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Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who has missed the last 16 games with a small fracture in the navicular bone of his right foot, has been cleared to return to the lineup Wednesday, manager John Farrell said Tuesday night.

“He’s likely to start in center field, leading off,’’ Farrell said after the Red Sox’s 8-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies.

Ellsbury, who took batting practice Tuesday, has been out since Sept. 5 while the bruising and inflammation around the break has subsided. He began running and hitting this past weekend and has said he is confident he will be at 100 percent in time for the playoffs.

After Wednesday’s game in Denver, the Red Sox are off Thursday then close the regular season with three games in Baltimore. They will open the playoffs on Oct. 4.

Ellsbury, who is eligible for free agency following this season, is hitting .299 with a major league-leading 52 stolen bases in 131 games.

DENVER -- If you’re thinking it has been a while since you’ve seen this, you’re right.

The Boston Red Sox lost 8-3 to the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday, their most one-sided loss since Aug. 16, when the New York Yankees beat them by seven runs in Fenway Park.

The Sox are 31-13 this season in games decided by five or more runs. This was one of the 13.

However, the loss didn't cost the Sox their hold on the best record in the American League as the Oakland Athletics lost 3-0 to the Los Angeles Angels, meaning the Sox have a one-game lead with four games to play. The Detroit Tigers, who started the night four games behind with five to play, beat the Twins, so they’re three back with four to play.

The disappointment of the loss also was tempered by manager John Farrell’s postgame announcement that Jacoby Ellsbury has been cleared to return to the lineup Wednesday night for the first time since Sept. 5. Ellsbury has missed the past 16 games while giving time for some subsiding of the bruising and inflammation around the small fracture in the navicular bone of his right foot.

"He’s likely to start in center field, leading off, yes," Farrell said.

Sox starter John Lackey gave up three bases-empty home runs in the first four innings and four runs in all over six innings, and the Rockies tacked on four more in the seventh inning against Boston's bullpen.

"Not one of our better nights on the mound," Farrell said. "John made a couple of mistakes he paid for, especially in a park where we know the ball is going to carry. The three home runs allowed are not common for him the way he’s pitched us for all year, and in the seventh inning, we let the game get away from us with four runs."

Lackey has not been the same pitcher on the road (4-10, 4.48 ERA) that he has been at home (6-3, 2.47 ERA), which probably will factor into how Farrell lines up his postseason rotation. Lackey seems like an obvious choice to follow Jon Lester in the second game of the division series in Boston, with Clay Buchholz pitching Game 3 on the road, but Farrell has yet to reveal his plans.

Why is Lackey better at Fenway? Farrell thinks it could be that he is better to his glove side of the plate, and thus takes advantage of the wide spaces in right and center fields in the Fens. And Lackey? He stammered something, then said, "You can’t put your finger on it, really. If I could pitch that well on the road, I’d certainly try to."

Lackey originally was scheduled to throw an inning or so Tuesday, before it was decided to give him another full start. Asked if he would throttle down Sunday in his final start, he shrugged and said, "I only work here." As if the Sox haven’t discussed their plans fully with the pitcher.

Reliever Brandon Workman hadn’t pitched in a week, the Sox looking to give the rookie some rest, but the downtime did nothing for his command. "He looked like he hadn’t pitched in a while," Farrell said. "Knowing the number of innings and the high stress innings, we wanted to buy him some time, and it looked like there was a little rust."

Drake Britton replaced Lackey at the start of the seventh and gave up a leadoff double to catcher Jordan Pacheco. Workman entered and in short order gave up a single to pinch hitter Jeff Rutledge, a walk to Charlie Blackmon and a two-run single to DJ LeMahieu. After a double steal, Troy Tulowitzki grounded out to third, but then Michael Cuddyer blooped a two-run single, knocking out Workman.

The Sox trailed 8-1, until David Ortiz singled ahead of Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s 14th home run in the ninth.

DENVER -- Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli was not in the starting lineup for the third straight game Tuesday night. With the team having an off-day Monday, Napoli has had a four-day break from playing with the plantar fasciitis that has affected his left foot since early July.

Napoli had a cortisone injection in mid-August that alleviated some of the discomfort, but said he has not had another shot. “It hasn’t even been discussed,’’ he said. “It feels pretty good. It feels better the more I rest it.’’

With no DH in a National League park, David Ortiz was in the starting lineup at first base.

Napoli said he is available to pinch hit, but said he is likely to sit again Wednesday night. With another off-day Thursday, that would give him six full days off the foot before the season-ending, three-game series against the Orioles in Baltimore.

* Jacoby Ellsbury took batting practice Tuesday and if he comes through that OK, he should play at least part of the game Wednesday, manager John Farrell said.

(UPDATE: Farrell said after the game that Ellsbury has been cleared to play and will play center field and bat leadoff Wednesday.)

* With the AL Division Series not scheduled to begin until Oct. 4, a week from Friday, Farrell said he will give the team next Monday off, then schedule workouts for the next three days. That will include an intrasquad game on Wednesday, he said.

Farrell said he was not familiar with the story involving Ted Williams and the 1946 Red Sox, who had a similar break before the World Series because the National League needed a best-of-three playoff to determine its champion. The Sox scheduled exhibition games against a team of AL all-stars; Williams was hit by a pitch in his right elbow by Washington Senators left-hander Mickey Haefner.

"He threw me a little sidearm curveball," Williams wrote in his autobiography. "I kind of held up waiting for it to break. It hit me right on the tip of my right elbow. The elbow went up like a balloon. It turned blue. The World Series was to begin three days later, but I couldn't take batting practice for two days."

Williams batted .200 in the seven-game World Series won by St. Louis, and all five hits were singles. That was the only Series of his 21-year big-league career.

After the story was relayed to him, Farrell said, “We won’t go through our workouts with reckless abandon, but there’s still work that needs to be done. In any workout situation, even in spring training, injuries are part of it. I think it’s important to have a day in those three days that is as intense and as game speed as we can get. That’s the balance.’’

* Farrell said he probably will hold off on announcing his postseason starting rotation until at least the weekend. Jon Lester is pitching Saturday in Baltimore, so he would be on schedule to start the opener with an extra day’s rest, which appears the most likely scenario.

