Terry Francona’s return to Fenway Park could not have gone any better for him and the Indians, but unfortunately for the Red Sox on the field, it could not have gone any worse. The Indians bats pounded Red Sox pitching in their 12-3 rout Thursday night. The Indians offense came into the game second in the AL with 5.02 runs scored per game.

Red Sox starter Ryan Dempster couldn’t make it into the fourth inning as the veteran was taken out of the game following the third inning after throwing 85 pitches. He allowed four runs on five hits, and walked four. This was the third consecutive bad outing for Dempster.

Things didn’t get much better for Red Sox pitching as Clayton Mortensen came in and allowed five runs on five hits in just two innings of work and Alex Wilson allowed three runs in just one inning. The Indians really blew the game open with a six-run sixth inning.

Craig Breslow, Junichi Tazawa and Andrew Miller followed by throwing scoreless innings each.

The only Red Sox offense came on one swing of the bat, a three-run massive home run from David Ortiz in the third inning. The Sox finished with just seven hits, two of which from Daniel Nava.

The teams will play Game 2 of their four-game set tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) as John Lackey will take to the mound for the Sox and be opposed by former Red Sox Justin Masterson.

What they’ll be saying: Obviously this wasn’t a good night for the Red Sox, especially the outing from Dempster, who has really struggled of late. In his first seven starts (43 innings) he allowed just 14 earned runs, and now in his last three starts (12 2/3 innings) he’s allowed 15 earned runs. The Sox need him to be better as Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz cannot carry the entire starting rotation … The Sox offensive has been very inconsistent of late. One night they will record double-digit hits and double-digit runs, and then the next they can only manage seven hits and three runs. If they want to be considered one of the better teams in the league better consistency will is a must.

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After dropping the first two games of the series, the Red Sox sent stopper Clay Buchholz to the mound and he delivered, leading the Red Sox to a 6-2 win over the White Sox Wednesday night in Chicago. The Red Sox finished their nine-game road trip with a 6-3 record.

What more is there to say about Buchholz, who has been outstanding thus far this season and that continued Wednesday night. The right-hander went seven innings, allowing one run on five hits, walking three and striking out four throwing 113 pitches. The only blemish came in the third inning on an Alex Rios RBI ground out.

The offensive got things going early in the first inning on a two-RBI single from David Ortiz and then they added two insurance runs in the eighth on an sacrifice fly from Will Middlebrooks and then Mike Napoli scored on a passed ball. The Sox added another two in the ninth on a two-RBI single from Daniel Nava.

Koji Uehara pitched a scoreless eighth and Andrew Bailey, making his first appearance after coming off the disabled list Monday, allowed a home run to Paul Konerko to account for the second White Sox run in the ninth.

Ortiz led the nine-hit Red Sox attack with two hits and an RBI. Jacoby Ellsbury had a good night as well going 2-for-3 with two walks. Jonny Gomes, Dustin Pedroia, Napoli, Nava and Jarrod Saltalamacchia all hit safely for the Sox in the win.

The Red Sox will return home Thursday night (7:10, NESN) to welcome Terry Francona and the Indians to Fenway Park. Ryan Dempster will start for the Red Sox and be opposed by Zach McAllister.

What they’ll be saying: This was a much needed win for the Sox after dropping the first two games of the series. All in all it was a successful road trip as they went 6-3, highlighted by their weekend sweep of the Twins last weekend. The starting pitching showed signs of improvement after a rough go around the past few times through the rotation … Buchholz improved to 7-0 with the win and joined Tampa’s Matt Moore and Arizona’s Patrick Corbin as the only undefeated pitchers with at least seven wins this season. His ERA dropped to 1.73 on the year.

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There has been a perception with the Red Sox this season that they have only beat average-to-bad teams and not any of the top teams that baseball has to offer. In reality, this is a misconception as 10 of the first 15 series’ Boston has played this season have been against teams with winning records. In fact, in those games against teams with below-.500 records they are only 10-7, compared to 17-12 against teams with above-.500 records.

In 12 games against first or second place teams in the American League, the Red Sox are 6-6, being outscored 55-58 in those games, but those numbers include a three-game sweep at the hands of the Texas Rangers, in which they were outscored 16-4. Things haven’t been much different at the plate for the Sox against top competition when compared to cellar-dwellars as in those 12 games they are hitting .256, compared to .262 overall this year.

Boston has a chance to further its campaign as an AL buzz saw beginning Thursday when it welcomes the AL Central leading Cleveland Indians to Fenway Park for a four-game set. Although much of the talk will be surrounding the return of Indians manager Terry Francona to Boston, this is a big series for the teams on the field. With the start of the Red Sox series the Indians begin a brutal stretch with eight of their next nine series’ against first or second place teams.

The series will provide Sox hurlers with a chance to prove themselves against one of the best hitting teams in the American League. Going into Wednesday the Indians are second in the AL in runs per game with 4.98 and lead all of baseball with 60 home runs. It will be a good test for the backend of the Sox’ rotation as aside from Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz starters have a combined 5.40 ERA in their last six outings.

Follow Metro Red Sox writer Ryan Hannable on Twitter @hannable84

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After taking their five-game winning streak to Chicago, the Red Sox have now lost two straight as the White Sox defeated the Red Sox 3-1 Tuesday night. The Red Sox are now 5-3 on their nine-game road trip.

White Sox starter Jose Quintana shut down the Red Sox, throwing 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits, none until the seventh inning. The Red Sox scored their lone run in the eighth on an RBI ground out from Dustin Pedroia.

Red Sox starter Felix Doubront tossed arguably his best game of the season, but it wasn’t good enough as he suffered his second loss of the season. The left-hander went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits while walking two. He had very good command, something he’s struggled with this season. His one big mistake came in the fifth inning when he allowed a two-run home run to Jeff Keppinger. Alex Wilson allowed one run in 1 2/3 innings of relief, while Andrew Miller came on for one out in the eighth.

Jacoby Ellsbury, David Ortiz, Mike Napoli and Daniel Nava all hit safely for the Red Sox, while Pedroia’s 12-game hit streak was snapped as he went 0-for-4.

The teams will close out their three-game set Wednesday night (8:10, NESN) as Clay Buchholz will take to the mound for the Red Sox and be opposed by Hector Santiago, as right-hander Chris Sale was scratched with a mild case of tendinitis in his left shoulder.

What they’ll be saying: The Red Sox offense couldn’t get anything going, which seems to be the case of late, particularly when the team dropped nine of 11 games. They didn’t record a hit until Ortiz’s broken bat single in the seventh. The team has struggled with runners in scoring position, but didn’t really get many opportunities Tuesday, going just 1-for-6 … The lack of offense spoiled a good outing from Doubront, who had been struggling of late. He needed just 85 pitches in the six innings, which was an encouraging sign as pitch count has been something he’s been battling all year.

