Middle 2, 1:26 Penny is straight up burning hitters with his fastball. He's clocking in at 96, after striking out Langerhans and Johjima, has four Ks in two innings.

And here's more chill-inducing National Anthem business because, at this pace, there is going to be a long gap between the end of this game and Keith Lockhart.

Top 1, 1:12 Can't ask for a better start than to strikeout Ichiro on three pitches, and Brad Penny did just that. He also punched out Russell Branyan and retired the side unharmed after a Jose Lopez single. It was a start almost as pretty as the best start to a sporting event ever. Oh, and Happy 4th.

Nick Green has the day off today, but Red Sox manager Terry Francona made it clear it had nothing to do with his performance on the field.

“You know who he reminds me of recently? Michael Young when he was young,” Francona said.

Although Green hit two doubles and drove in two Red Sox runs yesterday, Francona was intimating that Green’s arm strength is similar to that of the five-time Rangers’ All-Star.

Francona remembers the last game of the season in 2003, when the Rangers moved the then-27-year-old Young to shortstop from second base in the last game of the season.

“He went into the hole on one of those plays and I remember thinking, ‘holy (expletive), he threw that ball hard,’” said Francona. “That’s the kind of thing I see in (Green). I certainly think he’s starting to feel good about himself.”

Julio Lugo, who hit .346 in June, will start in Green’s place.

---

David Ortiz’s day off is also not performance based, Francona said. Ortiz, who is available to pinch hit today, hasn’t had a day off since the Sox-Nationals game on June 23rd.

“I’m just mixing and matching and I wanted to give Rocco (Baldelli) a chance to get his bat in the lineup,” said Francona. “He’ll be right there if they bring in a righty.”

Baldelli, who will start in Ortiz's place and bat fifth, is hitting .354 in 31 at bats in June and July.

David Ortiz has the day off and Rocco Baldelli will start in his place at DH. Jason Bay moves back to the cleanup spot after batting fifth last night. Julio Lugo and Jeff Bailey each will get a spot at the end of the lineup.

1. J.D. Drew, RF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
4. Jason Bay, LF
5. Rocco Baldelli, DH
6. Jason Varitek, C
7. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
8. Jeff Bailey, 1B
9. Julio Lugo, SS
-- Brad Penny, SP

1. Ichiro Suzuki, RF
2. Russell Branyan, 1B
3. Jose Lopez, 2B
4. Ken Griffey Jr., DH
5. Franklin Gutierrez, CF
6. Ryan Langerhans, LF
7. Kenji Johjima, C
8. Chris Woodward, 3B
9. Ronny Cedeno, SS
-- Garrett Olson, SP

Sometimes Tim Wakefield thinks about his first start with the Red Sox, in Anaheim, Calif. on May 27, 1995 and it feels like yesterday. Sometimes it feels like happened a long time ago. Last night, Wakefield said after starting his 383d game as a Red Sox hurler, more than anyone else, it felt like yesterday.

In between that first start and last night, there's been a whole lot of good, some bad, and plenty to talk about. “He’s been a really consistent pitcher with an inconsistent pitch,” manager Terry Francona said. “You throw his numbers out at the end of the year, and they’re always unbelievable. You got to put a seatbelt on sometimes to watch it.”

Wakefield’s push for an All-Star nod this year has brought some overdue attention to his unique career, with more and more national writers putting him into perspective.

Got us to thinking: Of his 383 starts with the Sox, which were the best? For criteria, with the help of Baseball Reference, let's revert to Bill James's game scores. Here's how they work: Start with 50 ponts. Add 1 point for each out, 2 points for every completed inning after the fourth, and 1 point for every strikeout. Subtract 2 points for every hit, 4 points for every earned run, 2 points for every unearned run, and 1 point for every walk. Last night, for example, was a 66.

With that criteria, these are Wakefield's best Red Sox starts:

1. May 6, 2008 84
2. Sept. 11, 2005, 83
3. Aug 13, 2007, 82
4. June 24, 2005, 82
5. May 10 1998, 82
6. July 29 1997, 81
7. June 4, 1995, 81
8. June 9, 1995, 80
9. July 18 1997, 80
10. Sept. 12, 2008, 80

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 6, PAWTUCKET 1
Starter Kris Johnson allowed two runs on six hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings. Second baseman Travis Denker went 1 for 4 with a solo home run. Third baseman Angel Chavez went 2 for 3 with a double.

PORTLAND 6, New Britain 4, Game 1
First baseman Lars Anderson went 3 for 3 with a double and an RBI. Leftfielder Ryan Kalish went 2 for 3 with a walk and a run. Catchr Jon Otness went 2 for 2 with a double and three RBI. Starter Adam Mills allowed four runs on seven hits with three walks.

PORTLAND 8, New Britain 5
Centerfielder Josh Reddick went 1 for 3 with a triple, a walk, two runs. First baseman Jon Still went 2 for 3 with a double and two RBI. DH Lars Anderson went 1 for 4 with two RBI. Catcher Juan Apodaca went 2 for 2 with two doubles and two RBI. Felix Doubront allowed three runs on nine hits in five innings while striking out four.

SALEM 10, Myrtle Beach 0
Catcher Luis Exposito went 4 for 4 with a home run, two walks, two doubles, two RBI, and two walks. Leftfielder David Mailman went 2 for 6 with a home run and three RBI. First baseman Anthony Rizzo went 2 for 5 with a walk, two runs, and an RBI. Starter Bryan Price struck out six while allowing three hits and no walks in six innings. Josh Papelbon allowed a hit and struck out one in one inning.

