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BOSTON -- Even though Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks is bothered by the fact that he's 4 for his last 43 at the plate, he’s more upset that he had the opportunity to make a difference in Sunday night’s 5-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals but finished 0-for-5.

“I’m more pissed right now because we lost,” he said. “We lost by one run and I felt I could’ve done something about that. If we’re winning ballgames and I’m still struggling, I’m doing something, I’m playing good defense, making a play, doing something to help us win. When we lose by one run and I’m 0-for-5 in a couple of big situations, it stings a little bit.”

When asked if he’s been pressing too much at the plate because of his recent struggles, Middlebrooks said, “No. I’m just not getting hits.”

Middlebrooks also said his health is fine and there’s nothing wrong with his wrist.

“Nothing’s wrong. It’s part of the game. It happens sometimes,” Middlebrooks said. “I’m not worried about it.”

Neither is Red Sox manager John Farrell.

“He’s not swinging the bat or getting the production as he’s experienced last year,” Farrell said, “but this is someone, he’s our third baseman and we’re going to stick with him and continue to work to get him on track.”

BOSTON -- After entering the day with a seven-game winning streak, the Red Sox lost both games of a day-night doubleheader to the Kansas City Royals, losing the nightcap, 5-4, Sunday night at Fenway Park.

The game was tied at 4-4 when Red Sox reliever Andrew Miller loaded the bases in the top of the 10th inning, then walked in the winning run.

"I felt like I had better feel tonight, I just didn't execute and didn't do my job," Miller said.

"Inconsistent strikes," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "I thought he made a couple of good pitches to [Billy] Butler to get the strikeout, and then with the bases loaded, obviously, the bases-loaded walk, and unfortunately we were able to do anything against [Royals closer Greg] Holland."

The Sox lost the opener, 4-2.

The Red Sox recalled right-handed pitcher Allen Webster from Triple-A Pawtucket for the twinbill and he made his major league debut in the nightcap. The 23-year-old worked six innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts. He threw 84 pitches (57 strikes).

The Red Sox acquired the highly touted pitching prospect as part of their nine-player blockbuster with the Los Angeles Dodgers last August. Webster pitched well during spring training and began the season with the PawSox, where he made two starts and allowed only one run in 10 innings of work (0.90 ERA) while striking out 12.

By MLB rule, teams are allowed to add 26th man to the roster for a doubleheader, so Webster will be sent back to Pawtucket after the game and the move does not count against the Sox’s options on him.

Webster's first outing in the big leagues was a good one.

The Royals’ Alex Gordon led off the game with a first-pitch double off the Monster. Then teammate Alcides Escobar reached on a throwing error by Red Sox shortstop Pedro Ciriaco, who made a nice diving play in the hole, but air-mailed his throw over the dugout for the first error by a Red Sox infielder this season. Gordon came around to score on the miscue to give Kansas City a 1-0 lead.

The Red Sox scored a pair in the bottom of the second for a 2-1 lead. Mike Napoli led off with a solo home run when he crushed a 1-2 offering from Kansas City starter Jeremy Guthrie and deposited it over the Monster for his third homer of the season. Mike Carp added a RBI double later in the inning.

In the third, the Red Sox pushed another run across after Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a double and scored on Dustin Pedroia’s RBI single for a 3-1 advantage.

After allowing the one run in the first inning, Webster settled in and kept the Royals at bay until he allowed solo home runs in the top of the fifth to George Kottaras and Gordon as Kansas City tied the game at 3-3.

Boston regained the lead when Napoli provided a RBI single in the bottom of the fifth. It was his third hit of the game as Boston led, 4-3.

After Webster’s departure, Red Sox reliever Junichi Tazawa retired the side in order in the top of the seventh inning, but fellow reliever Koji Uehara allowed a solo homer to Billy Butler in the top of the eighth to knot the game at 4-4. That homer snapped Uehara’s scoreless streak at 18 1/3 innings and 22 consecutive scoreless outings.

After Red Sox closer Andrew Bailey retired the side in order in the top of the ninth, Boston had two runners on in the bottom half but left them stranded.

In the top of the 10th, Miller loaded the bases then walked in the go-ahead run as the Royals took a 5-4 lead. Boston could not respond in the bottom of the inning.