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The Red Sox’ five-game winning streak came to an end with a 6-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox Monday night in Chicago. Despite the loss the Red Sox have still won five of seven games on their nine-game road trip.

Starter Jon Lester didn’t have his best stuff in what was his worst outing of the season and took his first loss of the year as well. The left-hander went six innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits while striking out two and walking three. All of the White Sox runs were scored with two outs. Clayton Mortensen and Craig Breslow closed out the game, throwing a scoreless inning apiece in the loss.

Things didn’t get off to the best start for the Red Sox as the White Sox scored five times in the first two innings, highlighted by a three-run home run from Adam Dunn in the first. The Red Sox didn’t give up as they fought back on a two-run homer from Jarrod Saltalamacchia in the third, and then a two-run double from Will Middlebrooks in the seventh, but in the end it wasn’t enough as the Red Sox finished with just six hits in the loss.

Saltalamacchia paced the offensive with his two hits in the No. 9 spot, while Dustin Pedroia did extend his 12-game hit streak with an infield single.

The teams will return to the diamond tomorrow night (8:10, NESN) for the second game of a three-game series. Felix Doubront will start for the Red Sox and the White Sox will counter with Jose Quintana.

What they’ll be saying: It was a frustrating loss for the Red Sox as things just wouldn’t go their way starting with the White Sox scoring all of their runs with two outs. Of their four, run producing hits two of them came with two strikes as well. Middlebrooks missed a game-tying home run by a foot in the ninth inning flying out to deep center, summing up the night for the Red Sox. They went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position, while the White Sox went 4-for-9 … Lester took his first loss of the year and his now 6-1. You knew one of these nights was coming for Lester, but the important thing for him now is how he will bounce back in his next start, which should come at home against the Cleveland Indians this weekend.

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After waiting through a three hour rain delay that began in the middle of the seventh inning, the Red Sox were finally able to complete a three-game weekend sweep of the Twins with a 5-1 win yesterday in Minnesota. The Red Sox have now swept four series’ this season, compared to just three all of last year.

Starter John Lackey (2-4) earned the win, throwing six scoreless inning of one hit ball in arguably his best outing of the season. He struck out five and didn’t walk a batter. The one Minnesota run scored on a throwing error from shortstop Pedro Ciriaco in the fifth. Lackey’s ERA now falls to 3.31 on the year.

The Red Sox got their runs on a solo home run from Will Middlebrooks in the third, a RBI fielder’s choice from Dustin Pedroia in the fourth, a Mike Napoli RBI single in the fifth, and capped off by a two-run homer from Pedroia in the ninth.

In all, the Red Sox finished with 11 hits as every starter recorded a hit except Ciriaco. The team could have put more runs on the board, if not for struggling once again with runners in scoring position as they finished 3-for-13 in the game.

As has been the case of late the team got a solid relief from their bullpen as Andrew Miller, Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa combined to pitch three innings of scoreless relief in the win.

The Red Sox will close out their nine-game road trip with a three-game set in Chicago against the White Sox beginning tonight (8:10, NESN). In Game 1, Jon Lester will be opposed by right-hander Dylan Axelrod, while Felix Doubront is scheduled to go against Jose Quintana tomorrow and in the finale Clay Buchholz will take his unblemished 6-0 record against Chris Sale.

Chicago comes into the series in last place in the AL Central and losers of two straight. On the other hand the Sox are riding a five-game win streak and sit in second place behind the Yankees in the AL East.

What they’ll be saying: This upcoming series against Chicago should provide the Red Sox with a good opportunity to increase their winning streak and go into their next homestand with the first place Cleveland Indians and the return of Terry Francona with some momentum.

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Led by slugger David Ortiz, the Red Sox pounded out 13 hits in their 12-5 win over the Twins Saturday night in Minnesota. It was the fourth straight win for the Sox as they had three multi-run innings, scoring three in the first, three in the fifth and four in the seventh.

Ortiz paced the offensive going 3-for-4 with two home runs and six RBIs. Dustin Pedroia, Daniel Nava (home run, three RBIs) and Will Middlebrooks all had two hits each in the win. Every starter besides Pedro Ciriaco recorded a hit in the 13-hit attack.

Starter Ryan Dempster didn’t have his best stuff taking a no decision. The veteran right-hander went 4 2/3 innings allowing five runs on eight hits and struggled with his command, walking six and throwing 127 pitches. The bullpen did pick him up as Clayton Mortensen, Craig Breslow (win) and Alex Wilson combined to throw 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.

The teams will close out their three-game, weekend series tomorrow afternoon (2:10, NESN) where John Lackey will get the ball for the Sox and the Twins will counter with Pedro Hernandez.

What they’ll be saying: The offense has been a bit inconsistent of late, but they were on their game tonight belting out 13 hits and 12 runs in their convincing win. Pedroia has really been swinging the bat well of late recording hits in 10 straight games … It was the second straight poor outing for Dempster, as he allowed six runs in five innings in his last outing to go along with five and not making it out of the fifth inning tonight. The six walks were particularly concerning, but overall Dempster has pitched better than his 2-4 record would indicate.

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For the second straight night the Red Sox came from behind, this time for a 3-2, 10-inning win over the Twins in Minnesota Friday night. It was also the third straight win overall for the team.

The Red Sox trailed 2-1 for the majority of the game until Jacoby Ellsbury singled home Jonny Gomes in the seventh inning tying the game at two. The score remained tied until the tenth inning where Gomes’ sacrifice fly drove in Dustin Pedroia, proving to be the game-winning run.

David Ortiz led the 10-hit attack, finishing 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Daniel Nava each had two hits apiece in the win.

Clay Buchholz started the game for the Sox and threw another gem going seven innings allowing two runs on four hits, while striking out nine. His only blemish was a two-run home run off the bat off Pedro Florimon in the third. Andrew Miller, Alex Wilson (win) and Koji Uehara (save) combined to pitch three innings of hitless relief.

The two teams will play Game 2 of their weekend series Saturday night (7:10, NESN) where Ryan Dempster will take to the mound for the Sox and be opposed by Scott Diamond.

What they’ll be saying: It was another good win for the Red Sox, showing their ability to come from behind. The Red Sox did have plenty of chances to put runs on the board, but couldn’t capitalize going 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The team did find a way to overcome that and come away with a win, which was a good sign as it was something they couldn’t do during their recent skid … There isn’t much else to say about Buchholz and his fantastic start. There’s no question he and Jon Lester are one of, if not the best 1-2 tandem in all of baseball. The Sox are now 15-3 in games started by either Lester or Buchholz this season.

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Down to their last strike, and trailing by two runs, Will Middlebrooks delivered a 3-RBI double with the bases loaded off of Rays closer Fernando Rodney, which proved to be the game-winning run in the Red Sox’ 4-3 win over the Rays Thursday night at Tropicana Field. The Red Sox took two-of-three from the Rays.

