Where: Fenway Park.

When: Monday through Thursday.

TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio will do all four games, WKYC Ch. 3 Thursday; WTAM AM/1100.

Pitching matchups: RHP Josh Tomlin (11-5, 4.01) vs. RHP John Lackey (9-8, 6.20) Monday at 7:10; LHP David Huff (1-1, 0.71) vs. RHP Josh Beckett (9-4, 2.17) Tuesday at 7:10 p.m.; RHP Carlos Carrasco (8-9, 4.67) vs. RHP Tim Wakefield (6-4, 5.06) Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. and RHP Justin Masterson (8-7, 2.57) vs. LHP Jon Lester (10-4, 3.23) Thursday at 7:10 p.m.

Season series: Indians lead Boston, 4-2. Indians lead, 1,019-956, overall.

Indians update: They just ended a 2-6 homestand in which they were no-hit, shut out twice and scored 15 total runs. They went 11-15 in July after a 10-17 June. They’re hitting .202 (47-for-201) against Boston, but still lead the season series. Asdrubal Cabrera is hitting .318 (7-for-22) with two homers and 7 RBI against the Red Sox.

Red Sox update: They’ve won 11 of their last 15 games. They’ve outscored the Indians, 25-19. Beckett is 1-1 and Lester 1-0 against the Tribe this year. Carl Crawford is hitting .348 (8-for-23) with two homers and three RBI against the Indians.

Injuries: Indians — CF Grady Sizemore (right knee, hernia), RF Shin-Soo Choo (left thumb) and OF Trevor Crowe (right shoulder) are on the disabled list. Red Sox — RHP Clay Buchholz (back), RHP Bobby Jenks (back), SS Jed Lowrie (left shoulder), OF J.D. Drew (left shoulder), LHP Rich Hill (left elbow), RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (right elbow) are on the disabled list.

Next: Indians open three-game series against Texas on Friday in Arlington, Texas.

Ozzie Guillen knew Paul Konerko was in pain just from the look on his best player’s face.

When Konerko got plunked in the calf by a pitch from Andrew Miller in the fourth inning of Sunday’s game against the Red Sox, everything seemed to crumble for the White Sox.  

They couldn’t score after loading the bases, they ended up leaving 12 runners on base, they lost Konerko for the final five innings — and maybe for Monday night’s opener of a four-game series against the Yankees — and they lost the game to Boston 5-3.  

Konerko actually stayed in the game and took his base, but had to leave after the inning ended with the bases loaded. The White Sox had taken a 3-2 lead in the inning on Alexei Ramirez’s RBI single but didn’t score again.  

“I don’t expect him to be in the lineup to be honest with you. When PK took himself out of the game, it’s not a concern but I know that guy was hurt,” Guillen said.

“When I went to the plate, I’ve managed him for a little while, I knew this guy can tolerate some pain and tough it out. When I got back to the dugout, I told JP (Juan Pierre) to get loose because I don’t think he’s going to make it.”

Pierre did come in and play left and Brent Lillibridge switched from left to first where he made his first major league appearance at the position.  

“We’ve got two lineups tomorrow just in case he can’t play,” Guillen said of Konerko, batting .305 with 25 homers and 76 RBIs. The White Sox, who trail Detroit by four games in the AL Central, are facing Yankees ace CC Sabathia.  

Earlier in the week, the White Sox dealt away starter Edwin Jackson and backup infielder Mark Teahen but did not make another deal at the deadline. Now they’re 52-54 and must somehow get it together with two months left.  

“I would never have guessed we would have been in this spot that we’re in right now,” said starter Mark Buehrle who allowed five hits and two runs in six innings and left with a 3-2 lead.  

“I can’t see the future. I thought going into spring training we had a good team and a good chance, but obviously we’re not in a good spot right now.”

After getting 10 hits and three runs off Miller in his 5 2-3 innings, the White Sox were shut out by Boston’s bullpen that used three relievers, Alfredo Aceves, Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon.  

“When you don’t score runs in the American League, it’s going to be hard to win games,” Guillen said. “The pitchers can take you so far.”

