SOX AND YANKEES IN GAME III TONIGHT

 

 

 

BUCH IS BACK: Tonight Clay Buchholz makes his 1st start since 5/22 at CWS (irritation in right AC joint)…He owns an AL-best 1.73 ERA (14 ER/72.2 IP), 2nd in MLB to ARI’s Patrick Corbin (1.71)…At 7-0, he is 1 of 3 undefeated AL pitchers with 7+ wins (Moore, 8-0; DET’S Max Scherzer, 7-0).

· According to Elias, Buchholz is the 2nd Red Sox ever to go 7-0 or better with an ERA below 2.00 through his 1st 10 starts of a season, joining Sonny Siebert in 1971 (8-0, 1.62 ERA).

THE RIGHT STUFF: The Red Sox have won 4 of their last 5 games against right-handed starting pitchers and lead the AL this season at 22-13 (.629) when the opposing starter is an righty.

 

EVERYDAY DUSTIN: Dustin Pedroia has started each of the team’s 1st 57 games, leading MLB in games played…It marks the most consecutive starts by a Red Sox at 2B to begin a season since Marty Barrett in 1988 (1st 66 games).

· Pedroia’s next game at 2B will be the 906th of his career, tying Marty Barrett for 3rd on the Sox all-time list behind only Bobby Doerr (1,852 from 1937-51) and Hobe Ferris (983 from 1901-07).

 

RED SOX vs TWINS GAME II

FOR THE RECORD: At 21-11 (.656), the Red Sox own the best record in the majors.

The Sox 21-11 mark is tied for the 8th-best start in club history through their 1st 32 games, best since going 22-10 (.688) to begin the 2007 campaign.

FRIENDLY FENWAY: The Red Sox have won each of their last 6 home games, their longest winning stretch at Fenway Park since a 9-game run from 7/5-24/11.

• Boston is tied for the 3rd-best home record in the major leagues at 12-5 (.706), trailing the Rangers (11-4, .733) and Tigers (10-4, .714).

26 FOR PAPI: David Ortiz has hit safely in a career-high 26 straight games dating back to 7/2/12 over which he has hit at a .430 clip (40-for-93, 11 2B, 6 HR, 23 RBI, 17 BB) with a .514 OBP and .742 SLG.

• It is the longest active streak in the majors and the longest hit streak by a Red Sox since Manny Ramirez’s 27-gamer from 7/15-8/12/06.

STRIKING RESULTS: Sox hurlers lead the major leagues with 314 strikeouts, including an MLB-best 204 K’s by Boston starters…Sox relievers are 2nd in MLB with 110 strikeouts, trailing only Detroit (112).

• Red Sox pitchers have compiled at least 10 strikeouts 19 times, tops among all major league teams.
• The 19 games with at least 10 K’s is the most by any team through the 1st 32 games of a season…The Red Sox previous mark through 32 contests was 9 in 1986, 2001, and 2009.
• Boston pitchers are on pace for 96 double-digit strikeout games, which would mark the most all-time…The 2012 Rays set the record with 61.

RED SOX ANNOUNCE TODAYS PITCHERS

THIS AFTERNOON’S PITCHING LINE UP

 

52-JOEL HANRAHAN, RHP First appearance of the spring

2012 IN REVIEW: Finished 5th in the NL with both 36 saves and a 90.0 percent conversion rate (40 chances) in his 2nd straight All-Star campaign…Recorded 67 strikeouts in 59.2 innings and tallied a 2.72 ERA (18 ER)…Did not allow any of 7 inherited runners to score…Held opponents to a .187 clip (40-for-214), 6th-best among qualifying NL relievers…Limited left-handers to a .135 clip (14-for-104), 3rd among Major Leaguers (min. 120 BF)…His .131 opponent AVG (8-for-61) ranked 2nd among NL hurlers (min. 65 BF)…Converted all 5 save chances and did not give up a run in 7 games against AL opponents (7.0 IP).

51-DANIEL BARD, RHP First appearance of the spring

2012 IN REVIEW: Began year in the Red Sox rotation, making 10 starts and 1 relief appearance before being optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket on 6/5…Recalled by Boston on 8/30 and remained with the club for the rest of the season, appearing in 6 games as a reliever…Combined to go 5-6 with a 6.22 ERA (41 ER/59.1 IP) in 17 games (10 starts) in 2012…Posted a 4-6 record with a 5.30 ERA (32 ER/54.1 IP) in 10 starts with Boston, compared to 1-0 with a 16.20 ERA (9 ER/5.0 IP) in 7 relief appearances…Surrendered a career-high 9 home runs despite tossing his fewest innings (59.1 IP) since his rookie season in 2009 (49.1 IP).

