, C (Knee) 15-day DL. Out until at least late August

Aaron Laffey, RP (Arm) 15-day DL. Out until at least late August

Mitch Talbot, SP (Back) 15-day DL. Out until at least late August

Anthony Reyes, RP (Elbow) 60-day DL. On Double-A rehab assignment

Grady Sizemore, CF (Knee) 60-day DL. Out for the season

Pitching Match-Ups

8/4: Lester vs. Masterson

Masterson faces off against his former team once again- still not afraid.

8/5: Matsuzaka vs. Westbrook

Jake Westbrook was the best the Indians could get? Yikes. However Westbrook is just good enough to give Dice-K a run for his money when he implodes and walks eight batters.

Who’s Hot

Shin-Soo Choo: .333 BA past 14 days

Who’s Not

Jordan Brown: .125 BA past 14 days

New York Yankees
66-40
1st in AL East

Probable Line-Up

Derek Jeter, SS
Nick Swisher, RF
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Robinson Cano, 2B
Lance Berkman, DH
Curtis Granderson, CF
Jorge Posada, C
Brett Gardner, LF

Injuries

Alfredo Aceves, RP (Back) 15-day DL. Out until at least early August

Nick Johnson, 1B (Wrist) 60-day DL. Might be out for the season

Damaso Marte, RP (Shoulder) 15-day DL. Out until at least early August

Andy Pettitte, SP (Groin) 15-day DL. Out until at least mid-August

Pitching Match-Ups

8/6: Bucchholz vs. Vazquez

Advantage Boston as long as Vazquez continues his lackluster performance.

8/7: Lackey vs. Sabathia

No way Lackey could keep up with CC. Lackey couldn’t even keep up with his own no-hitter.

8/8: Beckett vs. Burnett

Beckett’s looked good since he’s come back from the DL- this will be his biggest test this season.

Who’s Hot

Nick Swisher: .302 BA/6 HR past 14 days

Who’s Not

Lance Berkman: .182 BA past 14 days

My Outlook

Well with the Cleveland series already halfway done, I’m going to instead look at the Yankees series and hope we can go into the final game on Monday with two out of three. However that is wishful thinking and highly dependent on the pitching.

But hey we can dream can’t we?

How do you think the Sox are going to fare this week? Leave them in the comments or let Patrick know on Twitter: @dmbosstone

Note: Stats are accurate prior to Sunday’s games. Game times are EST and pitching match-ups are subject to change.

How was everybody’s 4th of July? For the Sox fireworks are going off as more players are hitting the DL. Last week I mentioned V-Mart and now Vartiek is sidelined as well. Luckily we brought back Kevin Cash to fill in the gaps- and looking at his stats that’s all he’s doing: just another warm body to catch pitches. Clay Buchholz has also hit the DL adding to a Who’s Who of injured players (Felix Doubront will be recalled to fill in his slot, making his 2nd MLB start.) I visited the depth chart over at the Red Sox’s webpage to get an idea of the DL situation:

It wasn’t good. Look the list can hard stay on the page!

So what’s ahead for our wounded warriors? Let’s cut straight to the chase in this week’s shortened edition of the preview.

Schedule and Opponents

Red Sox games are available over the radio on the WEEI Red Sox Radio Network and on NESN in the New England TV market (unless noted.)

Tuesday, July 6 @ Rays 7:10 PM (also on MLB Network)

Wednesday, July 7 @ Rays 7:10 PM

Friday, July 9 @ Blue Jays 7:07 PM

Saturday, July 10 @ Blue Jays 1:07 PM

Sunday, July 11 @ Blue Jays 1:07 PM

Tampa Bay TV: Sun Sports

Toronto TV: SNET

Pitching Match-Ups

Tuesday, July 6

Rays: Jeff Niemann, RHP (6-2, 2.80)

Doubront will return to Fenway Tuesday (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Last start: 7/1 @MIN: 6.2 IP/6 H/3 R/5 K/2 BB

Red Sox: Felix Doubront, RHP (1-0, 5.40)

Last start: 6/18 vs LAD: 5.0 IP/6 H/5 R/2 K/2 BB

Wednesday, July 7

Rays: David Price, LHP (11-4, 2.42)

Last start: 7/2 @ MIN: 8.0 IP/4 H/2 R/6 K/4 BB

Red Sox: Tim Wakefield, RHP (3-6, 4.96)