Nap's night -- Napoli went 3-for-5, including a home run, double, single and two RBIs. He has 20 RBIs in 18 games. Napoli nearly provided a walk-off, three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth when he crushed a ball to deep center field, but it didn’t have enough and was caught on the warning track to end the inning.

Web gem: -- Pedroia was a busy man during the nightcap and he turned in the defensive play of the game in the top of the sixth. With one out and a runner on first, Pedroia was shading toward second with the Royals’ Lorenzo Cain at the plate. Cain, a right-handed hitter, lined a shot to the right side of the infield when Pedroia made a diving stab for the out and nearly doubled up the runner at first. Pedroia finished the night with three assists and five putouts.

Streaking: -- With his leadoff double in the bottom of the third, Ellsbury extended his hitting streak to 11 games. He has a hit in 16 of 18 games this season.

Free speech: Red Sox DH David Ortiz made a triumphant return in more ways than one this weekend. Not only did he make an impassioned speech to the fans on Saturday, he’s also delivered at the plate. After going 5-for-8 with two RBIs in his first two games this season, Ortiz was given Sunday's nightcap off.

Up next: The Red Sox begin a three-game series with the Oakland Athletics on Monday at Fenway Park with Felix Doubront getting the start for Boston. The left-hander is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA this season. He’s 0-2 with a 12.86 ERA in two career starts against the A’s. Oakland will send right-hander A.J. Griffin (2-0, 2.25) to the mound.

BOSTON -- The ever-loquacious David Ortiz identified himself Sunday afternoon as “David Ichiro Ortiz.” He talked about being a singles hitter. He talked about not quite being 100 percent physically. He talked about his cuss word heard ‘round the world. He said it all sincerely.

Just as Saturday, he might as well have said it all in a Boston accent.

Of all the moments in a week filled with indelible images, Ortiz somehow found his way into the middle of it all, ending an eight-month hiatus from donning a Boston uniform and dispelling any doubt that either he or his city are going anywhere with the flap of his lips on Saturday. Ortiz’s sentiment, spit into a microphone with the gusto of a rapper engaged in a battle of rhymes, evaded the wrath of the Federal Communications Commission. In fact, FCC chairman Julius Genachowski on Saturday sent out a tongue-in-cheek tweet: "David Ortiz spoke from the heart at today's Red Sox game. I stand with Big Papi and the people of Boston - Julius"

But more than that, Ortiz has let his bat do some yakking. After going 2-for-4 in his 2013 debut, the designated hitter followed with a 3-for-4 showing in Game 1 of a day-night doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday. He drove in runs during both games, including the go-ahead run on Saturday.

What’s more, Ortiz also legged out his first extra-base hit of the season on Sunday, shooting one down the line and into the right-field corner. By the time Jeff Francoeur fished it out by Pesky’s Pole, Ortiz went sliding into second. His foot speed around the basepaths -- well, you know how that is. He ran exactly how you’d expect a 37-year-old slugger with two bum Achilles to run.

His following act was advancing to third on a Mike Napoli fly out to right. Ortiz hit the bag standing -- and to a near standing O.

“I don’t feel the way I’d like to feel,” Ortiz said after Sunday afternoon’s 4-2 loss to the Royals. “I’m just getting to the point where you have to mentally just deal with the issues I had last year and just get to the point where I’m 100 percent.”

Despite the self-appointed moniker, Ortiz isn’t about to assume the identity of a table setter. But he cautioned that he's still a work in progress. Ortiz, who immediately was slotted back into the clean-up role, did not start Game 2 of the doubleheader. He was available to pinch hit in the nightcap but did not come off the bench.

“I’m not trying to do too much,” Ortiz said. “I wasn’t facing pitching for eight months and I’m not going to lie to you, I don’t feel comfortable.”

At several times during the exchange with reporters, Ortiz repeated, “I’m not quite there yet.”

But for whatever Ortiz may or may not be at this juncture, it is welcomed.

He spoke about the reaction he’s received following yesterday’s pointed profanity.

“A lot of positive comments,” he added.

Ortiz was not defensive about what he said; he remained assertive.

“What we went through this week, that’s what I was feeling.”

Elsewhere in Boston on Sunday, officials announced plans to reopen portions of Boylston Street, which have been closed for nearly a week as an active crime scene. Before Sunday’s first game, a bomb-sniffing K9 unit did a sweep of the Red Sox clubhouse.