30-ANDREW MILLER, LHP First appearance of the spring

2012 IN REVIEW: Posted career-best marks in games (53), ERA (3.35), holds (13), WHIP (1.19), opponent AVG (.194), fewest walks per 9.0 innings (4.46) and strikeouts per 9.0 innings (11.38)…Named Red Sox Fireman of the Year by the Boston BBWAA in 1st full season pitching in relief…Among qualifying AL lefty relievers, finished 4th in opponent AVG, 3rd in opponent SLG (.292) and 4th in opponent OPS (.588)…Stranded 39 of 46 inherited runners (84.8 percent) for the AL’s 5th-best rate…Posted team-high 31 hitless appearances and had 22 perfect outings.

63-ALEX WILSON, RHP First appearance of the spring

2012 IN REVIEW: Spent entire season with Triple-A Pawtucket…Made 3 starts to begin the season and came out of the bullpen for his last 37 games, his 1st professional relief outings…Posted a 3.36 ERA (22 ER/59.0 IP) and recorded 62 strikeouts in relief…His 9.46 strikeout per 9.0 rate out of the bullpen ranked 3rd among International League relievers…Led the PawSox in outings and relief innings…Struck out 5 in 4.2 perfect innings over 4 playoff games en route to Pawtucket winning the Governors’ Cup championship.

TONIGHT’S RED SOX PITCHERS

19-KOJI UEHARA, RHP First appearance of the spring

2012 IN REVIEW: Posted a career-low 1.75 ERA (7 ER/36.0 IP) in 37 relief appearances for Texas, the 5th-lowest figure among AL pitchers with at least 30.0 innings on the year… Posted the 3rd-highest strikeout-to-walk ratio (14.33) and the 4th-lowest WHIP (0.64) in modern Major League history (since 1900)…Recorded 43 strikeouts compared to 3 walks over 36.0 innings…His 14.3 strikeout-to-walk ratio trailed only Eckersley (18.33 in 1989, 18.25 in 1990) among all-time single-season leaders…Was on the 15-day DL from 6/10-8/25 with a right latissimus strain.

40-ANDREW BAILEY, RHP First appearance of the spring

2012 IN REVIEW: Completed 1st season with the Red Sox…Missed the club’s 1st 116 games after starting the season on the 60-day disabled list while recovering from right thumb surgery…Combined for a 1.42 ERA (1 ER/6.1 IP) with 10 strikeouts and just 1 walk over 6 rehab appearances between the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Red Sox, Double-A Portland, and Triple-A Pawtucket from 8/1-12…Activated from the DL on 8/14 and made season debut that night at BAL…His 7.04 ERA (12 ER/15.1 IP) was the highest of his Major League career (previous 3.24 in 2011), but was limited to a career-low 19 games and 15.1 innings pitched.

60-OSCAR VILLARREAL, RHP First appearance of the spring

2012 IN REVIEW: Was a non-roster invitee to Baltimore’s major league spring training and spent the entire season with Triple-A Norfolk…Was 3-3 with1 save and a 2.84 ERA (20 ER/63.1 IP) in 35 relief appearances and 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA (2 ER/5.1 IP) in 2 starts…Did not allow a HR over his first 39.0 innings which spanned 20 appearances…Posted a 1.45 ERA (6 ER/37.1 IP) with 17 saves in 19 chances in 31 games for Aguilas de Mexicali in the Mexican Pacific League following the season.

79-TERRY DOYLE, RHP First appearance of the spring

2012 IN REVIEW: Spent parts of the season in the Twins and White Sox organizations before signing with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan…Went to major league spring training with Minnesota after being selected from the White Sox in the 2011 Rule 5 Draft…Was returned to the White Sox on 3/21 and was assigned to Triple-A Charlotte on 3/26…Earned wins in 5 straight starts and posted a 1.72 ERA (7 ER/36.2 IP) in that span, 5/17-6/7…Was released by the White Sox on 6/13 in order to pursue an opportunity in Japan…Signed with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and went 1-1 with a 3.55 ERA (5 ER/12.2 IP) over 3 games.

