His daughter, Emily Craig, is a nurse at the Franciscan Hospital for Children in Brighton, a suburb of Boston.

After Mr. White read in Wednesday's paper about "Wakefield's Warriors" coming on to the field Tuesday afternoon at Fenway Park as part of the celebration honoring retired pitcherTim Wakefield, he sent this along:

"My daughter has for years been a nurse at Franciscan Hospital for Children, from which come the Wakefield Warriors that Tim Wakefield has meant so much to for so long.

"My daughter tells wonderful stories of her trips to the Red Sox locker room with kids from that hospital and how Wake would welcome each one with total warmth and genuine fondness.

"She also tells of the countless visits he has made to spend time with so many terribly unfortunate children who are there trying to survive incredibly difficult challenges.

"This is not a place for the faint of heart, but it has been made better because Wake has cared so much.

"The shared love between Tim and those kids on the field yesterday was the real thing, inspired by a man who my daughter will tell you is the real deal."

Nice. Real nice.

He used to pitch in relief. Now he starts. And he sings too.

In the never-ending quest to market the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park, several current and former Red Sox players have helped record a music album, "Fenway Park Greatest Hits," which will be released in retail stores on May 22. It can already be ordered via the team web site for $9.99 plus shipping.

Bard's rendition of The Cars classic "Let the Good Times Roll," recorded with help from Nuno Bettencourt and Gary Cherone (from the late-'80s, early '90s Boston-based hairband Extreme) can be heard by clicking the player below (credit to The Boston Globe for posting this earlier today).

The album also features Kevin Millar singing the Dropkick Murphys' "Tessie," Peter Gammons singing "Meet Me at Mary's Place," Jerry Remy doing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," and a version of "Sweet Caroline" that features Clay Buchholz, David Ortiz, Ryan Kalish and Darnell McDonald. Alfredo Aceves helps out on "Dirty Water."

Curt Schilling, who's been in the news a bit recently, joins Jim Lonborg and actor Mike O'Malley in reading John Updike's "Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu."

Just want to know -- is he wearing a bloody sock?

That might go over big with the EDC, which must have been starstruck by the glib Schilling when it guaranteed $75 million in loans to his company two years ago.

That deal currently makes the $142 million the Red Sox gave Carl Crawford look good.

Among those opposing the deal at the time was Linc Chafee, then a candidate for governor.

Now that 38 Studios' apparent financial problems have landed in his lap, raising the possibility that the state's taxpayers will be left holding the bag, Governor Chafee said Tuesday:

"We got ourselves into trouble with some poor decisions made already. We want to make some good decisions going forward."

It's interesting that Schilling, who has the time to make frequent calls to sports talk shows in Boston, has seldom been readily available to talk about the condition of his videogame company.

Terry Renna, AP

THE CONTENTS: Curse these two-game series! The Red Sox visit the Rays for two at the Trop.

THE EPIGRAPH: "Brevity is the soul of wit." --Shakespeare

THE EPIGRAPH II: "Brevity is the first condition of artistry." --Dostoesvky

BREVITY IS...: Not suited for baseball.

THE EXPOSITION: Hey, the Red Sox have something going! Boston has won five in a row -- the fourth time already this season the Sox have either won or lost five in a row -- over Cleveland and Seattle to pull back within two of .500. The Sox are 5.5 behind Baltimore and Tampa Bay.

The Rays swept two in Toronto and bring a three-game winning streak home. Tampa Bay went 4-4 on its eight-game road trip to the other three AL East cities. At 23-14, the Rays are tied with the Orioles atop the division.

THE PITCHING MATCHUPS:

RHP Clay Buchholz (4-1, 8.31 ERA) v. RHP Jeremy Hellickson (3-0, 2.95 ERA)

LHP Felix Doubront (3-1, 4.46) v. LHP Matt Moore (1-3, 5.31)

SOME PHENOM MATT MOORE IS: Yeah, he's awful. More like Matt Morris, am I right?

MATT MORRIS WAS PRETTY GOOD FOR A LITTLE WHILE: I was viewing him solely from a Pirates perspective.

But seriously, Moore is walking too many hitters and not getting enough ground balls.

THE PROTAGONISTS: Seriously, not a whole lot has changed since we did this Monday afternoon. The Sox took advantage of a vulnerable Mariners team for two at Fenway, and now they get back to big-time, in-division competition on the road. Let's see if they can keep it going.

Other than that? Stay the course, a thousand points of light...

THE ANTAGONISTS: Would you believe Tampa Bay actually ranks higher in runs per game than in ERA in the AL?