Like Ortiz, we’re not quite there yet. But at least we’re back.

BOSTON -- The Red Sox, Major League Baseball, the MLB Players’ Association and members of Red Sox Nation made a $646,500 contribution to The One Fund Boston, the nonprofit organization set up to help those affected by Monday’s Marathon bombings.

The donations include $100,000 by the Red Sox, $500,000 from MLB and the MLBPA and $46,500 from the Red Sox Foundation, a result of contributions made by fans at Fenway Park this weekend.

“Baseball has become an integral part of the Patriots Day celebrations here in Boston,” Red Sox principal owner John Henry said. “When the game ends, many of the more than 37,000 fans walk from Fenway Park to the finish line to cheer the Marathon runners on Boylston Street. This tragedy directly affected many of our most ardent fans. We continue to send our sympathies to all who have felt the impact of these terribly sad events.”

In addition to the donations, the Red Sox, MLB and MLBPA will continue to raise funds.

“We are grateful to our colleagues in baseball for reaching out as they did after the horrible events on April 15,” Red Sox president/CEO Larry Lucchino said. “Their gestures of camaraderie -- even from some of our biggest rivals -- and their generous support means a great deal to our team and to this entire community.

“The contribution to the mayor's One Fund Boston is one important way baseball will help those most affected by Monday’s events. It was that way at Yankee Stadium after 9/11, and we are proud that Fenway Park was such a place for Boston and New England yesterday.”

BOSTON -- The Red Sox’s seven-game winning streak was stopped cold, 4-2, in Game 1 of a day-night doubleheader Sunday against the Kansas City Royals.

Ervin Santana went seven innings while surrendering two earned runs and striking out seven to earn the win before Aaron Crow shimmied out of a two-out, bases-loaded spot in the eighth to preserve the win.

End of another streak -- Sunday was a first for the Red Sox starters this season. In Game No. 17, Ryan Dempster (0-2) became the first Red Sox starter to yield more than three runs. After surrendering a first-pitch home run to Alcides Escobar in the first inning, Dempster settled in to retire the side in order in the second and third. But the Royals tagged Dempster for three runs in the fourth on a Lorenzo Cain double and Salvador Perez’s two-run single to center, lofted over the outstretched glove of shortstop Stephen Drew.

Red Sox starters entered Game 1 of the doubleheader leading the American League in combined record (9-2) and leading the majors with a 2.31 ERA.

Dempster remained winless, going seven innings, while surrendering four earned runs, including his fourth home run of the season.

Papi's afoot -- Designated hitter David Ortiz (3-for-4) collected an RBI in his second straight game since returning from the disabled list with a run-scoring single in the bottom of the first.

The biggest cheer of the day from the 31,483 in attendance came in the sixth as Ortiz put his healed Achilles to the test, legging out a one-out double down the right-field line. Even a visibly slower Ortiz drew no contest going into second as the ball bounded about the right-field wall. He slid safely into second as Jeff Francoeur’s throw was cut off.

Ortiz also drew a rousing cheer while advancing to third on Mike Napoli’s ensuing fly out to right, going into the bag standing. He was left stranded at Jarrod Saltalamacchia struck out swinging.

Ortiz dropped a two-out single, finding its way through a shift, to center in the eighth off of left-handed reliever Bruce Chen before being lifted for pinch runner Pedro Ciriaco.

A little too Salty -- Ortiz’s third hit was part of an eight-inning uprising that loaded the bases with two outs.

However, Crow induced a ground out by Saltalamacchia to end the inning, with the Red Sox catcher sending a dribbler back just out in front of the mound. It underscored a rough day at the plate for Saltalamacchia, who was 0-for-4 while leaving four runners in scoring position.

Greg Holland worked a 1-2-3 ninth for the save.

Can't buy a hit -- Drew’s average shrunk to an even .100 on the season after an 0-for-4 performance, with three strikeouts. He has just two hits in his last 21 at-bats in six games.

Drew struck out in the second before putting a charge into a ball in the fourth, forcing Lorenzo Cain to make a catch against the garage door bay in straightaway center. Drew also struck out swinging in the seventh.

The Red Sox's Nos. 5-9 hitters were a combined 1-for-18 on the day.