Charleston 4, GREENVILLE 0
First baseman Tyler Weeden went 2 for 4. Peter Hissey went 2 for 3 with a double.

LOWELL 4, Staten Island 2
First baseman Drew Hedman went 2 for 3 with a run and an RBI. First baseman Michael Alamanzar went 1 for 2 with a walk and a run. Joantoni Garcia went 1 for 3 with a double and two RBI.

And from Thursday:
PAWTUCKET 4, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 3
Starter Clay Buchholz allowed three on five hits and a walk in seven innings while striking out seven. Leftfielder Paul McAnunlty went 2 for 2 with a home run, a double, and two runs. Centerfielder Freddy Guzman went 2 for 4. Rightfielder Bubba Bell went 1 for 3 with a double and an RBI.

PORTLAND vs. New Britain, PPD

Myrtle Beach 8, SALEM 1
Starter Casey Kelly allowed seven runs on six hits and three walks in six innings. He struck out two and allowed two home runs. Jason Place went 1 for 4 with a solo home run.

Charleston 3, GREENVILLE 0
Starter Nick Hagadone allowed three runs on no hits and four walks in 1 2/3 innings. First baseman Jered Stanley went 2 for 4 with a double. Centerfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker went 1 for 3.

10:20 Pedroia grounds out hard to third. Mariners win 7-6 in 11 innings. Chris Jakubauskas moves to 5-5 and Ramirez goes to 5-2.

10:18 JD Drew base hit. Whoever is left at Fenway is yelling right now.

Lowe, who is topping out at 99 mph on the gun, will get a talk from Mariners pitching coach Rick Adair. Dustin Pedroia will step in. Hideki Okajima will warm just in case.

Bottom 11, 10:15 There is life! After a seven-pitch and six-pitch at-bat from Ellsbury and Green respectively, George Kottaras cranks his first major league home run well over the bullpen. Fans were leaving before this. 7-6, Mariners, and JD Drew will try to rally with no outs to spare.

Top 11, 10:00 Rob Johnson's third double of the night (really! this really happened!) scores Franklin Gutierrez and Ryan Langerhans and the Mariners pull ahead, 7-5. The Sox will try to counter with Ellsbury, Green and Kottaras (pinch hitters aside) against Mark Lowe to try to keep the game alive.

That double dragged Johnson over the Mendoza Line, by the way.

End of 10, 9:50 Three groundouts and we'll see an 11th inning. These teams clearly have no regard for the fact that they have to play more baseball in 15 hours.

Ramon Ramirez, who has given up no runs on three hits in his last six appearances, will enter for Papelbon.

Middle 10, 9:42 Papelbon blows a fastball by Griffey and Kottaras snags Lopez trying to take second. Strike 'em out, throw 'em out to end the inning. The Sox can win it in the 10th with Ortiz, Bay and Kotsay.

Top 10, 9:35 Extras. Papelbon. That's all you need to know.

Middle 9, 9:30 Manny Delcarmen blows through the back end of the Mariners order and gets Ichiro to ground out routinely to second. One-two-three and the Sox have a chance to win it in the bottom half from the top of their order.

Top 9, 9:24 Kottaras flies out, so Wakefield won't get his 11th win of the year tonight, but he won't get his fourth loss either. The closed book on Wakefield: 8 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 2 HR. 112 pitches, 81 strikes. He's a knuckleballer who has given up two walks in his last four outings combined. Think about that.

Manny Delcarmen will enter in the ninth.

Bottom 8, 9:20 Who knew David Ortiz's successor as Mr. Clutch would be a 29-year-old former minor league utility man. Nick Green doubles high off the left field wall and drives in Jason Bay and Mark Kotsay. It's now 5-5, and the Sox are rallying with two down.

Middle 8, 9:05 The book is closed on King Felix "Peanut Butter Jonkheer" Hernandez: 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. After a shaky start, he turns in a better-than-solid outing and leaves in line for his ninth win.

Top 8, 9:01 Wakefield gives up a blast over the Monster to Jose Lopez. If he's going to pick up his 11th win tonight, it's going to take real output from one of these half-rallies the Red Sox have been threatening. 5-3, Mariners.

End of 7, 8:56 After a JD Drew homer, the Sox are within one. He's rewarding a very antsy Fenway crowd tonight. I guess this is what happens when it doesn't rain all the time. 4-3, Mariners.

Top 7, 8:50 A Ronny Cedeno single is the only blemish on three otherwise perfect Wakefield innings. He's never been this good this deep into the season. It's safe to say that at this point.

Bottom 6, 8:44 The Sox create an insta-pop two-out rally. Mark Kotsay knocks a double and Jacoby Ellsbury legs out an infield single and the fans are reignited. But Nick Green goes down looking to end the inning. Still 4-2, M's.

So, Felix Hernandez nickname update: He will not go away jam-free! Felix "Peanut Butter" Hernandez.

8:27 FYI, just noticed that the official scorer of this game is named Chaz Scoggins. Awesome.

End of 5, 8:23 The fifth went entirely in order. You might want to buy a paper tomorrow if you want to know about "Zupa," the interferee, who we'll all feel bad for once he finally gets off his cell phone. Buy a newspaper! Save an amendment!

Top 4, 8:03 Nice Fenway moment: a quarter of the stadium is chanting "all your fault!" to a fan who intruded on Kevin Youkilis' would-be catch by the Mariner dugout. Ryan Langerhans, the beneficiary with a new best friend, would go on to double. Rob Johnson would double after that, scoring Langerhans. More chants. Then Ronny Cedeno homered to where the monster meets the camera scaffolding, one of the deepest and highest parts of the park. And you guessed it: more chanting. 4-2, Mariners.