Ramirez’s RBI single, Chicago’s third hit of the inning, gave the White Sox a 3-2 lead in the fourth. Miller then hit Konerko in the left calf with a pitch to load the bases. Konerko stayed down for a couple of seconds and then was able to walk it off and stay in the game. And the White Sox couldn’t keep their rally going.

“You get to the point when you might snap. We’ve got two months, a month and half, hopefully our offense will pick it up from now on and make it easier for the pitching staff,” Guillen said. “And for me.”

Jason Varitek hit a two-out, two-run homer in the second inning to give Miller a quick lead.

But Chicago got one back in the second on Brent Morel’s two-out RBI double over center fielder Ellsbury’s head and another in the third when Carlos Quentin, Adam Dunn and Alex Rios hit two-out consecutive singles.

NOTES: The White Sox honored former slugger Frank Thomas by unveiling a statue of the two-time MVP on the outfield concourse. … Bard has not allowed a run in his past 26 1-3 innings. … The White Sox inserted DH Dunn into the lineup at first in the ninth.

CHICAGO (AP) — Dustin Pedroia hit a go-ahead two-run single in the seventh, Jason Varitek homered and the Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago White Sox 5-3 Sunday to capture two of three games in their series at U.S. Cellular Field.

Alfredo Aceves (7-1), who relieved starter Andrew Miller in the sixth, got the victory with one inning of relief.

White Sox star Paul Konerko left the game with a bruised calf after being hit with a pitch by Boston starter Andrew Miller in the bottom of the fourth inning. Konerko initially stayed in the game and took his base, but left after the inning ended. X-rays were negative.

Chicago starter Mark Buehrle pitched six innings, giving up five hits and two runs, both coming on Varitek’s seventh homer in the second. The lefty departed with a with a 3-2 lead.

But the Red Sox threatened in the seventh against reliever Jesse Crain (5-3) as Marco Scutaro singled, Jacoby Ellsbury got an infield single off the mound before backup catcher Tyler Flowers’ passed ball allowed both runners to move up.

Pedroia then hit a two-run single to center to put the Red Sox ahead and finish Crain. Chris Sale struck out David Ortiz with runners at second and third to end the inning.

Adrian Gonzalez doubled in a run in the ninth to make it 5-3.

Daniel Bard pitched 1 1-3 innings of scoreless relief and Jonathan Papelbon struck out the side in the ninth for his 24th save in 25 chances.

Alexei Ramirez’s RBI single, Chicago’s third hit of the inning, gave the White Sox a 3-2 lead in the fourth. Miller then hit Konerko in the left calf with a pitch to load the bases. Konerko stayed down for a couple of seconds and then was able to walk it off and stay in the game.

But he left after the inning ended and was replaced by Brent Lillibridge, who started the game in left. Juan Pierre then moved into the game at left and in Konerko’s third spot in the order.

Varitek hit a two-out, two-run homer in the second to give Miller a quick lead.

But Chicago got one back in the second on Brent Morel’s two-out RBI double over center fielder Ellsbury’s head and another in the third when Carlos Quentin, Adam Dunn and Alex Rios hit two-out consecutive singles.

Miller gave up 10 hits and three runs in his 5 2-3 innings with one walk and a season-high eight strikeouts.

Notes: The White Sox honored former slugger Frank Thomas by unveiling a statue of the two-time MVP on the outfield concourse. … Bard has not allowed a run in his past 26 1-3 innings. … The White Sox inserted DH Dunn into the lineup at first in the ninth.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

CHICAGO (AP)—The Boston Red Sox are aware of how little wiggle room there
is in the competitive AL East, especially as they try to stay ahead of the
Yankees for first place

“We’ve been playing good ball. We just have to keep it rolling. We don’t
have that big of a lead in the division, so we have to play good baseball,”
Dustin Pedroia(notes) said Sunday after the Red Sox wrapped up one of the best months
of July in team history by beating the Chicago White Sox 5-3.

The Red Sox (66-40) finished July 20-6, a .769 winning percentage that beats
their previous franchise record for the month—.741 (20-7) set in 1993.