* Farrell said the team has not yet decided on the postseason roster, noting that a “couple of spots” remain open. He said he has yet to decide on the number of pitchers the Sox will carry in the first round.

DENVER -- Greetings from the Mile High City, where it has been reliably reported that the Red Sox were present en masse when Wes Welker caught 7 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown Monday night in the Broncos’ win over the Raiders. Not sure how many of them channeled the immortal Bob Lobel and asked, “Why can’t we get players like this?’’

* The three division winners -- the Red Sox, Tigers, and Athletics -- have now played the same number of games, 157, after the Athletics beat the Angels, 10-5, and the Tigers lost in 11 innings, 4-3, to the Twins while the Sox were off Monday night. The Sox are 95-62, one game ahead of the Athletics (94-63) for best overall record in the league, with the Tigers (91-66) four games back.

The magic number for the Sox to eliminate the Tigers from the race for home-field advantage through the postseason is two. Any combination of Sox wins and Tigers losses, and Detroit is done. The magic number to eliminate the Athletics is five. Any combo of Sox wins and Athletics losses totaling five, and the Sox are No. 1.

"To finish the season out we’ve got five tough games ahead of us," manager John Farrell said. "I think to secure home-field advantage, evident by the way we play at home and the way we embrace our environment, it would be a very good thing."

In the event the Sox and Athletics tie, the first tie-breaker is head-to-head: The Sox and Athletics split six games, so that won’t resolve anything. Next tie-breaker is record within the division: The teams are in a virtual tie there, too: The Sox are 43-30 in the AL East, the Athletics are 42-29. The Sox have three games left against an AL East rival, in Baltimore over the weekend. The Athletics’ last five games are against AL West teams, the Angels (2) and Mariners (3).

The third tie-breaker is the team’s record in the second half, minus interleague games, and here the Athletics hold the edge, at least for now. Oakland is 38-24 in the second half, but two of those losses were against the Reds, so for tie-breaker purposes, they are 38-22, a .633 percentage. The Sox are 37-23 in the second half, but they played nine interleague games -- three apiece against the Diamondbacks, Giants and Dodgers, winning 6 and losing 3. So for tie-breaker purposes, they are 31-20, a .607 percentage.

It gets complicated, doesn’t it? And a reminder on why the best record is so important. Not only does the team ensure itself home field advantage throughout the playoffs, it faces the winner of the one-game wild card playoff instead of a division winner.

The Athletics profited immensely from having the lowly Astros in their division. They went 15-4 against Houston; they’re just 27-25 against the rest of the division.

The Astros game Sunday against the Indians, by the way, drew a 0.0 Nielsen rating, according to the Houston Chronicle. A rerun of “The Cosby Show” drew a 0.5.

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NEW YORK -- Pedro Martinez has endured and savored a little of everything in the pressure of the postseason.

Tussling with Don Zimmer. Blowing a big lead on the cusp of the World Series. Winning a city's first championship in 86 years.

Now that the three-time Cy Young Award winner will be talking about the game from the calm of the studio, he wants to remember that tension. Martinez will join TBS's playoff coverage as an analyst next month.

"Some of us, when we go up to the booth and look at the game down on the field, sometimes we tend to forget how difficult the game is and how uncomfortable it is to execute under pressure," he said Monday in a phone interview.

Martinez was never shy in front of a microphone in his 18-year major league career, most memorably with the Red Sox. From "Wake up the damn Bambino ... maybe I'll drill him in the ass," to "Just tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy," the words were blunt and bountiful.

Now, he keeps using the word "professional" in discussing how he plans to commentate on TBS, where Martinez will join host Keith Olbermann. That promise will probably disappoint some fans and relieve others.

Martinez has worked with current Red Sox players as a special assistant and pronounces himself proud of the revival of this year's team, about which he'll be tasked to analyze during the playoffs. Their chemistry reminds him of Boston's 2004 World Series champs.

And even on other clubs, Martinez has quite a few friends and former teammates.

"As a baseball player, I always recognized when I didn't do something right," Martinez said. "I didn't have a problem with anybody saying, `He didn't execute."

Still, he emphasizes that he considers himself a "positive person" and makes clear he'd prefer to delve into his insights as a former player about on-field activity than, say, whether players penalized under the sport's drug policy should suit up in the postseason.

Martinez and Olbermann will be joined by Tom Verducci on the studio show for TBS, which broadcasts the wild-card games, division series and NL championship series.

The 41-year-old Martinez last pitched in the 2009 World Series for the Phillies. He has done some local media appearances in Boston -- sorting out, as many recently retired athletes must do, how to fill his newly discovered free time.
Martinez saw other ex-players thriving on TV and figured he might fit in there, too.

"I'm so used to being aggressive, the competiveness," he said.

BOSTON -- The talk surrounding playoff rotations is often so intense, as has been the case in Boston this month, that discussions surrounding bench machinations are rendered almost meaningless. The last guy off the bench matters little when the first guy on the mound has yet to be determined.

The Red Sox have said they plan to carry 11 pitchers in the Division Series. That leaves 14 other roster spots. After names like Pedroia, Ortiz, Victorino, Ellsbury, Napoli, Drew, Middlebrooks, Saltalamacchia, Nava, Carp, Gomes and Ross are penciled in, there are two spots up from grabs. One figures to be Xander Bogaerts or veteran John McDonald to give the club some depth on the left side of the infield.

That would leave one more opening, and the competition figures to pit pinch-runner extraordinaire Quintin Berry against dynamic youngster Jackie Bradley Jr. Berry has a defined role that can pay dividends in the postseason, but Bradley Jr. is at least making his case to stick around come October. He added some fuel to the debate Sunday with a three-run homer in Boston’s 5-2 win over Toronto.

Bradley is 5-for-10 with the homer, a double and three runs scored in his last three games and has been very sound in center field. Once Ellsbury returns and proves his foot injury is no longer an issue, Bradley is back to the bench. At the very least, he has accepted that role and appears primed to embrace it if given the chance in October.