That the Rays have remained a viable offensive team even in the absence of Evan Longoria is awfully impressive. Tampa Bay is fifth in the league in scoring -- indeed, the AL East comprises teams two through six in the AL in offense -- despite a .245 team batting average. The 28 stolen bases -- second in the league behind Oakland -- help. Elliot Johnson has surprisingly picked up the slack with a .433 average over the last 10, while Ben Zobrist has unsurprisingly helped out with a .353 mark and three homers in that span. Carlos Peña and Luke Scott, who were hot when Tampa Bay visited Boston in April, are not this time around.

The pitching has been good if not as good as hoped. Moore has been one reason. The bullpen has been another, although like Boston's, it has ironed out a lot of its early-season difficulties of late. Fernando Rodney has been as good as any reliever in the league.

WHAT'S AT STAKE? A chance for the Red Sox to issue the tiniest of statements by moving to 5-1 against the Rays on the season. On the flip side, a chance for Boston to lose the momentum from a 5-1 homestand.

RECENT SERIES HISTORY: The Red Sox took three of four from the Rays at Fenway in early April. Boston was 4-5 at Tropicana Field in 2011.

DO YOU THINK...: Cody Ross and Brett Lawrie are going to start a "Why Do Umpires Love Fernando Rodney So Much?" Facebook group? Yes.

THE BEST DECONSTRUCTION OF SHAKESPEARE'S OFT-QUOTED "BREVITY IS THE SOUL OF WIT" LINE OCCURRED WHERE? The Simpsons' third-season episode, "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington," in which Lisa reaches the finals of a Reader's Digest essay contest in Washington, D.C. A banner hanging at the contest:

ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT FROM THAT EPISODE: "The city of Washington was built on a stagnant swamp some 200 years ago, and very little has changed. It stank then, and it stinks now." --Lisa Simpson

That would have been the epigraph if the Sox were going to DC this season.

BUT: The episode as a whole is a little politically naïve, if you ask me, what with "The system works" conclusion.

SPEAKING OF BREVITY: Boston's last four games have been played under three hours. In the business, we call this a jinx.

WHAT THE (OTHER) LOCAL MEDIA IS SAYING: DRaysBay takes a cue from Mark Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times to explore why nobody's hitting homers to center at the Trop.

PREDICTION TIME: These two games will not both be under three hours.

Twitter: @TBritton_Projo

During spring training, the position battle between Aviles and Jose Iglesias was often stripped down to a decision between offense and defense. Aviles' skeptics ignored the strong defensive numbers he had posted at short in his one extended season there with the Royals in 2008. He was deemed inferior to Iglesias, below-average overall.

Through more than one-fifth of the season, Aviles has been about as good with the glove as any shortstop in the American League. Entering play Tuesday, Aviles was credited with saving 10 runs with his defense -- one behind Baltimore's J.J. Hardy for the major-league lead. His ultimate zone rating ranked fifth in the majors.

"I don't want to jinx him, but he's made all the progressions," manager Bobby Valentine said before the game while extolling his infield defense. "He's learning to move with hitters and position himself properly. He always knows the speed of the runner. He's been huge. The stability of him has been huge for our defense."

Valentine clearly didn't jinx Aviles, who made his manager look smart on Tuesday.

In the second, Aviles robbed Kyle Seager of a base hit by ranging all the way up the middle and firing a rocket to first. He nearly replicated the feat in the sixth, but Ichiro Suzuki proved too fast down the line.

"I think I'm playing pretty solid," said Aviles after the game. "I'm not trying to make any spectacular plays, if it happens it happens. But I know people have always knocked me for my defense, and in all honesty I've never believed a word that they've said. It just gives me more fuel to go out and play harder and try and prove them all wrong. I couldn't care less what any scouts say about my defense. I'm here for these guys in this locker room."

Twitter: @TBritton_Projo

More than any other start this season (and on his 32nd birthday no less), Beckett brought his A-game to the hill on Tuesday, pitching the Red Sox past the Mariners 5-0 at Fenway Park. Behind the besieged starter's seven shutout innings, Boston closed out this homestand with its fifth straight win -- after finishing off its two prior homestands by losing the final five games of each.

Beckett's performance -- as well as that of the team over these last five days -- lessened some of the lingering discontent over Beckett's off-day on the golf course and his off-night last time out against the Indians. The team views it as a "dead issue" -- to quote Jarrod Saltalamacchia -- and what Beckett did Tuesday went a long way toward killing it.