Pedroia, whose 25-game hitting streak was snapped in Friday night’s opener
won by the White Sox, had a two-run, go-ahead single in the seventh Sunday. And
the Red Sox bullpen was stellar with 3 1-3 innings of one-hit relief.

“I’m excited to hit with guys on base, I was just trying to drive the ball
to the outfield to get one run, so I was lucky we got two,” Pedroia said after
the Red Sox won 2 of 3 at U.S. Cellular Field.

Jason Varitek(notes) had a two-run homer and the relief trio of Alfredo Aceves(notes)
(7-1), Daniel Bard(notes) and Jonathan Papelbon(notes) shut the White Sox out after they’d
taken a 3-2 lead in the fourth.

“Aceves comes in like he’s been doing, Bard came in and got four outs on not
a lot of pitches and Pap came in and sewed it up. The extra run was nice to
have,” Boston manager Terry Francona said.

Adrian Gonzalez(notes) provided that with a ninth-inning double.

Boston, which added utility infielder Mike Aviles(notes) in a trade from Kansas
City on Saturday, bolstered its starting staff by acquiring lefty Erik Bedard(notes)
from the Mariners in a three-team deal Sunday. The Red Sox’s rotation has been
missing injured Clay Buchholz(notes).

“Oh, right on. Awesome. He’s got great stuff,” Pedroia said of Bedard, who
once pitched for the Orioles.

“We’ve had some injuries on our pitching staff, so we need a guy to come in
here and help. Hopefully he does a great job for us. We’re excited to have him.
It’s going to be a fun rest of the season.”

White Sox star Paul Konerko(notes) left the game with a bruised calf after being
hit with a pitch by Boston starter Andrew Miller(notes) in the bottom of the fourth
inning. Konerko initially stayed in the game and took his base, but left after
the inning ended. X-rays were negative.

With the Yankees coming to town for four games, the White Sox can ill afford
to lose Konerko (.305, 25 HRs, 76 RBIs) for an extended stretch. They trail
Detroit by four games in the AL Central.

“I don’t expect him to be in the lineup to be honest with you. When PK took
himself out of the game, it’s not a concern but I know that guy was hurt,”
Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said.

“When I went to the plate, I’ve managed him for a little while, I knew this
guy can tolerate some pain and tough it out. When I got back to the dugout, I
told JP (Juan Pierre(notes)) to get loose because I don’t think he’s going to make it.”

Pierre went into the game in left field and Brent Lillibridge(notes) switched from
left to first.

Chicago starter Mark Buehrle(notes) pitched six innings, giving up five hits and
two runs, both coming on Varitek’s seventh homer in the second. The lefty
departed with a with a 3-2 lead. But the White Sox couldn’t add on and had 12
runners left on base.

After Buehrle left, the Red Sox threatened in the seventh against reliever
Jesse Crain(notes) (5-3) as Marco Scutaro(notes) singled, Jacoby EIllsbury got an infield
single off the mound before backup catcher Tyler Flowers’(notes) passed ball allowed
both runners to move up.

Pedroia then hit a two-run single to center to put the Red Sox ahead and
finish Crain. Chris Sale(notes) struck out David Ortiz(notes) with runners at second and third
to end the inning.

Bard pitched 1 1-3 innings of scoreless relief and Papelbon struck out the
side in the ninth for his 24th save in 25 chances.

Alexei Ramirez’s(notes) RBI single, Chicago’s third hit of the inning, gave the
White Sox a 3-2 lead in the fourth. Miller then hit Konerko in the left calf
with a pitch to load the bases. Konerko stayed down for a couple of seconds and
then was able to walk it off and stay in the game. And the White Sox couldn’t
keep their rally going.

“You get to the point when you might snap. We’ve got two months, a month and
half, hopefully our offense will pick it up from now on and make it easier for
the pitching staff,” Guillen said. “And for me.”

Varitek hit a two-out, two-run homer in the second to give Miller a quick
lead.

But Chicago got one back in the second on Brent Morel’s(notes) two-out RBI double
over center fielder Ellsbury’s head and another in the third when Carlos
Quentin(notes), Adam Dunn(notes) and Alex Rios(notes) hit two-out consecutive singles.

