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BOSTON -- There was no carryover from Friday’s bench-clearing scrum between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t fireworks at Fenway Park on Saturday night.

Pinch hitting with one on in the bottom of the ninth, Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a walk-off two-run homer to lift the Sox over the Rays, 3-2. He crushed a 0-1 offering off Rays closer Fernando Rodney into the Red Sox bullpen for the win. It was his first career walk-off homer.

Josh Beckett made his presence felt in this game, too.

The right-hander worked seven innings and allowed only two runs on four hits with no walks and five strikeouts.

Rays starter David Price went seven innings, allowing just one run on eight hits with three walks and five strikeouts. The left-hander threw 115 pitches (70 strikes).

Beckett retired the first seven batters he faced before Rays catcher Jose Molina provided Tampa’s first hit of the game with one out in the top of the third inning. Beckett settled back in and retired the next 11 batters.

With Boston holding a 1-0 lead, the Rays scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning to gain a 2-1 advantage, which they held until Salty’s heroics.

Beckett surrendered back-to-back singles to lead off the seventh, and with runners on the corners, the Rays’ Ben Zobrist lifted a fly ball to left field. Tampa’s B.J. Upton was tagging from third and there was no chance Red Sox outfielder Daniel Nava would be able to throw him out. His throw should have gone to second in order to keep the would-be go-ahead run at first. Instead, Nava gave it a bid and made the throw to the plate. Upton easily scored to tie the game at 1-1 and teammate Matt Joyce advanced to second easily.

Luke Scott then provided a RBI single to give Tampa the one-run lead.

The Sox threatened in the bottom of the seventh when catcher Kelly Shoppach led off with a double, but was ultimately left stranded.

PINCH-DECISION: Prior to Saturday’s game, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine called his lineup with Adrian Gonzalez in right, Kevin Youkilis at first and Will Middlebrooks at third not a perfect situation. Of course, the Sox manager would like all those bats in his lineup, so that’s why he’s going with it. However, he decided to pinch-run for Gonzalez in the bottom of the sixth inning with Boston holding a 1-0 lead. Che-Hsuan Lin was inserted into the game for Gonzalez and when the fifth spot in the batting order came around in the bottom of the eighth inning, Scott Podsednik served as a pinch-hitter for Lin. Podsednik popped up to third base for the second out of the inning.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: During his first round of batting practice prior to Saturday’s game, Red Sox DH David Ortiz was working on hitting the ball to the opposite field. It paid off. He beat the dreaded shift with a base hit through the hole on the left side of the infield in the sixth inning, which put runners on first and second. It proved crucial because Ortiz later scored Boston’s first run after Dustin Pedroia was tossed out on a previous play at home plate.

BOSTON -- Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka began another 30-day minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket on Saturday at McCoy Stadium, working five scoreless innings against the Toledo Mud Hens.

The right-hander allowed one hit with one walk and two strikeouts. He tossed 56 pitches (38 strikes). He was originally scheduled to throw 75 pitches.

Matsuzaka was recalled from his first rehab assignment on May 19 and remained sidelined for seven days with a strained right trapezius muscle before Saturday’s start. His first assignment was set to expire on May 23, but the 30-day window begins again since he was injured again prior to that date.

BOSTON -- As expected, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine decided to put slugging first baseman Adrian Gonzalez in right field for Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park.

That means Kevin Youkilis will play first and rookie prospect Will Middlebrooks will start at third base. It’s not ideal, but Valentine said he’s trying to make the best of the situation with the Sox having seven outfielders on the disabled list.

“I don’t think it’s a perfect situation,” Valentine said.

During Boston’s recent road trip, Gonzalez played four games in right field, but that position at Fenway Park can be challenging, especially with nooks and crannies along the wall that surrounds the vast real estate in right. Gonzalez said he’s not concerned.

“It’s another right field, just like any other place,” he said.

* Left fielder Carl Crawford (elbow/wrist) began taking swings off a tee after being given medical clearance on Friday. He said after Friday’s game he felt good and suffered no setbacks. It’ll probably be at least another two weeks before he’s allowed to throw. He was scheduled to hit more on Saturday. “He’s feeling good and he’s excited,” Valentine said.

