After being embarrassed back in early May by the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards, the Boston Red Sox were looking to return the favor while pushing the O’s losing streak to 11 games. But Nick Markakis had other plans as his RBI single in the 11th inning ended the misery as the Orioles prevented the Red Sox from the sweep.

John Lackey was much better this time out then in previous outings. He allowed just two runs over seven innings after throwing a season-high 124 pitches. Unforunately, those runs given up by Lackey came after Victor Martinez had put the Red Sox up 2-0 on a home run in the top of the 2nd.

Lackey battled all game though and you can see how fiery he is on the mound. When a call didn’t go his way, you could see the emotion on his face. What’s concerning to me though is the lack of velocity.

Although his fastball was coming in at 90-91 at the end of the 7th, it was coming at the same speed he had thrown it most of the game. His curveball wasn’t as sharp as it has normally been but he did pitch to contact and let the defense do the work behind him. But his bulldog effort kept the Red Sox in the game and that’s all you can ask for from him.

With Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester just humming along, if Lackey can get going things could get really nasty for opposing teams.

The Red Sox offense did battle back though against the Orioles bullpen they had battered during the series. But they were only able to get the tying run in the 9th and nothing else.

Even though it was a loss on Sunday, the Red Sox are still playing good baseball right now. This one loss won’t make break or this season. You know the Red Sox will put this behind them and look to take the four games from the Cleveland Indians before heading home to start interleague play on Friday.

We’ll be back later with tonight’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups, news and any links from the day but for now enjoy the overnight links.

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If we as Boston Red Sox fans want to see any of our players starting at the 2010 MLB All-Star Game in Anaheim on July 13th, then we really need to get to voting and quick.

With the latest update coming out today, the Red Sox still don’t have anyone that is currently at the top of the voting at any position. The closest to the top at any position is second baseman Dustin Pedroia sitting in second place behind the leader, Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees by roughly 568,000 votes.

First baseman Kevin Youkilis is in fourth place in the balloting and trails new leader Justin Morneau by approximately 517,000 votes. Third baseman Adrian Beltre is in forth place as well over 1.1 million votes behind leader Evan Longoria. Victor Martinez is in third place at the catcher position, 1.5 million votes. And finally, David Ortiz sits in fourth place at the DH spot and  is roughly 810,000 votes behind leader Vladimir Guerrero.

None of the Red Sox outfielders are in the top 15 of the voting.

Our best hopes to get to the top are Pedroia and Youk, so fans of Red Sox Nation, it’s time to vote Red Sox across the 2010 MLB All-Star Game Ballot.

A full look at the voting totals after the jump.

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Various media outlets around Boston are reporting that the Boston Red Sox have placed closer Jonathan Papelbon on the bereavement list and have activated pitcher Boof Bonser from the disabled list.

Papelbon will miss at the least the next three games although it’s not known why he was placed on the list.

Bonser started the 2010 season on the disabled list with a sore groin and was in Pawtucket rehabbing when he had setback with his surgically repaired shoulder. Overall in Pawtucket, he made nine appearances (eight starts) and had 0-2 record with a 6.34 ERA in 32 2/3 innings.

After taking 2-of-3 in Baltimore over the weekend, the Boston Red Sox will finish their seven-game road trip with a four-game set against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field.

Tonight’s game will start at 7:05 p.m. and will be shown on NESN in the Red Sox television market. The game will be shown on STO (SportsTime Ohio) in the Indians television market. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2010 Red Sox radio network.

The question everyone wants to know is which Daisuke Matsuzaka will show up. Will it be the dominating one or will it be the one that struggles? In his seven starts this season, Dice-K is 4-2 with a 5.49 ERA. He’s made three career starts against the Indians and is 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA. He’s made one start at Progressive Field back in 2007 and picked up the win after allowing no runs over seven innings.

Fausto Carmona makes his 12th start for new Indians skipper Manny Acta. In his previous 11 starts, he is 4-4 with a 3.53 ERA. He’s made five appearances (three starts) against the Red Sox in his career and sports 1-2 record with a 5.94 ERA.

Lineups, batter/pitcher matchups, and links after the jump.

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Boston Red Sox @ Cleveland Indians 7:05 p.m Progressive Field SP: Daisuke Matsuzaka vs Fausto Carmona TV: NESN, MLB.tv Radio: Red Sox Radio Network

Afternoon Red Sox Delight – 6/7 [SOX & Dawgs]

With the 20th overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft, the Boston Red Sox have taken second baseman Kolbrin Vitek from Ball State.

It’s the second straight year the Red Sox have taken a player from Ball State in the draft. They took Jeremy Hazelbaker in the fourth round last year.

Here’s what MLB.com has to say about him:

Hitting ability: Vitek is one of the better pure hitters in the college ranks. He’s very short to the ball with excellent bat speed. He’s got a strong track record of hitting well everywhere he goes.

Power: There’s definitely some power there, though there’s some debate over just how much he’ll show in the future.

Running speed: He’s got well above-average speed. He runs a great 60, but it doesn’t always play that well in games.

Base running: He’s a very good base runner who is a base-stealing threat.

Arm strength: He has an average to solid-average arm.

Fielding: He’s moved around a bit defensively. His hands and feet aren’t great for second base. Perhaps a move to the outfield would be best.

Range: He doesn’t move all that well in the infield, but he does have enough speed to handle an outfield position.

Physical Description: He’s got a similar look, and playing style, to 2009 first-rounder A.J. Pollock.