Going into the ninth inning the Red Sox once again couldn’t get anything going offensively, only having three hits before the ninth. David Ortiz had the lone RBI, a single in the fourth. Dustin Pedroia and Shane Victorino also hit safely for the Red Sox in the win.

Felix Doubront went five innings allowing two runs on three hits and struck out seven, but the big issue for Doubront were six walks and throwing 104 pitches in just five innings of work. Clayton Mortensen allowed a run following Doubront in a 1/3 of an inning. Andrew Miller, Craig Breslow and Junichi Tazawa (two innings, win) pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief following Mortensen to complete the win.

The Rays scored the first run of the game on a Ryan Roberts home run in the second inning and then two more in the sixth on two RBI singles, the first from Desmond Jennings and the second off the bat of Luke Scott.

The Red Sox will now travel to Minnesota for a weekend series with the Twins beginning tomorrow night (8:10, NESN) as Clay Buchholz will get the nod for the Sox and be opposed by Vance Worley.

What they’ll be saying: This was a huge win for the Red Sox as it was the first time they’ve won back-to-back games in two weeks. Although the team didn’t do much with the bats, Middlebrooks came through with the clutch hit in the ninth after Rodney had walked the bases loaded … The performance from Tazawa should not be overlooked as well, coming off of back-to-back outings of allowing a run, he pitched two scoreless innings to earn the win … As sub-par of an outing as it was for Doubront, it was a step in the right direction, although he clearly needs to limit the walks to bring down his pitch count so he can pitch deeper into games. As Farrell has noted on many occasions the left-hander is lacking the ability to put away hitters.

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A lot of old-school NFL people will brush off the non-padded offseason workouts as meaningless. They’re wrong.

The OTAs are the first time coaches get a look at their new toys. It’s also the first time we get a gander at initial depth charts, which can help us uncover the hidden gems that decide fantasy titles.

Recent sleepers, such as Arian Foster and Denarius Moore, first shined during these workouts. With that in mind, let’s take a look:

Brick in the Wall

New Cardinals coach Bruce Arians is a dream for fantasy owners. He gets his receivers open vertically, doesn’t throw to running backs and keeps the pedal to the metal at all times. Larry Fitzgerald is going to have a bounce-back campaign, but the No. 2 wideout in this scheme is also set up for success. Andre Roberts ended the 2012 season in that spot, but second-year man Michael Floyd opened up OTAs as the starter. A rare strength/speed talent, Floyd is an ideal sleeper.

On the Ball

Montee Ball’s NFL career is off to a fast start. Although coach John Fox has a reputation for holding rookies back, he’s been heaping praise on the former Wisconsin back. VP John Elway is comparing Ball to Terrell Davis and Fox is downplaying the disappointing 4.66 wheels he showed at the combine. Once the Broncos cut loose Willis McGahee or Knowshon Moreno, Ball’s stock is going to soar.

Hop to it

Sometimes, a rookie steps onto the field and is even better than the franchise expected. That appears to be the case with DeAndre Hopkins. Check out these quotes from coach Gary Kubiak: “He’s special. Ball skills are extremely special. Very long; long arms. Big hands. He’s going to help us early, and we know that, and that’s why we brought him here.” Hopkins is in line for instant impact.

MLB news

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly won’t say it, but his actions point toward a change at the closer spot. Kenley Jansen is the one that got a one-out save on Tuesday and he’s the one with the real lights-out stuff. Brandon League’s time is just about done.

MLB pickups

Andrew Bailey, RP, Red Sox: Bailey is ready to come off the DL as soon as Monday. The saves shouldn’t be far behind.
Heath Bell, RP, Diamondbacks: It probably won’t be pretty, but Bell is holding off David Hernandez for now.
Dayan Viciedo, 3B, White Sox: Now over his oblique strain, Viciedo is hitting .429 with four RBIs in his first five games back.

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Things have not exactly gone as planned in the back end of the Red Sox bullpen so far this season. The closer whom the Red Sox traded for this offseason, Joel Hanrahan, is out for the remainder of the season as he undergoes elbow surgery after recording just four saves.

Set-up man and former closer Andrew Bailey has only appeared in 13 games and is now on the disabled list with right bicep tightness, forcing the Red Sox to go with Junichi Tazawa as their closer in the meantime. Tazawa has appeared in two games since being tabbed with the closers title and allowed a run in each of those appearances, including a home run in the ninth inning of a tie game last Saturday in the Sox’ loss to the Blue Jays. Following the game he acknowledged there is some added pressure being the closer.

“I think there is some additional pressure to perform well, but I’m just trying to concentrate on each pitch,” Tazawa said through an interpreter. “I think I’ll be able to perform fine.”

As it stands now, the key to the bullpen is Bailey, as he is the only reliever who seems equipped to handle the added pressure of closing games. With Bailey in that role it allows other members of the bullpen to pitch in roles they are more comfortable with.

The team has two outstanding set-up guys in Koji Uehara and Tazawa. Uehara is sixth in the American League in holds (eight), and has held opponents scoreless in 13 of 16 appearances. Tazawa, who is much more suited for this role than closer, is second in the AL in holds with nine.

With Bailey scheduled to return Monday, at the latest, according to manager John Farrell, the bullpen should be able to get back to normal. Bailey has performed quite well this season and has the track record to show he is capable of holding down the fort at closer for a full season, having recorded 24 or more saves in three straight years in Oakland from 2009-2011. In 13 appearances this season, Bailey has allowed just two runs in 12 1/3 innings (1.46 ERA), while striking out 20 and recording five saves. But, as it always seems to be the case with the 28-year-old, the key is staying healthy. It’s a “wait and see” on that front.

Follow Metro Red Sox beat writer Ryan Hannable on Twitter @hannable84

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After the past few days were spent attacking the Red Sox and their lack of offensive production, particularly with runners in scoring position, the team silenced those thoughts, at least for one night. The team pounded 10 hits, including going 5-for-11 with runners in scoring position in their 9-2 win over the Rays Wednesday night at Tropicana Field.

The Red Sox did the majority of their damage in the third inning when they scored eight runs, four off of Rays starter David Price before he left the game with triceps tightness. The inning was capped by a grand slam from Stephen Drew, the third of the year for Red Sox hitters. The Red Sox finished with six extra-base hits in the win.

The offense was led by Drew (four RBIs), Will Middlebrooks (home run, RBI) and Dustin Pedroia (RBI) as all three players recorded two hits. Every Red Sox starter scored a run except Shane Victorino.

Jon Lester improved to 6-0 on the year with another ace-like performance. Lester went seven innings, allowing two runs on eight hits and struck out five. Koji Uehara pitched a scoreless eighth and Jose De La Torre the ninth to secure the win.

The teams play the rubber game of their three-game series tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) with Felix Doubront going against Alex Cobb for the Rays.