Last start: 7/2 vs BAL: 8.0 IP/7 H/2 R/4 K/1 BB

Friday, July 9

Blue Jays: Ricky Romero, LHP (6-5, 3.39)

Last start: 7/3 @ NYY: 2.2 IP/7 H/8 R/3 K /2 BB

Red Sox: Jon Lester, LHP (10-3, 2.76)

Last start: 7/3 vs BAL: 7.0 IP/5 H/1 R/7 K/1 BB

Saturday, July 10

Blue Jays: Brandon Morrow, RHP (5-6 4.69)

Last start: 7/4 @ NYY: 6.0 IP/9 H/5 R/7 K/1 BB

Red Sox: John Lackey, RHP (9-4, 4.40)

Last start: 7/4 vs BAL: 7.1 IP/8 H/4 R/7 K/1 BB

Sunday, July 11

Blue Jays: Jesse Litsch, RHP (0-3, 6.98)

Last start: 6/30 @ CLE: 6.0 IP/4 H/2 R/2 K/2 BB

Red Sox: Daisuke Matsuzaka, LHP (5-3, 4.50)

Dice-K gets another start this week in Toronto. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

Last start: 6/30 vs TBR: 6.0 IP/4 H/3 R/7 K/4 BB

Opponents In-Depth

Tampa Bay Rays
48-33
3rd in AL East (2.0 GB)

Probable Line-Up

Ben Zobrist, CF
Carl Crawford, LF
Evan Longoria, 3B
Willy Aybar, DH
Matt Joyce, RF
Sean Rodriguez, 2B
Carlos Pena, 1B
Jason Bartlett, SS
John Jaso/Kelly Shoppach, C

Last Week/Upcoming

Lost one out of two at Boston, won three out of four in Minnesota.

Injuries

J.P. Howell, RP (Shoulder) 15-day DL. Out for the season

Who’s Hot

Carl Crawford:  .378 BA/5 SB the last two weeks

Who’s Not

Ben Zobrist:  .147 BA last two weeks

Toronto Blue Jays
41-42
4th in AL East (10 GB)

Probable Line-Up

Fred Lewis, LF
Alex Gonzalez, SS
Jose Bautista, RF
Vernon Wells, CF
Adam Lind, DH
Aaron Hill, 2B
Lyle Overbay, 1B
John Buck, C
Edwin Encarnacion, 3B

Last Week/Upcoming

Lost three in Cleveland, last two out of three in New York. Will play three against Minnesota before Boston comes into town.

Injuries

Shaun Marcum, SP (Elbow) 15-day DL. Might return for July 20 start at Kansas City

Travis Snider, LF (Wrist) 15-day DL. On Class A rehab assignment

Dirk Hayhurst, RP (Shoulder) 60-day DL. Out for the season

Aaron Hill, 2B (Illness) Questionable for July 6-8 vs. Minnesota

Vernon Wells, CF (Illness) Questionable for July 6-8 series vs. Minnesota

Dustin McGowan, SP (Shoulder) 60-day DL. Out for the season

Who’s Hot

Jose Bautista: .283 BA/3 HR last two weeks

Who’s Not

Edwin Encarnacion: .125 BA last two weeks

My Outlook

3-3 split, we already lost the opener to the Rays- let’s just get to the All Star break.

How do you think the Sox are going to fare this week? Leave them in the comments or let Patrick know on Twitter: @dmbosstone

Note: Stats are accurate prior to Sunday’s games. Game times are EST and pitching match-ups are subject to change.

Hey guys, it’s time for the Independence Day holiday this week and with the Sox also returning from Inter-league play they will have a shorten week. Also for this and next week you can expect a more concise version of the weekly preview- so let’s get on with it!

Rapid Recap

Boston Red Sox
46-31
2nd in AL East (1.5 GB)

I’m not much of a math guy but I do know that typically things tend to fall back to normal. When a team gets hot- they are bound to cool down and vice-versa. Thus when the Sox won eight in a row I knew they were due for a correction, and they split the past week.

Now with injuries piling up I’m a little nervous about a banged up Sox line-up going up against a slumping Rays team that is looking for a spark- and we could be it. These two games will be key now that the Sox have climbed up the AL East standings, luckily we also have three against the O’s for the holidays- and that should bring some fireworks… for the Sox.