BSD Steve: ARod, Braun, Among Others Named in HGH/PED Scandal: How Will it Effect the MLB?

According to Foxsports:

Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun said the person who ran the Florida clinic being investigated by Major League Baseball was used only as a consultant on his drug suspension appeal last year.

”I have nothing to hide,” Braun said in a statement released by his representatives on Tuesday night.

Earlier in the day, Yahoo Sports reported the 2011 NL MVP’s name showed up three times in records of the Biogenesis of America LLC clinic. Yahoo said no specific performance-enhancing drugs were listed next to his name.

The Miami New Times recently released clinic documents that purportedly linked Alex Rodriguez, Gio Gonzalez, Melky Cabrera and other players to purchases of banned drugs from the now-closed anti-aging center.

Rodriguez and Cabrera were on the list with Braun that also included New York Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli and Baltimore Orioles infielder Danny Valencia.

Braun said his name was in the Biogenesis records because of an issue over payment to Anthony Bosch, who ran the clinic near Miami.

”There was a dispute over compensation for Bosch’s work, which is why my lawyer and I are listed under `moneys owed’ and not on any other list,” Braun said.

”I have nothing to hide and have never had any other relationship with Bosch,” he said. ”I will fully cooperate with any inquiry into this matter.”

On Tuesday, MLB officials asked the Miami New Times for the records the alternative newspaper obtained for its story.

Asked specifically about Braun’s name in the documents before the five-time All-Star released his statement, MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said: ”Aware of report and are in the midst of an active investigation in South Florida.”

Braun tested positive during the 2011 postseason for elevated testosterone levels. He maintained his innocence and his 50-game suspension was overturned during spring training last year when arbitrator Shyam Das ruled in favor of Braun due to chain of custody issues involving the sample.

With that, Braun became the first major leaguer to have a drug suspension overturned.

”During the course of preparing for my successful appeal last year, my attorneys, who were previously familiar with Tony Bosch, used him as a consultant. More specifically, he answered questions about T/E ratio and possibilities of tampering with samples,” Braun said.

The T/E ratio is a comparison of the levels of testosterone to epitestosterone.

Braun led the NL in homers (41), runs (108) and slugging percentage (.595) last season while batting .319 with 112 RBIs and 30 stolen bases. He finished second to San Francisco catcher Buster Posey in MVP balloting.”

Cervelli, who spent nearly all of last season in Triple-A, posted a statement on Twitter later Tuesday night.

”Following my foot injury in March 2011, I consulted with a number of experts, including BioGenesis Clinic, for (cont),” Cervelli posted, ”(cont)legal ways to aid my rehab and recovery. I purchased supplements that I am certain were not prohibited by Major League Baseball.”

An email sent to Valencia’s agent was not returned.”

After about a week after Alex Rodriguez, Gio Gonzalez, Melky Cabrera, and other names were rumored to be connected with Biogenesis, a company known for distributing PEDs, Ryan Braun’s name has now been thrown into the mix. Since he has come into the league, Braun has been one of the MLB’s best all-around players, leading the NL in homeruns in 2012 and winning the NL MVP in 2011. ARod, Braun, Gonzalez, and Cabrera are all notable MLB players and it seems like this situation is only going to get worse before it gets better. With the mass amounts of PED scandals rearing its ugly head within the last 2-5 years, it is clear that the MLB must change its culture in order to stay clean. Due to this era in baseball history, I believe it will for the MLB to change many facets of the game; let’s take a look at how we may be seeing America’s Pastime  adapting within the next couple of years.

1)     LESS LONG-TERM CONTRACTS

Just a couple of years removed from seeing such stars as Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Alex Rodriguez, and Carl Crawford sign monster, long-term contracts, we have seen many of them crash and burn. After these current PED scandals surrounding Braun and ARod, how do their respective teams deal with their contracts if they are found guilty? The Yankees currently owe Rodriguez $114 million over 5 years, while the Brewers owe Braun $145.5 million through 2020. These once-celebrated lockups have now put teams in a situation that nobody wants to be in; nobody wants a troublesome player taking up space on their roster and money off of their payroll, especially fading stars like ARod. This new wave of contract regret will ultimately lead to less long-term contracts, and we may also see…..