* Outfielder Ryan Sweeney was given medical clearance by the league after being examined for a concussion and was able to take BP on Saturday. Sweeney is eligible to come off the DL on Monday. “He took it slow today, so we’ll see what full speed feels like tomorrow,” Valentine said.

* Darnell McDonald (oblique) began his minor league rehab assignment with Pawtucket on Friday and was taking BP on Saturday at Fenway. He’s scheduled to play for the PawSox again on Sunday and Monday. If everything progresses, he could be activated on Tuesday.

* Rehabbing outfielder Ryan Kalish (shoulder) will began his minor league assignment for Single-A Salem on Saturday night. He’s scheduled to serve as Salem’s DH for five innings. “We’ll take it one step at a time,” Valentine said. “It’s great to have him back in uniform and on the field. We’d like him to have success obviously. The first step is to play pain-free, be healthy and then start putting up some numbers.”

BOSTON -- It was quite evident during batting practice on Saturday at Fenway Park that the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays players and coaches were going out of their way to shake hands, give hugs and talk more than usual in an attempt to smooth things over from Friday night’s bench-clearing altercation.

Whether those are acts of kindness or guerilla warfare tactics remain to be seen at this point.

Friday’s scrum began in the top of the ninth inning after Red Sox reliever Franklin Morales drilled Tampa batter Luke Scott. No one was ejected but the respective coaching staffs were visible going at each other during the massive shoving and screaming match near home plate.

One Red Sox staffer said he did not appreciate some of the comments the Rays were making about Boston manager Bobby Valentine during the tussle. In fact, Tampa skipper Joe Maddon said after the game he believed there was a “hit” put out on Scott and called the Red Sox coaching staff “cowardly” and weak” for the way they acted.

Valentine’s philosophy is coaches should try to stop events such as Friday night's from escalating, but he also thought Tampa’s coaching staff aggravated the situation.

“I thought their coaches were really aggressive,” Valentine said. “As a matter of fact, I took offense to the aggressiveness of their coaches. I thought it was very unprofessional and I really was proud of the way my coaches were trying to do what they were supposed to do in those situations. [Tampa’s coaches] seemed very immature and out of control.”

Valentine also did not like Maddon’s comments about the Red Sox coaching staff calling for the “hit” on Scott.

“Is that how they do it there? When they throw at our guys it comes from the coaches, you mean? Oh. I don’t know about protocol or how things are done on their side, and I don’t think they know how things are done on our side. Whatever.”

Despite the events of Friday and the history between these two clubs in recent years, Valentine said he didn’t think each side would be issued a warning before Saturday’s game.

“It seems like a pretty veteran umpiring crew,” he said. “I don’t know if they’ll have to issue warnings before the game starts, but possibly.”

When Friday’s scrum began and the Tampa dugout emptied, Red Sox pitching coach Bob McClure was one of the first out of the home dugout.

“We’re in it to win it,” Valentine said. “There was no doubt that the coaching staff, me and the players were together -- unified.”

Valentine said he did not plan on speaking with Maddon before Saturday’s game, but added he really liked the Rays’ manager. Valentine is even contemplating bringing the scorecard to home plate before the game, which is usually the job of bench coach Tim Bogar.

“Maybe I’ll take it up tonight. I’ve taken it up a couple of times this year,” Valentine said. “Yeah, maybe I’ll take it up to see what everyone’s temperature is before it starts.”

BOSTON -- Despite winning 10 of their previous 13 games, the Red Sox can't seem to get over the .500 mark.

The Red Sox had a chance to accomplish that for the third time this season on Friday, but lost 7-4 to the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Boston is 22-23 in the A.L. East and remains in fifth place.

Things became interesting with two outs in the top of the ninth inning when Red Sox reliever Franklin Morales first threw a pitch behind Tampa’s Luke Scott, then hit Scott in the leg after two more inside pitches.

The dugouts and bullpens emptied, and there was one big, extended shoving match. The umpires issued warning to both sides, but there were no ejections.

Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia was hit by a pitch in the sixth inning.

As for the game itself, Red Sox starter Jon Lester lasted only four innings and allowed seven runs on six hits, including three home runs. He also walked three and struck out four.

It wasn’t Lester's shortest outing of the season. He lasted only two innings against the Texas Rangers on April 17 when he allowed seven runs on eight hits with four walks and two strikeouts.

He retired the first four batters he faced and the Sox had a 1-0 lead after two innings. In the top of the third, however, Lester loaded the bases before Matt Joyce crushed a grand slam with two outs. The top of the fourth inning wasn’t much better for Lester. He allowed three runs, including back-to-back homers by Elliott Johnson and Carlos Pena.

Lester finished the fourth and had already thrown 81 pitches (48 strikes).

The left-hander has made 10 starts this season and has yet to win more than two in a row. Lester posted a string of at least three wins twice last season. The southpaw went 7-0 from April 17 to May 25, then won four in a row from Aug. 16 to Sept. 6.

On the flip side, Lester only lost three in a row one time in 2011, which came in three of his last four starts of the season. He hasn't lost three straight yet this season.

ATCH-0: After Lester’s subpar performance, right-handed reliever Scott Atchison started the top of the fifth. He worked three scoreless innings and allowed only two hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Atchison has not allowed a run in a career-high 11 consecutive appearances and his 15 1/3 consecutive shutout innings is the longest stretch by a Red Sox reliever this season.

YOOOUK: It’s been nearly a month since Kevin Youkilis played third base for the Red Sox because of a back strain. He returned to the lineup earlier this week and started at first base the last two games. He was back at third Friday night with rookie Will Middlebrooks getting the night off. Youkilis went 1-for-4 with an RBI and is 4-for-10 since being activated from the DL. He’ll likely be back on the right side of the infield on Saturday since manager Bobby Valentine said Friday afternoon that Middlebrooks would start. That could also mean Adrian Gonzalez will be in right field again.

WEB GEM: Red Sox shortstop Mike Aviles turned in the defensive play of the game with one out in the top of the eighth. Tampa’s Chris Gimenez hit a ball in the hole when Aviles ranged to his right, gloved the grounder on the outfield grass in shallow left field and made an off-balance throw. Gonzalez picked the one-hopper out of the dirt at first for the out.

UP NEXT: The Red Sox and Josh Beckett (4-4, 4.38 ERA) host the Rays and lefty David Price (6-3, 2.88) at 7:15 Saturday night at Fenway Park. Beckett is 10-4 with a 2.84 ERA in 20 career starts against Tampa.

BOSTON -- After playing a total of four games in right field during the Red Sox’s recent road trip, Adrian Gonzalez is back at first base Friday night as Boston begins a seven-game homestand against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Kevin Youkilis is back at third base and rookie Will Middlebrooks has the night off. Manager Bobby Valentine said Middlebrooks will start at third on Saturday, which means Youkilis could be back at first and Gonzalez would be back in right field.

“Oh, there’s a chance of that happening,” Valentine said. “But you never know what’s going to happen between now and then, so we’ll see what happens.”

The idea of Gonzalez playing right field initially came about because of interleague play, but Valentine decided to keep it going against the Baltimore Orioles when Youkilis was activated off the disabled list, with Gonzalez starting the last two games in right. The manager said earlier in the week he would have some hesitation playing Gonzalez in right field at Fenway because of the ground he would have to cover, including all the nooks and crannies along the wall.

“Some people have had the hesitation and I’m not sure how to read it,” Valentine said. “I think he positions himself extremely well and he gets a very good jump on the ball. Does that make up for some of the foot speed? I’m not sure. All I know, so far, when the ball’s hit we do a pretty good job of retrieving it and the opportunities he’s had leads me to believe that he can catch it if he can get to it.”

Since his promotion from Triple-A Pawtucket on May 2, Middlebrooks is hitting .296 with five homers and 17 RBIs. With Youkilis healthy and back in the lineup, Valentine has thought of different ways to keep Middlebrooks in there too.