At bat…

Pedroia tops list of newly injured Sox players (Photo Jeff Chiu / AP)

This week the Sox got bad news by adding Dustin Pedroia to the DL with a foot fracture. Victor Martinez also suffered some foot (and thumb) problems this weekend but hopefully he’ll be able to return to the line-up. J.D. Drew’s bat returned today and the Sox acquired Eric Patterson to help fill the gaps.

I don’t know what we can expect from Patterson- he’s a youngster that’s still struggling with Plate Discipline (6.3 BB%, 30.1 K% this season) but he does have a bit of pop in his bat. He does have a little bit of speed (like his older brother Corey) and perhaps he’ll make a good pinch runner. Of course we don’t need a pinch runner right now.

On The Mound…

Memories of Chein Ming-Wang came to mind when I heard Clay Buchholz hyper-extended his knee while running the bases. Right now he’s been one of the best arms in the rotation and the last thing we need him is to get injured running the bases. Stupid Inter-league play.

Schedule and Opponents

Red Sox games are available over the radio on the WEEI Red Sox Radio Network and on NESN in the New England TV market (unless noted.)

Tuesday, June 29 vs Rays 7:10 PM

Wednesday, June 30 vs Rays 7:10 PM

Friday, July 2 vs Orioles 7:10 PM

Saturday, July 3 vs Orioles 7:10 PM

Sunday, July 4 vs Orioles 1:35 PM

Tampa Bay TV: Sun Sports

Baltmore TV: MASN-HD

Pitching Match-Ups

Tuesday, June 29

Rays: James Shields, RHP (6-7, 4.55)

Last start: 6/23 vs SD: 7.0 IP/6 H/4 R/7 K/1 BB

Red Sox: John Lackey, RHP (8-3, 4.69)

Last start: 6/23 @ COL: 6.2 IP/10 H/5 R/7 K/0 BB

Wednesday, June 30

Rays: Matt Garza, RHP (8-5, 4.10)

Last start: 6/24 vs SD: 8.0 IP/6 H/3 R/5 K/0 BB

Red Sox: Daisuke Matsuzaka, RHP (5-2, 4.50)

Last start: 6/24 @ COL: 5.0 IP/5 H/2 R/6 K/4 BB

Friday, July 2

Orioles: Brad Bergesen, RHP (3-4, 6.83)

Last start: 6/26 vs WAS: 4.0 IP/6 H/5 R/0 K /2 BB

Red Sox: Tim Wakefield, RHP (2-6, 5.21)

Last start: 6/25 @ SF: 7.0 IP/11 H/4 R/3 K/2 BB

Saturday, July 3

Orioles: Jeremy Guthrie, RHP (3-9 4.28)

Last start: 6/22 vs FLA: 6.0 IP/7 H/6 R/3 K/2 BB

Red Sox: Clay Buchholz, RHP (10-4, 2.45)

Last start: 6/26 @ SF: 1.o IP/1 H/0 R/2 K/1 BB

Sunday, July 4

Orioles: Brian Matusz, LHP (2-8, 4.95)

Last start: 6/23 vs FLA: 6.1 IP/7 H/6 R/3 K/2 BB

Red Sox: Jon Lester, LHP (8-3, 3.03)

Last start: 6/22 @ COL: 6.0 IP/6 H/1 R/6 K/1 BB

Opponents In-Depth

Tamp Bay Rays

Evan Longoria and the slumping Rays come into town- will they feast or famine? (Photo by Abelimages/Getty Images)

44-31
3rd in AL East (2.5 GB)

Probable Line-Up

John Jaso/Kelly Shoppach, C
Jason Bartlett, SS
Reid Brignac/Sean Rodriguez, 2B
Evan Longoria, 3B
Carlos Pena, 1B
Ben Zobrist, RF
Matt Joyce, LF
BJ Upton, CF
Hank Blalock/Willy Aybar, DH

Last Week/Upcoming

Lost two out of three against San Diego, lost two out of three against Arizona.

Injuries

Carl Crawford, LF (Shoulder) Questionable for June 29-30 series at Boston

Gabe Kapler, RF (Hip) 15-day DL. On Class A rehab assignment

J.P. Howell, RP (Shoulder) 15-day DL. Out for the season

Who’s Hot

Nobody, Carl Crawford was batting .375 with 6 SB the last two weeks until he got injured.