Meanwhile, Jacoby Ellsbury extended a quiet hitting streak to 10 games. Ellsbury is 13-for-45 during the streak.

In by a hair -- Will Middlebrooks nearly started a triple play in the top of the ninth, starting a 5-4 double play. Perez beat out the attempted around-the-horn trifecta on Dustin Pedroia’s pivot throw to first by less than a half-step.

BOSTON -- John Farrell is looking ahead to the conundrum, potentially, of making some hard decisions later this week.

The Red Sox manager offered up status reports on several of Boston’s mending arms prior to Sunday’s day-night doubleheader.

Most notably, John Lackey is scheduled to make a rehab start at Double-A Portland on Monday, with a scheduled four-inning, 65-pitch outing. Franklin Morales will follow on Wednesday with a four-inning start for the Sea Dogs after throwing a bullpen session at Fenway on Sunday.

Farrell also said the team intends to have Joel Hanrahan throw off a mound as early as Monday. Meanwhile, left-handed reliever Craig Breslow, who has made two outings at extended spring training in Florida, will get in an inning Tuesday at Portland.

That flurry of activity means management could face some tough calls this week.

“Provided all follow through their progression without any setbacks, those decisions are probably [coming] within the next week,” Farrell said.

Farrell was encouraged by Lackey’s bullpen session on Friday and hinted he could return as early as this week. Lackey was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 7 after leaving his first start of the season with a biceps strain the previous day.

“He felt great coming out his bullpen,” Farrell said, “and he’s ready to go for his outing tomorrow.

Farrell continued, “If he comes out of tomorrow as he did out of his bullpen, we might be looking at just one start.”

Morales threw a bullpen session on Sunday before his scheduled Portland appearance. Farrell indicated that the left-hander “could still use a couple more starts, Wednesday included.”

Breslow, a Connecticut native, was happy to arrive back in Boston after spending the beginning of the season at extended spring training in Florida. He reported no incidents with his ailing shoulder during his two, inning-long outings in the Sunshine state and anticipated the chance to throw in front of a live audience.

“You can simulate the situations of a live game, but there’s no comparison for a pressure situation in a real, live game,” Breslow said. “There’s always an element of seeing how you’ll react in those situations and how [the shoulder] will hold up.”

Breslow’s return would give the Red Sox another left-handed option out of the pen, with Andrew Miller the only lefty reliever for now. Farrell has looked to the tandem of Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa in situations against left-handed hitters early on.

“Fortunately, we’ve had starters go deep into games to give guys rest, particularly the right-handers that we use against left-handers -- Koji [Uehara] and Taz [Tazawa], have been outstanding against left-handed hitters,” Farrell said. “So to add some versatility to the pen? Yeah, that would be a good thing.”

With Joel Hanrahan, who was placed on the 15-day retroactive to April 14 with a strained right hamstring, still a ways away, Farrell will avoid having to make at least one decision -- who is his closer? -- this week. But the question remains what Hanrahan's role will be upon his return.

Andrew Bailey, who has slid into the closer’s role, has recorded saves in each of his last three appearances, but allowed a home run to Kansas City’s Lorenzo Cain before shutting the door in the Red Sox's emotional 4-3 win on Saturday.

Hanrahan would be eligible to come off the disabled list on April 30.

“As a unit, our goal is easy, that’s to keep the score where it is, whether winning, behind or even tied,” Bailey said Sunday. “For me and Joel, the experience we both have is that winning is the end-all, be-all. We all have that one common goal and I think we’re both satisfied as long as we keep winning and producing.”

BOSTON -- Red Sox outfielder Shane Victorino will be held out for at least the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader with a back ailment.

Victorino was removed from Saturday’s 4-3 win over the Royals after experiencing tightening in his lower back and was pinch run for by Jonny Gomes, who scored on Daniel Nava’s three-run home run.

“He feels improved from yesterday and last night,” manager John Farrell said during Sunday’s pregame comments to the media. “Yet there’s still some tightness in the lower back. He’s day-to-day, so we’ll hold him to sit out and he’ll continue to get treatment.”

Nava will get the start in right field and bat second in Victorino’s proxy with Gomes playing left field and batting ninth against Royals right-hander Ervin Santana.

However, Farrell also didn’t rule out having Victorino available later on for the second game of the doubleheader.