What they’ll be saying: This was a much needed win and offensive outburst for the Sox as they entered the game losers of nine of their last 11. They were able to string together hits, particularly in the third inning, which was something the team couldn’t seem to do in their recent skid and was a major reason for their lack of production. The team had four straight hits in the eight-run inning … Lester has been outstanding this season, clearly a man on a mission to offset last season. Although he had to battle all game long, unlike his last outing (a complete game one-hit shutout), he was able to get out of trouble when he needed to as the Rays went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

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It’s no secret that the Red Sox are in a rut, losers of nine of their last 11 games heading into last night. One of the major issues for the team during this stretch has been its inability to produce with runners in scoring position, as the team is four for its last 40 (.100).

While this is a major issue, and the one many have pointed to as being the reason for the disappointing stretch, another reason is the lack of production the team is getting from their top hitters in David Ortiz and Mike Napoli.

“I think we’ve got a number of guys dealing with frustration right now. There’s no question about it,” manager John Farrell said after Sunday’s loss to Toronto. “The key for us is maintaining our level of preparation and our work routine. Those are the two things that we can control. I know with the attitude of this group, we’re going to continue to work, but we’re getting tested right now. There’s no question about it.”

In their last 11 games, Ortiz and Napoli are both 8-for-43 (.186), combining for just five doubles, three home runs and seven RBIs. Although those numbers, aside from the average, may not seem horrendous, these are the No. 4 and No. 5 hitters in the lineup and the offensive leaders of the team.
Ortiz and Napoli are the key to Boston’s offense as shown in a 10-game stretch from April 22 – May 2, in which the team went 8-2. The tandem went a combined 26-for-49 (.531) with 13 doubles, six home runs and 24 RBIs.

Ortiz’s drop in production may be connected to soreness in his left oblique, which he confirmed following Tuesday night’s game. He said it isn’t at a point where it can get worse as of yet, but he did say it has bothered him on a few swings. Regardless, he is still able to play and as the cleanup hitter he needs to be better than hitting .186 over an 11-game span if the Red Sox hope to stay at or near the top of the AL East standings.

Follow Metro Red Sox beat writer Ryan Hannable on Twitter @hannable84

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After plating three runs in the top of the first, on a three-run home run from David Ortiz, things looked promising for the Red Sox as they came into the game losers of eight of their last ten, but things only went downhill from there as the Red Sox fell 5-3 to the Rays Tuesday night at Tropicana Field.

John Lackey started the game strong, retiring the first seven hitters, before things unraveled quickly in the fourth where he allowed five runs. After allowing three runs to tie the game, Matt Joyce hit a towering pop up to the right side of the infield with two outs where Mike Napoli lost the ball in the lights/cat walk and it fell in fair territory allowing two runs to score and for the Rays to take a 5-3 lead. Lackey finished going 4 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on nine hits and striking out three. His ERA is now 4.05.

The Red Sox did get solid relief from their bullpen as Andrew Miller, Clayton Mortensen, Craig Breslow and Alex Wilson combined to pitch 3 2/3 scoreless innings following Lackey.

Offensively the team struggled once again, only finishing with three hits and only one coming after the first inning.

The teams will continue their three-game set tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) where Jon Lester will take to the mound and the Rays will counter with David Price.

What they’ll be saying: The Red Sox have now lost nine of their last 11 games and just can’t seem to get anything going of late. Once again the team couldn’t get anything done with runners in scoring position going 1-for-4 on the night — the only hit was Ortiz’ homer in the first. The team is now four for their last 40 with runners in scoring position in their last four games … Lackey’s record is now 1-4 in his five starts, with his lone win coming against the Astros. While he’s pitched better than the record would indicate, he’s only pitched more than five innings twice in the five starts. Now that he seems to be fully 100 percent following his injury, he needs to step up his game and provide some help to Lester and Clay Buchholz.

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John Lackey hasn’t started a game as important as the one he will face Tuesday in Tampa Bay in, well, two weeks or so.

The Sox hurler faced Houston on April 28, coming off a scary biceps injury that he endured during his first “big test” of 2013 – the season opener in Toronto on April 6. The righty, who has been a main target for Sox fans’ disdain since the collapse of 2011, silenced his critics at least for a day against the Astros, tossing six strong innings while allowing just one run on five hits, striking out four. Since then Lackey has started two games (at Texas, vs. Minnesota), losing both. The losses are a tad misleading, however, considering Lackey allowed a combined four runs in a combined 12 innings of work in those games. Both starts could certainly be considered “solid.”

Tuesday against a Tampa Bay team hovering around the .500 mark (19-18 on the season), Lackey is looking to put a stop to Boston’s baseball bleeding. The Red Sox (22-16) have lost eight of their last 10 games and have fallen out of first place in the AL East for the first time this season with the Yankees (23-14) and Orioles (23-15) supplanting them (Boston was 1.5 games back as of yesterday). They have just three wins in the month of May.

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The Red Sox are enduring their worst stretch of the 2013 season thus far as they dropped their eighth decision in the last 10 games Sunday at Fenway Park, a 12-4 drubbing from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Sox starter Ryan Dempster was smacked around on the hill, allowing six runs on seven hits in just five innings. He fell to 2-4 on the season.

Toronto had a 5-0 lead in the fourth inning and led 10-1 at one point in the sixth inning as Jose Bautista twice homered and Emilio Bonifacio, Edwin Encarnacion and Brett Lawrie also had round-trippers.

Mike Napoli and Pedro Ciriaco both homered for Boston but any realistic Sox comeback attempt proved to be futile.

What they’ll be saying: If Boston is to quickly return to its April form it will have to do so on the road as it does not have a game again at Fenway Park until May 23. John Lackey kicks off a three-game set for the Red Sox against the Rays Tuesday night in Tampa. It will be a huge test for Lackey and the Sox. Lackey needs to serve as a stopper before Boston’s losing streak becomes something teetering towards a month-long slump. He has lost in his last two starts.
In other news, Sox outfielder Shane Victorino was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital yesterday to have his back and ribs examined after running into the right field wall during yesterday’s loss. The injury occurred in the fourth inning as Victorino attempted to chase down an Emilio Bonafacio long ball. After yesterday’s game, Red Sox manager John Farrell was optimistic about a quick recovery for his outfielder.

“All signs point to him being ready for Tuesday,” Farrell said.

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Many fathers and sons have unique relationships and Will and Tom Middlebrooks are no different. Tom is a long-time, legendary high school football and baseball coach at Liberty-Eylau High School in Texarkana, Texas and coached Will his entire life until he turned professional.

Things have changed a bit now that Will, 24, has made his way to the big leagues and is 1,588 miles away. Tom has now transitioned into a “full-time” dad role, leaving coaching behind, but that isn’t always easy for the elder Middlebrooks.