Who’s Not

Everybody:

Evan Longoria: .178 BA/12 K last two weeks
Carlos Pena: .220 BA/14 K last two weeks
Ben Zobrist: .205 BA last two weeks
BJ Upton: .167 BA/15 K last two weeks

Baltimore Orioles

Highlight of the weekend? The Patterson brothers face off against each other! (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

23-52
5th in AL East (23.5 GB)

Probable Line-Up

Corey Patterson, LF
Miguel Tejada, 3B
Nick Markakis, RF
Ty Wigginton, 1B
Luke Scott, DH
Adam Jones, CF
Matt Wieters, C
Julio Lugo, 2B
Cesar Izturis, SS

Last Week/Upcoming

Lost two out of three against Florida, won three against Washington. Will play against Oakland for two before traveling to Boston.

Injuries

Jim R. Johnson, RP (Elbow) 15-day DL. Out until at least late July

Lou Montanez, LF (Oblique) 15-day DL. Out until at least mid-July

Felix Pie, LF (Shoulder) 60-day DL. On Class A rehab assignment

Mike Gonzalez, RP (Shoulder) 60-day DL. Expected to make Class A rehab start June 27. Might return July 2 at Boston

Brian Roberts, 2B (Back) 60-day DL. Out until at least mid-July

Who’s Hot

Miguel Tejada: .385 BA last two weeks

Who’s Not

Matt Wieters: .216 BA last two weeks

My Outlook

The are racking up the walking wounded. Even though the Rays are running cold I think this could lead to some trouble. I say 3-2 this week but I’m very nervous on that call.

How do you think the Sox are going to fare this week? Leave them in the comments or let Patrick know on Twitter: @dmbosstone

Note: Stats are accurate prior to Sunday’s games. Game times are EST and pitching match-ups are subject to change.

Rapid Recap

Boston Red Sox
42-28
3rd in AL East (1.5 GB)

So far so good tonight. (Photo REUTERS/Adam Hunger)

I’m not going to jinx it this time. Last time I assumed the game was in the bag I woke up the next day to find that I was sorely mistaken. Now there’s a lot more on the line.

So far the Sox have met my expectations and more by sweeping the Diamondbacks and as I’m typing this Clay Buchholz is in the middle of pitching seven scoreless innings…

Oh crap, Buchholz just hit Blake DeWitt. Maybe I spoke too soon.

Yes I did. Buchholz couldn’t finish the inning but I’ll take 6.2 innings of shutout ball… as long as Bard can hold them.

We’ll see how the game goes as I finish this column. I don’t want to say what a win will mean tonight but I’ll say this: they haven’t lost since last Sunday.

Keep it going boys.

At bat…

The Red Sox are the leading the league in hitting with a .279 team batting average and their combined 93 home runs only trail the homer happy Blue Jays. What makes the story more amazing is that it’s all being done with an outfield consisting of Mike Cameron, Daniel Nava, Bill Hall, and Darnell McDonald.

It’s no surprise that J.D. Drew is a little banged up but with Jacoby Ellsbury and Jeremy Hermida on the DL this isn’t the outfield we imagined going into the season. In fact, I thought it was interesting when I heard that Nava was the eighth outfielder on the organizational depth chart.

On The Mound…

Daniel Bard finished the top of the eighth and still looks as good as he was when I mentioned him earlier. Since then he’s nabbed a couple of rouge saves and will really be a factor on Papelbon’s future at the end of the season.

Dice-K is also due back off the DL from his being Dice-K Forearm injury. His strikeout rate has dropped from around eight K/9 the past three seasons to 6.8 this season. However over his last four starts he’s been ok. Let’s see how he will do in the Colorado air.

Schedule and Opponents

Red Sox games are available over the radio on the WEEI Red Sox Radio Network and on NESN in the New England TV market (unless noted.)

Tuesday, June 22 @ Rockies 8:40 PM

Wednesday, June 23 @ Rockies 8:40 PM

Thursday, June 24 @ Rockies 8:40 PM

Friday, June 25 @ Giants 10:15 PM

Saturday, June 26 @ Giants 7:10 PM (on FOX)

Sunday, June 27 @ Giants 4:05 PM

Colorado TV: FSN

San Fransisco TV: NBC-11/CSN-BA

Pitching Match-Ups

Tuesday, June 22

Rockies: Jhoulys Chacin, RHP (3-6, 4.00)

Last start: 6/16 @MIN: 5.0 IP/7 H/2 R/1 K/3 BB

Chacin made his debut last July and looked great as a reliever and is now the back-end of the Rockies rotation. Even though his fastball stays on the low-end of 90, he is extremely effective at missing bats with a nine K/9 and a below average  contact rate of 74.5 percent. What his 45.9 percent groundball rate keeps whatever hits he does give up in the park.