“Just be professional every single day. You’ve got to be ready to play, come in,” he said. “If you’re not in the starting lineup just come in and be able to help out any way you can. It’s been great to be able to see the team still win anyway no matter who’s in the lineup.”

Ellsbury, Victorino, Nava, Carp and Gomes all play the outfield. Having a sixth is somewhat excessive, and Berry almost doesn’t qualify as one since his job is to run, run and run some more. That may put Bradley on the outs, but his little surge down the stretch gives the club plenty for which to be excited going forward.

“A young player’s first experience, whether it’s coming up one time to the major leagues in a given year or in his case three times, this has been a tremendous learning experience for him,” manager John Farrell said. “The three-run homer in the second inning puts us ahead to stay but the challenges that he’s faced here, major league pitching, this will go a long way in his overall development. Our view of him long-term has not changed one bit. He’s just going through that normal transition a young player goes through.”

Whether that normal transition involves the abnormal inclusion as a sixth outfielder on a playoff roster remains to be seen. Bradley, who was 3-for-31 (.097) with one extra-base hit in his first stint with the big club in April and May and 14-for-58 (.241) with seven extra-base hits ever since, has at least proved he belongs.

BOSTON -- A little bit of rest can go a long way -- seven innings exactly, if you’re Red Sox pitcher Felix Doubront.

Making his first start since Sept. 6, Doubront earned his 11th win of the season Sunday afternoon against the Toronto Blue Jays. The left-hander allowed two runs on four hits in his seven innings of work, pushing his innings total for the season to 161 and tying the single-season career high mark he set last year.

“I was feeling good, arm felt good,” Doubront said. “I was impressed because I was feeling good on my pitches. I was probably [too] strong.”

Doubront came out of the gate hitting 94-mph in the first and retiring the side in order using his fastball exclusively. It wasn’t until his 34th pitch that he featured a breaking ball, a curveball to Blue Jays catcher Josh Thole.

“He was very good, much more powerful than the last few times out,” manager John Farrell said. “A lot of strikes, maybe not the number of strikeouts [two] that we’re used to seeing from Felix but I thought he carried his stuff for the full seven innings.”

“Overall, he repeated his delivery. It just looked more fresh and rested and that was the case. A solid seven innings of work.”

Doubront’s 11 wins also tied the single-season career high he set last year, albeit in two less starts. With 73 earned runs allowed compared to 87 in 2012, along with 11 less home runs given up, Farrell believes that the best is still yet to come for the 25-year-old.

“You see a guy that threw 160 innings in the regular season, 11-6, you view Felix as a guy that there’s more in there,” he said. “And he’s capable of more in it. It comes down to more of the physical side out of it and the endurance through a full season.”

“He’s an extremely talented young guy.”

BOSTON -- The Red Sox annual Picnic in the Park took place after Sunday’s win over Toronto, a chance for players and their families to mingle in the outfield on a perfect afternoon in Boston.

The pastoral scene was a fitting end to a lovely season at home for the Sox, who finished 53-28 at Fenway Park, the best home mark in the American League and a clear indication that finishing with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs is of the utmost importance.

As Boston leaves town for the last time before the playoffs, here are 10 items to keep an eye on over the final five games of the season:

1. Press on: “To continue to win,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said Sunday when asked what his primary goal was on the five-game road trip. The club is closing in on securing the top spot in the AL, which would give them a home game Oct. 4 against the winner of the wild card play-in game, as well as home-field advantage over either Oakland or Detroit in a potential ALCS. (The Tigers have yet to clinch the Central but own a five-game advantage over Cleveland with six games to play.)

To illustrate just how critical it would be for Boston to have home-field advantage if it reached the second round, consider some basic win-loss records. The Sox are 64-27 at home against Oakland and Detroit since 2003. They are 38-49 at Oakland and Detroit in that same span.

2. Reeling Rockies: The bid for that top record in the AL may get a boost with two games at Colorado, which has been in play-out-the-string mode for weeks. However, before two Ws are penciled in for the Sox, it is worth noting that this year’s version of the Rockies has played out much like others in the franchise history, with decidedly better results at home. Entering Sunday, 12 teams in baseball owned more than Colorado’s 44 home wins. However, only Miami and the Chicago White Sox had fewer road wins than the Rockies’ 27.

3. Rotation shift: Farrell announced Sunday that John Lackey would start Tuesday in Colorado and Jake Peavy would go Wednesday. Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester and Lackey are then scheduled to go, in that order, in the final three games of the season in Baltimore. That means Lester and Lackey are lined up to go in Games 1 and 2 of a Division Series with a five full days of rest, or Buchholz is the choice for the playoff opener on six days of rest, followed by Lester with six days off and Lackey in Game 3 with seven.

4. Ellsbury in action: The target date for Jacoby Ellsbury’s return is Wednesday in Colorado. If that doesn’t work out, Friday in Baltimore is likely. “Getting Jacoby back is probably as big a key as anything,” Farrell said about the priorities on the road trip. Ellsbury said earlier Sunday he does not anticipate any rust entering the postseason.

5. Limit the workload?: Koji Uehara’s outings come and go like a summer breeze. It’s a wonder we see him sweating in the clubhouse after games. Perhaps that comes from the ferocity of the high-fives, for there is such a limited degree of stress for Uehara and almost no reason to hesitate when calling his name.

However, Uehara has established career highs in appearances and innings pitched and has thrown 1,020 pitches this season, his highest total since 1,055 in his rookie year with Baltimore. A few more outings and the star closer may pass that mark and firmly establish his heaviest workload in the majors. Farrell would love to see a rout or two, one way or another, on this trip so he can stay away from Uehara.

6. Bullpen bingo: While Uehara’s role is understood, others in the pen operate on a day-to-day basis. There are times when Junichi Tazawa is the setup man, others when Craig Breslow does that work. Matt Thornton and Franklin Morales can match up against lefties, as can Ryan Dempster with his splitter. Brandon Workman and Drake Britton have had nice moments, but are rookies. In the end, however, Farrell has gone with a mix-and-match system for most of the second half of the season. He may use these final five games to give some guys that final test to see where best to slot them in the postseason.