“Yeah, I try to (stay away from coaching Will), but sometimes it’s hard,” said Tom, when reached by phone over the weekend. “I’ve coached him pretty much my whole life and the more I’ve gotten into coaching the more I’ve tried to analyze and see flaws, etc. That’s just my make up. I could sit there and pick out good things and bad things in a lot of swings, not everyone is going to be perfect. I don’t want to mess with him.”

Lately, it’s been particularly difficult for Tom to keep his distance with Will going through the biggest slump of his short major league career. The father now offers support in subtle ways.

“I don’t try to bother him too much. We talk maybe once, twice a week, mostly text,” Tom said. “I’m a big sayings guy and if I find a saying that I think might help motivate him or lift his head up I’ll send it to him. I do it for all my kids basically.

“As a coach I can see some things, but as a dad I kind of bite my tongue because (Will) has some great coaches up there,” he said. “What a lot of people don’t understand is that it’s not a quick fix sometimes. That’s just the way this game is. It will get better, but it could take some time.”

The new father role came into play again this past week when Will collided with catcher David Ross when both were sliding to make a catch on a foul ball, which Will eventually caught. Will did injure his ribs on the play and needed X-rays, a CAT scan and an MRI. Reports now say he’s dealing with a separated rib, which refers to tearing of the rib bone from the cartilage that connects it to the sternum. The condition leaves Will in considerable pain, but the medical staff says he cannot injure himself any more playing through the pain.

Tom called Will on Wednesday right after he got the MRI to check in with his son.

“That’s the reason I called him because I thought he was going to be out. He told me he was going to try and play. The parent kind of came out in me and I said ‘do you think that’s a good decision?,’” said Tom. “They know best, they take care of their guys up there and I am never going to question them.”

Will played a major part in the city’s healing following the Boston Marathon bombings, having come up with the “Boston Strong” phrase, which is now seemingly everywhere. Tom and the entire Middlebrooks family really didn’t know the full effect Will had until they saw the Red Sox play in Texas two weekends ago.

“I didn’t realize he had a lot to do with the ‘Boston Strong’ quote until we had gone to Texas and [Will] got us on the field during BP and I was standing next to a guy who was in a suit,” Tom recalled. “I noticed he had a name tag on his suit and it had a John Hancock logo and I can’t remember the guy’s name, but Julie [Will’s mom] was wearing her ‘Boston Strong’ shirt and he mentioned to her how much he thought of Will for what he said and how he created the ‘Boston Strong’ quote because he said he was at the race near where the bomb went off. He had some tears well up in his eyes and it was a real strong and an emotional moment. It’s pretty neat that he’s tied himself into the community because he says that’s home for him now.”

Will isn’t the only star athlete in the family. His sister Lacey plays for the Division I Tulsa softball team and graduated from the school this past weekend. Tom retired from coaching baseball this year so he could see his daughter’s senior season as well as Will as much as he could. Lacey, who is very close to Will, will be coming to Boston this summer after finishing some classes at Tulsa and will be one of the ball girls at Fenway Park. This after a PR internship last summer with the PawSox. With two of the three Middlebrooks kids being in Boston this summer, it’s safe to say Tom will be spending as much time as he can in the area in his new role of being a dad, rather than a coach. Said Tom: “I’d like to be there right now to tell you the truth.”

Follow Metro Red Sox beat writer Ryan Hannable on Twitter @hannable84

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The David Ortiz-Dan Shaughnessy feud could carry on all summer at this point.

Ortiz and the Boston Globe columnist had their second “conversation” this past weekend when the Sox slugger momentarily stopped before leaving the clubhouse Saturday and targeted Shaughnessy among a horde of reporters.

“Look who it is,” Ortiz said, glancing at the writer.

Shaughnessy had ruffled feathers in the Sox organization last week when he wrote a column suggesting that Ortiz may be using performance-enhancing drugs this season. Ortiz was listed among over 100 MLB players that tested positive for PEDs in 2003, according to a 2009 New York Times report.

“By the way, let me know what I tested positive for in 2003,” Ortiz said to Shaughnessy on Saturday.

Ortiz also told Shaughnessy that on the day the columnist questioned him about PED use, he took an MLB-sanctioned drug test.

Ortiz received the day off Sunday against Toronto as he is mired in a mini-slump following a hot April.

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BOSTON — It was an old-fashioned pitchers duel Saturday afternoon between Clay Buchholz and Mark Buehrle at Fenway Park with the Blue Jays eventually coming out on top 3-2.

Buchholz went eight innings allowing two runs on six hits, while walking three and striking out four. On the other side, Buehrle went seven-plus innings allowing one run on five hits and striking out five, but the game was decided by the bullpens as neither of the starters factored into the decision.

Junichi Tazawa came in for Buchholz and allowed a lead-off home run to Adam Lind in the ninth inning for the game-winning run. He’s now allowed three home runs in 15 1/3 innings this season. The Red Sox had the tying run at second base after a lead-off double from Will Middlebrooks, but Jays closer Casey Janssen retired the next three hitters in order to earn the save.

“Both guys settled in and pitched extremely well. Seemingly after the second inning Buehrle really settled into a pretty good rhythem and as we know he works extremely fast … Once again they settled in and threw the ball exceptionally well,” said manager John Farrell of the two starters. “The 2-2 pitch, the breaking ball, doesn’t get the back foot as it was supposed to to Lind for the solo home run. Then in the bottom half of the inning we had our chances with a lead-off double and [Casey] Janssen tied our left-handers up with some cutters.”

The Blue Jays scored their first run in the third inning on a Melky Cabera single and then scored again in the fourth on a single from Colby Rasmus. The Red Sox did not have a base runner from the third inning to the eighth as Buehrle retired 13 straight Red Sox at one point. Through the first three innings the Red Sox left five runners on base including going 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. The Red Sox eventually got to the Blue Jays in the eighth with Jacoby Ellsbury tripling to center field, scoring David Ross and then scoring on an error.

The teams will close out their weekend series tomorrow afternoon (1:35, NESN) where Ryan Dempster will take to the mound for the Red Sox and be opposed by Chad Jenkins as Brandon Morrow was scratched due to an injury.

What they’ll be saying: The recent Red Sox skid continues despite a solid start from Buchholz who hasn’t allowed a home run in his last seven starts, which equals the longest stretch of his career. He retired eight hitters in a row from the fifth to the eighth innings before a single to Jose Bautista. Although he didn’t factor into the decision this was the first game all year the Sox have lost a game in which he has started … The lack of offensive production is becoming an issue for the team as they’ve now lost seven of their last ten and in those ten games they’ve scored three runs or less seven times. The team went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position and are a combined 3-for-28 in their last two games.

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BOSTON — Losers of six of their last seven, and three in a row, the Red Sox needed a spark. Starter Jon Lester proved to be more than a spark as he spun a one-hit gem in the Red Sox’ 5-0 win over the Blue Jays Friday night at Fenway Park.