Bottom 3, 7:56 Well, looks like Felix Hernandez has Officially Settled Down. A grindout, a popout and a strikeout against the meat of the Sox order and this half-inning was as short as this sentence. Looks like it's safe to throw out the "King Felix? More like Jonkheer Felix, if you ask me" joke that was so readily cooking.

Top 3, 7:51 Wakefield, who is still jamming hitters left and right (he ended the inning on back-to-back knuckled pop-ups), gets out of a mini-jam in the third with only one run surrendered. The only truly well-hit ball was Rob Johnson's leadoff double to left. A Russell Branyan single scored him two batters later. Still, the knuckleball is dancing like it's Patrick Swayze tonight and Hernandez has yet to settle down. 2-1, Red Sox.

Bottom 2, 7:38 The Sox started to rally again with a Nick Green double and a George Kottaras base knock, but Hernandez started fooling the Sox order the second time around. Drew and Pedroia struck out consecutively to end the inning. Hernandez isn't a get-out-of-jams pitcher, so this start is altogether weird. He has a 12.15 ERA with runners in scoring position and two out this year.

End of 1, 7:23 Big Sox rally opened up by Jason "Slump No Longer" Bay. He was 0-for-17 before driving in Dustin Pedroia with a ground rule double to the tunnel in right. David Ortiz, who is in the cleanup spot, scored on a wild pitch in the next at-bat. A rare tough start for King Felix, who has absolutely earned the faux nobility so far this year. 2-0, Red Sox.

7:22 Is there a better cultural comparison, anyway, for Tim Wakefield's darkhorse All-Star bid than to Neil Young's career as currently constituted? He's not the sexiest pick in the world (the sexiest All-Star pick in the world right now would probably be Megan Fox, regardless of sense), anyone in a small keeper fantasy league is quietly crying staring at him on someone else's team, and it's probably infeasible to think he's hitting his ceiling at 42.

He's "so uncool he's cool" -- this is what Chuck Klosterman said about Neil Diamond, too -- and this works. Just like you want to sing Sweet Caroline, there will be fans trying to vote this guy in because they can't help it.

Middle 1, 7:15: Tim Wakefield looks as workmanlike as ever in the first. A wall-scraping double barely in play from Jose Lopez broke up an otherwise perfect inning. Remember, Wakefield is going for a league best 11th win tonight. Terry Francona called him "a consistent pitcher with an inconsistent pitch" earlier, which is probably better lyricism than anything you'll hear from Neil Diamond tomorrow night.

Jason Bay will move a spot back in the lineup to fifth, but Red Sox manager Terry Francona says the switch is primarily to limit Mariners ace Felix Hernandez and is probably temporary.

“You don’t want to give Hernandez a run of righties because that’ll be a quick inning,” said Francona.

David Ortiz will slide up to the cleanup spot in Bay’s place.

Righties are hitting .219 with two home runs and 11 walks against Hernandez this season. Lefties are batting .245 with five homers and 22 walks.

Francona didn’t discount Bay’s recent struggles at the plate as part of the decision.
“Jason has had a tough time lately,” he said. “He hasn’t dealt with a slump since he’s been here. That’s why we like him so much.”

Bay batted just .230 with four home runs in June after hitting .288 with 15 home runs in the opening two months. Francona said Bay’s calm demeanor is unchanged during the slump.

“There’s nothing different about him. He’s never very loud. Maybe that will change with his newfound citizenship,” Francona joked.

Bay, a Canadian citizen, received American citizenship yesterday.

---

Daisuke Matsuzaka will begin playing catch from 60 feet today, the first ball-in-hand step in his rehab assignment.

Francona met with Matsuzaka today in a meeting that the manager said was very long and productive.

“He looks better,” said Francona. “Sometimes you just get fried and you need a break mentally.”

Matsuzaka worked out without throwing while the Red Sox were on their road trip. Matsuzaka will work closely with strength and conditioning coach David Paige and minor league pitching coordinator Glenn “Goose” Gregson in his recovery. His return still has no timetable.

“He worked hard while we were gone,” said Francona. “We probably have something in our heads as to a good time he could come back, but there is no date (for his return).”

---

Jed Lowrie will be the designated hitter for the Pawtucket Red Sox tonight. Francona anticipates that Lowrie might play shortstop this weekend, as well.

“It’s good news,” said Francona. “I would hope he could play some shortstop this weekend, but we’re not going to rush him.”

Jason Bay and David Ortiz have swapped places in the lineup tonight against Mariners ace Felix Hernandez. No other notable changes in the Red Sox lineup.

1. J.D. Drew, RF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
4. David Ortiz, DH
5. Jason Bay, LF
6. Mark Kotsay, 1B
7. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
8. Nick Green, SS
9. George Kottaras, C
-- Tim Wakefield, SP

1. Ichiro Suzuki, RF
2. Russell Branyan, 1B
3. Jose Lopez, 2B
4. Ken Griffey Jr., DH
5. Franklin Gutierrez, CF
6. Ryan Langerhans, LF
7. Chris Woodward, 3B
8. Rob Johnson, C
9. Ronny Cedeno, SS
-- Felix Hernandez, SP

Also, the Red Sox sent out a press release stating that the Fenway Park gates will open on time at 5:10 p.m. There is rain in the forecast, however. We'll alert you if the Sox announce any delays.

Clay Buchholz isn't heading to Boston just yet, but he is headed to Portland, Ore., to represent the Pawtucket Red Sox in the 2009 International League All-Star game.

