Red Sox close homestand with finale against Jays

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05/12/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox will attempt to close out a long homestand with a result that's been a familiar one so far this season, a win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

With Tim Wakefield set to make his first start in more than two weeks, Boston aims for a three-game series sweep of the Blue Jays this afternoon at Fenway Park.

Last night's 6-1 victory over Toronto was the Red Sox' fifth straight over its American League rival in 2010, as well as the team's 11th in its past 14 overall matchups in this series. The win also improved Boston to 7-2 on a 10- game homestand and two games over .500 (18-16) for the first time this season.

The Red Sox rode the right arm of Daisuke Matsuzaka (2-1) in Tuesday's triumph, with the Japanese star yielding just one run and three hits while striking out nine batters over seven outstanding innings.

"I thought he was terrific," manager Terry Francona told Boston's official site about Matsuzaka, who had recorded a poor 9.90 ERA over his first two starts after spending the early portion of the season on the disabled list. "He was aggressive with the fastball, attacking the zone and held the fastball from the first inning through the seventh."

Jason Varitek paced the Boston offense with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate which included the longtime catcher's sixth home run of the season. J.D. Drew also finished with two hits and an RBI to help the Red Sox to a third straight win.

All six runs came against Toronto starter Dana Eveland (3-2), with the left- hander lasting only four innings and allowing six runs while issuing four walks.

Fred Lewis went 2-for-4 and knocked in the Blue Jays' lone run with a sixth- inning double. The outfielder is batting .421 (16-for-38) over the course of an eight-game hitting streak.

Teammate John Buck ended 2-for-3 with a run scored and has hit safely in six consecutive contests, batting .450 (9-for-20) with three homers, six RBI and seven runs scored during his tear.

Toronto has now lost three of four since stringing together a season-best six straight wins from May 2-7. The club wraps up a 10-game road trip with this afternoon's encounter with Wakefield, who takes the mound in the finale as part of a modified Boston rotation.

Wakefield began the season as a starter before being shifted to the bullpen once Matsuzaka was activated from the disabled list in late April. The veteran knuckleballer was 0-1 with a 5.40 earned run average in four starts prior to the switch, but has surrendered six runs over a 6 1/3-inning span in three relief appearances since moving into a relief role.

The 42-year-old gets another shot at starting due to Josh Beckett having been ailing and ineffective as of late. Francona had initially decided to push Beckett back two days and pitch Friday's game at Detroit, but the standout righty has been since scratched from that scheduled assignment because of back spasms.

Wakefield has faced Toronto 51 times with 41 starts over his long career and owns a 17-13 record with a 3.93 ERA lifetime against today's opponent. He was just 1-2 with a 6.89 in three starts versus the Blue Jays last year, however.

Toronto counters with Opening Day starter Shaun Marcum, who pitched extremely well in a no-decision against the Sox back on April 27. The right-hander held Boston to one run on four hits and struck out five over seven effective innings in that game, but left with the score tied at 1-1.

Marcum followed that outing by firing 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball to defeat Oakland on May 2 and worked a season-high 7 2/3 frames this past Friday in Chicago, although he did not factor in the decision of Toronto's 7-4 win.

The 28-year-old has made a successful comeback from Tommy John surgery which caused him to miss the entire 2009 campaign. Marcum has posted a solid 3.19 ERA and limited the opposition to a .219 average so far this season, while generating a quality start in six of his seven times out.

In 12 career appearances (7 starts) against Boston, Marcum is 4-2 with a 3.33 ERA and owns a 2-0 mark with a 2.84 ERA over five visits (3 starts) to Fenway Park.

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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