7. Felix’s farewell?: One member of that bullpen formula could be Felix Doubront, who tossed seven strong innings Sunday. Farrell said he may give Doubront a look out of the pen next weekend in Baltimore, but admitted there will not be much of an opportunity to gauge Doubront’s effectiveness in a relief role before the roster is set for the Division Series.

Doubront deflected a postgame question Sunday about heading to the pen. His status remains very much up in the air, although it seems likely that he will be on the outside looking in come October.

8. Stretch it out: Another road trip priority for Farrell is to “get Clay stretched out.” Indeed, Clay Buchholz has managed to increase his pitch count in three starts since returning from injury, but he has yet to go beyond six innings. Stress of pitches and the number of up-and-downs are nearly as important as strict pitch count, and Farrell might want to get Buchholz through a sticky seventh before he knows his right-hander is primed for playoff baseball.

9. Jackie Bradley vs. Quintin Berry: This figures to be the one playoff roster competition remaining. Ellsbury’s ability to return with no issues is important, as it would render Bradley less significant, but it will be interesting to see how Farrell utilizes these two, and in what situations. Maybe his mind is already made up, but if not, there are five more games to make an impression.

10. Oh, those Orioles: Baltimore has lost four straight, a slide that has virtually wiped away its playoff hopes. They are 4 ½ back of the second wild card spot with seven games to play. If by some chance the Orioles manage to stick around until Friday, then that final series might have them playing with desperation. Baltimore already gives Boston all kinds of fits. If the Sox are still fighting for the best record and the O’s are still in the playoff mix, it could be a fun final weekend.

BOSTON -- Here is the speech Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski gave at the ceremony in which his statue was unveiled outside Fenway Park.

Mr Mayor, Larry, Tom, Ben, John [Farrell], what a difference this year compared to last year. Ben put a team together, and John pushed all the right buttons. I was talking to Gomes and Nava and Pedroia a little bit before, and what a difference, playing on a winner.

I was telling them my first six years with the Red Sox, they were tough years. Twenty-five, 30 games out, by the All-Star break. You lose the incentive. Then ’67 came along, and baseball was fun again. You guys made it fun here for the fans of Boston.

I'm happy to be here, surrounded by my wife Nancy, my children and my grandchildren. I wish my son Carl Michael could have been with us. He was my biggest fan.

It's very special to have my former teammates here. Thank you for coming. I want to thank Jim and Dwight for their kind words.

I’m deeply honored to stand before you today seeing this statue in front of the place that I called home for 23 years. This statue means as much to me as being inducted into the Hall of Fame and having my number retired.

The Red Sox organization and the fans of New England are the best in baseball. Thank you all for coming. Thank you, I appreciate it.

BOSTON -- The Red Sox finish an American League-best 53-28 at home with a 5-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday in the Fenway Park finale (at least until the playoffs).

The victory gives Boston a two-game lead in the race for the best record in the AL, pending Oakland’s result later Sunday. The mission to lock up that one final piece of the puzzle continues Tuesday in the first of two games at Colorado.

Felix Doubront, in his last start of the season and perhaps his last appearance overall pending some postseason roster decisions, allowed two runs on four hits in seven innings. Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a three-run homer and David Ortiz a solo shot to provide the bulk of the offense for the Sox, who became the 17th team in franchise history to reach 95 wins.

A few lingering thoughts from the final home game of the regular season:

Odd man out?: Ryan Dempster is clearly a member of the bullpen now. The club will only keep 11 pitchers in the first round of the playoffs, and that transition has already begun for Dempster. There are several other certainties for the pen and very little time remaining for Doubront to begin his transition. It is quite possible that his solid outing Sunday was his last of the season (or maybe he is revived in a potential ALCS).

While John Farrell has yet to commit to any plans surrounding Doubront, it makes sense to keep things up in the air. Farrell has quite the stable of quality veterans in his rotation but there is a week left and you never know when a line drive catches one starter on a finger and another strains his calf covering first base on the back end of a double play. Doubront may just be put to the side in the unlikely event that a fill-in is needed in October, and it behooves Farrell to keep him on a regular routine through the week, at least.

Jumpin’ Jack: With Jacoby Ellsbury on the sideline and Mike Napoli resting a sore foot, which requires either Daniel Nava or Mike Carp to slide to first base, Bradley is getting his opportunities in center field. He made the most of it Sunday with the game’s decisive blow, a three-run homer in the second inning.

Bradley also tracked down a handful of balls in center, including one where he had to avoid a collision with Shane Victorino. This gave us scribes a chance to write “8” in our scorecard a handful of times. Quite fitting, on the day the organization celebrated the original No. 8, Carl Yastrzemski.

Koji time: There is absolutely no cause for concern with Koji Uehara’s performance, and he shows no signs of slowing down. However, you have to think that Farrell would love a few more blowouts in the final week so he can spare his closer.

Uehara tossed another effortless 1-2-3 ninth for his 21st save. He is up to 72 1/3 innings in 71 games, both career highs. Of course, the efficiency of these outings has made his whole season so stress-free, which allows Farrell to go to him without hesitation more often. Uehara is up to 99 strikeouts against nine walks. Just phenomenal.

Yaz: It was a strike thrown from Yastrzemski to David Ortiz for the ceremonial first pitch. And it was a home run the Red Sox organization hit by erecting a statue for Yaz outside Fenway Park, which was displayed prior to the game. It depicts Yaz doffing his cap in a salute to fans prior to his final at-bat Oct. 2, 1983.

Had a friend who was among those fortunate enough to get a handshake from Yaz as he made a triumphant lap around the park that day. Still not sure if said friend has washed that hand. His impact on prior generations of Red Sox fans was immense.

And S-T-R-Z remains the best run of consonants in the language. The Red Sox language, at least.

Milestone watch: With his solo homer in the sixth, Ortiz moved to the precipice of a few notable numbers. He is one home run shy of reaching 30 for the first time since 2010 and only the second time since 2007. The slugger also needs two RBI to reach 100 for the seventh time in his career.

Ortiz’s next home run will be the 431st of his career, which would tie him with Cal Ripken Jr. for 45th on the all-time list.