Buchholz, the overall leader in the IL fan voting, is 5-1 with a 1.90 ERA, 75 strikeouts to go with 24 walks for the PawSox this season. The righthanded starter will be joined by PawSox reliever Fernando Cabrera, who is 0-1 with a 1.03 ERA and 16 saves to go along with 36 strikeouts in 35 innings for Pawtucket.

The IL standouts will take on the Pacific Coast League's All-Stars in the 22d annual Triple-A All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 15 in Portland, Ore. First pitch is set for 4:05 p.m. EDT and can be seen live on ESPN2.

Just in time for the nation's birthday, Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay will be sworn in as a US citizen this morning near Faneuil Hall.

The 30-year-old Bay, a native of Trail, British Columbia, aced his 10-question citizen's test last week at the John F. Kennedy Federal Building. He is expected to elect dual citizenship with his native Canada.

"I figure I might as well (receive citizenship) since [the United States] is where I'll be working for probably the rest of my career," Bay told WEEI.com last week while the Sox were in D.C. to play the Nationals. "It's just a natural progression."

On the field, it's been a rough week for Bay. He's in the midst of his worst slump with the Red Sox, going 2 for his last 30 with 14 strikeouts over the past seven games, highlighted by yesterday's struggles (0 for 5, 5 strikeouts) in Boston's extra-inning win over the Orioles.

For the season, Bay is hitting .262 with 19 home runs and 69 RBIs. At the beginning of the week, he remained the top vote-getting American League outfielder for this year's All-Star game.

Just last year, fellow Red Sox slugger David Ortiz received his U.S. citizenship.

PAWTUCKET vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PPD

New Britain 3, PORTLAND 1, Game 1
Starter Junichi Tazawa allowed one earned run in five innings on six hits and no walks while striking out six. DH Jon Still went 1 for 3 with a double and an RBI. Argenis Diaz went 1 for 3 with a run. The Sea Dogs had just those two hits.

New Britain 3, PORTLAND 1, Game 2
First baseman Jon Still went 2 for 3 with a run. Centerfielder Josh Reddick went 1 for 4 with a double. DH Lars Anderson went 1 for 3, raising his average to .257. Starter Ryne Lawson allowed three runs on six hits and no walks in a seven-inning complete game.

SALEM 5, Lynchburgh 4
Shortstop Yamaico Navarro went 3 for 4 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. Leftfielder Chih-Hsien Chiang went 2 for 4 with a run and an RBI.

GREENVILLE 10, Charleston 5
The Drive drew 10 walks and scored their 10 runs on five hits. DH Will Middlebrooks went 1 for 5 with a grand slam. Third baseman Jonathan Hee went 1 for 2 with a double, two walks, three runs, and two RBI. Starter Stolmy Pimental allowed five runs on eight hits and no walks while striking out seven in five innings.

LOWELL 11, Staten Island 0
Third baseman Michael Almanzar went 3 for 3 with three RBI, a walk, and a run. Second baseman Derrik Gibson went 0 for 3 with three runs, a walk, and an RBI. Leftfielder Ronald Bermudez went 2 for 3 with an RBI. Starter Jose Alvarez allowed no runs on three hits and a walk while striking out two in six innings. Alvarez, 20, has a 0.50 ERA in three starts with Lowell.

The Arizona Diamondbacks spent a lot of time scouting the Red Sox during the Atlanta and Baltimore series. While it could merely be normal coverage assignments with nothing cooking, the D-Backs might have a player who could be appealing to the Red Sox. Corner infielder Chad Tracy who has just come off the DL with an oblique strain is a chip the Diamondbacks would like to move. While Tracy spent most of his career as a third baseman (330 games) he's become more of a first baseman. His offensive production has declined since a productive early career.

The 6-2, 200-pound left-handed hitter does hit the ball the opposite way which could be a factor at Fenway. The Sox have Mike Lowell on the disabled list with his balky hip, but Lowell is already feeling better and should be able to go after the All-Star break.

The Red Sox really don't have a lot of obvious roster space to add another hitter with Rocco Baldelli and Mark Kotsay already occupying key bench spots. Julio Lugo has been hitting and he may be increasing his trade value.

You could point about 87 different little reasons why the Red Sox came back against the Orioles and won, 6-5 this afternoon at Camden Yards. Josh Beckett throwing three scoreless inning, getting through the seventh when it seemed he left his best stuff at home. Julio Lugo, the forgotten shortstop, knocking home the game-winner. Jeff Bailey drawing a two-out walk in the ninth, then moving Jacoby Ellsbury to third in the 11th with a two-strike sacrifice fly.

The list doesn't have to end. But in the aftermath of a victory that allowed the Red Sox a happy flight home and helped erase the sting from Tuesday's embarrassment, here are just three items that stand out.

Jonathan Papelbon wanted revenge: On Tuesday night, when he blew a save for the second time season, the first three batters Papelbon faced were Felix Pie, Nick Markakis, and Aubrey.

While he warmed up in bullpen today before the bottom of the 11th, Papelbon checked who was up next for Baltimore: Pie, Markakis, and Huff. He was glad.

“No question,” Papelbon said. “I definitely wanted that part of the lineup. For sure.”

Papelbon delivered. Papelbon, in his words, “pitched backwards.” He started the hitters, Markakis especially, with splitters, and then moved to his fastball, which is rare for him. It worked. He retired the side in order, and in doing moved past Bob Stanley into first place all-time on the Red Sox saves list with 133.

“It feels good,” Papelbon said. “When I set out to do this, to be the closer of the Boston Red Sox, there were a lot of goals in sight. And this was one of them. To finally get there and kind of get it out of my head is good for me. All right, that’s done. Let’s move on.”

