--C Jason Varitek snapped a personal 0-for-24 slump with a ringing double off the left-field wall in the bottom of the third inning, his first hit since hw smashed a home run in a game against the Orioles on June 11. The drought marked the worst hitless stretch of Varitek's long career in Boston, and could continue to portend an offensive drop-off for the 35-year-old catcher this season.
--1B Kevin Youkilis had to be removed from Monday night's game in the top of the fifth inning after he was hit in the right eye with an infield warm-up toss from 3B Mike Lowell. The area around his right eye immediately swelled up and looked as if Youkilis had taken a punch right to the eye. He was removed from the game for precautionary reasons in favor of Brandon Moss, who made his first major league appearance at first base. "I short-hopped him and it wasn't even a hard throw," Lowell said. "I thought I hit him in the side of the head, but he had a pretty big shiner pretty quick. I'm just glad that he got all the test results back and that he's going to be fine. I feel really bad." --1B Sean Casey dropped the appeal of a three-game suspension with Major League Baseball and began serving his sentence during Monday night's game. He will sit out three games for his role in the bench-clearing brawl with the Tampa Bay Rays earlier this month.
--OF Coco Crisp had his appeal heard with Major League Baseball on Monday afternoon for the seven-game suspension handed down after he charged the mound against the Rays earlier this month. Crisp was hopeful that league officials would lop a game or two off the suspension as a result of the appeal, but the findings weren't announced Monday.
--RHP Josh Beckett lost for the first time at Fenway Park this season after building a 4-0 record at the Fens. Arizona RHP Dan Haren outdueled him, the third time this season that Beckett has been defeated by an opponent's stellar effort. Oakland RHP Justin Duchscherer and Tampa Bay RHP James Shields both defeated Beckett in road shutout losses earlier this season.
BY THE NUMBERS: 11 -- The number of consecutive starts that ascending LHP Jon Lester has allowed three runs or less in a game. That marks the longest stretch of consistency from a Sox starter since former RHP Pedro Martinez went 16 straight starts of allowing three runs or less in 2002-2003.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I don't want it to end this way, but if this is the way it has to end, I'm OK with that. If it's over and my last pitch was in the 2007 World Series, I'm OK with that. I just can't stress enough where I am mentally with this. I have not a regret in the world." -- RHP Curt Schilling, while discussing surgery on his right throwing arm that could be career-ending.