Time of game: This was the ultimate example of “getaway day,” a phenomenon which often sees players who are itching to get on the plane and get out of town speed things up a bit, whether by swinging away or choosing not to walk to Dorchester and back between pitches.

While Boston gets a day off before beginning a series in Colorado on Tuesday, Toronto has a stretch that seem it race to Chicago to play a meaningless makeup game with the White Sox before heading to Baltimore for three games beginning Tuesday. A good time for the Jays to get out of town early.

Sunday’s contest was over in 2 hours, 13 minutes. That is the second-fastest nine-inning affair for Boston and the fifth-fastest of the season for Toronto.

Up next: John Lackey gets the nod for Boston in the opener against the Rockies. It is an 8:40 p.m. ET start Tuesday night. Jake Peavy will pitch Wednesday.

First baseman Mike Napoli is out of the lineup Sunday for the second straight game. He was bothered by plantar fasciitis in August and still has some lingering effects, so Farrell is utilizing this opportunity, together with Monday’s off-day, to give his cleanup hitter some time to rest.

“We’re just giving him a couple of days down here,” Farrell said. “He was dealing with that foot issue. He felt like this was a time to give him a few days to try to get ahead of it.”

Napoli sat out three games in the middle of August, just as he was enduring a slump. He returned and caught on fire at the end of the month, carrying his hot stretch into September.

-- Felix Doubront may appear out of the bullpen next weekend in Baltimore, but nothing is set in stone and it appears quite likely that the left-hander could be on the outs when a playoff roster is formulated prior to a Divisions Series.

Doubront is starting Sunday against Toronto and will require some down time after that. Farrell will have him on hand in the final series of the season, but is not sure there will be enough time for a full adjustment into a new role, especially given Doubront’s recent comments that a relief role may not be for him.

“I know he’s made some comments lately on the adjustment to his routine and what that might mean, so the difficulty will be when he’s first available next weekend, how many opportunities can he get from there,” Farrell said. “Obviously we’ve got some decisions to make for the postseason roster and all things will be taken into account.”

Doubront told WEEI.com on Sept. 12 that he would have difficulty getting ready on a whim. He was a reliever in parts of 2010 and 2011 for Boston, but had some physical issues in ‘11 and implied that his comfort level is at its highest while in a starting role.

Farrell has already utilized Ryan Dempster out of the bullpen. Dempster tossed a scoreless inning Saturday night. He figures to be an important part of the relief formula in October, a formula that has remained rather fluid in terms of roles in front of closer Koji Uehara.

Doubront’s place in that mix would be fuzzy, and with little time to test him out in Baltimore, it remains to be seen if there even is a place for him.

-- Boston enters Sunday with a 94-62 mark, just 1 ½ games ahead of Oakland and 2 ½ up on Detroit in the race for the best record in the American League and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The owner of the best mark hosts the winner of the wild card play-in game on Oct. 4 in the opener of one AL Division Series, while the other two division winners tangle in the other best-of-five set.

When one considers Boston’s home mark (52-28), as well as its success at Fenway in Octobers past, the issue becomes a bit more pressing.

“Today is an important day for us, not just because it’s the last one but the chance to maintain where we are in the overall record and preserving it, that is important to us,” Farrell said. “And that would be a huge lift, and certainly an advantage going into the postseason.”

While the Sox have had some glorious moments this week at Fenway, they have dropped three of their last five. Oakland and Detroit are both 4-1 in that same stretch to tighten up this race and potentially set up some more late-season drama.

BOSTON -- Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury may return to the lineup as early as Wednesday in Colorado.

Ellsbury and manager John Farrell confirmed that contest against the Rockies as a target for his comeback from a compression fracture in his right foot. Ellsbury has been increasing baseball activities in recent days and is on the cusp of being completely ready to contribute once again.

“We talked about [Wednesday] as a possibility. Yeah, I’m definitely ahead of schedule,” Ellsbury said Sunday before Boston’s home finale against Toronto.

There is no designated hitter in the two games in Colorado, so if Ellsbury returns then he will be playing the field. Farrell indicated that it may not be a full game, but more a matter of getting his speedy leadoff hitter back into the routine.

“The work that he’s going trough right now, the baseball activities have been ramped up. There’s been no setbacks, obiously,” Farrell said. “[Wednesday is] an optimistic view but hopefully we’ll be able to get him some at-bats that day.”

The Sox are off Thursday, so if Ellsbury is not ready by Wednesday he might target the opener of a three-game set in Baltimore on Friday.

Ellsbury has been running and hitting this weekend. He said he hopes to test any and all baseball-related actions prior to his return, including breaks from a stand-still into a full sprint like he would experience in center field or on base.

“The goal is to do it before I play, that’d be the goal, to try to get all of that out of the way before I get back in a game,” he said.

Ellsbury, who suffered the injury in late-August before being shelved earlier this month, is confident he will be at 100 percent by the time the postseason rolls around. While he wants to test those breaks to make sure that the foot feels fine, he does not feel a need to steal bases just for the sake of stealing bases. Ellsbury rarely steals bags in spring training games and, as he pointed out Sunday, he never has any issues once the regular season rolls around.

Similarly, Ellsbury expects no issues at the plate.

“I think my timing will still be there. I think it’s there now,” he said.

Ellsbury, who last played Sept. 5, is hitting .299 with an American League-leading 52 stolen bases in 131 games.

BOSTON -- With the American League East wrapped up on Friday and baseball’s best record heading into the final week of the season, the sky is the limit for the 2013 Boston Red Sox season. Fittingly, Saturday marked the day that several of their top prospects were in the building as well.

Henry Owens, Blake Swihart, Mookie Betts and Deven Marrero were each honored with awards Saturday for their achievements during the minor league season, meeting with the media in front of the Red Sox dugout an hour before the start of the night’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Latin Pitcher of the Year Dedgar Jimenez and Latin Player of the Year Victor Acosta were also on hand for the event. Steven Wright was awarded the Lou Gorman award, which is given annually to the minor leaguer who demonstrates perseverance in making it to the majors.