Red Sox: Jon Lester, LHP (8-2, 3.13)

Last start: 6/16 vs. ARI: 7.0 IP/4 H/2 R/7 K/3 BB

Even though the headline from his last start was “lacking command“, you can’t be disappointed in a seven strikeout performance. Lester has instead shown that he knows how to work out of a jam and he’ll need that craftiness when he visits Coors Field for the first time ever.

Wednesday, June 23

Ubaldo Jimenez is one of the best arms in the league and also has one of the best bug-eyed deliveries. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Rockies: Ubaldo Jimenez, RHP (13-1, 1.15)

Last start: 6/17 @MIN: 8.0 IP/8 H/1 R/4 K/2 BB

He’s 13-1 and the one of the leading candidates for this year’s NL Cy Young. While he doesn’t have an overwhelming strikeout rate, he’s only struck out 10 in his two starts against AL opponents this year, his high 90′s fastball and 54.9 GB percentage has made him a hard pitcher to beat.

Red Sox: John Lackey, RHP (8-3, 4.53)

Last start: 6/17 vs. ARI: 6.0 IP/8 H/4 R/5 K/2 BB

Even though his average velocity doesn’t appear to be down, his game charts show that his overall range is considerably down compared to last year. That would explain his lower strike-out rate and high contact rate.

Thursday, June 24

Rockies: Jason Hammel, RHP (5-3, 4.03)

Last start: 6/18 vs. MIL: 7.1 IP/8 H/0 R/4 K/2 BB

Along with Chacin, Hammel has helped Colorado win games with an effective starting pitching in the fourth and fifth slots. He doesn’t have overwhelming stuff but he keeps the ball on the ground but has allowed more batters to make contact compared to his previous year with Colorado (79.9 contact rate in 2009 vs. 84.4 percent in 2010.)

Red Sox: Daisuke Matsuzaka, RHP (5-2, 4.59)

Last start: 6/7 @CLE: 8.0 IP/4 H/0 R/5 K/2 BB

I can only hope he returns to this kind of form.

Friday, June 25

Giants: Jonathan Sanchez, LHP (5-5, 2.78)

Last start: 6/14 vs. BAL: 7.2 IP/8 H/2 R/5 K/1 BB

A little less than a year since his no-hitter, Sanchez has a career low 2.78 ERA but the numbers behind it say there maybe a little luck involved. However he is improving on his control- one of his main flaws and pitching in pitcher friendly AT&T Park helps.

Red Sox: Tim Wakefield, RHP (2-5, 5.33)

Last start: 6/19 vs. LAD: 6.1 IP/5 H/4 R/6 K/2 BB

Good news: His control is at a career high 1.93 BB/9. Bad news: his contact rate is at a career high 84.5 percent.

Saturday, June 26

Giants: Joe Martinez, RHP (0-1, 5.68)

Last start: 6/15 vs. BAL: 6.1 IP/8 H/4 R/2 K/1 BB

The 2005 draft pick is making his second start of the season. In his first start? 93 percent of swings made at his pitchers made contact. This will be fun.

Red Sox: Clay Buchholz, RHP (10-4, 2.47)

Last start: 6/21 vs. LAD: 6.2 IP/6 H/0 R/4 K/3 BB

It was fun to watch him pitch tonight, and is now Boston’s first 10 game winner this season.

Sunday, June 27

Giants: Tim Lincecum, RHP (7-2, 3.11)

Lincecum hasn't been totally perfect this year but he's still one of the best. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Last start: 6/16 vs. BAL: 6.0 IP/8 H/2 R/10 K/4 BB

Sure he’s good but as of recently he’s looked a little more human than before. So far this season he’s walking more batters and his average velocity has been on a three year decline but hey he’s still one of the best in the game right now.

Red Sox: Jon Lester, LHP (8-2, 3.13)

Opponents In-Depth

Colorado Rockies
36-33
4th in NL West (4 GB)

Probable Line-Up

Jonathan Herrera, 2B/SS
Todd Helton, 1B
Ryan Spilborghs, CF
Brad Hawpe, RF
Ian Stewart, 3B
Seth Smith/Melvin Mora, LF
Chris Iannetta, C
Clint Barmes, 2B/ss

Last Week/Upcoming

Lost two out of three in Minnesota, won two out of three against Milwaukee.

