Worth noting

• Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who returned to the lineup on Sunday after missing a few games with a sore back, got a scheduled rest on Wednesday.

"Yeah, planned," said Farrell. "He'll be back in there tomorrow, and I think just being a little [conservative], spreading out the workload as best possible until he's completely out of the woods. And he's not hindered by anything. But we don't want to run him into three or four consecutive days right now."

• One area Farrell continues to look for improvement on is controlling the running game. Saltalamacchia did a nice job in Tuesday's 2-0 win, throwing out two potential basestealers.

"We can be better and we're always looking for ways to improve," Farrell said. "I think we've got certain combinations that are probably a little bit more successful at controlling the running game than others, but the areas of need, there's constant efforts, whether it's varying a hold time or trying to get rid of the ball a little bit quicker. We do prioritize making the pitch and executing the pitch first. If that has a specific pitcher being a little more deliberate unloading the ball, we'll prioritize that, but we can still improve in that area."

• The Red Sox will become the latest team to honor Yankees closer Mariano Rivera when they hold a pregame ceremony prior to Sunday night's rivalry matchup at Fenway Park. Rivera, considered the best closer in history by many, is retiring at the end of this season. Sunday will be Rivera's last regular-season game at Fenway.