2)     NEW PED CLAUSES IN CONTRACTS

I mean, it doesn’t sound like a bad idea for a team, does it? With all of these PED scandals emerging, teams are going to look to protect themselves in long-term contracts. The only way long-term, lucrative contracts will survive in baseball is through PED clauses. I am not exactly sure how teams would word it, but I am sure something like after 1 or 2 positive tests or suspicions, an opt-out clause is activated in the players’ contract. Not only will it leave the players less likely to use any PEDs, but it will also leave their respective team feeling protected and confident in their investment.

3)     INSTITUTE PLAYERS CONSULTANTS

It has always been said that in the PED industry that the players and their suppliers are always one step ahead of the testing. The only people who could truly know what is going on in the clubhouse are the players themselves. Now, I do think player consultants could be extremely useful – but you would need to find someone who is 100% clean and devoted to keeping the game itself clean. It would have to be a secretive process so there is nothing being hidden by the players. No names would be given, just practices and how players are getting around the testing. If done correctly and carefully, I believe player consultants could help the game out greatly.

The MLB has done a decent job at adapting to the times with their steroid testing and new HGH testing, but it has not stopped players from finding ways around a positive test. If the players cannot take care of themselves, the MLB needs to at least look after the owners and teams themselves and create contract clauses. This will not only help out the team, but I believe it will also give the players a reason to stay clean. Stay tuned this week for more sports news from your favorite sports site!

- Steve Falzone

GOLDSMITH JOINS THE MARINERS BROADCAST BOOTH

PAWSOX RADIO BROADCASTER AARON GOLDSMITH to JOIN SEATTLE MARINERS

 

Goldsmith Gets to Big Leagues After Just One Season With the PawSox as he is

Named New Mariners Radio Announcer

 

The Pawtucket Red Sox are pleased to report that their radio broadcaster Aaron Goldsmith has earned a job in the Major Leagues.  The Seattle Mariners announced today that Goldsmith, the lead radio voice for the PawSox in 2012, has been hired to join their radio team for the 2013 season.  Aaron will work with veteran Mariners voice Rick Rizzs to broadcast all Seattle games during the upcoming season.

Goldsmith, 29, is the latest in a long line of PawSox broadcasters who have received the call to the big leagues.  Those include: Gary Cohen (New York Mets in 1989), Don Orsillo (Boston Red Sox in 2001), Dave Flemming (San Francisco Giants in 2004), Andy Freed (Tampa Bay Rays in 2005), Dave Shea (Washington Nationals in 2005), Dave Jageler (Washington Nationals in 2006), and Dan Hoard (the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals in 2011).

“I am proud to continue the tradition of broadcasters who move from McCoy Stadium to the majors,” said Goldsmith.  “I’d like to express my sincere thanks to everyone with the PawSox for allowing me to be a part of a wonderful organization during an historic championship season last year.  This job with the Seattle Mariners is an immense honor and dream come true.  I look forward to this incredible opportunity and to contributing to the Mariners both on and off the air.”

“Aaron Goldsmith is a talented and accomplished young broadcaster who, in his lone season with us certainly left his mark with fans of PawSox Baseball – calling our run to the Governors’ Cup Championship,” said PawSox President Mike Tamburro.  “The PawSox family wishes him the very best in his new position with the Seattle Mariners.  Aaron takes his rightful place in the long line of PawSox broadcasters who have graduated to the major leagues.”

“Aaron has a bright future as a broadcaster, and we believe Mariners fans in the Northwest will enjoy listening to him with Rick Rizzs on 710 ESPN and the Mariners Radio Network,” said Randy Adamack, Seattle’s Senior Vice President of Communications.

Goldsmith was hired by the PawSox in December of 2011 after being chosen from among more than 150 nationwide applicants to replace Dan Hoard who accepted a radio job with the Cincinnati Bengals prior to the 2011 NFL season.

Prior to coming to Pawtucket, Goldsmith had spent the previous two seasons as the radio broadcaster for the Frisco RoughRiders, the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers in Frisco, TX.  In 2009 Aaron was a radio broadcaster/studio host for the Portland Sea Dogs, the Red Sox Double-A affiliate in the Eastern League.