“We’ll find out later in the day,” Farrel said, “but he’s not ready for Game 1.”

Victorino was 0-for-2 with a sacrifice hit before leaving in Saturday's game. He'd reached base in 14 of the Red Sox's first 16 games and secured hits in 11 games while sporting a .377 on-base percentage.

Webster to make debut: On Sunday, the Red Sox officially recalled right-handed pitcher Allen Webster from Triple-A Pawtucket to start the nightcap of the doubleheader.

Webster, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in August as part of the nine-player trade that sent Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto westward, will make his major league debut.

No corresponding roster move was required as Webster was added as the 26th man on the active roster, part of a provision on days of doubleheaders.

Webster, 23, has made two starts for the PawSox, but had not factored in a decision while carrying a 0.90 ERA in 10 innings pitched.

BOSTON -- And on the fifth day, they played baseball. And it was good.

So good, so good.

Five days after two explosions shook the foundation of Boston's most cherished sporting tradition, a Sox game before noon and the simultaneous running of the Boston Marathon, the Red Sox made a triumphant return to Fenway Park, beating the Kansas City Royals 4-3 on an afternoon of catharsis, celebration and remembrance.

David Ortiz, who had played just once since July 17 and not at all this season, returned with emotion and elan. During a moving pregame ceremony, Ortiz profanely proclaimed his affection for his adopted home ("This is our f---ing city, and nobody is going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong"). He then made his 2013 debut a successful one, singling in the fourth for Boston's first hit of the game and driving in the team's first run with another single in the sixth.

But on a day fraught with moments likely to be permanently etched in the collective memory of this community -- the tribute to the first responders and law enforcement personnel, the haunting recording of Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah" accompanying a video montage of the week's events and Neil Diamond showing up in a Red Sox cap to sing his signature "Sweet Caroline" -- Daniel Nava lifted an entire city with one swing.

With the Red Sox trailing by a run in the eighth, Nava connected for a three-run home run into the Sox bullpen that gave the Sox a 4-2 lead, sending spasms of joy through a sellout crowd of 35,152 and eliciting bone-rattling high fives and chest bumps from Jonny Gomes and Mike Napoli, who scored ahead of him.

Gomes had entered the game in the eighth as a pinch hitter for Shane Victorino, who departed after experiencing tightness in his back. Gomes doubled off the Monster, and Dustin Pedroia walked. Ortiz grounded into a double play, with Gomez taking third, and Royals manager Ned Yost brought in reliever Kelvin Herrera to face Napoli. He drew a walk, and Nava, who had hit a game-winning three-run home run in the home opener, connected for his fourth home run of the season.

The Royals drew to within a run when Lorenzo Cain homered, his fourth hit of the game, to lead off the ninth against closer Andrew Bailey. The Royals put two more runners on base, but Bailey induced Alex Gordon to ground out to shortstop Stephen Drew to end it.

The Sox have won seven in a row, their longest winning streak since a nine-game run in 2011. Clay Buchholz went eight innings for his fourth win against zero losses.

BOSTON -- The city's professional baseball team took the field Saturday in their home whites not with the familiar "Red Sox" stitched across the front, but with one word: "Boston."

On the Green Monster in left-center field, directly under a light stanchion, a new sign had been painted: within a white circle, the iconic "B" logo, with the word "strong" printed in bold white lettering. The logo also occupied a spot over the heart on the jerseys worn by both teams at Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals.

Baseball resumed on Yawkey Way on Saturday afternoon, the 16th game on the 2013 Red Sox schedule but the first played after a terrorist attack in Boston, five days after two bombs exploded less than a mile from here, permanently altering the landscape of this city, this state, this country.

The Sox arrived back home in the early hours of Friday morning, but the game they were scheduled to play Friday night was postponed, the city remaining on high alert until law enforcement authorities successfully apprehended the second of two suspects wanted in the bombings that shattered the tranquility of Patriots Day in Boston.

Like so many in this town and across the world, Red Sox outfielder Shane Victorino watched the capture take place in Watertown on Friday night, the exhilaration that replaced the fear on city streets, and the public display of appreciation for those who had taken part in the massive effort to restore calm.

"Watching those claps and cheers," Victorino said, "and now to take the field in front of those same people and fans, to see the joyfulness and happiness brought out, that makes today a special day for me.

