Pitching very much like the postseason Game 1 starter he is in line to be, Jon Lester delivered a lift to the Red Sox yesterday on the big stage. In a tough matchup against Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, Lester was the unanimous winner in a 4-3 Red Sox victory, their third win in four games against a dangerous Toronto squad.
The Red Sox are now one game back of the Rays in the AL East with the biggest week of their season on the horizon; three games against the Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla., followed by three more against the Blue Jays in Toronto. And Lester was able to send his team on the road all smiles. That’s what leaders do.
Lester went eight innings, allowing just one run; a Jose Bautista first-inning home run and retiring 22 of the last 28 batters. He struck out six and the one serious threat he faced runners on first and second with one out in the seventh when the Red Sox’ lead was just 2-1 he got out of with a picture-perfect double play. Jonathan Papelbon made things way too tense in the ninth, allowing a pair of runs. But the closer settled down enough to collect his career-high 38th save.
The homestand began with an unsettling series loss to the Rays. The Blue Jays are not as good a team as Tampa Bay, but the Red Sox took great pride getting the best of a team that came here having won 11 of their previous 13. And to have their best pitcher this season pitch his best was the cherry on top for the Sox, who have won nine of 13.
Down 1-0 after Bautista’s blast, the Red Sox offense struck at their first opportunity as Jacoby Ellsbury led off the bottom of the first with a single, stole second, advanced on a Dustin Pedroia sacrifice bunt and came in on David Ortiz’s groundout. An inning later, after Jason Bay led off with a double, Coco Crisp gave the Sox the 2-1 lead with a two-out RBI single.
Halladay (seven innings, three runs, two earned, six hits, no walks, five strikeouts) got in a groove after that, retiring the next 13 batters. But Crisp bested him again in the seventh with another big two-out hit, bringing in Lowell. Kevin Youkilis’ sacrifice fly in the eighth following a rare Ortiz triple drove in the fourth run, which became absolutely critical when Papelbon stumbled slightly. But in the end the story was all Lester, whose record now stands at 15-5 with a 3.15 ERA.
The playoffs begin Oct. 1 or 2 for the American League. Lester’s next scheduled start is Saturday in Toronto, then Sept. 25 at Fenway against the Cleveland Indians. That puts him right on track to pitch Game 1 with plenty of rest. Tweaks can still be made to the current rotation order; Lester, Matsuzaka, Beckett and Tim Wakefield, but the Sox may opt not to mess with success.
Nation Notes: Sources in Tokyo indicate the Red Sox appear to be in the lead for the services of 22-year-old righthander Junichi Tazawa. The Sox have been the most aggressive team with Tazawa, though the Yankees have a contingent of four scouts trying to lure Tazawa. The Sox will have a powwow today to discuss how Bartolo Colon might be used the rest of the way. It doesn’t appear Colon would have any more starting opportunities. The Sox have been reluctant to use him out of the bullpen because Colon isn’t a fan of it, but he might be asked anyway. J.D. Drew will make the trip, but after getting an injection in his back Friday, he’s not likely to be available to play until this Friday in Toronto.