A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Aaron graduated from Principia College in Elsah, IL where he majored in History.  Following college he attended the Broadcast Center in St. Louis where he earned a certificate in Radio Broadcasting and Production.  His professional broadcast career began in 2007 doing play-by-play for the Gateway Grizzlies of the Independent Frontier League followed by a summer on the Cape in 2008 as the lead broadcaster for the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

RED SOX MAKE IT OFFICIAL, SIGN DREW

RED SOX SIGN SHORTSTOP STEPHEN DREW TO ONE-YEAR CONTRACT

BOSTON, MA—The Boston Red Sox today signed shortstop Stephen Drew to a one-year contract through the 2013 season.  A first-round selection of the Diamondbacks in the 2004 draft, Drew has appeared in 812 career Major League games over the last seven seasons with Arizona (2006-12) and Oakland (2012).

Drew, 29, is one of three players to have three seasons with at least 20 doubles, 10 triples and 10 home runs since 2008, along with current Red Sox Shane Victorino and Toronto’s Jose Reyes.  He ranks fourth among all Major League shortstops over the last five seasons with a .441 slugging percentage and fifth with a .770 OPS (min. 1,500 plate appearances).

He is a .265 career hitter (814-for-3,069) with 181 doubles, 52 triples, 77 home runs, 349 RBI, 414 runs, 293 walks, and 34 stolen bases.  The left-handed hitter has finished with the second-most triples in the National League on three occasions and his 41 triples since 2008 rank sixth in the majors.  His 52 career triples are an Arizona franchise record.

All 792 of his career appearances in the field have come at shortstop and his .978 fielding percentage is seventh-best among active shortstops with at least 650 games played.  His 72 errors are third-fewest among active shortstops with at least 3,000 total chances.

Drew has hit at a .417 clip (10-for-24) in his career as a pinch-hitter, the third-best mark among all Major Leaguers with 25 plate appearances in the pinch since 2006.

He is the younger brother of former Red Sox outfielder and 14-year Major League veteran J.D. Drew.  It will mark the 11^th time a set of brothers have both played for the Red Sox, the last being Pedro and Ramon Martinez.  The younger Drew will wear No. 7, just as J.D. did with the Red Sox.  His older brother Tim also pitched for parts of five seasons in the majors.

After spending his entire professional career with Arizona, Drew was traded to Oakland on August 20 and started 39 of the A’s last 41 games of the season en route to the team winning the American League West title.  He batted .250 (38-for-152) with five home runs and 16 RBI with Oakland, including a .315 mark (17-for-54) over his final 13 games.

Drew hit a combined .223 (64-for-287) with 13 doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 28 RBI, 38 runs and 37 walks in 79 games overall in 2012 after missing the first 73 games of the season while recovering from July 2011 surgery on a fractured right ankle.  He was 4-for-6 (.667) with seven RBI with the bases loaded and his .383 average (18-for-47) in 11 games against American League East opponents was tops among all Major Leaguers with at least 50 plate appearances against that division last year.

In 2008, Drew became the third shortstop in Major League history to collect at least 40 doubles (44), 10 triples (11) and 20 home runs (21) in a season, joining Nomar Garciaparra (Boston, 1997) and Hall of Famer Robin Yount (Milwaukee, 1980 and 1982).  He was named the D-backs’ Player of the Year by the Arizona chapter of the BBWAA that season and hit for the cycle on September 1, 2008, the third D-backs player ever to accomplish the feat.

His teams have reached the postseason twice and he started at shortstop in all seven of the Diamondbacks playoff games during the 2007 NLDS and NLCS, and all five of the A’s 2012 ALDS contests.  Drew has hit safely in all but two of his 12 career postseason games, batting .320 (16-for-50) with two home runs and five RBI, including a .500 clip (7-for-14) with two home runs and four RBI in the D-backs three-game sweep of the Cubs in the 2007 NLDS.

With the signing, the Red Sox 40-man roster is now at 40.

KEVIN HARRIMAN

RED SOX CHANGES BEGIN FOR 2013

RED SOX NAME EDDIE BANE SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PLAYER PERSONNEL

BOSTON, MA—The Boston Red Sox today named Eddie Bane Special Assistant to Player Personnel.  The announcement was made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington.

“We are committed to having the best evaluators working together with the best analytic minds to guide us in our player decisions,” said Cherington.  “Eddie is a highly respected evaluator and has been instrumental in finding high caliber talent for the organizations he’s been a part of.  The club will benefit immensely from his nearly 40 years of experience as a player, coach, scout and evaluator in professional baseball.”