"But not only for me, the city. We honor them. We are athletes who take the field, but we honor the city, we honor the fans, we honor the people, the law enforcement, we honor the lives who were lost and those who continue to battle in hospitals. We wish them a speedy recovery."

In pregame ceremonies intended to be low-key in tone, the Sox planned to observe a moment of silence for the victims of Monday's bombings and the campus police officer killed Thursday night. They also honored the first responders who at considerable personal risk came to the aid of the hundreds hurt in Monday's blast, as well as those who in four days' time identified and apprehended the brothers suspected of being responsible.

Red Sox manager John Farrell said he had stayed up until 5 a.m. Friday after the team's return from Cleveland, watching coverage of the shootout that took place as the team made its way home. He and his coaching staff and about 10 players were in the clubhouse Friday afternoon at Fenway, which had already been swept twice for explosives by a private security firm since Monday's bombings, according to chief operating officer Sam Kennedy, and was scheduled to undergo another sweep this weekend.

Postponing Friday's game (which was rescheduled for Sunday night as part of a day-night doubleheader) was appropriate under the circumstances, Farrell said, but he welcomed the opportunity to manage a ballgame Saturday, his first this season with David Ortiz in the lineup. Ortiz was activated off the disabled list.

"The opportunity to get back on the field and focus on the things our guys know best," Farrell said. "And to the public, the fans, hopefully some symbol of normalcy and, when we're between the lines, some diversion."

He noted the public outpouring of emotion at Wednesday night's Bruins game, when celebrated anthem singer Rene Rancourt dropped his microphone after the first few bars and allowed the crowd to belt out the rest of the song.

"When we look back at what transpired at the Garden," Farrell said, "this is another opportunity for everyone in the city to come together and show that kind of strength."

The events of this week, he said, has for him formed an impression of Boston as a place that is "very resilient, very tough-minded.

"When there is a concerted effort to show support in some form or fashion," he said, "what comes out is not only remarkable. I think everyone takes pride in being part of Boston in a time of need. The giving, the sacrifice that so many people will make really makes a very strong statement."

Victorino was one of the players who came to the ballpark on Friday. As he drove through the empty streets of the city, it felt, he said, like being in a movie. The night before the Marathon, he and his wife, Melissa, had dinner on Boylston Street and shared a cup of coffee at the Starbucks close to the bomb site. His mother had called from Hawaii the day after, saying how on her visit to Boston that had ended just days before, she had just walked those same streets with the Victorinos' baby boy.

His mother cried, Victorino said, thinking about how fortunate they were that no one in their family had been harmed, and in sorrow for all those who had been harmed.

"Understand," Victorino said, ticking off the names of those who died, "the Richard family, the Campbell family, the girl from China [Lu Lingzi], the Collier family -- as I take the field I wear that in my heart."

Friday night's postponed Red Sox-Royals game will be made up Sunday night as part of a day-night doubleheader.

The regularly scheduled game Sunday will stay at 1:35, with the nightcap scheduled for 7 p.m. Tickets for Friday's game will be good for admission to Game 2.

The Red Sox also advised fans to arrive at Fenway Park early for today's game to allow extra time to pass through security. The team will have special pregame ceremonies starting at 12:55 p.m.

The Red Sox today will wear "BOSTON" instead of "RED SOX" on the front of their home whites to pay tribute during today's game.

Our home whites are a little different today. We are so proud to play for our city. #BostonStrong instagram.com/p/YVITDHM6DH/

— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) April 20, 2013

A pair of Red Sox prospects who have shared a clubhouse for most of their professional careers are back in Salem together for a second Carolina League campaign this year, but have different outlooks on their pivotal 2013 campaigns.

Second baseman Sean Coyle, who rebounded in the second half last season with Salem, is relishing the chance to continue that progress before advancing a level, while left fielder Brandon Jacobs is looking to put an injury-marred 2012 season behind him.

“I don’t really take it as a negative that I’m back here (in Salem),” Coyle said. “I think Brandon takes it the same way. We have a shot to be somewhere we’re kind of comfortable and put everything aside and work on what we’re trying to do on the field.”

Though he lost a pair of games earlier this week to a jammed thumb, Coyle has swung one of the hottest bats in the system through the first two weeks of the season. The Pennsylvania native has hits in eight of nine games, with a .324/.390/.703 line to go along with three home runs and four stolen bases.