Miller gave up 10 hits and three runs in his 5 2-3 innings with one walk and
a season-high eight strikeouts.

Notes: The White Sox honored former slugger Frank Thomas by unveiling a
statue of the two-time MVP on the outfield concourse. … Bard has not allowed
a run in his past 26 1-3 innings. … The White Sox inserted DH Dunn into the
lineup at first in the ninth.

SEATTLE (AP) — The Boston Red Sox have added a much-needed starter after an earlier trade fell through, acquiring oft-injured left-hander Erik Bedard from the Seattle Mariners in a three-team trade at the deadline Sunday.

The Red Sox, whose deal for Oakland’s Rich Harden fell apart late Saturday night, also got right-hander Josh Fields, a 2008 first-round draft pick.

“He was real tough on us,” Boston manager Terry Francona said of Bedard, who started his major league career with the Baltimore Orioles.

“He’s a guy who has shown he can pitch in the American League East. First half of the year before he tweaked that knee he was pretty solid,” Francona said. “His stuff was good. We’re excited.”

Francona said he would talk to Bedard before lining up his rotation for the coming week.

“I know that (general manager) Theo (Epstein) talked to him and he sounded like he was excited. We’ll kind of build him back up,” Francona said. “He just came off the DL Friday. We’ll build him back up and get him in there.”

Boston sent catcher Tim Federowicz and right-handers Juan Rodriguez and Stephen Fife to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who dealt OF Trayvon Robinson to the Red Sox.

The Red Sox then sent Robinson and OF Chih-Hsien Chiang to Seattle.

Bedard, who is 4-7 in 16 starts with a 3.45 ERA this season for the Mariners, wasn’t so good against an AL East team on Friday when he faced Tampa.

He showed the effects of his 32-day layoff after going on DL with a sprained left knee. He threw 57 pitches in just 1 1-3 innings and was tagged for five runs and three hits, walking four and striking out two.

AL East-leading Boston was in need of a starter to help shore up its rotation with Daisuke Matsuzaka out for the season and Clay Buchholz on the disabled list.

“We talked with a few other clubs but in the end we thought this was the one that made sense,” Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said.

The Mariners sent Baltimore five players for Bedard before the 2008 season but he has been a bust because of injuries.

Bedard was 15-14 with a 3.31 ERA in 46 appearances with the Mariners. He missed most of the 2009 season and all of 2010 after left shoulder surgery. He was 4-7 with a 3.65 ERA in 16 starts this season but spent most of July on the disabled list (knee).

He was 40-34 in five seasons with the Orioles, going 15-11 with a 3.76 ERA in 2006 and 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA the following season.

Fields, 25, the 20th player taken in the 2008 draft out of Georgia, was 2-1 with a 2.77 ERA for Double-A Jackson and 0-0 with a 6.23 ERA in nine games for Triple-A Tacoma.

“We’ve been talking Chiang for a while. Robinson came in a couple hours (before the deadline) as we discussed it,” Zduriencik said. “He was the guy we settled on.”

The Mariners have been struggling offensively — the Mariners designated Jack Cust for assignment Friday — and both 23-year-old prospects have power potential.

Robinson is hitting .293 with 26 home runs and 71 RBI for Triple-A Albuquerque.

“He’ll go to Tacoma and we’ll watch him there,” said Zduriencik, when asked if Robinson was close to a promotion. “We’ll see what happens.”

Chiang is hitting .338 with 36 doubles, 18 home runs and 76 RBI in 87 games for Double-A Portland.

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Lester pitched eight strong innings Saturday night and the Red Sox used two big innings, homers from Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis, and three RBIs from Marco Scutaro to beat the Chicago White Sox 10-2.

“These guys, there aren’t going to be too many games where they’re held down. It’s fun to watch. We get kind of spoiled pitching behind those guys,” said Lester, who entered the game with an average run support of seven this season. “They swing the bats great, play good defense — it was a good game all around for us.”