Injuries

Taylor Buchholz, RP (Elbow,Back) 60-day DL. Expected to make Triple-A rehab assignment June 24. Out until at least early July

Jorge De La Rosa, SP (Finger) 15-day DL. Expected to make Triple-A rehab assignment June 23. Might return July 7 vs. St. Louis

Carlos Gonzalez, LF (Knee) Day-to-Day

Huston Street, RP (Shoulder, Groin) 15-day DL. Might return for June 22 vs. Boston

Troy Tulowitzki, SS (Wrist) 15-day DL. Out until at least late July

Eric O. Young, 2B (Leg) 15-day DL. Out until at least late July

Who’s Hot

Ryan Spilborghs: .419 BA/4 HR last two weeks

Who’s Not

Ian Stewart: .154 BA/9 K last two weeks

San Fransisco Giants
38-30
2nd in NL West (1.5 GB)

Probable Line-Up

Andres Torres, CF
Freddy Sanchez, 2B
Aubrey Huff, LF
Juan Uribe, SS
Pat Burrell, LF
Pablo Sandoval, 3B
Buster Posey, 1B
Bengie Molina, C

Last Week/Upcoming

Won two out of three against Baltimore, lost two out of three in Toronto. Will play three in Houston before playing Boston.

Injuries

Mark DeRosa, LF (Wrist) 15-day DL. Might be out for the season

Ryan Rohlinger, 3B (Hamstring) 15-day DL. Out until at least late June

Emmanuel Burriss, 2B (Foot) 60-day DL. On Triple-A rehab assignment

Tim Lincecum, SP (Shoulder) Probable for June 22 start at Houston

Todd Wellemeyer, SP (Quadriceps) 15-day DL. Out until at least late June

Who’s Hot

Pat Burrell: .364 BA/2 HR last two weeks

Who’s Not

Buster Posey: .227 BA last two weeks

My Outlook

Well, Papelbon shut the door and the Red Sox just swept both Arizona and Los Angeles Dodgers. Interleague play continues this week and I’ll tell you that I won’t say they’ll sweep the entire week. Looking at the match-ups the Red Sox will be playing against a few of the best pitchers in baseball right now. I’ll say they split 3-3.

How do you think the Sox are going to fare this week? Leave them in the comments or let Patrick know on Twitter: @dmbosstone

Note: Stats are accurate prior to Sunday’s games. Game times are EST and pitching match-ups are subject to change.

Rapid Recap

Boston Red Sox
37-27
3rd in AL East (4 GB)

At bat…

It's a storybook beginning for Daniel Nava (Photo Michael Dwyer, AP)

After watching the USA/England soccer match I was delighted to see the Phillies/Red Sox game on Fox when I flipped the channel. I tuned in just in time to see J.D. Drew hit his home run and a kid named Daniel Nava hit a grand slam on his first major league pitch.

His story is something Disney movies are made of: washing uniforms as an equipment manager at Santa Clara University eventually landing on an independent league team after college.

As a player on the Chico Outlaws he earned Most Valuable Player honors in the Golden Baseball League. The Red Sox then signed him… for $1.

It was the best single dollar purchase the Sox spent. Nava worked his way up the farm system and finally reached the show when Jacoby Ellsbury and Jeremy Hermida both hit the D/L.

After that the rest is history. Nava is the 2nd Red Sox and 4th player in major league history to hit a grand slam in his first major league at-bat.

Of course we can’t expect him to hit grand slams every time he steps up to the plate- he struck out in his next at bat but then hit a double after that.

So what can we really expect from Nava during his stint in the majors? The scouting report from SoxProspects.com says, “Nava is a well-rounded player – he has a great bat with a little bit of pop, excellent plate discipline, average speed, and an average to above-average arm”.

His minor league stats confirm this, in 54 games for AAA Pawtuckett he has hit a .294 average with 8 homers and 13 doubles. He’s also stolen 3 bases but hasn’t stolen any prior to that since playing for Lancaster in 2008. In terms of plate discipline he strikeout rate in the minors has ranged between 19-21% but prior to being called up was boasting a 10% strikeout rate in AAA. The bright side he that he has consistently maintained a double digit walk rate in his minor league play.