Papelbon threw a pair of balls into his suit case – his carry-on suitcase, because he wanted to make sure milestone markers arrived safe back in Boston.

Rocco Baldelli likes his role: Before the end of last season, when Baldelli was healthy enough to play, he played just about every day. With the Red Sox, he is a bench player.

Before this year, Baldelli had pinch hit 15 times in his career, and he had two singles and a home run. Baldelli has already pinch hit seven times this season, and he is 3 for 6 with a walk.

His biggest appearance came yesterday, and the result showed how comfortable he is becoming as pinch hitter. With the bases loaded in the ninth, with two outs and the Sox down by two, Baldelli fisted off a one-hopper through the middle, just past a diving Robert Andio. The hit plated two runs and tied the game, helping lift the Sox to the victory.

“If I’m not going to start, I’d like to be in some situations where something could happen,” Baldelli said. “There’s nothing better than being inserted into the game with the bases loaded. You couldn’t ask for much more than that. I’m liking it. I’m started to really get into a roll. It’s good.”

How has Baldelli, in half a season, gone from a player unaccustomed to pinch hitting and not really all that good at it to someone who thrives at the position?

“Just kind of doing it,” Baldelli said. “I guess there’s no other way to get used to it. Just the experience of going through it. It’s not a bad gig. It’s pretty good.”

Daniel Bard was nasty: The Red Sox’ bullpen was stripped and sold for parts Tuesday night, and yesterday presented an opportunity to atone. “I thought today was a great opportunity for our bullpen to show the league and the rest of the guys on this team what we’re really made of,” Papelbon said.

They did, and Bard set the tone. He relieved Josh Beckett in the eighth and dominated all six batters he faced, striking the first three and four in total. He touched 98 on the radar gun, but his slider may have been most impressive.

Yes, he blew away Markakis – a hitter who can crush any fastball – swinging at a 97-mph heater, but his slider had enough bite that it broke all the way across the plate, diving at hitters ankle. Bard is at best when he is easy in his delivery, trusting himself and knowing his stuff is good enough. He threw that way today, and it showed in his slider.

“I was able to bury a couple when I was ahead,” Bard said. “That’s when I know it’s good, when I can get it down and bury when I need to it.”

The Globe's Amalie Benjamin and Adam Kilgore stopped by to post updates and chat with fans as the Red Sox rallied back against the Orioles for a 6-5 win in 11 innings.

The Red Sox today announced the signing of their first-round pick in this year’s draft, outfielder Reymond Fuentes of Fernando Callejo High School in Puerto Rico.

The 6-foot-1, 170-pound Fuentes was assigned the Rookie League Gulf Coast Red Sox in Fort Myers, Fla.

The Red Sox also announced the signing of four other picks -- outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker (fourth round), outfielder Shannon Wilkerson (eighth round), catcher Michael Thomas (12th round), and first baseman Chris McGuiness (13th round) -- bringing their total number of picks signed to 16.

Quiet morning here at Camden Yards. The mood of the clubhouse didn’t feel different from any other day game following a night game. At least on the outside, the Sox don’t seem to be carrying around any residual effects from their collapse last night.

Jed Lowrie is headed back to Boston from Pawtucket to get his left knee, bruised and swollen because he was hit by a pitch last week, looked at by specialist Scott Waugh. The contusion continues to keep him off the field – he didn’t play in Pawtucket’s 12-0 loss last night – and stifle his rehab from left wrist surgery.

“It’s slowed his progress down, because he can’t play,” manager Terry Francona said.

Here’s something to keep in mind while Mike Lowell stays on the disabled list until after the All-Star break: Nick Green is a possibility to see some time at third, especially against lefthanded pitchers when Francona might want to sit first baseman-for-now Mark Kotsay.

“That could happen.” Francona said.

The thing is, Francona doesn’t want to take Green out at short because he’s playing awfully well there. Green made nine errors in his first 30 games at short, but Green has not made an error since June 3, perfect in his last 93 chances. He’s also made some of the most athletic defensive plays the Sox have seen this year. His confidence since becoming the everyday man at short has allowed his full athleticism to come out.

“He made some errors early on he felt like he shouldn’t have,” Francona said. Now, though, he knows he won’t come out if he makes an error, and that confidence allows him to plays ranging to his left and right and show off that powerful arm, which infield coach Tim Bogar called one of the best he has ever seen.

On the morning after last night's Krakatoan meltdown, a popular topic, one brought up in an earlier post, is how the Sox rebound from such a devastating loss. After thinking about it, the craziness of how stunning it was may help the recovery. It's one thing when you play a crisp game and the closer blows a two-run lead. But when there's a torrential rain storm and then your bullpen, previously the best in baseball, allows the biggest comeback in the other team's history, don't you pretty much have to throw up your hands and figure you got caught up in the madhouse that so often is baseball?

Maybe this will be an easier game to move on from than a typical gut-wrencher. We'll see. It helps that the pitching matchup today is Josh Beckett vs. Brad Bergersen.

Some more slices of just how weird that game was:

-The Red Sox bullpen – Justin Masterson, Manny Delcarmen, Hideki Okajima, Takashi Saito, and Jonathan Papelbon – allowed 13 hits in two innings. In its previous 18 1/3 innings, the bullpen had allowed 12 hits.

-Before last night, the Sox were 5-0 this season against the Orioles and 54-23 since 2005. In their first two innings against one another, the O’s outscored the Sox 7-4. In their last three, the O’s outscored the Sox 10-0. In the 49 innings in between, the Sox outscored Baltimore 40-8.

