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Red Sox Vs. Rays Lineups: Sox Stick With Usual Nine Against Hellickson

2012-05-16T20:48:55Z

The Red Sox will take on the Tampa Bay Rays in the first game of their short two-game series Wednesday afternoon. First pitch is at 7:00 p.m. EST, with broadcasts on NESN, ESPN, and WEEI.

The Sox come into the game on a five-game winning streak that has them just two games shy of .500. They'll need to pick up their second straight sweep if they're to leave Tampa with an even record.

The Sox will have what is fast becoming their standard lineup on the field against Tampa Bay.

Boston Red Sox (17-19)

Ryan Sweeney, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Cody Ross, RF
Daniel Nava, LF
Mike Aviles, SS

Tampa Bay Rays (23-14)

Ben Zobrist, RF
B.J. Upton, CF
Matt Joyce, LF
Carlos Pena, 1B
Luke Scott, DH
Sean Rodriguez, 3B
Will Rhymes, 2B
Jose Molina, C
Elliot Johnson, SS

Next Game

Boston Red Sox
@ Tampa Bay Rays

Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 7:10 PM EDT
Tropicana Field

Clay Buchholz vs Jeremy Hellickson

. Game time temperature around .

Complete Coverage >

Red Sox Vs. Rays: Streaking Sox Head To Tampa Bay

2012-05-16T20:30:15Z

The Red Sox will take on the Rays in a short two-game series down in Tampa Bay. Clay Buchholz will get the start Wednesday, hoping to build on an encouraging performance last time out.

The Red Sox are on a roll, winners of five straight behind all-around impressive performances in the field, on the mound, and at the plate against the Indians and Mariners. Now they'll head to Tampa Bay, hoping to stay hot as they take on the division rival Rays.

Though they are locked in a tie with the Orioles atop the division, the Rays have been struggling a bit of late, dropping six of their last ten games before a short sweep of Toronto righted the ship. They've been doing things their usual way, keeping runs off the board with pitching and defense.

Now the Sox will try to score some runs off of them like they did a month ago, when they put together 31 runs in four games against Tampa in April, taking three much-needed wins off the Rays.

Boston Red Sox (17-19) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (23-14)

Wednesday, May 16, 7:00 p.m. EST
NESN/ESPN, WEEI
Clay Buchholz (4-1, 8.31 ERA) vs. Jeremy Hellickson (3-0, 2.95 ERA)

When last they met, the Sox did a number on Jeremy Hellickson, showing him why it is that low-strikeout, high-walk pitchers don't often thrive in the MLB. Still, Hellickson has been seeing the same success as he did last year despite once again having peripherals that suggest much worse. Perhaps staying out of Fenway is all that Hellickson needs. Or maybe it's more about staying away from strong offensive teams like the Sox.

Clay Buchholz finally had his first decent start of the season in his last outing, though it still involved a late-inning fade, three earned runs, and bad peripherals. While it's definitely a sight better than all of his other starts, it's questionable whether or not this is the sort of start he can take as a positive sign and build on. If Clay can't keep runs off tonight, then it's right back to the drawing board for him.

Thursday, May 17, 7:10 p.m. EST
NESN/MLBN, WEEI
Felix Doubront (3-1, 4.46 ERA) vs. Matt Moore (1-3, 5.31 ERA)

Felix Doubront turned in arguably his most impressive start of the season last time out, throwing six innings of one-run ball, striking out five and walking two. The southpaw starter is still struggling to go deep into games, but has some of the best peripherals on the team and was doing well in his first start against the Rays until the defense failed him in the fifth.

Matt Moore has had difficulty converting his preseason hype into regular season success. Despite getting ahead in plenty of at bats and finding the zone with some regularity, Moore has struggled to avoid the walk, surrendering five per nine innings so far this year. Combine that with a terribly high fly ball rate, and opposing teams aren't having too much trouble scoring off of young Moore.

Red Sox Vs. Rays: Streaking Sox Head To Tampa Bay

2012-05-16T20:29:36Z

Now the Sox will try to score some runs off of them like they did a month ago, when they put together 31 runs in four games against Tampa in April, taking three much-needed wins off the Rays.

Boston Red Sox (17-19) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (23-14)

Wednesday, May 16, 7:00 p.m. EST
NESN/ESPN, WEEI
Clay Buchholz (4-1, 8.31 ERA) vs. Jeremy Hellickson (3-0, 2.95 ERA)

Thursday, May 17, 7:10 p.m. EST
NESN/MLBN, WEEI
Felix Doubront (3-1, 4.46 ERA) vs. Matt Moore (1-3, 5.31 ERA)

2012 NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Kyle Smyth Chooses Seton Hall Over Boston College As Transfer Destination

2012-05-16T19:31:23Z

The Boston College Eagles lost a recruiting battle to the Seton Hall Pirates on Wednesday.

Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports reports that Iona guard Kyle Smyth chose Seton Hall over Boston College as his transfer destination.