Lester was efficient, had a low pitch count for most of the night — he finished with 97 — and had command of the game in just his second outing since coming off the disabled list with a latissimus strain.

He also helped the Red Sox end a seven-game losing streak against the White Sox.

“It was obviously good. Pitch count was down against an aggressive team,” Lester said, crediting catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia for calling a good game.

“Salty did a great job back there, mixing off-speed pitches both ahead and behind in the count. For the most part, I was able to keep my fastball down. It’s always good to keep the fastball down and get bad contact.”

Lester (11-4) allowed two runs and four hits with a walk and eight strikeouts to get his first victory since June 30. He lost the shutout in the seventh when Paul Konerko hit his 25th homer, and he also gave up a solo shot to Gordon Beckham in the eighth.

Boston put it away with five runs in the ninth. The Red Sox finished with 15 hits.

Gonzalez, who missed Friday night’s game with a stiff neck, hit his 18th homer in the ninth, a two-run shot off reliever Brian Bruney. His first homer since July 7 gave him 89 RBIs this season.

Youkilis then followed with his 15th homer to push the lead to six. Saltalamacchia added an RBI double and Scutaro a run-scoring single.

Boston broke a scoreless tie in the fifth with four runs against Phil Humber (8-7) as Carl Crawford singled, stole second and reached third on catcher A.J. Pierzynski’s throwing error. Saltalamacchia hit an RBI double, moved to third on a bunt single by Josh Reddick and scored on Scutaro’s sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead.

Jacoby Ellsbury followed with a single and stole second, putting runners at second and third before Dustin Pedroia hit another sacrifice fly for a three-run cushion. After Gonzalez was walked intentionally, Youkilis hit a broken-bat liner that went off third baseman Brent Morel’s glove for an RBI single that ended Humber’s night.

Scutaro added an RBI single to right center in the eighth as Reddick scored all the way from first when Beckham couldn’t handle a late throw from center fielder Alex Rios. Rios, who has struggled all season, was booed loudly after the play.

“We have a knack for doing that (scoring in bunches). We didn’t do a whole lot early,” Boston manager Terry Francona said. “We still worked the count, and once we got the opportunity, we kept the line moving. We just kept going. Reddick’s baserunning was tremendous.”

Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said Rios just didn’t make a good throw on the play.

“Bad thing about that play is bad throw to second base. He make a bad throw to second. That’s why he scores. He throws the ball right, there is going to be a play at the plate,” Guillen said.

But it was the White Sox offense that had the most trouble against Lester. Chicago had scored seven runs and drew five walks off the lefty in just 5 2-3 innings when they faced him at Fenway Park in late May, winning the game 7-3.

“Today he was around the plate. Last time we faced him in Boston he was all over the place. His command was wild,” Guillen said. “Today he threw a lot of strikes.”

Humber, who was Chicago’s most consistent starter in the first half of the season, hadn’t pitched since July 17. He’d been assigned temporarily to the bullpen after a rainout forced the White Sox to rearrange their rotation and to give him some rest. He didn’t see any work as a reliever, and now has lost his last three starts, giving up 24 hits and 14 earned runs in 14 innings.

Humber surrendered six hits and the four runs in 4 2-3 innings, but said he didn’t feel rusty after not pitching for 13 days. He looked at the tape of the fifth inning.

“A few infield hits there. Just couldn’t work out of it,” he said. “Overall I was pretty pleased with how I threw the ball. Was hoping for a different result. … I felt like I was pretty sharp. Like I said, I felt like I threw the ball pretty well.”

Notes: White Sox general manager Ken Williams said it’s unlikely the team will be making any more trades before Sunday’s deadline. … The Red Sox announced they had signed catcher Jordan Weems, a third-round draft pick this year, and also third baseman Nick Moore, who was selected in the 30th round. … Konerko’s homer was the 390th of his career. It ties him with Graig Nettles for 53rd place on the all-time list. … Mike Aviles, acquired earlier in the day from Kansas City, played third for the Red Sox in the bottom of the ninth. … Reliever Jason Frasor made his White Sox debut by pitching two-thirds of an inning. He was acquired in a trade with Toronto on Wednesday.