-The bullpen’s ERA jumped from 2.89 to 3.24 – a full quarter of a run. If you’re using ERA as a metric, you can no longer call the Red Sox bullpen the best in the league. That honor now belongs to the Tampa Bays Rays, at 3.19.

And now, today's lineups:

Red Sox
1. J.D. Drew, RF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
4. Jason Bay, LF
5. David Ortiz, DH
6. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
7, Mark Kotsay, 1B
8. Jason Varitek, C
9, Nick Green, SS
-- Josh Beckett, SP

Orioles
1. Brian Roberts, 2B
2. Felix Pie, CF
3. Nick Markakis, RF
4. Aubrey Huff, 1B
5. Luke Scott, DH
6. Nolan Reimold, LF
7. Ty Wigginton, 3B
8. Gregg Zaun, C
9. Robert Andino, SS
-- Brad Bergesen, SP

SYRACUSE 12, Pawtucket 0
The PawSox were out-hit, 17-3, and all three of their hits were singles. Starter Enrique Gonzalez allowed eight runs on 12 hits and three walks in five innings.

New Britain 9, PORTLAND 5
DH Jon Still went 2 for 3 with a home run and three RBI. Centerfielder Josh Reddick went 2 for 4 with a walk, a home run, two runs, and two RBI. Starter Kason Gabbard lasted one third of an inning, allowing seven runs on three hits and four walks.

SALEM 13, Lynchburg 4
Centerfielder Che-Hsuan Lin went 2 for 4 with a walk, three runs, a triple, and three RBI. Shortstop Yamaico Navarro went 3 for 5 with a home run, a double, and three RBI. Rightfielder Jason Place went 2 for 5 with two doubles, a run, and an RBI. Robert Coello pitched two perfect relief innings, striking out one.

GREENVILLE 13, Charleston 4
Second baseman Ryan Dent went 4 for 5 with five RBI, a home run, a double, and two runs. First basmean Jered Stanley went 2 for 4 with a double, a run, and three RBI. Centerfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker, the Sox' fourth round draft choice this year, went 1 for 5 with an RBI. Leftfielder Kade Keowen went 3 for 5 with a run and an RBI.

LOWELL vs. Oneonta, PPD

Manny Delcarmen walked out of the Red Sox clubhouse right behind Justin Masterson, just after midnight, and placed his hand on Masterson’s left shoulder. “Unbelievable, dude,” Delcarmen said, and then they both walked silently down the tunnel toward the exit.

Delcarmen, Masterson, and the rest of the Red Sox bullpen knew they had to return to the clubhouse in less than 10 hours. That’s how long they have to learn from or erase what happened during the 11-10 collapse to the Baltimore Orioles, or some combination of both.

“It will be important to bounce back tomorrow,” manager Terry Francona said. “I don’t know that I necessarily want to forget about it at this moment. Playing with some energy tomorrow will be very important.”

“There’s games in a year you just chalk up to fluke,” said John Smoltz, who redefined the term tough-luck starter. “Our bullpen is outstanding. As far as our bullpen is concerned, this is one that will sting a little bit. But when you got Josh Beckett on the mound tomorrow, he has a tendency to erase that.”

Smoltz, in employing the momentum-is-only-as-good-as-today’s-starter idiom, has a point. Beckett has pitched following a loss seven times this season. The Red Sox are 6-1 in those games, the only loss coming May 23 against the Mets, when he allowed one unearned run in eight innings on five hits and a walk.

In games after losses, Beckett has a 0.86 WHIP, a 1.08 ERA, and a 5-0 record. In four of the seven starts, he hasn’t given up a single earned run, including a complete game against the Braves. He is a stopper of the highest order. If the Sox could choose handpick anyone to start Wednesday's game, it would be Beckett.

So the members of the Red Sox bullpen can count on Beckett to deliver. In the scant hours until Beckett takes the mound, they’ll have to deal with a catastrophic defeat, or at least find a way to forget it. When he wakes up tomorrow, Masterson was asked, would he think about the game?

“Probably not,” Masterson said. “Probably just move on and be ready to go tomorrow. Because that’s what you have to do.”

SOX LOSE (11:45, END 9, 11-10 O'S)
Bay struck out to cap an unreal loss, the worst this season. The Sox led, 10-1, entering the seventh inning.

YOUKILIS HIT (11:42, TOP 9, 11-10 O'S)
Sherrill hit Youkilis in the hand with two strikes. It didn't look pretty the way Youkilis reacted, and the trainer, Paul Lessard, came out to check on him. He's in the game with Bay up and the tying run, Green, at second.

DOWN TO THEIR LAST OUT (11:39, TOP 9, 11-10 O'S)
Pedroia popped out to shallow left. Youkilis is the Red Sox' last chance, and all that separates the Orioles from an amazing comeback. Payback for the Mother's Day Miracle?

ONE AWAY (11:37, TOP 9, 11-10 O'S
After Nick Green came on to pinch run for Bailey, Lugo botched a bunt attempt and swung at strike two in the dirt, givivng himself an 0-2 count. He fought back to 2-2, then took strike, a pitch Lugo felt was low and/or away. Replays showed it barely nipped the corner at the knees, a great pitch. Pedroia is up now.

BAILEY SINGLES (11:31, TOP 9, 11-10 O'S)
The Sox have the tying run on after Bailey smacked a line-drive single to left. Here comes Lugo.

FINALLY, THE NINTH (11:27, END 8, 11-10 O'S)
Reimold, the man who began the inning, ended it with a high fly to left after Huff walked on a 3-2 pitch. George Sherrill is out to close for the Orioles. He'll face Jeff Bailey, Lugo, and Pedroia.