The 6-foot-4 Smyth averaged 5.5 points as a junior with Iona last season, playing a significantly smaller role than he did as a sophomore when he scored 10.1 points per game. Smyth will not have to sit out a year and will be eligible in the upcoming season.

In four seasons with Iona (he received a red-shirt his freshman year after playing just 17 minutes), Smyth amassed 762 total points. His best season came as a sophomore when he averaged 10.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists.

Smyth played 20.8 minutes per game this past season as Iona captured the MAAC tournament and earned a trip to the NCAA tournament.

For more Boston College basketball news, visit BC Interruption.

Wes Welker Signs Contract Tender, Puts Ball In Patriots' Court

2012-05-16T18:07:40Z

Wes Welker signed a franchise tender Tuesday that guarantees he will keep him in New England at least for the 2012 NFL season. But in a tweet following the signing, Welker acknowledged that the ball is now in the Patriots' court.

"I think in essence the Patriots understood, and he understands, he can't really live without football. He's an addict, he needs football, and he understands the 9.5 (million dollars) is about half of what he made over the length of (his previous) contract," said CSNNE analyst Tom E. Curran. "He gave up the leverage, but that tweet made a nice passive-aggressive stand that says, 'Look, I'm doing it. Meet me halfway here, Patriots. Meet me halfway here, Kraft. Put your money where your mouth is. You said you were going to renegotiate and do the right thing. Let's see if you do.'"

Could the Patriots find a replacement for Welker if they don't lock him up with a long-term contract?

"Going into last year, I thought someone could replicate but not duplicate what Wes Welker did. And then he came out and he was the best receiver in the National Football League for the first half of the season, hands down -- outside, inside, whatever, hands down the most productive guy. And I actually went up to him and I said, 'I got it wrong. Nobody can do what you exactly can do. Nobody in the NFL can do it, certainly nobody on the Patriots can do it,'" said Curran. "I don't know if he was at the height of his powers last year and he can come back and be as good as he was last year for that eight- to 10-game stretch. But no, I haven't seen anybody play that position as well as him."

For more of Curran's comments on the Welker signing, view the video below:

For more on the Patriots please be sure to check out our blog, Pats Pulpit and SB Nation Boston for all the latest news and updates.

NBA Playoffs 2012, Celtics Vs. Sixers, Game 3: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

2012-05-16T18:00:35Z

Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics continue their pursuit of an 18th championship against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs on Wednesday.

Event: Celtics (5-3) vs. 76ers (5-3) - NBA Playoffs 2012, Second Round, Game 3.

Date/Time: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 - 7:00 p.m. EST.

Location: Wells Fargo Center (Capacity: 20,318), Philadelphia, PA.

Broadcast Info: Wednesday's game between the Celtics and 76ers will be televised nationally on TNT. In addition, the game will be broadcast on the radio on WEEI 93.7 FM.

Celtics Roster 2011-2012: Ray Allen, Brandon Bass, Avery Bradley, Marquis Daniels, Keyon Dooling, Kevin Garnett, Ryan Hollins, JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore, Sasha Pavlovic, Paul Pierce, Mickael Pietrus, Rajon Rondo, Greg Stiemsma, Sean Williams. Head Coach: Doc Rivers.

76ers Roster 2011-2012: Lavoy Allen, Tony Battie, Craig Brackins, Elton Brand, Spencer Hawes, Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguodala, Jodie Meeks, Xavier Silas, Evan Turner, Nikola Vucevic, Louis Williams, Sam Young, Thaddeus Young. Head Coach: Doug Collins.

Injury Report: Boston - Paul Pierce (knee), Ray Allen (ankle), Avery Bradley (shoulder).

Regular Season Series: Boston and Philadelphia met three times in the regular season, with the Sixers winning twice. Philly won by a combined 45 points in its two victories. On March 7, the Celtics were blown away, 103-71, thanks to a career game from Evan Turner (26 points). Philly also beat Boston, 99-86, in the next meeting on March 23. Boston won the season series finale, 103-79, on April 8 behind a 20 point game from Kevin Garnett.

Celtics-76ers In First Round: Both the No. 4 seeded Celtics and No. 8 seeded 76ers won their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series. Boston defeated the No. 5 seeded Atlanta Hawks, 4-2, and Philadelphia defeated the No. 1 seeded Chicago Bulls, 4-2.

First Round Playoff Stats: Paul Pierce is the Celtics' leading postseason scorer, averaging 21.2 points. Kevin Garnett is the team's leading rebounder (10.5 RPG) and shot blocker (1.8 BPG) and Rajon Rondo is averaging a team-high 11.8 assists and 3.4 steals in six games. Jrue Holiday is the Sixers' leading scorer, averaging 18.2 points, and leads the team, averaging 4.7 assists. Spencer Hawes is averaging 8.0 rebounds, Andre Iguodala averages 1.8 steals and Elton Brand is averaging 2.5 blocks through the opening round.