Medical Update: Healthy.

Strengths: Excellent overall hitting skills, some power and speed. Also a pitcher with decent arm strength.

Weaknesses: No clear defensive home. Second base doesn’t look to be a good fit, so perhaps the outfield. But does he have the power for a corner or the speed for center?

Summary: Wherever Vitek has gone, he’s hit. He plays at a smaller program, but in a year with a lack of premium bats at big programs, his production is getting noticed. His bat speed and mechanics should make him an excellent hitter at the next level. He’s got power, though there’s some debate how much there will be at the next level. He also runs pretty well. The main question with Vitek is where he’ll play defensively, as his current home at second doesn’t appear to be a great fit. He’s athletic enough to play the outfield, and that might be the best bet. Wherever he plays, it’s his bat that has people interested, and that’s what will get him drafted in the first couple of rounds.

And here’s what Scout’s Inc. has to say about him:

Vitek loads his hands deep and comes close to barring his lead arm, but he has the bat speed to overcome it (for now, at least), and stays upright through the swing with good hip rotation.

He’s got a projectable frame and could add 20 pounds or so by the time he’s through, but right now his swing plane is flat and I don’t see more than average power down the road unless he makes some significant changes. He’s an above-average runner but doesn’t have the agility for the infield, making centerfield the optimal destination.

The best-case scenario here has him hitting for average and playing plus defense in center with average power, assuming he doesn’t change his swing. However, I am concerned that he has no experience facing quality pitching and may not profile if he has to move to right field.

Update: According to a post on MLB Trade Rumors, the Red Sox and Vitek already have a “verbal agreement” on contract terms.

When the Boston Red Sox lost Jason Bay and Billy Wagner in free agency, it didn’t really hurt that much that they were Type-A Free Agents. This meant the Red Sox would pick up a couple of extra draft picks.

They picked up the Braves first round pick, which they used earlier on Monday night to take Kolbrin Vitek. They also received the Mets second round pick which is number 57. They also received a two supplemental picks as compensation for losing Wagner and Bay.

The Red Sox used the first compensation pick, No. 36 overall, to take left fielder Bryce Brentz from Middle Tennessee State. They then used their second compensation pick, No. 39 overall, to take right-handed pitcher Anthony Ranaudo from LSU.

We’ll see what MLB.com and Scouts, Inc have to say about both of them after the jump.

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UConn Huskies third baseman Mike Olt has been busy over the past few days. Over the weekend, he was busy playing in the first round of the NCAA Baseball Tournament in Norwich, CT. His Huskies team ended up going 1-2 and being eliminated by the Oregon Ducks, who gave UConn both of their losses.

And on Monday night, the Branford, CT native got to hear his name called during the Supplemental Round of the 2010 MLB Draft as the Texas Rangers selected him 49th overall.

In 64 games for the Huskies in 2010, Olt hit .318 with 23 home runs, 76 RBIs and had seven stolen bases. Olt also had 24 multiple hit games and 19 multiple RBI games. He won the Home Run Derby Contest during the Big East Tournament held in Clearwater, FL and was named to the All-Big East Third Team.

A look at what MLB.com had to say about Olt coming up after the jump.

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RANDOM RUMBLINGS ON OPENING NIGHT

* I felt dirty after watching Dr Dre and company big pimpin’ his headphones.

* On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best, Pedro Martinez throwing out the first pitch was a 536.

* Keri Hilson was by far the best singer in the house last night and the cutest.

* To Joshua Sacco’s parents, your family’s 15 minutes are up. To the Red Sox Game Day Production Department, C’mon; not applicable.

* The good and bad of Curtis Granderson were on display last night. Good: home run power. Bad: poor jumps in center and useless against lefties.

* C.C. Sabathia has always been big but last night he looked fat with a beer belly.

* Could Heidi Whatney have quasi-man man hands?

* David Ortiz not being able to catch up to good fastballs when everyone knows the gas is coming is a horrible sign.

* Ryan Westmoreland sitting in Theo’s box was the best part of Opening Night.

(boston.barstoolsports.com.com)

* Steven Tyler should be doing anti-drug commercials not signing.

* Score one for the pink hats: Neil Diamond horribly sang “Sweet Caroline”, at least the Sox were up in the eighth.

* Winning the first game is fine, but winning the last game of the year in October is what really counts.

FINEST NINE TWEETS FROM THE LAST WEEK

1) @IanMBrowne Ortiz should have been all over that 3-1 fastball. I’m concerned. I heart David Ortiz.

2) If Andy Pettitte can throw his curve ball for strikes, then he is usually tough.

3) This is late but a very good article by @AmalieBenjamin on the Red Sox Tom Tippett

4) To my NYC followers, get there RT @alchemistbeer: Four of my beers will be on tap this Sunday at the Blind Tiger Ale House in NYC.

5) Good informative article on Burlington, VT finances and Jonathan Leopold by Kevin J. Kelly for @Seven_Days

6) Same for me and I would never leave my apt. RT @amandarykoff: I’ve decided not to get MLB Extra Innings. If I get it, I will never not watch baseball.

7) Wondering if CC Sabathia wears #52 because it matches his pant size?

Red Sox fans should hope that LeBron James goes anywhere other than to the N.J. Nets. It would be a huge revenue boost for Yes Network a.k.a. the MFY.

9) Does David Ortiz get tossed this yr more than Rasheed Wallace? He seems angry so far this spring.