Bane, 60, spent the last two seasons in the Detroit Tigers organization as a Major League scout after serving as Director of Scouting for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for seven seasons from 2004-10.  While with the Angels, Bane oversaw the scouting of amateur and minor league talent, as well as the signing of domestic and international players.  Under his direction the Angels selected and signed players such as Jered Weaver, Kendrys Morales, Mark Trumbo and Mike Trout.

Prior to his time with the Angels, Bane spent five seasons as a special assistant to former Tampa Bay Rays General Manager Chuck LaMar.  From 1988-98 he was a national cross-checker and Major League scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  He also previously worked in the Cleveland Indians organization for four years, managing Short-A Batavia for two seasons from 1984-85 and serving as a cross-checker and scout from 1984-87.  Bane began his post-playing career as pitching coach for the Dodgers Rookie-level Lethbridge affiliate in 1983.

A member of the National College Baseball Hall of Fame, Bane was a standout left-handed pitcher at Arizona State University prior to his selection by the Minnesota Twins in the first round of the 1973 First-Year Player Draft (11^th overall).  He went straight from college to the Major Leagues and enjoyed an eight-year professional career from 1973-79.  In 44 Big League games, including 25 starts, over parts of three seasons with the Twins (1973, 1975-76), he went 7-13 with two saves and a 4.66 ERA (87 ER/168.0 IP).

Bane’s son Jaymie, one of his four children, has served as a pro scout for the Red Sox since November 2006.

MORE ROSTER MOVES FOR RED SOX

RED SOX ANNOUNCE ROSTER MOVES

BOSTON, MA—The Boston Red Sox today added first baseman James Loney to the active roster, optioned outfielder Che-Hsuan Lin to Triple-A Pawtucket and recalled right-handed pitcher Pedro Beato from Pawtucket.  Loney and Beato will be active for today’s game against the Royals at Fenway Park, wearing numbers 22 and 54 respectively.

The announcements were made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington.

The 28-year-old Loney was acquired in a nine-player trade with the Dodgers yesterday.  A lifetime .284 hitter (872-for-3,070), he has hit .254 (85-for-334) with 18 doubles, four home runs and 33 RBI, 32 runs and 23 walks in 114 games with Los Angeles this year.  The left-handed batter has hit .301 (22-for-73) in 20 starts since the All-Star break and has hit .333 (7-for-21) with two home runs in his last six starts.  Defensively, he ranked third among qualifying National League first basemen with a .883 zone rating in 2012 at the time of the trade, while his .995 fielding percentage (22 E/4,701 TC) since 2009 places third best in the National League.  A first-round selection (19th overall) by the Dodgers in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, he has compiled 173 doubles, 20 triples, 71 home runs, 451 RBI, 355 runs scored, 268 walks and 29 stolen bases in 896 career Major League games over seven seasons with Los Angeles.

Lin, 23, was recalled yesterday for his third stint with the Red Sox this season, his first Major League action.  He has gone 1-for-6 (.167) with a run scored in seven games with Boston, including six appearances in right field and one in center field.  This year, Lin became the first Taiwanese-born player to appear in a game for the Red Sox and the eighth Major Leaguer from Taiwan overall in Big League history.  He is 92-for-373 (.247) with 11 doubles, four triples, two home runs, 30 RBI, 42 runs, 41 walks and 14 stolen bases in 107 games with the PawSox this year.  In 621 minor league games in the Boston system since signing as an international free agent on June 8, 2007, the right-handed batter has compiled a .256 average (602-for-2,356) with 92 doubles, 25 triples, 22 homers, 216 RBI, 377 runs, 302 walks and 144 stolen bases.

Beato was acquired by the Red Sox from the Mets on August 16, completing the trade for catcher Kelly Shoppach.  The right-hander has appeared in two games in relief for the PawSox since the acquisition, tossing 3.0 scoreless frames with six strikeouts.  He appeared in seven games for the Mets this season, all during the month of July, including five scoreless efforts.  Beato also went 4-4 with a 4.14 ERA (17 ER/37.0 IP) and 27 strikeouts compared to 11 walks in 24 games (1 start) for Triple-A Buffalo.  He began his Major League career tossing a Mets franchise-record 18.2 innings without an earned run in 2011.  Originally selected by the Orioles in the supplemental round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft, he has a 2-1 record with a 4.67 ERA (37 ER/71.1 IP) and 44 strikeouts in his Major League career over the last two seasons, all with New York.