“It’s a great day,” director of player development Ben Crockett said. “It’s an honor for these guys to get a chance to be recognized for the seasons that they had. I think certainly there’s some pride that goes in from my end and from all of us in player development, all the staff, for these guys to get a chance to be recognized for their accomplishments.”

Headlining the class of prospects was Owens, whose 2.96 ERA and 169 strikeouts in 135 innings between the Advanced-A Salem Red Sox and Double-A Portland Sea Dogs made him an obvious choice for the award.

“I thought I made strides from [my] first season,” Owens said. “[Got] my feet wet the first season then came into spring training expecting to succeed, I guess. Ended up going up to Portland and succeeding there, too. It’s good but there’s still a lot of room for improvement.”

A supplemental first-round pick in 2011, the 6-foot-7 Owens put himself on the map this summer with an impressive stretch of no-hit magic that spanned 19 1/3 consecutive innings with Salem.

“I really didn’t think about it at all. I went out, threw, then at the end of my outings I’d go, ‘Oh, I didn’t give up a hit again,’” Owens nonchalantly said of the streak.

On July 31, Owens was promoted to Portland, where he allowed only six earned runs and struck out 46 in 30 1/3 innings to finish his spectacular season.

Defensive Player of the Year and fellow 2011 first-rounder Swihart had high praise for the 21-year-old Owens.

“He’ll be [in Boston] next year I bet,” Swihart said. “That guy’s amazing, gets all guys out with any pitch. Every pitch is his strength, he doesn’t have a weakness.”

Swihart is easy to trust when it comes to knowing Owens. The 21-year-old catcher from Bedford, Texas spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons as Owens’ battery mate, catching nearly every one of Owens’ starts until his promotion. On Saturday the two spent most of their time together, Owens even pretending to hold a recorder and joining reporters while Swihart spoke.

“Anytime he pitched, I was catching,” Swihart said proudly of their time together in Salem.

Committing only 10 errors in 841 chances (.988 fielding percentage) and leading the Carolina League in both putouts and assists, Swihart played a strong role in Salem’s postseason run that culminated in a league championship. Swihart also topped the league in caught stealing percentage (42 percent).

“When I can throw someone out it’s all thanks to the pitcher, they give me the ball on time,” Swihart said. “The pitcher helps me out.”

Meawhile, Betts was someone who wanted to help no pitcher out. A fifth-round pick in the same draft class as Owens and Swihart, Betts hit .314 in 127 games between Single-A Greenville and Salem. The 20-year-old second baseman also stole a system-high 38 bases, a feat helped by his impressive .417 on-base percentage.

“I take a lot of satisfaction in [this year] but you can never be completely satisfied until you make it to the bigs,” Betts said. “I was very surprised in myself. I learned that hard work in the offseason pays off and now with another offseason I’m ready to work hard and see what happens next year.”

The biggest surprise to Betts were his power numbers, hitting 15 home runs and 36 doubles on his way to the system’s highest slugging percentage (.506). Many tabbed Betts as one of the minor leagues biggest breakout players due to the improvements he made from his 2012 season (zero home runs in 71 games).

“Going through what I went through last year, I didn’t do that well and I knew as I was moving up it was only going to get harder,” Betts said. “Now that I’m here and I won [this award], I feel like I can hopefully keep doing it as I keep moving up.”

Betts was promoted from Greenville to Salem July 9, and his production didn't slow down at all. In fact, he posted better numbers, hitting .341 in 51 games compared to his .296 average in 76 games with Greenville.

“Swinging at good pitches is how you hit,” Betts said of his plate discipline. “It’s important to have good pitch selection, good pitch recognition, I feel like I do that pretty well. That’s how I have a little success.”

Marrero, named the system's top baserunner, had plenty of success swiping bags. The 2012 first-round shortstop was 27-for-29 in stolen base attempts between Salem and Portland this season, including a perfect 6-for-6 in 19 games with Portland.

“I learned a lot [this year]. Learned how to play a full season, how to play a lot of games and how to save my body and get my reps in,” Marrero said. “We have a great organization and they take care of me and they appreciate how hard I work and stuff like that. To get noticed for that is cool and I’m just happy to be in this organization and to play here.”

The 23-year-old Marrero earned his promotion to Portland Aug. 12.

“That’s what you want to do, you want to keep on moving up and get here and play in front of all these people and play for this city,” Marrero said.

Promotions have been somewhat of a theme for recent Red Sox minor league award winners as 2012 Pitcher of the Year Brandon Workman, Offensive Player of the Year Xander Bogaerts and Defensive Player of the Year Jackie Bradley Jr. all have made their major league debuts this season.

“They made significant strides handling promotion within the minor leagues very well and then obviously once they got in [Boston],” Crockett said. “The work ethic the players have put and the upper-level staff [preparing] these guys for that final step has been huge. Hopefully we can see that continue going forward.”

Although expectations run high for this year’s award winners, each was sure to enjoy the moment with their friends and family on Saturday, taking in the sweet feeling of standing on the field that they may soon call home. To get there, however, is easier said than done.

“I don’t really know where my ceiling is,” Owens said. “Just got to keep working hard, trying to get better every year.”

Once Owens and the other honorees make it to the big leagues is when those ceilings are sure to be discovered. Until then, the sky is the limit.

BOSTON -- One night later, the clubhouse scrubbed clean of a champion's spills, the harvest moon obscured by clouds, and the bats muffled by Mark Buehrle, the Boston Red Sox did something Saturday night that did not happen during their run-up to a division title.

They sent Clay Buchholz home with a loss.

The Red Sox right-hander, who had won all 11 of his previous decisions in 2013, including the two starts he had made since coming off the disabled list, was the losing pitcher in Saturday night's 4-2 defeat against the Toronto Blue Jays before a crowd of 37,569 in Fenway Park. The loss reduced Boston's advantage over Oakland for the best overall record in the league -- and home-field advantage in the American League Championship Series -- to 1½ games. The Red Sox have six games left, the Oakland Athletics seven.