Of course it’s too early to see how he’ll do in the majors but he’s certainly a story to talk about and definitely made a splash on a national stage.

On The Mound…

Another surprise this past weekend was Dice-K hitting the D/L… well it’s not a surprise to see him on the D/L- just that he hit the D/L 10 minutes before his scheduled start. The report says he felt a forearm strain while warming up- I’d also like to tack on being Dice-K on top of his current status as well. The move is retroactive to June 8th and he’ll be illegible to come back on the 23rd when the Sox play the Rockies.

Dice K will be joining Josh Beckett, who’s also not a stranger to the disabled list. Latest reports are that he’s able to play catch but it’ll still be some time before we see him in a rehab assignment.

Schedule and Opponents

Red Sox games are available over the radio on the WEEI Red Sox Radio Network and on NESN in the New England TV market (unless noted.)

Tuesday, June 15 vs D-backs 7:10 PM

Wednesday, June 16 vs D-backs 7:10 PM

Thursday, June 17 vs D-backs 7:10 PM

Friday, June 18 vs Dodgers 7:10 PM

Saturday, June 19 vs Dodgers 4:10 PM (On Fox)

Sunday, June 20 vs Dodgers 8:00 PM (On ESPN)

Arizona TV: FS-A

Los Angeles Dodgers TV: PRIME

Pitching Match-Ups

Tuesday, June 15

Diamondbacks: Ian Kennedy, RHP (3-3, 3.17)

Last start: 6/9 vs. ATL: 7.0 IP/3 H/0 R/6 K/5 BB

After making occasional spot starts for the Yankees, Kennedy finds himself in Arizona this season and has shown respectable numbers. A 7.76 K/9 and 3.28 BB/9 are hovering around league average numbers. The 1.53 HR/9 rate is somewhat alarming but you should expect a jump like that when you play in a homer friendly park like Chase Field. This year he’s put on an notch on his fastball but at 91 MPH it’s nothing special.

Red Sox: Clay Buchholz, RHP (8-4, 2.52)

Last start: 6/9 @CLE: 7.0 IP/3 H/3 R/1 K/4 BB

A 5 game win streak came to an end last week but nothing to worry about overall but you have to point out his declining strike out numbers (4,2,1 last three starts.)

Wednesday, June 16

Diamondbacks: Dontrelle Willis, LHP (2-2, 4.39)

Last start: 6/10 vs. ATL: 4.o IP/3 H/2 R/2 K/6 BB

Hopefully Willis can recover from a finger injury to make his third start since being traded from Detroit to Arizona. Playing the in NL hasn’t done anything to help his play so far- he still has major control issues and who knows what else.

Red Sox: Jon Lester, LHP (7-2, 3.18)

Last start: 6/10 @CLE: 6.0 IP/9 H/6 R/8 K/1 BB

Again nothing to worry about here- especially when you can manage to strike out 8 batters over 6 innings. Last week Lester snapped a four game winning streak.

Thursday, June 17

Diamondbacks: Rodrigo Lopez, RHP (2-5, 4.45)

Last start: 6/11 vs. STL: 7.0 IP/6 H/5 R/4 K/0 BB

Lopez offers a fastball around 88 MPH, a 24% line drive rate, and a 90% contact rate. This is a rout in the making.

Red Sox: John Lackey, RHP (7-3, 4.54)

Last start: 6/11 vs. PHI: 7.0 IP/6 H/2 R/3 K/0 BB

Lackey is slowly becoming an innings eater that could give the Sox a reasonable chance to win the game on any given start. That’s all and good but did we expect a Bronson Arroyo when we signed him?

Friday, June 18

Dodgers: John Ely, RHP (3-3, 3.38)

Last start: 6/12 vs. LAA: 5.0 IP/6 H/4 R/2 K/3 BB

He's young, tall, and ready to show the Sox if he's the real deal. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

This rookie has been impressive to start off the season but has started to strike out less batters while walking more in his most recent starts. He’s also given up 3 home runs in his last two starts after given up none in his first six. I’ll rack it up to typical rookie performance. His stuff isn’t anything special: an 87 MPH fastball, 78 MPH change, with a slider and curve.

Red Sox: TBD

We’ll have to see who the Sox will fill in for Dice-K’s spot, Wakefield could be moved up a spot or perhaps they’ll go to my favorite name in the bullpen: Boof Bonser. Of course if they do everybody will be saying, “Boof” in reaction to his performance.