Lester took a perfect game into the sixth inning before No. 9 hitter Maicer Izturis lined a two-out double down the left field line, ending the perfect game bid and was the lone base runner Lester would allow all night. The left-hander spun his third career complete game shutout, allowing the lone hit, striking out five and not walking a batter. It was one of the best performances of his eight-year career.

“The fact is Jon was never really in any stressful situations, even with the base hit double by Izturis to break up the no-hit bid,” said  manager John Farrell. “He was in a good rhythm all night right from the start.”

The Red Sox scored their first run in the second inning on an RBI fielders choice from Will Middlebrooks, scoring Daniel Nava who walked earlier in the inning. They tacked on four more in the seventh where Dustin Pedroia had an RBI single followed up by back-to-back doubles from Nava (2 RBIs) and Jared Saltalamacchia (RBI) later in the inning. Before the doubles the Red Sox were 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Middlebrooks finished with two hits, both doubles, while Pedroia and Saltalamachhia each had two-hit games as well. Shane Victorino reached base in four of his five plate appearances going 2-for-3 with two walks.

The teams will be back in action tomorrow afternoon (1:35, NESN) when Clay Buchholz faces the Blue Jays for the first time since members of the Toronto media accused him of messing with the baseball. Toronto will counter with Mark Buehrle.

What they’ll be saying: It was a special night for Lester, who actually described it as a “grind” and said it was the opposite of how he felt during his no-hitter. He eluded to the fact that back then he was a “thrower” and not a pitcher. Lester’s best pitch was his sinker as of his season-high 118 pitches he threw 52 sinkers, 41 for strikes … Until the seventh inning the Red Sox couldn’t get a clutch hit as they left nine runners on base in the first six innings, and even after the double to break up the perfect game, Izturis was the tying run … The team will certainly look to use this game and performance from Lester as a stepping stone to get out of their biggest rut of the season thus far, as even despite the loss the team has lost six of their last eight.

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This wasn’t the best trip through the rotation for the Red Sox as they went 1-4, most recently falling to the Twins 5-3 Thursday night at Fenway Park. Overall, the team has lost six of their last seven.

Starter John Lackey had arguably his best stuff of any start this season, but it wasn’t enough to get the win. With the Sox leading 2-1 going into the sixth, the wheels began to fall off. The Twins scored four runs, including a two-run home run from Oswaldo Arcia to put the Twins ahead for good at 5-2. The Red Sox responded with one run in the bottom half of the inning and threatened in each of remaining innings, but couldn’t get the timely hit they needed.

Lackey went seven innings, allowing five runs (just one earned), on six hits while striking out eight. Koji Uehara and Craig Breslow threw two scoreless innings to close out the game.

The Red Sox had a trio of players finishing with two hits in Shane Victorino, Dustin Pedroia and Daniel Nava. Stephen Drew and Mike Napoli also hit safely, but the Red Sox lacked the timely hit as they left 10 runners on base.

The Blue Jays now come to town for a weekend series, in which now becomes very important for the Sox as they look to get back on the winning track. Jon Lester will take to the mound tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) and be opposed by Ramon Ortiz.

What they’ll be saying: It was a bit of a tough luck loss for the Sox as they hit a lot of balls hard, ending up being hit right at fielders. They also fell victim to some questionable third strike calls in the ninth inning as Victorino and Dustin Pedroia both struck out looking … Lackey pitched very well and may have been his own worst enemy, committing a throwing error in the sixth trying to turn a double play, which led to three unearned runs. He’s now 1-3 on the year, but has allowed fewer than three runs in three of his four starts.

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Going into Wednesday night many speculated pitching prospect Allen Webster, making his second major league start, could find himself staying with the big league club for an extended period of time based off of his natural ability as well as current aces Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz doing so at similar ages.

Lester and Buchholz were each 22 when they made their major league debuts and were never sent back down for any extended period of time following their starts. Going along those lines, it wouldn’t have been out of the question to see Webster stay in the rotation, especially considering the struggles of Felix Doubront.

Things drastically changed in 1 2/3 innings Wednesday night when Webster allowed eight runs on six hits, including two home runs, while walking three, looking anything but like a major league pitcher.

“Right from the start the inability to establish a certain pitch to a given area to get a strike when needed and when he got behind in the count he’s obviously at a disadvantage,” said manager John Farrell following the game. “Against this team [Twins], if there isn’t a secondary pitch to command when behind in the count, we saw tonight what they can do.”

Looking back, Lester made 84 minor league starts before sticking in the majors, while Buchholz only needed 62. Webster has started 73 games, but his numbers are not as impressive as Buchholz who in 23 starts before his first big league start in August of 2007 had a 2.44 ERA while striking out 171 batters in 125 1/3 innings that year in AAA.

Meanwhile Lester, who was called up in June of 2006, had a 2.70 ERA in 11 starts with Pawtucket before making Red Sox debut. Webster has the same 2.70 ERA with Pawtucket in four starts this year, but Lester had nine more career minor league starts. Another factor in Webster needing a bit more time in the minors is he just came to the Red Sox organization 10 months ago part of the blockbuster deal with the Dodgers. Lester and Buchholz were both drafted by the Sox and spent five and three years in the minors respectively.

“Go back to square one and keep working at it,” said pitching coach Juan Nieves following the game when Webster was returned to Pawtucket. “Listen, Cy Young Award winners are working on their craft everyday. Its nothing different, sometimes pitchers have bumps and bruises over their course. But staying in the course and working on the things he needs to work on are very important.”

With the outstanding raw stuff Webster has, four pitches including a 96-98 MPH fastball and a nasty changeup, there’s no question he will eventually be a major league pitcher, but his time just isn’t now.

Follow Metro Red Sox beat writer Ryan Hannable on Twitter @hannable84

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BOSTON — Things definitely did not go as planned Wednesday night in Allen Webster’s second career start as he departed after 1 2/3 innings and eight runs allowed with things not getting any better as the Red Sox ultimately lost 15-8 to the Twins.

Webster allowed four runs in the first inning including a two-run home run from Justin Morneau. The Sox then went on two score five times in the bottom half of the inning, led by a Jonny Gomes grand slam to actually give them a 5-4 lead, but that was short-lived. Webster struggled mighty in the second, allowing four more runs before Felix Doubront came in and allowed three more, for a total of seven in the inning and a 11-6 deficit after two.

“In short, a tough night from the mound tonight,” said manager John Farrell. “A number of pitches found their way to the middle of the plate. Once again they [Twins] swung aggressively at fastballs that didn’t get to their intended location.”

The Twins scored three more runs off Doubront who went 5 1/3 innings, allowing 12 hits and six runs, while throwing a season-high 105 pitches. Andrew Miller struck out the side in his only inning of work, while Junichi Tazawa allowed a run in the ninth.