The easy thing would be to blame a possible hangover effect caused by a long night of celebrating, which indeed took place on the basement level of Game On, the watering hole hard by the Green Monster. But that does a disservice to Buehrle, the Blue Jays lefty who held the Sox to five hits in six innings while going over the 200-inning mark for the 13th straight season, the longest active streak in the majors.

Granted, Buehrle was facing a Sox lineup missing a few of the usual suspects. Dustin Pedroia was given a night off, only the second time in 156 games he hasn't started at second base. John McDonald, a native of Connecticut and a resident of Scituate, Mass., started in his place. Will Middlebrooks, meanwhile, made his first career start at first base, Mike Napoli given a breather, while backup catcher David Ross started in place of Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

But while the Sox could mount little offense Saturday, they still played with a sense of some urgency, knowing that Oakland had already won and was closing in on them for the best overall record in the league.

Ross threw out all three Blue Jays baserunners who attempted to steal against him, one throw stronger than the one preceding it.

McDonald, playing in short right field as part of a defensive shift, made a terrific backhanded grab of Adam Lind's one-hop smash, spun and threw out Lind in the second. An inning later, shortstop Stephen Drew made an all-out dive to spear J.P. Arencibia's ground ball up the middle, and threw out the Jays' catcher. Drew also had two hits, scoring Boston's first run of the night in the sixth, and hit two other balls to the track that were caught.

The Sox scored their second run without the benefit of a hit in the seventh against Buehrle's successor, Dustin McGowan, when Xander Bogaerts reached on a two-base error by third baseman Brett Lawrie, took third on a wild pitch, and scored on Ross's grounder to short.

Still, that wasn't enough for the Sox to overcome the three-spot the Jays hung on Buchholz with two out in the fourth. That rally was aided and abetted by some sloppy defense, including the pitcher's wild pickoff attempt, his second in two starts, a double pump by Bogaerts on Lawrie's infield hit, and Shane Victorino's inability to haul in Lind's RBI double.

The inning began with a single by Jose Reyes, the first hit allowed by Buchholz after going nine-up, nine-down, but Ross nailed him stealing, at least in the eyes of second-base umpire Tony Randazzo. Munenori Kawasaki tapped out to second, and Buchholz was headed to the dugout when Lawrie rolled to third. But Lawrie beat Bogaerts' throw to first, and Adam Lind brought him home when he doubled off the glove of Victorino in center.

Moises Sierra followed with a base hit to left, and Rajai Davis flared a single to left that scored Lind and sent Sierra to third. Buchholz's pickoff attempt then missed connections with Middlebrooks, Sierra scoring.

"I just held onto it too long," Buchholz said of his pickoff attempt. "I was basically just trying to set up a way for Rossy to throw him out. It was just a show move and I just held on to the ball a little bit too long."

That was Buchholz's only rough inning, as he went six innings and threw 106 pitches, which should erase any doubts about his ability to pitch deep into a game in October, assuming he feels fine Sunday.

"I thought he was more crisp than his last time out against New York," manager John Farrell said. "A little better arm strength, a little more consistent power to his fastball. I thought Clay was pretty sharp and pretty crisp for the time he was on the mound.

"He was fighting to go back out in the seventh, but given the progression we were on, that was a comfortable number of pitches thrown tonight. But he feels good physically, he felt like he could have continued on tonight. So as far as Clay is concerned, the stuff that he had, the endurance he showed, a positive night for him."

Drake Britton threw a scoreless seventh, Ryan Dempster came out of the pen for the first time for the Sox and worked a scoreless eighth, but Matt Thornton gave up an RBI single to J.P. Arencibia, who was batting .142 since the break and snapped an 0 for 27 slump with his drive off the wall. Thornton was lifted two batters later after walking Reyes, and he has now put baserunners on in nine of his past 11 appearances, which won't further his candidacy for a postseason roster spot.

Not surprisingly, Pedroia did not remain idle the entire game. He pinch-hit for the first time since 2011 with two out and nobody on in the seventh but struck out, then finished the game at second base.

Despite taking the loss, Buchholz saw the positive, too.

"It's getting up over 100 pitches again and stuff not really losing anything throughout the game," he said. "That's what it's all about, to go out there and giving your team a chance to win. If we could have got out of that one inning with minimum damage, we could have ended up winning the game, but I let it snowball on me a little bit."

Jonny Gomes is keeping a Red Sox diary. In this installment, Gomes talks about the celebration after winning the AL East, who has an "invisi-ball" pitch and the key to a long postseason run. (--As told to Louise K. Cornetta)

I'll tell you what, if we hadn't made the playoffs, there would have been a lot of upset faces in this clubhouse. It's not about having media outlets pick or not pick you before the season. It definitely starts with the guys wearing the uniform believing, not the guys in the suits and ties or holding the microphones. It's all about the guys in uniform. We set the goal in spring training to win our division, which would allow us to get in the postseason and go on to hopefully win the World Series. So far we've been able to check off one goal.

I felt good about this club from pretty much day one of spring training and I'll tell you why. If you were to walk into a clubhouse and not see anyone's contract or awards, what's the one thing you would look for? Personally, I would look for guys who have playoff experience. With that being said, out of our starting nine, eight have playoff experience. The only person who doesn't is Will Middlebrooks, and he has eight guys to lean on. The playoffs truly are a different game. So If I'm starting a season, I want to start with guys that are pressure-tested, and that's what we have.

I remember having no idea what the postseason was like in 2008 when I was with Tampa Bay and we went all the way to the World Series. I remember at the trade and waiver deadlines all these teams picking up veterans. As players, we were such a young team that we didn't want any veterans. We felt like we had all the pieces right here. After that first pitch in the playoffs in Chicago, I was like, "Whoa, this is a whole different game." The atmosphere and pressure and going from goat to hero really quickly or the other way around, hero to goat, all happens. It's very exciting.

Truly, we have 25 pure baseball junkies on this team, which is such a breath of fresh air and makes things fun for me. I love coming to work every day because I love talking baseball. I love the history of this game. There's so much just on this team, like a 2002 champ in John Lackey. You've got Jake Peavy, who won the pitching Triple Crown and the Cy Young. You've got Nap [Mike Napoli] with Anaheim and Texas playoff experience. Shane Victorino going to the World Series with the Phillies. I could go on and on.