Facing a weak Seattle lineup -- and that's putting it delicately -- Beckett was crisp from the start. He retired the first nine Mariners he faced -- six of them via the strikeout. Beckett's fastball lived at 93 for the first several innings, and he kept Seattle out in front of his changeup. That first time through, Beckett generated seven of the 11 swing-and-misses he recorded on the afternoon.

"The minute I saw him throw the first pitch, I knew he was going to have a good game," said designated hitter David Ortiz, who contributed his eighth home run of the season. "The attitude, he got himself going. We needed that."

Ortiz wasn't the only one who saw a swagger on the hill from Beckett.

"He stood out there and wanted everyone to know he was Josh Beckett, including the opposition," manager Bobby Valentine said. "He belongs on that hill. That's his saddle. He looked very comfortable today."

"Josh Beckett was the king of the hill."

Only twice in Beckett's seven frames did the Mariners even get a man into scoring position. In the fourth, Dustin Ackley reached on an infield hit ahead of an Ichiro Suzuki single to center. But Beckett retired Jesus Montero and Kyle Seager -- Seattle's fourth and fifth hitters -- to end the threat.

In the sixth, Ichiro singled with two outs and stole second and third. After Montero walked, Seager hit a long fly ball to right that Cody Ross settled under on the warning track.

Beckett finished seven innings, allowing just four hits and two walks. He finished with nine strikeouts, the most by a Red Sox starter in 2012. It was the most he had punched out since last July 3 in Houston.

"I don't think I was trying to make a statement," said Beckett. "These guys have been playing their butt off all year, and it's nice to just keep them in the game and get a win."

Beckett has delivered a quality start five times in seven efforts. He lowered his ERA to 4.97 and the ERA of the staff as a whole to 5.28.

The Red Sox rotation has now provided five consecutive quality starts. That one full turn through the rotation has included 34 1/3 innings pitched and only six earned runs allowed -- good for an ERA of 1.57.

"I think there's a little competition going," said Valentine. "I think they're feeding off each other, they're not accepting mediocrity and I think the offense might have mentioned a few things, said 'Let's go. We need you guys.' And I think they're responding very nicely."

Valentine clarified that the offense's message was implicit -- one imparted by its play over the last several weeks. On Tuesday, the Sox drove up the pitch count of Seattle starter Blake Beavan and provided Beckett with more than enough support.

Ortiz left the yard in the third, whacking a solo shot on a 3-2 Beavan fastball. The DH catalyzed another rally in the fifth when he led the frame off with a bunt single against the Mariners' shift. He scored on Will Middlebrooks' single off the base of the Green Monster.

"It's part of the game," Ortiz said with a smile. I never see the ball coming out of that guy [Charlie Furbush] anyway. I've got to make chicken soup out of chicken you-know-what."

"I hope he gets 10 of those this year," Valentine said.

Twitter: @TBritton_Projo

Boston had previously shipped right-hander Michael Bowden to the Cubs in exchange for Marlon Byrd. Cervenka is the player to be named later.

Cervenka, 22, was drafted in the 27th round in 2008. This was his first full-length season in the minors, as he had been pitching for Single-A Greenville. In nine games, the lefty had posted an 0-3 record and 8.04 ERA. His highlight with the organization, though, was pitching the seventh and eighth innings of Greenville's combined no-hitter on May 8. Cervenka issued the lone walk in that game by a Drive pitcher.

Twitter: @TBritton_Projo

Instead, he opted for a polite "No comment" before Tuesday afternoon's Red Sox game at Fenway Park, when he was asked his thoughts about the latest news regarding Curt Schilling and his fledgling video game company, 38 Studios.

Governor Lincoln Chafee said Monday that he and officials from the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation were working hard at "keeping 38 Studios solvent."

EDC officials were big fans of Schilling two years ago.

Not so Kapstein.

A senior advisor for the Red Sox, Kapstein was a candidate for lieutenant governor in the Democratic primary in the summer of 2010 when Schilling, who in 2004 played a key role in ending Boston's epic, 86-year quest to win a World Series, was seeking loan guarantees to bring his startup company to Rhode Island.

EDC officials were urging that the state guarantee $75 million worth of loans to 38 Studios.

Kapstein didn't think that was a good idea.

"I have serious questions about the viability of that kind of an offer to a company that is full of questions," he said in July, 2010.

"I have concerns because that money should have been destined for our small businesses, which are struggling in this state, and can't get financing."

At the time, Schilling was saying that between 400 and 450 jobs could be created by the end of 2012 if 38 Studios, then located in Maynard, Mass., moved to R.I.