“I keep asking if there’s another position and I keep hearing ‘no’ so other than DH I’m not sure what that would be,” Valentine said. “We have experimented with some things though, so I wouldn’t say it’s out of the realm of possibility, but it hasn’t been discussed.”

Valentine has not talked to Middlebrooks about the possibility of playing a different position.

“No,” the manager said. “Trying not to confuse the matter. If I thought there was a situation that I would need to see then I think that conversation would go, but right now I’m trying to make sure a young player is concentrating on what he should be concentrating on. He’s doing a pretty good job of that.”

A few other notes, with an emphasis on the walking wounded:

*Outfielder Darnell McDonald (oblique strain) will play five innings for Triple-A Pawtucket, then have Saturday off.

*Pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka will start for the PawSox on Saturday at McCoy Stadium. Asked how many pitches Matsuzaka would throw, Valentine said “less than 90, maybe that 75 plateau.”

*Reliever Andrew Bailey (thumb) has begun his throwing program. “He’s feeling good and progressing nicely,” Valentine said.

*Outfielder Carl Crawford (elbow/wrist) was examined Friday afternoon and if he’s given clearance, he will begin to start swinging a bat. However, he’s still not allowed to throw.

*Outfielder Cody Ross visited with Valentine Friday afternoon and told the manager his foot “feels great” and “in his mind it shouldn’t be much more than the disabled list that he’s on” before he's able to return. Ross, who has been sporting a removable walking boot, was walking around the clubhouse without it.

*Boston Bruins public address announcer Jim Martin is working Friday's game at Fenway Park. There’s no truth to the rumor he’ll yell “wooooo” every time the Sox score a run. He’s been with the Bruins for 19 years. He called PawSox games for years, including a few during Futures at Fenway, but this will be his first Red Sox game. He also called the Winter Classic game here.

Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine was on ESPN New York Radio on Friday afternoon to discuss the state of the Sox.

"We've had a good stretch of 20 games," Valentine said. "We're at .500 right now. It's not where we want to be but it's better than being under. I think we can move forward."

You can listen to the full interview HERE.

Red Sox president Larry Lucchino was on ESPN New York Radio with Mike Lupica on Friday afternoon, discussing his relationship with Bobby Valentine and his team's recent upturn (listen to it HERE).

Lucchino also dropped this interesting nugget, that Valentine was skeptical about Daisuke Matsuzaka's major league viability:

"I had seen him in Japan when we were scouting Daisuke Matsuzaka," Lucchino said. "He was one of the few people in Japan who said 'Be careful, I'm not sure how his stuff will translate, but he's got a hell of an arm.'"

A quick programming note: Red Sox president Larry Lucchino (12:30) and manager Bobby Valentine (4 p.m.) will each be appearing on ESPN New York Radio this afternoon. We'll post podcasts from the interviews afterwards, but to listen to them live, CLICK HERE.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka will start Saturday for Triple-A Pawtucket, just over a week after a sore neck cut short his previous rehab stint.

This will kick off Matsuzaka’s second rehab assignment as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. He had a 4.62 ERA in five starts on his previous assignment, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine hinting toward the tail end of the stint that the Japanese right-hander wasn’t ready for the majors.

Just days before his MLB-limit 30-day assignment was set to end, the Red Sox announced Matsuzaka had received an injection for a strained right trapezius muscle and would not make his last rehab start.

That new injury reset the clock on a new 30-day rehab assignment for Matsuzaka, who last pitched in the majors on May 16, 2011. Technically, the Red Sox could activate him at any time during the new 30-day window, which begins Saturday with his start against the Toledo Mud Hens at McCoy Stadium.

Matsuzaka made no mention of discomfort on May 17 following his last start for Pawtucket, in which he gave up five runs in 6 2/3 innings to Durham.

"I feel fine right now," Matsuzaka said through interpreter Jeff Cutler. "Nothing awkward. No pain. I feel good."

During his rehab, there have been indications Matsuzaka still had some work to do before being ready to pitch after undergoing elbow reconstruction surgery last June 10. Customarily, it takes a year to 15 months to recover from the surgery.