Fitting for the game, David Ortiz’ 27-game hit streak came to an end after an 0-for-5 performance. The streak will stand tied for fifth place in Red Sox history.

The four-game set will close tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) when John Lackey will take to the mound for the Sox while the Twins will counter with Kevin Correia.

What they’ll be saying: The Sox are in the midst of a rough patch at the moment, now losers of five of their last seven. In those games starting pitching has been a cause for concern as since May 2 starters have an ERA of 6.88. Opponents now have a .325 average against Sox starters in the past six games after entering that stretch with a .221 mark this year … Although Doubront gave the Sox 5 1/3 innings of much needed relief, issues still remain with him and his velocity as well as his inability to put hitters away. Farrell stated he would make his next start, but as always things could change between now and then.

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A little more than a month into an MLB season, there is enough of a sample size to identify true traits of a team. One of the traits for the 2013 Red Sox is their patient approach at the plate, looking to work counts and get opposing starters out of the game as quickly as possible.

This approach seems to have worked as after 33 games the Red Sox have the best record in all of baseball at 21-12.

“I think our overall offensive approach has been outstanding,” manager John Farrell said during the last homestand. “Guys aren’t afraid to pass the baton on to the next guy. They’ll take their walks in key spots. We’ve had good situational hitting. But most importantly, we’ve driven the pitch counts up of starters and have gotten into the bullpen in this series probably earlier than some other series, but still, just a very consistent approach top to bottom.”

There is no stat more telling on how well a team works pitch counts than number of pitches per plate appearance, and as one would expect the Red Sox have a number of players at the top of that list.

It seems there is a direct correlation from pitches per at-bat to runs scored, as the Oakland A’s have four players in the top 25 and lead the entire league in runs scored.

Walks also play a key role in Boston’s approach at the plate this season. With 123 walks the team ranks third in the league, with Pedroia leading the team and fifth in the league with 21. Having the mentality of “one player can’t do it all” and feeling confident that every hitter can contribute has paid dividends and is something the entire team has bought in to.

The one issue with the approach is the number of strikeouts. With 284 Ks through 33 games, the Red Sox have the third highest mark in all of baseball, and two players in the top 10, Napoli (46) and Will Middlebrooks (39). This isn’t something that concerns the team, as even as far back as spring training players were on record as saying strikeout totals don’t matter to them, providing they are getting results.

Said Middlebrooks via the Providence Journal: “Let’s put it this way: if you hit 40 homers and you drive in 100, what’s the difference if you strike out or ground out?”

Despite the strikeout numbers, the team been able to put big numbers on the board, averaging 4.82 runs per game, good for sixth in the majors.

Opposing starters have only pitched into the seventh inning 10 times (less than a third of games) and the Red Sox have been able to get to opposing bullpens, contributing to a number of wins this season.

With this approach truly seeing its true benefits later in the year when facing top starters in playoff-like games, patience could be a virtue for these 2013 Red Sox.

Follow Metro Red Sox beat writer Ryan Hannable on Twitter @hannable84

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BOSTON — The Red Sox ran into a buzz saw Tuesday night in Twins starter Scott Diamond who completely silenced the Red Sox bats as they could only squander four hits in their 6-1 loss.

Diamond tossed seven shutout innings allowing just three hits and struck out two. He retired the last 15 hitters he faced in his longest outing of the season, needing just 96 pitches.

“Diamond lived on the edge, stayed out over the middle of the plate, even when he got into a couple fastball counts he located it well,” manager John Farrell said. “In the time he was in there I don’t think we had a guy get past first base.”

Fortunately for the Sox and David Ortiz, one of the hits was a single in the second inning which extended his hitting streak to 27 games dating back to last July. He now has tied the longest hitting streak for the Sox since 2006 where Manny Ramirez also hit in 27 straight games. Jarrod Saltalamacchia accounted for the lone Sox run, a solo homer in the ninth.

Red Sox starter Ryan Dempster pitched well once again going seven-plus innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on five hits while walking one and striking out eight. He allowed a run in the fifth inning and then a solo home run in the seventh to Ryan Doumit before allowing two unearned runs in the eighth. The wheels came off following his departure as Craig Breslow came in to allow two more runs, giving the Twins a 6-0 lead. Pedro Ciriaco committed two errors in the inning, making three of the four runs unearned.

The third game of the four-game series will be played tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) where Allen Webster will make his second career major league start for the Red Sox and be opposed by Pedro Hernandez.

What they’ll be saying: It was just one of those nights for the Red Sox where they couldn’t get anything going from the start, which really put a damper on another great start from Dempster. His record now sits at 2-3 on the year, but he’s pitched much better than that. He’s only allowed more than two earned runs in two of his seven starts and made it past the sixth in his last five … Will Middlebrooks and David Ross left the game after a collision on a foul ball in which Middlebrooks made a sliding catch. Both players hit the wall pretty hard. Ross is day-to-day with a left quad contusion and it would appear it wouldn’t be anything that would keep him out more than a day or two, while Middlebrooks underwent X-rays and a cat scan on his ribs as a precaution.

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BOSTON — After numerous chances throughout the game, the Red Sox finally came through with a few clutch hits in the late innings to come away with a 6-5 extra innings win over the Minnesota Twins Monday night at Fenway Park. It was the first win of the year for the Sox when trailing after six innings.

The Red Sox trailed 3-0 and 3-1, but worked their way back to ultimately come away with the win. Stephen Drew tied the game at four with a solo home run in the seventh inning and then Dustin Pedroia launched a solo home run into the Monster seats to give the Sox a 5-4 lead. This all came before Joel Hanrahan allowed a solo home run to Brian Dozier in the ninth, which knotted the score at five. The Red Sox eventually got the last laugh on a walk-off double off the Monster from Drew in the 11th inning.

“He’s been swinging the bat much better of late,” manager John Farrell said of Drew. “He came through with the key hit to walk it off. The home run gets us another run closer earlier in the ballgame. The one thing that we’ve talked to Stephen about is, over the last ten days or so it’s sort of like the end of spring training for him with the number of at bats he’s compiled. His timing is getting better and better and it was a solid night at the plate for him.”

David Ortiz extended his hitting streak to 26 games with a double in the eighth, while Shane Victorino had a good night as well going 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored. Drew finished with four hits and three RBIs. The Sox did have plenty of chances to score earlier in the game as they finished 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

Making his first start since the accusations in Toronto that he was doctoring the baseball, Buchholz got off to a rough start. He allowed five straight batters to reach in the first inning and two runs to cross the plate before getting out of a bases loaded jam. Between the end of the first and the top of the fourth he retired nine straight hitters before allowing back-to-back doubles and the third Minnesota run. He then allowed another run in the fifth, before a 1-2-3 sixth for his last inning. He finished the night allowing four runs on seven hits in the six innings of work, recording nine strikeouts while throwing a season-high 116 pitches.