But Kapstein doubted the viability of the enterprise and was concerned that the state's taxpayers would find themselves on the hook for the money.

Plus, the $75 million was a massive chunk of the $125 million then in the state's Job Creation Guarantee Program.

Check out these two paragraphs from a column by The Journal's Ed Fitzpatrick that July:

"EDC Executive Director Keith Stokes said 38 Studios approached the state in part because Schilling sees RISD, Brown and URI as a great 'farm team'for his company. Stokes said he was already calling for a $50-million 'capital and credit program for technology-based industries in this state,' and legislators provided that $50 million, plus $75 million for 38 Studios.

Stokes said the EDC board has some of the state's "best and brightest" business people, and they will review the terms and conditions of any deal, including "risk mitigation, the state's collateral position and the return on investment in high-wage jobs and tax revenue." Also, the EDC has hired video-gaming analysts, so "it's going to be a very informed decision," he said."

"Best and brightest" you say, Keith?

"A very informed decision?"

That decision is starting to look worse than Theo Epstein's decisions to give Carl Crawford $142 million and John Lackey $82.5 million.

But at least the taxpayers aren't on the hook for that money.

Later in the summer of 2010, after the EDC approved the loan guarantee to Schilling, Kapstein had this to say to Fitzpatrick:

""I am deeply disappointed, on behalf of all taxpayers in Rhode Island, by the terms of this agreement. Curt Schilling and his representatives totally out-negotiated our representatives."

Suffice to say, Kapstein is even more disappointed now.

But he wouldn't say: "I told you so."

Youkilis will serve as the designated hitter for at least three at-bats, manager Bobby Valentine said.

"He looked really good taking his ground balls today -- moving around, bounce in his step," Valentine said. "So he'll start tomorrow and get him enough -- whatever it's going to take to have him to say that he feels good. He'll go from DH to playing the field."

Youkilis has been eligible to come off the disabled list since Monday. He started baseball activities over the weekend as he attempts to return from a lower back strain that has kept him out since April 29.

The series between the PawSox and the Bulls figures to be one of the more popular in the International League this season, with Daisuke Matsuzaka scheduled to do battle with Hideki Matsui in Thursday's contest, as well.

Twitter: @TBritton_Projo

Doubront was playing catch in right field, and he never saw the fungo traveling toward the side of his head.

After being down on the turf briefly, Doubront was taken into the trainer's room. General manager Ben Cherington and assistant GM Brian O'Halloran could be seen scampering across the clubhouse to check on the pitcher. Doubront emerged a few minutes later with no problems.

"The ball hit off the fungo, and I didn't see the ball. It came right to my ear," Doubront said. "But I'm fine. I'm good."

"Whenever anybody comes off the field, you hold your breath," manager Bobby Valentine said. "But he tested fine. He feels good, he knows where he is, he knows where he's going. Thank goodness it just hit his ear."

Doubront has been one of Boston's most reliable starters this season, with a 4.46 ERA through seven starts. He's slated to pitch Thursday against the Rays.

Twitter: @TBritton_Projo

The Red Sox lost the last five games in each of their first two homestands; a win today would close out this homestand with five wins.

The lineup:

CF Sweeney
2B Pedroia
DH Ortiz
1B Gonzalez
3B Middlebrooks
C Saltalamacchia
RF Ross
LF Nava
SS Aviles

P Beckett

AP/Steven Senne

The decision made sense. Nava probably would have gotten on base on his own, anyway.

In five games since his call-up from Triple-A Pawtucket, Nava has hit .583 with an astounding on-base percentage of .750. He got on base three times on Monday night -- twice via bases on balls, including the intentional walk, and once on a line-drive home run into the first row of the Green Monster seats.

All told, he's hit two singles, four doubles and a home run while walking six times and getting hit by two pitches in 20 plate appearances.

"He's fouling off the tough pitches," Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said. "He's taking the balls very early very confidently. He's putting a good swing on a strikes. That's a hitter's wonderland. He's in it, and I hope he can stay in it for a long time."

The home run Nava hit was his first major-league home run since the memorable grand slam he hit in his major-league debut almost two years ago.

"When I hit that one, I was like, 'Thank God, I'm not going to have just one,'" he said. "That's all I was thinking."

There was a time when it looked like Nava would just have the one. His call-up this season came out of nowhere after he'd been dropped from the 40-man roster and not invited to big-league camp in spring training.