While Matsuzaka has appeared to be ahead of schedule for much of his rehab this spring, his velocity averaged around 91 in his last start, according to one observer, and he showed a lack of confidence in both his changeup and curveball.

Valentine has been sending precautionary notes throughout the process.

"I still haven't wrapped my head around that whole thing," he said this past Friday. "I really dislike calendars dictating when good health has returned."

Information from ESPNBoston.com’s Gordon Edes and Joe McDonald was used in this report.

BOSTON -- Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine is being mocked in some circles for saying in a postgame interview on NESN that if the Red Sox continue to play the way they have, "we’re going to win a championship.”

Valentine said it in the context of a recent stretch in which the Sox played 20 games in 20 days and went 11-9. But if you look at it in a broader context, the man has a point.

On April 21, after blowing a nine-run lead to the Yankees and losing 15-9, the Sox were 4-10 and had "hit bottom," according to Valentine.

Since then, the club is 18-12, the third-best record in the American League in that span, behind just the Baltimore Orioles (20-10) and Tampa Bay Rays (19-11). That's a winning percentage of .600. Overall, the Sox are now 22-22. If the Sox maintain that .600 pace, they would go 71-47 over their final 118 games, leaving them with a total of 93 wins.

Last season, the Yankees won the division with 97 wins, and Tampa Bay qualified as the wild-card team with 91 wins, one more than the Red Sox. There is an extra wild-card team in 2012, so if the Sox win 93 games, that should be good enough to qualify for the postseason tournament -- giving them a shot at Valentine's championship.

BALTIMORE -- Heck, we already told you Bobby Valentine used the back of a medical report to write out his lineup one day this week.

We suspect clubhouse man Tom McLaughlin, in addition to packing Valentine’s bicycle for Sox trips, also totes an Etch-a-sketch, dry erase board, and invisible ink, such is the frequency with which the Red Sox manager has to change the names from game to game.

And remarkably enough, it’s working.

Valentine’s 35th lineup in 44 games featured a bottom third of the lineup that this season had hit a grand total of two home runs. Daniel Nava and Kelly Shoppach had hit one apiece. Scott Podsednik hadn’t started a game in the big leagues since Sept. 9, 2010.

Wednesday afternoon, they combined to hit three -- Nava a solo shot in the sixth, Shoppach a two-run home run, also in the sixth, and Podsednik’s in the eighth, the newcomer’s home run ultimately the difference in Boston’s 6-5 win over the Orioles.

By winning the rubber game of this three-game set, the Red Sox have won four of their last five series and split a two-game set with the Rays, returning home at the break-even point (22-22).

They also will have their first day off after playing 20 in a row.

“I couldn’t be more happy with the way the guys worked through all that stuff -- the schedule, the travel, the injuries, the weather.," Valentine said before the game. "There’s been no complaining, guys who have gone well beyond the call of duty. To me, it’s a great thing to see as manager, the way we’ve come together.’’

The Red Sox survived a pair of home runs by Nick Johnson and an up-and-down start by Daniel Bard (5 hits, 4 walks, 2 runs in 5 1/3 innings). Alfredo Aceves recorded the last four outs for his 11th save, Kevin Youkilis and Will Middlebrooks had two hits apiece, and Che-Hsuan Lin made a diving catch as a defensive replacement in right.

BALTIMORE -- Scott Podsednik, who wasn't in the big leagues last season, becomes the sixth center fielder to start a game for the Red Sox as the team plays the series finale against the Baltimore Orioles, which also marks the end of a 20 games-in-20-days stretch for the Sox.

Podsednik's last big-league start came on Sept. 9, 2010, for the Dodgers, who had acquired him from the Royals in a trading-deadline deal. He spent last season playing for Philadelphia's Triple-A team in Lehigh Valley, and after a spirited attempt to win a job with the Phils in camp this spring -- the Phils chose to keep Juan Pierre instead -- Podsednik was returned to the Iron Pigs.