Alex Wilson, Andrew Miller, Craig Breslow combined to pitch two scoreless innings of relief before Hanrahan allowed the run in the ninth. Hanrahan left the game after the next hitter with what was described after the game as right forearm tightness with an MRI coming Tuesday. This comes after Andrew Bailey was placed on the 15-day disabled list earlier in the day with bicep soreness. Clayton Mortensen got the last out in the ninth inning and pitched the tenth and eleventh innings to earn the win.

The teams will be back at Fenway tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) as Ryan Dempster will take to the mound for the Sox and be opposed by Scott Diamond.

What they’ll be saying: It was one of the wilder games of the season, with the Red Sox coming from behind throughout the game to finally tie it and take the lead, before giving up the lead again and then end it with a walk-off hit. It shows the fight the team has and the ability to grind out wins … Mortensen was outstanding for the Sox, pitching 2 1/3 scoreless innings and allowing the team to not have to go to relievers Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa, who Farrell wanted to stay away from after all their work over the weekend as well as Dempster who made his way out to the bullpen for a possible relief appearance … Buchholz didn’t have his best overall stuff, but still pitched well. After a rough first he settled in and made it through the sixth inning. After what unfolded in the later innings it’s a good thing he did. Even though he suffered a no-decision the Red Sox are still 7-0 in games he’s started this season.

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Although the Red Sox were stymied by right-hander Yu Darvish Sunday in Texas (14 strikeouts), Boston has actually done quite well against opposing aces. In fact, Sunday was the first time the Sox have lost when facing an opposing ace this season.

Obviously, the classification of an ace is different from person to person, but in most eyes the Red Sox have gone up against four top hurlers this season – CC Sabathia (April 1), R.A. Dickey (April 7), David Price (April 13) and Darvish (May 5).

In those four starts the Red Sox have gone 3-1, with a combined run differential of 24-7, and the pitchers have a combined ERA of 5.56.
Price and Darvish were the only ones to make it into the sixth inning as the Sox got Dickey and Sabathia out of the game after just 4 2/3 and 5 innings respectively.

Patience at the plate has been the key to getting past opposing aces.

“Our overall offensive approach has been outstanding,” manager John Farrell said last week. “Guys aren’t afraid to pass the baton onto the next guy. They’ll take their walks in key spots. We’ve had good situational hitting. Most importantly, we’ve driven the pitch counts up of starters and have gotten into the bullpen.”

When you’re going up against the best of the best, aside from putting runs on the board, the team’s next goal is to be able to get that pitcher out of the game as fast as possible. Besides scoring runs, driving up pitch counts is the next best thing.

In the season opener in the New York, Red Sox hitters worked four walks off of Sabathia, which forced him out of the game after the fifth inning after throwing 102 pitches. The Red Sox went on to score four runs off of Yankees relievers in their 8-2 win.

The success the Red Sox have had going up against some of the league’s best arms has played some role in the team being tied for the best record in baseball entering play Monday night, and their patient offensive approach has been a big reason why.

Follow Metro Red Sox beat writer Ryan Hannable on Twitter @hannable84

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The Rangers completed a three-game sweep of the Red Sox with a 4-3, walk-off win Sunday afternoon in Texas. It was the first series sweep against the Sox this season and the first time they’ve lost three straight games at any point.

With the score knotted at three in the bottom of the ninth, Clayton Mortensen retired the first two hitters before Elvis Andrus singled and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Mortensen then intentionally walked Lance Berkman, setting the stage for Adrian Beltre. Beltre singled to right, scoring Andrus and giving the Rangers the walk-off win.

Although the game was decided by the bullpens, the two starters pitched very well. Jon Lester went six innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out seven. He pitched better than his line would indicate as he was rolling until the sixth, which saw him make one bad pitch, resulting in a two-run home run off the bat of Nelson Cruz. Yu Darvish was dominant as well, tying a career-high with 14 strikeouts in seven innings of work, throwing a career-high 127 pitches. He allowed three runs on just four hits.

David Ortiz did extend his hit streak to 25 games, dating back to last season, with a double in the first inning. He has hit safely in his first 12 games of this season, which is the longest streak in all of the majors. The Red Sox finished with just five hits on the afternoon.

The Red Sox will return home for a seven-game homestand beginning Monday night (7:10, NESN) when the Sox welcome the Twins for the first of a four-game series. Clay Buchholz will go against Twins right-hander Vance Worley.

What they’ll be saying: It was a rough weekend for the Red Sox going up against, arguably, their toughest opponent of the season thus far. The offense was the main issue as they only scored four runs in three games. Boston had opportunities to score in Sunday’s game as well as Saturday night’s loss, but it just couldn’t get the timely hit it needed … Lester looked much better than in his previous two outings, but he did labor in the sixth when his pitch count went above 100, which could have played a role in allowing the three-run homer to Cruz which tied the game … Darvish pitched as advertised, showing why he leads the league in strikeouts. His ability to change speeds is unmatched by anyone in the game and kept Red Sox hitters off balance all game long.

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Red Sox closer Andrew Bailey will receive an MRI on his sore biceps Monday and it is possible that he could wind up on the disabled list.

“We’re not going to risk anything without a full checkup,” Red Sox manager John Farrell told ESPN.

Bailey last pitched on April 28 and had been having a stellar 2013 season for Boston. The closer had five saves on the young year to go along with a 1.46 ERA and a 0.81 WHIP.

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The Red Sox bats were silenced for a second straight night in Texas as Boston fell to the Rangers, 5-1, Saturday night. The Sox finished with seven hits, this coming off a series which saw them score 20 runs in three games in Toronto.

John Lackey got the nod for Boston, making just his third start of the season. The right-hander went five innings allowing three runs on six hits while walking three and striking out four. With it being his third start of the year he was pulled after throwing 98 pitches. He allowed a lead off home run to Ian Kinsler in the first and then allowed two more runs in the fourth.

Andrew Miller and Junichi Tazawa each pitched scoreless inning of relief before Koji Uehara allowed two runs in the eighth.

Despite the loss, David Ortiz did extend his hitting streak with a double in the second. The streak now sits at 24 games dating back to last season. Daniel Nava drove in Ortiz for the lone Sox run.

The teams will close out their weekend series Sunday  (3:05, NESN) with a great pitching matchup as Jon Lester will be opposed by Yu Darvish.

What they’ll be saying: Considering it was just his third start of the season Lackey really didn’t pitch all that bad. Coming into the game in Texas he had a lifetime record of 7-6 with a 6.68 ERA, but held the Rangers to just three runs over five innings — not shabby for the supposed No. 5 starter … There is a cause for concern with the Red Sox bats as they’ve struggled this series particularly with runners in scoring position as they went 1-for-9 in the game. Things won’t get any easier for them as they go against Darvish tomorrow to try and avoid a sweep.

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