MARKAKIS GIVES BALTIMORE LEAD (11:22, BOT 8, 11-10 O'S)
Wow wow wow. Markakis crunched a double to left-center off of Papelbon with two down, scoring Guthrie and Roberts, who just beat Lugo's relay throw from Bay. Just incredible. The Sox had a 10-1 lead with nine outs left. With four left -- and three of their, most pressing -- they trail, 11-10.

PAP STARTS STRONG (11:20, BOT 8, 10-9 SOX)
Baltimore starter Jeremy Guthrie entered as a pinch runner, which is downright cool, replacing Wieters at second. Papelbon made that irrelevant, for now, by striking out Pie swinging at a 95-mph fastball.

AND ANOTHER (11:16, BOT 8, 10-9 SOX)
Roberts slipped a single -- the 12th hit allowed by the Sox bullpen -- past a diving Youkilis down the third base line, scoring the run that brought the Orioles to within one. This might not be Boston's night -- Roberts was 0 for his last 18.

Here's how dire tonight is: Papelbon is coming on for what would be a five-out save. He hasn't pitched more than one inning since May 4, so this is not something Francona does lightly.

ONE MORE (11:08, BOT 8, 10-8 SOX)
Wigginton crushed a sacrifice fly to right, which Baldelli caught while leaping on the front of the warning track. One down, Roberts up with men on first and third. Worth mentioning again -- it's crazy that this is even a game.

SLIPPING AWAY? (11:02, BOT 8, 10-7 SOX)
Salazar dribbled a swinging bunt toward first. Kottaras scooped the ball, but not in time to make a play at first. Reimold held at third, which loaded the bases with no outs for Wieters. He cracked a single into left, plating Reimold and keeping the bags loaded. With Ty Wigginton out as a pinch hitter, Francona called on Saito. The Red Sox typically suffocating bullpen has been atrocious tonight. No other way to say it.

O'S THREATENING (10:56, BOT 8, 10-6 SOX)
This isn't quite the slam dunk it should have been. With no outs after a Luke Scott double, Baltimore has men on second and third. Reimold singled into left to lead off the inning. What's up with the bullpen? Jonathan Papelbon is warming up now.

LATE AT THE PLATE (10:50, MID 8, 10-6 SOX)
Jacoby Ellsbury nearly had himself another RBI. He ripped a single through the middle. DeMarlo Hale windmilled George Kottaras -- in at catcher for Varitek -- around third base. Pie's throw zipped from center, in time easily to nab Kottaras. Inning over. Okajima remains on the mound, and Takashi Saito has been warming.

PEDROIA MAKES A SAVE (10:40, END 7, 10-6 SOX)
With men on first and third after Markakis's bloop single, Huff flared a soft liner toward right field. Pedroia leapt and made a 180 catch, ending the inning and keeping the damage at five runs. Had the hit fallen, the tying run would have come to the plate.

WE'VE GOT A GAME (10:33, BOT 7, 10-6 SOX)
Francona is making another pitching change, going with Okajima to face Markakis. Delcarmen yielded a two-out single to Pie, which drove Robert Andino, who reached on a fielder's choice and moved to second on a grounder by Roberts.

LIFE FROM THE O'S (10:26, BOT 7, 10-5 SOX)
Oscar Salazar blasted a three-run jack deep to left, his first home run this year. Wieters followed with a single. Huff had scored after he singled Scott doubled off the wall. There are still no outs, and Francona has pulled Masterson for Manny Delcarmen. That inning -- at least four runs, no outs -- is going to murder Masterson's ERA. Hideki Okajima is warming.

DOUBLE DIGITS (10:18, MID 7, 10-1 SOX)
Dustin Pedroia drove in Bailey with an RBI single. Bailey had tripled off the rightfield wall. An observation: This seems to be one drunk crowd. The Sox fans wents nuts on that RBI single. Either they all have Pedroia on their fantasy team, or they enjoyed some Natty Boh during the delay.

If (when) the Sox win tonight, they'll have won the first two games of six of their last seven series. That's a whole lot of winning.

COUNTING TO THREE (10:08, END 6, 9-1 SOX)
Something funny happened after the second out of that inning. The Red Sox infield ran off the field. They huddled by the dugout steps and started walking in -- all of them, Kevin Youkilis and Julio Lugo and Dustin Pedroia and Jeff Bailey and Justin Masterson -- before Randazzo and Varitek alerted them to the fact that THERE WERE ONLY TWO OUTS. Masterson came back, laughed, and then struck out Markakis. Then everyone ran off the field, because that's what you do when there are three outs.

EASY ONE FOR MASTERSON (9:54, END 5, 9-1 SOX)
Masterson struck out Wieters and Andino to blow through the inning. This one will be in the books if the rain comes back.

GAME ON (9:50, BOT 5, 9-1 SOX)
Mora grounded out, and the game in underway. The official restart time is 9:48, giving the game a 1 hour, 11 minute rain delay.

Smoltz threw 52 pitches in four innings, allowing one run on three hits and a walk.

WAITING ON THE WIN (9:45, MID 5, 9-1 SOX)
John Smoltz won't get his first American League win tonight. The rain delay has forced him out of the game, and Justin Masterson will pitch. We're about five minutes away from resuming.

RESTART TIME (9:35, MID 5, 9-1 SOX)
OK, they just announced the game will begin again at 9:50. That would make it a 1 hour, 13 minute delay.

TARP COMES OFF (9:33, MID 5, 9-1 SOX)
The grounds crew is peeling the tarp off the infield now. No official word on when the game will start back up, so we'll go with "soon." There could be more rain tonight, which the Sox would welcome the sooner, the better. It's been a 56-minute delay, so far.