Clearly dispirited, Podsednik batted just .203 in 22 games, with one extra-base hit in 83 at-bats, and appeared as if he might be at the end of the line. The Sox passed on picking him up earlier, acquiring Marlon Byrd instead, but on May 11 they made a minor-league deal for him, and the change -- and the possibility of another big-league opportunity -- may have rejuvenated him. Podsednik batted .323 in 9 games for the PawSox with a triple, home run and two stolen bases, was called up Tuesday when Cody Ross and Ryan Sweeney both went on the DL, and appeared as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning of a 4-1 loss, rolling into a force play.

With the Orioles starting a right-hander, Jake Arrieta, in Wednesday's matinee, manager Bobby Valentine decided to start Podsednik in center over Marlon Byrd, who had hit in 10 straight games until going hitless in two at-bats Tuesday night. Byrd is still batting .203 overall after a 3-for-43 start with the Cubs, but has batted .271 in 26 games with the Sox.

"We want to see what he has,'' Valentine said Wednesday morning. "He'll work the count, get on base, cause a little havoc, and maybe give us a little dimension we haven't had for awhile.''

Podsednik's best asset is his speed: He stole a National League-leading 70 bases for the Brewers in 2004, and at age 34 two years ago stole 35 bases for the Royals (30) and Dodgers (5).

"I've been around long enough to know you just never know,'' Podsednik said about landing with the Sox. "One day you wake up in Lehigh Valley, a few days later you wake up in Pawtucket, and a few days later you wake up in Baltimore. That's the way the games goes, but I'm fortunate and excited.''

Byrd has started 23 games in center for the Sox this season. Jacoby Ellsbury started 7, Ryan Sweeney 6, Jason Repko 4, and Cody Ross 3.

Meanwhile, Adrian Gonzalez was back in right field for the fourth time in five games. Gonzalez did not handle a single chance Tuesday night -- he did not touch the ball at all the entire game -- but with the Orioles deploying five left-handed hitters and a switch hitter against Daniel Bard Wednesday, that is unlikely to be the case in this one.

BALTIMORE -- Kevin Youkilis had little use for the pregame scrum at his locker Tuesday.

“There’s no story here,’’ he said, as if the return of a three-time All-Star after an absence of 3 1/2 weeks should merit no more attention than the arrival of a new shipment of bats.

But if Youkilis thought he could slip in unobtrusively, he failed miserably, launching a home run into the visitors’ bullpen in the fourth inning in his second at-bat back in a Red Sox uniform.

Unfortunately for the Red Sox, the rest of the offense was rendered invisible by Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz and three relievers, Youkilis accounting for Boston’s only run in a 4-1 defeat.

The Red Sox managed just one baserunner, on a one-out walk to Daniel Nava in the eighth, after Youkilis’ home run. Adrian Gonzalez had the team’s only other hit, a second-inning single, and he was the only other Red Sox runner to advance as far as second base.

Matusz kept the Sox off balance all night with a terrific array of off-speed pitches, including a wicked curveball that helped him rack up nine strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.

Sidewinding Darren O’Day replaced Matusz and punched out both Youkilis and Will Middlebrooks to end the seventh, Pedro Strop pitched a scoreless eighth, and Jim Johnson made it 16 saves in 16 tries with a 1-2-3 ninth.

The Red Sox wasted Felix Doubront’s finest outing of the season, one in which he allowed just four hits and two walks in seven innings while striking out nine. One of the hits was a two-run home run by Steve Tolleson, whose father, Wayne, played for Bobby Valentine when he managed the Rangers in 1985.

The Orioles added two more runs in the eighth on a two-run homer by Wilson Betemit off former Baltimore reliever Matt Albers, who had held the Orioles hitless in 33 career at-bats, striking out 16, until Betemit connected after a two-out walk in the eighth.

David Ortiz' strong words to ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes about not getting respect for his leadership in the Red Sox clubhouse left the "PTI" guys shaking their heads.

Tony Kornheiser called Ortiz the "unquestioned face of the Red Sox" and asked, "What is he nervous about? "What's he insecure about?"

Michael Wilbon went further: "Every time I'm in Boston ... all I read about is how great a guy David Ortiz is, how wonderful he is in the clubhouse, from the media, from the fans. They cheer him when he walks down the street. Stop! How much love can you stand, Papi? Everybody loves you."