He credits the hot start with a winter routine and spring training regimen that has continued the progress he made in the second half of 2012, when he hit .297/.355/.451 following the All-Star break to raise his final line to .249/.316/.392 with nine home runs.

Just as he did during the All-Star break last season, Coyle spent the summer working with his older brother Tommy, a second baseman with the Class A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.

“He always has some valuable things to say about hitting,” Coyle said of his brother, a University of North Carolina product who was drafted in the third round last year. “I’ll bounce some things off of him, he’ll bounce some things off of me, and it’s pretty good to have somebody who’s that close to you who knows you that well as a baseball player and a person.”

While in the cage with his brother, Coyle said that he tweaked his swing and mental approach, and went to Florida for a spring training he said was his best yet.

“I think this spring was the first time that I really felt like I was really hitting rather than just swinging,” he said. “I’ve had days like that before but as far as consistency goes, I think this spring was more consistent than I’ve ever been at any point in my career.”

That consistency has paid early dividends for Coyle, who showed pull power and an improved eye at the plate in the season’s opening series at Frederick, Md. Coyle has always admitted to being a fastball hitter, but he battled off breaking balls and continually waited for his pitch.

Unlike Coyle, Jacobs ended 2012 on a down note after a hamate injury suffered in May affected him throughout the season. Injuries to the hamate, one in a set of small bones at the bottom of the hand, have had a disastrous impact on many hitters. In the past, Ryan Kalish and Jed Lowrie have seen the injury interrupt their seasons.

Jacobs, however, missed just two weeks with the injury, and upon his return in June he muscled out five home runs. Despite saying last year that the injury was past him by midseason, Jacobs scuffled at the end of the season and said earlier this month that he was less than 100 percent.

Having rested his hand all winter, Jacobs said he’s back aiming for more consistency both at the plate and in the field -- and has learned a valuable lesson about his own body.

“The way I grew up through my parents and just playing football was unless you’ve got to get carried off the field or you can’t go about your everyday life, you should be able to play,” said Jacobs, a 10th-round pick in 2009 who opted to sign with the Red Sox instead of play college football at Auburn. “That’s the way I looked at a lot of things. It kind of paid dividends in the end, but sometimes it doesn’t work in baseball, and I’m learning that -- what’s an injury and what’s sore.”

Included in that for Jacobs is learning his new “baseball” body. The Georgia native has lost some of his football bulk and said he has seen his outfield range improve and swing quicken because of it.

But in his second Carolina League campaign, Jacobs’ trouble with breaking pitches has reared its head in the early going. Jacobs has struck out 14 times in 11 games, and has just six hits in 39 at-bats.

While he said earlier this month that he’s not getting caught up in the “numbers game,” he acknowledged it plays a role in getting to the next level.

“A lot of times numbers is what excels you, but doing the right things on the field other than hitting is very important in this organization,” Jacobs said. “The more I do the right thing in the outfield and get better and figure out things at the plate, I think I’ll be fine.”

The Red Sox postponed their game scheduled for Friday night with the Boston area still the scene of a massive manhunt for a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings.

The Red Sox were set to play the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park. It has not yet been rescheduled.

The Red Sox's Twitter account stated that the decision was made "to support efforts of law enforcement officers." Boston Police announced the postponement of the Bruins game.

Tonight’s scheduled Red Sox-Royals game at Fenway Park is currently on hold as authorities continue their manhunt for one of the suspects in the marathon bombings.

ESPNBoston.com’s Gordon Edes said the Sox are eager to help lift the region’s spirits.

“With the Red Sox last night, they were really looking forward to doing their small part in helping this town heal,” Edes says in the SportsCenter clip above. “Clay Buchholz, who in his last start flirted with as no hitter, he was talking about how he was going to consider it a privilege to pitch tonight.”

We’ll let you know once the Red Sox game is officially postponed. It seems unlikely it will be played.

Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks tweeted his support earlier today:

Proud of this city and everyone who is helping get us back to normal. #BostonPDStay safe everyone.

— Will Middlebrooks (@middlebrooks) April 19, 2013

Gordon Edes talks with Dustin Pedroia about Monday's bombings and the impact they had on the Red Sox in this week's "State of the Nation."