The Sox’ 4-0 shutout of the Mariners last night marked their first road win after five consecutive losses and also gave them their first victory since the All-Star break. If it sounds like there’s a Mount Everest being made out of a molehill here, well, that’s just the way it feels these days when it comes to what the Red Sox can and cannot do when they stray away from Fenway Park. The Red Sox’ road record is now 22-32.
Jason Varitek’s two-run home run in the fifth inning and Jed Lowrie’s two-run single in the eighth were more than enough for the Sox on a night when Jon Lester dominated the Mariners. Lester (8-3) held Seattle to eight hits, three coming in the eighth inning, and did not walk a batter while striking out six. His ERA dipped to 3.20, eighth-lowest in the league, and the Sox pulled off their baseball-best 11th shutout of the season. Lester left with one out and the bases loaded in the eighth when Willie Bloomquist’s shot up the middle caromed hard off his right ankle. Jonathan Papelbon induced an inning-ending double play to the next batter, then closed out the ninth for his 29th save. He got five outs for the first time this season.
Lester, pitching in front of his hometown crowd, was putting on a good show for them for once. He had no record and an 8.10 ERA in two previous Seattle starts. This was Lester’s first start in nearly two weeks, as the Sox targeted the All-Star break as the perfect opportunity to get him a midseason break.
Nation Notes: Jason Varitek indicated yesterday that when he caught Daisuke Matsuzaka in the last game before the All-Star break, he’d developed an eye infection so bad he couldn’t see out of his right eye. Varitek is not sure how his eye became irritated, but it took a couple of days for the infection to clear. Michael Bowden, the Sox’ prized 21-year-old righthander, made his Triple A debut last night. Pitching in Columbus against the Clippers, the Triple A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, Bowden gave up three runs in four innings and was pulled after allowing a leadoff double in the fifth. Bowden allowed seven hits, five doubles, walking none and striking out four. He threw 84 pitches, 57 for strikes. Bartolo Colon played catch yesterday and is scheduled to throw a side session in Boston on Thursday.