Our manager, John Farrell, deserves a lot of credit. As a position player, we don't have win-loss records on our stats. The way you play the game, the way you hustle, the way you grind resembles your manager. At the end of the day, you do it for your manager. Any job in America, you are busting your butt for your boss, right? He's the captain of this ship and definitely a huge part of it.

We didn't want to celebrate on Thursday when we made the playoffs because it wasn't our goal. We had been working toward winning the AL East. Once we did that, then it was time to celebrate. We had been eyeing that title. We saw it in our future and wanted to wait to go all in for that.

The next goal we have our eyes set on is having the best record in the American League. Playing at home would be a huge benefit to us throughout the playoffs. Then with Dustin Pedroia, Buch [Clay Buchholz], David Ortiz and Peavy helping us win the All-Star Game for the American League, we'll have home field for that if we make it to the World Series. Hopefully we can reward them for their hard work in the All-Star Game.

To have a lot of home games in the playoffs would be great because Fenway is a place we play well at. There are a few reasons why that is. One, the atmosphere that the fans bring here. There's a lot of accountability when you play in Boston. If you don't run hard to first or if you make a mental error, you're not just letting 24 guys on your team down, you're letting down 40,000 sets of eyes here. Two, our fans are very knowledgeable. You don't have to go 4-for-4, but you have to play the game right and respect the game. I was on the other side of the fence at one time. I paid money for tickets. The last thing I wanted to see is some people dogging it. So I think the fans help us pick up our game. Then three, with the unique setting of the Green Monster, that helps us too.

Is winning 100 games important? To tell you the truth, we wanted to win 162. But 100 wins is a pretty special mark these days because I think Major League Baseball as a whole is really strong these days. It's hard to win 100. Not that it hasn't been in the past, but especially in the AL East there aren't any gimmes or teams in a rebuilding phase. There are five horses in this division. I guess to get an extra digit in the win column would be pretty cool.

While I've played for a few teams that are in the wild-card race, I don't care who makes it. I don't have any more energy outside of what I put in this clubhouse to be rooting for any other team. I don't really care at all who else is in the playoffs.

One of the reasons we are in this position to go to the postseason is because we have one heckuva closer in Koji Uehara. What makes him so good is when the ball comes out of his hand, it disappears. That's about the only way I can explain him because I've faced him before and have been in the box against him and you truly can't put your finger on it. TV doesn't do Koji justice. Whether you're watching TV or watching tape on him to scout him, he throws 90 mph and has an 82 mph split; that's it. He's a two-pitch pitcher, not a flame thrower. So you think you have a chance. Then you get up there and as a hitter we call it the "invisi-ball." It's like you swing right through because it's deceptive. He definitely has it figured out.

The only thing Koji's doing differently this year is he's doing this all in the ninth. He has been the best reliever in baseball since 2010. Those are the hardest three outs in the game to get, because the ninth is the only inning that you play for a run. You don't play for a run in the first. You try to tack them on by playing for two, three or four runs, which means you don't have to bunt or hit-and-run like you do in the ninth. With that being said, what he's doing is unbelievable.

He's also a great person with a lot of energy. What I like to see from guys who are good in the game and good at their craft is I really enjoy watching those guys work. Believe it or not, there are some Hall of Famers in this game who didn't work out or watch tape, who just had the best God-given ability and ran it out there. That's awesome and good for them but I like to see guys who really have to work hard for their craft. He's here early and out on the field late. He's got sweat on his forehead all day long from working.

With the regular season winding to an end and the postseason right around the corner, the simple answer to having a long postseason run is to score more points than our opponent. But I'll tell you what, where we are right now, I think we have created an identity with this team and how we play, how we pitch, and how we play defense. Fortunately for us, we don't need to come up with any tricks or have to reinvent the wheel. We just truly have to play the same game that we've been playing.

All right, on to talking about our celebrating being the AL East champs. Fortunately for me, I would never say I'm getting used to it, but I've done this with a couple teams. To do it here in Boston with the history here and the fans is fun, and to be able to prove all the experts wrong that had the Red Sox as the underdog. What we did this year, in turning the whole ship around so fast, really makes this season magical. There were definitely a lot of emotions that went into that celebration versus just winning the AL East.

Champagne is good in a beard. I don't want it out. I'm going to keep it in there for a while. Hopefully I get some more. Maybe it will be good conditioner for it. Champagne is not good for the eyes, which is why I got the ski goggles for everybody. As I mentioned, I've been fortunate enough to do this a few times, so goggles are a good thing to have when you're celebrating.

You may have noticed me wearing an Army helmet during the celebration. A friend gave it to me who wore it overseas. So it's battle-tested. He's in the Army Special Forces. He gave it to me and I was very honored to get it. It was a good little touch because it's time to put the hard hats on and go to work.

We all got T-shirts last night for reaching our goal of winning the AL East that said, "We own the East." We put one on our cigar store Indian that we still have in the clubhouse. [Editor's note: The cigar store Indian was brought in by Jake Peavy while the team was in San Francisco in August and has remained as a good luck charm ever since.] He's been good for us. So we had to dress him up.

I think people remember me doing the helmet punt when I had a walk-off homer this season. So I think everybody needs a little trademark throughout the year, which is why you may have seen me punt some beverages into the stands while we celebrated. Hopefully we can be punting some more things all the way to the end of the World Series.

For me, the moment I will remember most from the celebration is something I find cool and is kind of something I've done everywhere -- that's getting a group photo on the mound. It's some pictures I've kind of collected. To be able to arrange that and do that again with everyone on board to take that snapshot was something I'll remember.

When I look back on my first season in Boston, it's a lot that went on this year. Fort Myers seems like years ago. I think back on the start of the "Boston Strong" slogan and everything that happened on Marathon Monday. I have individual memories throughout this season too. The true brotherhood and friendships that have started with the guys on this team. I wouldn't say my expectations have been exceeded though, because my expectation is to win the World Series. If we didn't go to the playoffs and win the East, I would have been mad. With that being said, I'm happy where we are.