Worth noting

• Clay Buchholz will make his third rehab start for Triple-A Pawtucket on Thursday, when the PawSox take on the Rochester Red Wings in the International League's Governors' Cup playoffs. Buchholz's wife, Lindsay, is due to deliver the couple's second child on Wednesday, when Buchholz was originally scheduled to pitch in what is expected to be his last rehab start before rejoining the Red Sox.

• Shane Victorino, hit by a pitch on Monday, has been plunked by a right-hander seven times in 22 games as a right-handed batter. Since abandoning switch-hitting in mid-August to lessen the load on his sore left hamstring, Victorino has been hitting exclusively from the right side.

"He stands about three inches from the plate," Farrell said. "You're probably going to get clipped every now and then."

• David Ortiz is approaching two more milestones. He is two hits shy of 2,000 and would be the 39th player with 2,000 hits, 400 homers and 1,400 RBIs. Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols are the only active players to have accomplished the feat. Ortiz is also one homer shy of 426 for his career, which would tie him with Billy Williams for 47th all-time.

• Daniel Nava walked Tuesday and has reached base safely in 38 straight starts. Nava has the longest active on-base streak in the Majors (as a starter) and the longest by a Red Sox player since Kevin Youkilis set the club record with 44 straight starts in which he reached base safely back in 2008.

• Red Sox pitchers have a 2.41 ERA since Aug. 18, the second-best mark in the Majors behind only the Angels' 2.31.