Celtics Vs. 76ers, Game 1: Boston rode Kevin Garnett (29 points, 11 rebounds) and Rajon Rondo (13 points, 12 rebounds, 17 assits) to a comeback 92-91 win over Philadelphia in Game 1 of the series on Saturday night at TD Garden. Paul Pierce scored 14 and Ray Allen scored 12. Andre Iguodala finished with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists for Philly.

Celtics Vs. 76ers, Game 2: Boston again struggled through parts of the first three quarters, but got hot at the right time in the fourth. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough as the Sixers fended off the green team to even the series at 1-1. Jrue Holiday scored a game-high 18 while Kevin Garnett scored 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter and had 12 rebounds.

Storyline: Philly's not so tough, right? That's what you're probably thinking if you've been listening to 98.5 The Sports Hub's Mike Felger on weekday afternoons, but then again, you'd be wrong. The Sixers practically beat the Celtics twice -- Boston just happened to win one game, said C's head coach Doc Rivers -- in the first two games in Boston. Now, with the series transitioning to the Wells Fargo Center, the Celtics face an even tougher test against a team that can clearly beat them. Just as in the first two games, the health of Boston's stars -- Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Avery Bradley -- will be in question, and an unhealthy Celtics squad isn't helpful to the cause. Pierce said after Game 2 that the Celtics need to do a better job of defending individually, a thought that point guard Rajon Rondo also echoed. That's a tall order, though, as Philly has a handful of athletic players that can beat Boston at almost any time. In order for Boston to stay in this series, it desperately needs to win one, if not both, of the next two games in Philadelphia before coming home.

Players To Watch: Jrue Holiday entered the series as the Sixers' leading scorer, regular season and postseason, and he hasn't failed to live up to the billing so far. Holiday has been a pest for Boston in the first two games, so there's no reason to believe he won't be on Wednesday. Lou Williams, Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner also pose their own problems for Boston. Lavoy Allen has also developed into a sort of "X-factor" in the series for Philly. On the Celtics' side, it will be tough, if not impossible, to win without strong games from Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo. Ray Allen and Mickael Pietrus will also need to provide scoring and energy off the Celtics' bench in order to keep them afloat.

Prediction: It's still reasonable to think that the Celtics could win the series in five or six games, but in order to do so, they'll need to pick up at least one win in Philadelphia. In my opinion, that win won't come on Wednesday evening. Final Score: Sixers 86, Celtics 80.

Next Game

Boston Celtics
@ Philadelphia 76ers

Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 7:00 PM EDT
Wells Fargo Center

Complete Coverage >

For 2012 NBA Playoffs news, follow our stream. For Celtics coverage, visit our team page and CelticsBlog. Visit Liberty Ballers and SB Nation Philly for additional 76ers coverage.

David Ortiz Says Media Needs To 'Take It Easy' On Josh Beckett Golfing

2012-05-16T16:54:42Z

David Ortiz defended the indefensible on Tuesday, saying the media should take it easy on Josh Beckett following his ill-advised golfing trip.

"You guys need to take it easy, man," Ortiz said. "We are human here. We come and play the game. We try to do the right thing, but we have a personal life too. We are human just like everyone else."

Yes, baseball players are humans and have a personal life too. But -- just a suggestion -- when a player is scratched from a start one day with a sore lat, he probably shouldn't be spotted the very next day playing a round of golf. And when he is spotted playing golf when he should probably be getting treatment on his sore lat, he should probably be apologetic rather than combative in the aftermath.

For video of Ortiz' comments on Josh Beckett, watch below.

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.

Mike Stone Plays Big Role with 2012 Cannons

2012-05-16T16:29:14Z

When you think of the Boston Cannons, you think of Paul Rabil, Matt Poskay, Ryan Boyle, Jordan Burke, and other cogs in the lineup for the championship season. Who you don’t think of is Mike Stone.

Stone has seven goals in three games this season, including a hat trick against the Hamilton Nationals this past week. Last season he had five goals overall in six games. “I’m having a blast playing this year.” said Stone. “I came into the season motivated to contribute, and I decided that more than anything I was going to play as hard as I can and enjoy the experience. The camaraderie on our team is great, and it is a ton of fun getting together each week and competing.”

Behind the efforts of Stone and others, the Cannons are 3-0, and tied for the best record in Major League Lacrosse with the Denver Outlaws, who the Cannons hit the road to play this week. “Denver has a very talented team and is going to be a difficult test for us.” Stone explained. "I think the best thing that we can do is continue to play as we have the first 3 games this season.

“It has been important for us to get this season off to a strong start. We have been focused on not allowing last year’s success get in the way of our success this year, and we have been able to do that so far despite missing some valuable pieces of our roster.”

One thing that has helped Stone and the Cannons is the entire offensive unit being back. “I think we have put together a strong offensive group each week, even while some of our guys were out with NLL/coaching commitments. We had some young guys step up and do very well. With all of our offensive players back on the roster, we’re going to continue to play the way we have so far this year.”

What do the Cannons need to do to win in Denver this week? “Take care of the ball, be unselfish, and play together.”