"A couple of years ago, (Kelly Shoppach) was with the Rays, and I stepped in the box and he said, 'Hey, you're the guy who hit that home run the first pitch,'" he said. "I said, 'Yeah.' He goes, 'You really haven't done much since then in terms of hitting another one.' I think it was just a joke."

Twitter: @brianmacp

Jon Lester couldn't have looked much more ace-like against Seattle on Monday. Lester made the Seattle Mariners look overmatched from the get-go, taking a shutout into the ninth inning in a 6-1 Red Sox win.

The four wins the Red Sox have at Fenway Park on this homestand match their total of wins at Fenway Park on their first two homestands combined. Terrific starting pitching has been the common denominator: After Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront and Daniel Bard compiled a 2.45 ERA in 18 1/3 innings in wins over the Cleveland Indians, Lester dominated the Mariners in what might have been the best start by any Red Sox pitcher this season.

Before Friday, Red Sox starters had an ERA of 6.01 on the season.

"It's big for the starting staff, these last four games," Lester said. "It's good to see."

Lester had a chance to throw his first shutout since 2008 -- and the third of his career -- before Ichiro Suzuki singled, went to second on a Justin Smoak double and then scored on a groundout in the top of the ninth inning.

But the lefty still struck out six and didn't issue a walk in the best start by a Red Sox pitcher this season. It was on the second time in his career he's pitched nine innings without issuing a walk.

"Just for you younger reporters out there," Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said with a straight face in his postgame press conference, "that's called a 'complete game.'"

"You want to go nine every time you go out there," Lester said. "That's your goal -- to stand out there and watch everybody run in and give them high-fives. You feel like all the work you put in that week is for a reason."

Throwing almost exclusively fastballs -- he didn't throw more than five of his trademark cutters in the entire game -- Lester set down the first 11 hitters he faced and didn't allow a batted ball out of the infield until the fifth inning. He allowed eight hits in total.

"I was just keeping the ball down," he said. "We were able to go back and forth on the plate instead of just sitting on one side. We were able to establish my strength and then work off that. ... When you get the results of early contact of ground balls or fly balls right at guys, it just gives you that confidence and you keep building, pitch by pitch, off of that."

Since his ERA peaked at 6.00 after a shaky start at Minnesota on April 23, Lester has a 1.67 ERA in 27 innings pitched in four starts.

David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez, both of whom have hit lefties extremely well this season, hit back-to-back RBI doubles off soft-tossing Seattle lefty Jason Vargas in the bottom of the first inning. Ortiz and Gonzalez lead the American League in doubles this season with 15 and 14, respectively.

Switch-hitter Daniel Nava hit a two-run home run over the Green Monster off Vargas in the fourth inning. It was the first major-league home run for Nava since his memorable first-pitch grand slam off Joe Blanton in his major-league debut almost two years ago -- a span of more than 200 plate appearances.

(Speaking of Blanton, he pitched against Houston on Monday night -- lining him up to face Nava and the Red Sox in Philadelphia on Saturday.)

Two batters later, Shoppach hit his first home run in a Red Sox uniform. The blast cleared everything and landed somewhere on the other side of Lansdowne Street.

Will Middlebrooks hit a one-out single and scored on a Marlon Byrd sac fly in the eighth inning.

A10-day layoff between starts didn't exactly put him in position to succeed, his pitching coach said. Getting a chance to go through his five-day routine in preparation for his start on Tuesday figures to give him a better opportunity.

"It's always hard -- it's happened to me, too -- when you skip a start and you're on your 10th day," pitching coach Bob McClure said. "It's always a little difficult. It'll keep getting better."

Beckett will take a 5.97 ERA into his start against the Mariners on Tuesday, an ERA inflated by the seven earned runs he allowed in 2 1/3 innings to Cleveland last Thursday. Before that, he'd strung together four straight quality starts in which he had a 2.93 ERA.

He was skipped in favor of Aaron Cook -- who was shelled -- on May 5 in part because he had stiffness in a latissimus muscle. Two days before the day Cook pitched, it was reported that Beckett had gone golfing with Clay Buchholz. That Beckett appeared to be healthy enough to golf but not healthy enough to pitch didn't sit well with a segment of the fan base.

It's fair to wonder if the controversy was a distraction for Beckett as he prepared for his start on Thursday.

"Josh is one of those rare individuals who is mentally very strong," McClure said. "He will get through whatever he needs to get through, I guarantee it."

A day after Beckett was pummeled by the Indians, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine suggested there was evidence Beckett had been tipping his pitches.

"There has been a video analysis," Valentine said on Monday. "I'd rather not say what was being looked at or what was found."

Twitter: @brianmacp