Saturday, June 19

Dodgers: Carlos Monasterios, RHP (3-0, 2.27)

Last start: 6/7 vs. STL: 6.0 IP/4 H/3 R/0 K/3 BB

Another rookie spot starter in the Dodgers rotation, his 3 wins and sub 3 ERA can be attributed to a .215 BABIP and ridiculous 87% strand rate. You can’t expect great starts from a guy who can only strike out 3.8 batters per 9 innings. With his pitch to contact play you can expect those numbers to regress to the mean. Which means he’ll be due for a blowup if he continues to start.

Red Sox: Tim Wakefield, RHP (2-4, 5.48)

Last start: 6/8 @CLE: 7.0 IP/4 H/1 R/6 K/0 BB

As of this writing Wake just finished a horrible outing against Philly at home, looking closer at his splits this season and it’s clear he’s no comfortable pitching at home… or is he unlucky?

Home: 7.29 ERA/1.90 K/BB/.330 BABIP/53.9 Strand%

Away: 3.62 ERA/4.00 K/BB/.250 BABIP/75.2 Strand%

Looking at his career numbers he tends to strike more batters out away than at home and at Fenway more runners he puts on tend to score- so perhaps it’s Fenway itself and not just luck that’s creating these splits.

Sunday, June 20

Dodgers: Hiroki Kuroda, RHP (5-4, 3.30)

Last start: 6/8 vs. STL: 7.0 IP/4 H/0 R/6 K/1 BB

I love drafting Kuroda in my fantasy teams- he doesn’t have a lot of name recognition but he’s a dependable mid-rotation arm with average stuff that will rack up quality start after quality start. So far in his 12 games played he’s done so in 8 of them. Compare that to 13 out of 20 in 2009 and he’s an cheap arm I’d love to get in fantasy.

Of course what does that mean for real-life baseball? The Sox better be ready to win with 3 or less runs.

Red Sox: Clay Buchholz, RHP (8-4, 2.52)

Opponents In-Depth

Arizona Diamondbacks
25-38
5th in NL West (12.5 GB)

Probable Line-Up

Kelly Johnson, 2B
Conor Jackson, LF
Stephen Drew, SS
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Adam LaRoche, 1B
Chris B. Young, CF
Justin Upton, RF
Chris Snyder, C
Gerardo Parra, DH

Last Week/Upcoming

Won two out of four against Atlanta, currently winning one out of three against St. Louis.

Injuries

Brandon Webb, SP (Shoulder) 60-day DL. Out until at least late July

Leo Rosales, RP (Foot) 60-day DL. Out until at least late July

Tony Abreu, SS (Wrist) 15-day DL. On Triple-A rehab assignment. Out until at least late June

Kris Benson, SP (Shoulder) 15-day DL. On Triple-A rehab assignment

Dontrelle Willis, SP (Finger) Probable for June 16 start vs. Boston

Who’s Hot

Kelly Johnson: .358 BA/1 HR/6 2B last two weeks

Who’s Not

Mark Reynolds: .189 BA/15 K last two weeks

Los Angeles Dodgers
36-26
2nd in NL East (1 GB)

Probable Line-Up

Rafael Furcal, SS
Matt Kemp, CF
Andre Ethier, RF
Manny Ramirez, LF
James Loney, 1B
Casey Blake, 3B
Blake DeWitt, 2B
Russell Martin, C
Garret Anderson, DH

Last Week/Upcoming

Won three out of three against St. Louis, currently losing two out of three against Los Angeles Angels. Will play three in Cincinnati before traveling to Boston.

Injuries

Charlie Haeger, SP (Toe) 15-day DL. Out until at least early July

Vicente Padilla, SP (Forearm) 15-day DL. Expected to make Triple-A rehab start June 13. Might return for June 19 start vs. Boston

Cory Wade, RP (Shoulder) 60-day DL. Out until at least late July

Brad Ausmus, C (Back) 60-day DL. Might be out for the season

Who’s Hot

Jamey Carroll: .379 BA last two weeks

Who’s Not

Casey Blake: .143 BA last two weeks

My Outlook

The Red Sox continue to do well against the NL- I predict a 4-2 week against the lowly Diamondbacks and missing the best of the Dodgers rotation.

How do you think the Sox are going to fare this week? Leave them in the comments or let Patrick know on Twitter: @dmbosstone