Red Sox-A's

The All-Star Game is over, Michael Young was the hero, and now (hopefully) Big Papi won't have to break out his firstbaseman's glove until Game 3 of the World Series. The AL East leading Red Sox open the second half with a four game series at Fenway against the AL West leading Athletics. The Red Sox lead the Yankees by three games while the A's are tied for first with the Texas Rangers. In Thursday night's opener, Jon Lester (4-0, 3.06) will face Esteban Loaiza (3-5, 6.43). Lester has been a key component in Boston's rise to the top of the division; he has solidified the end of the rotation and has consistently given the team 5 to 6 quality innings in each start. Loaiza, on the other hand, has been a complete disappointment in Oakland. Billy Beane, the Moneyball GM of Oakland, gave Loaiza a 3-year, $21-million contract and he has certainly not lived up to the dollars so far. On Friday night, Josh Beckett (11-4, 4.75) will try to open his second half with the mission of trying to keep the baseball in the ballpark. Beckett can't continue to give up home runs in bunches if the BoSox want to have serious aspirations for October. His opponent will be Dan Haren (6-7, 3.52). Curt Schilling (10-3, 3.60) gets the start on Saturday. Schill has been the ace through the first half and must continue to be so as the Sox enter late July and August. This pitching staff is filled with promising young arms and a grizzled veteran like Schilling needs to lead them through this tough part of the schedule. Schilling will be opposed by Oakland's ace, Barry Zito (8-6, 3.29). On Sunday, Tim Wakefield (7-8, 4.05), bad back and all, will go up against Joe Blanton (8-8, 4.95). As always, the Red Sox have benefited from Wake's consistency on the mound -- he may be erratic at times with the knuckler but you can always count on him to pitch his ass off and battle. Division Watch: The Yankees open up the second half with three games against the White Sox in New York beginning on Friday. The Blue Jays, just five games behind the Sox in the East, will host the Mariners for three games starting on Friday.