TARP TIME (8:37, MID 5, 9-1 SOX)
Right after Smoltz threw his final warm-up pitch, the umpries called the grounds crew into service. We've got ourselves a rain delay. Blegh.

HERE COMES THE RAIN (8:35, TOP 5, 9-1 SOX)
Three outs away from this game becoming official, we have our first drops of rain. No tarp yet, just a smattering of umbrellas and folks taking cover in the concourses. Youkilis reached with a two-out single off of Robert Andino's glove. Starting to rain harder now. The Sox, rightfully, are taking a bunch of first-pitch swings. They want to get this bad boy in.

ELLSBURY AGAIN (8:24, MID 4, 9-1 SOX)
Ellsbury sent an RBI single through the right side, his second RBI hit of the inning -- he also led off with a solo home run. The Sox put up five runs in the inning, three of which were earned. After a long layoff, Smoltz is out for the fourth. There are some spooky dark clouds gathering overhead. It almost looks like one of the spaceships from Independence Day.

VARITEK TAKES ONE FOR THE TEAM, MAYBE (8:20, TOP 4, 8-1 SOX)
Albers threw a high, inside pitch to Varitek, and home plate umpire Tony Randazzo sent Varitek to first. The replays were tough to tell, but it looked like the pitch just missed brushing Varitek. Either way, a run scores, the bases are still loaded with two outs. Baldelli struck out looking at a pitch low and away.

HILL OUT (8:14, TOP 4, 7-1 SOX)
Not a good night for Hill, who surrendered a single to Oritz. The bases are still loaded as Matt Albers jogs in from the bullpen and Varitek is getting ready to come up to the plate.

SOX PILING ON (8:12, TOP 4, 6-1 SOX)
Kevin Youkilis ripped a one-out double to left that scored Bailey (walk) and sent Pedroia (E5) to third. Hill intentionally walked Bay, and Ortiz is batting with the bags loaded.

The weather radar doesn't look pretty, and the air has got that it's-gonna-rain feel right now.

ELLSBURY LAUNCHES ONE (8:03, TOP 4, 5-1 SOX)
Didn't take long for the Sox to get that run back. Jacoby Ellsbury mashed the third pitch of the inning, a letter-high 1-1 fastball, 408 feet over the right-centerfield fence. Ellsbury should buy Hill a steak after that pitch.

A SLICE OF FELIX PIE (7:59, END 3, 4-1 SOX)
After the Sox went down in order, Smoltz ran into his first trouble. Matt Wieters led off with a warning track fly ball to left. Robert Andino followed with a single up the middle, and Roberts flied to left. Pie delivered a two-out triple to left, getting the O's on the board after 11 scoreless innings this series. Markakis popped to Varitek in foul territory.

SMOLTZ KEEPS IT GOING (7:46, END 2, 4-0 SOX)
Smoltz gave up his first base runner, a two-out walk to Luke Scott. Otherwise, he still looks great. Aubrey Huff grounded to second, Nolan Reimold flied to left, and Melvin Mora flied to right.

Felix Pie is now in center, replacing Jones, who had that crunch against the fence trying to catch Youkilis's home run.

PEDROIA STRANDED (7:38, TOP 2, 4-0 SOX)
Bay chopped to Melvin Mora at third, who made the play on an awkward high bounce. Bay almost beat the throw, but the Sox couldn't add a fifth run.

SOX ROLLING (7:35, TOP 2, 4-0 SOX)
The Sox strung together two more runs with just one out and have Hill on the ropes already. Bailey walked with one out, and Lugo delivered a single, his second of the night. Pedroia then belted a 2-2, high fastball from Hill into left-center for a two-run double. He stole third on the first pitch when Hill lost track of him, but Youkilis failed to bring him home. Jason Bay is trying now with two down.

SMOLTZ DOMINANT (7:27, END 1, 2-0 SOX)
Well, John Smoltz was just a little better tonight in the first than in his debut. He pitched a 1-2-3 inning while striking out Adam Jones swinging at a 93-mph two-seamer at the knees and Nick Markakis looking at a low fastball. (He didn't like the call, which is a common theme among the Orioles so far this series.) Brian Roberts led off with a chopper back to Smoltz.

ORTIZ DOUBLES, STAYS AT SECOND (7:20, MID 1, 2-0 SOX)
David Ortiz roped a two-out double to left-center, and Jason Varitek walked. Rocco Baldelli couldn't add on to the lead, bouncing back to Hill. John Smoltz is warming up, set to make his second start as a Red Sox. Let's see if his nerves have settled down.

YOUKILIS GOES DEEP (7:14, TOP 1, 2-0 SOX)
Adam Jones couldn't rob Youkilis tonight, but he came awfully close. Youkilis drove the ball to deep leftcenter, and Jones, who made an unreal catch last night, sprinted back. He didn't break stride before jumping about a pace short of the fence. His body smacked into the fence as he reached his glove over. For a moment, the ball landed in his glove. But between the force of Jones hitting the wall and the ball hitting his glove, the glove fell off into the O's bullpen with the ball in it. Jones is going to be a joy to watch in coming years -- and he may already be an All Star.

Bay followed with a ground out to short.

TITO IS A GENIUS! PART TWO (7:09, TOP 1, 0-0)
Terry Francona shuffled Dustin Pedroia and J.D. Drew yesterday, and it immediately led to a run. Today, he puts Julio Lugo at leadoff, and he cracked a single off Rich Hill to begin the game. Pedroia followed with a foul pop to first. Here comes Kevin Youkilis.