RED SOX WITH THIRD STRAIGHT GAME

RED SOX NOTES (52-51)

THE RED SOX have won 3 straight games for the 1st time since a 5-game win streak from 6/16-21…They improve to 52-51 and are back above .500 for the 1st time since following play on 7/21 (48-47)…They are currently tied with Toronto for 4th place in the AL East, with the Blue Jays playing tonight.

• Boston evened the season series with Detroit at 4-4, with wins in 4 of their last 5 meetings overall and 8 of their last 9 contests at Fenway Park dating back to 7/31/10…Boston leads all Major League teams with a 23-11 mark (.676) against Detroit since the start of 2008.

• The Sox lead the American League with a 17-9 record (.654) against AL Central clubs this season.

• The Red Sox have allowed at least 1 run in the 1st inning of 18 of their last 22 games at Fenway Park since 6/10, including 13 of their last 15…Overall this season, the team’s 1st inning ERA is 6.90 (79 ER/103.0 IP) compared to 3.95 (361 ER/822.2 IP) in subsequent frames.

CLAY BUCHHOLZ held the Tigers to 3 runs (2 ER) over 8.0 innings, allowing just 5 hits and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts to improve to 9-3 on the season…He did not allow an earned run after the 3rd inning, permitting just 2 runners to reach, including 1 on an error, over his last 5.0 IP.

• Buchholz is 5-1 with a 2.44 ERA (18 ER/66.1 IP) over his last 9 starts since 5/27, and the Red Sox have won 7 of his last 8 starts since 6/1…He has allowed just 4 earned runs over his last 3 starts since 7/19 for a 1.57 ERA (23.0 IP).

• He gave up his 4th career lead-off homer to Austin Jackson in the 1st inning, his 1st since 4/20/11 at OAK (Coco Crisp)…It snapped a 26.1-inning homerless stretch dating back to 6/19 (2nd inning).

DUSTIN PEDROIA hit a go-ahead 2-run homer in the 6th inning tonight, his 800th career Major League game…It was his 9th home run of the season and his 1^st  in Boston since 5/10/12…He has gone deep in 3 of his last 5 games and has 4 homers in 13 July games after none in his previous 40 contests.

WILL MIDDLEBROOKS knocked his 13th career home run in the 8th inning…It is the most home runs by a Red Sox in his 1st Major League campaign since 1987, when Ellis Burks (20) and Sam Horn (14) both reached the mark in their debut seasons.

• He has hit safely in his last 7 games, batting .407 (11-for-27) with 2 doubles, 2 homers and 5 RBI in that stretch, and has driven in 25 runs over his last 31 contests.

ADRIAN GONZALEZ went 2-for-4 with a run scored, his 3rd straight multi-hit game and his 17th in his last 31 contests since 6/23 (49-for-126, .389)…He has hit safely in all but 4 of his last 34 contests since 6/20 (52-for-138, .377).

CARL CRAWFORD hit his 1st triple of the season to drive in the Sox 1st run in the opening frame…It was his 113th career triple, most among active Major Leaguers.

DAISUKE MATSUZAKA began a rehab stint with Triple-A Pawtucket tonight…He held Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (NYY) scoreless over a 2.1-inning start in Rochester, allowing 4 hits and 1 walk with 3 strikeouts on 47 pitches (30 strikes)…The PawSox lost 2-1.

SOX SEASON RIDING IN THE BALANCE THIS WEEKEND ?

NEW YORK STATE OF MIND: The Red Sox are visiting Yankee Stadium for the 1st time this season for a 3-game set this weekend…It marks the latest calendar date that the Sox have traveled to New York to face the Yanks for the 1st time except for the 1981 strike-shortened season when Boston did not play their 1st road game in New York until 9/11…It is the latest into a season by games (100) that the Red Sox are making their debut at Yankee Stadium (Elias).

HITTING PRETTY: Adrian Gonzalez leads the Majors with a .406 AVG (39-for-96) with runners in scoring position this season…He has tallied a Major League-best 147 hits with RISP since the start of 2010 and is 2nd in the ML with a .375 AVG in those situations in that time (min. 200 PA).

WILL POWER: Will Middlebrooks clubbed his 12th homer on Wednesday night in Texas, the most long balls for a Red Sox rookie since Shea Hillenbrand also had 12 in 2001…He is the 1st Red Sox to tally at least 12 homers and 43 RBI in his 1st 60 career games since Norm Zauchin had 15 homers and 43 RBI by his 60th career contest in 1955.