The Boston Red Sox needed Jon Lester to be at his best tonight and help out the beleaguered bullpen. Lester did that and then some as he threw a 5-hit complete game shutout as the Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 7-0 in front 54,677 fans at Yankee Stadium. The win for the Red Sox put an end to a 5-game losing streak.

I don’t know what I can say about Lester’s outing tonight but WOW!!! Just when it looked like it might be long night for him, he settled down and moved the ball all around the plate. He had excellent command of all his pitches and his cut fastball was just nasty tonight. In the complete game 5-hit shutout, he walked 2 batters while striking out 8 to improve his record to 7-3 and drop his ERA to 3.21. He needed only 105 pitches to get the job done.

After struggling down in Tampa to get runs, the Red Sox offense came alive tonight off Yankees starter Andy Pettitte as they had 11 hits in the game. Every Red Sox starter with the exception of Julio Lugo had a hit in the game; yes even Jason Varitek had hit.

J.D. Drew, Kevin Youkilis and Coco Crisp all had 2 hits while Jacoby Ellsbury drove in 2 runs with his only hit of the night. Mike Lowell’s 1-for-2 night included 2 RBIs as well.

Pettitte started the game with a strikeout of Ellsbury and then gave up singles to Dustin Pedroia and Drew. Manny then grounded into what appeared to be an inning-ending double play but Derek Jeter’s throw ended up in the Yankees dugout for an error that allowed Pedroia to score from second. Lowell followed that with a single that scored Manny from second as Johnny Damon’s 10 hop throw from left field was just a bit late.

Lester got off to an inauspicious start as he walked the first two batters he faced in Jeter and Damon. He got Bobby Abreu to ground into a fielder’s choice and finished off the inning with back-to-back strikeouts of Alex Rodriguez and Jason “The Mustache” Giambi.

The first inning for Lester was the only inning that he got into any trouble during the course of the game.

Pettitte’s struggles continued in the second Crisp led off with a single and Varitek worked a walk. After a Lugo sacrifice moved the runners up, Pettitte jammed Ellsbury but the ball fell in for a double over the head of Wilson Betemit at first base as both runners came into score to make it 4-0 Red Sox. Ellsbury then got picked off second by Pettitte and Pedroia flew out to end the inning.

The Red Sox added runs in the 4th and 5th innings when Lugo and Lowell hit sacrifice flies to increase the lead to 6-0.

Varitek ended an 0-for-19 skid in the 8th inning when his RBI single drove in Kevin Youkilis from second base to make it 7-0.

Lester had retired 6 in-a-row before Robinson Cano in the 8th inning. Cano was quickly erased from the base paths as Betemit grounded into a 5-4-3 double play. Melky Cabrera followed that with a ground-rule double but Lester struck out Damon for his 8th strikeout of the night.

Jeter led off the 9th with a single but was quickly erased on a 6-4-3 double play. The game ended with ARod flying out.

Josh Beckett will take the ball tomorrow afternoon for the Red Sox looking to continue what Lester started tonight. He will be opposed by Darrell Rasner.

Notes and musings:

Red Sox @ Yankees 7.3.08 boxscore

This was the first time since 1997 that the two teams have met without one of them in first place.

Pettitte hadn’t lost a game since May 23rd before tonight’s game.

Manny Ramirez is batting .473 (55-115) with 14 homers and 38 RBI in 33 games against the Yankees from 2006-08 and has a .374 (99-262) mark with 27 homers and 70 RBI in 71 games beginning 2004.

Manny has 55 career homers vs. New York, 3rd most all-time and his most vs. one club. His 160 RBI against the Yankees are his most vs. any club.

Dustin Pedroia tied the Red Sox club record with 4 extra base hits (2 doubles, triple, home run) on Wednesday at Tampa Bay.

The Red Sox have been swept twice by Tampa Bay this season. Last team to sweep Boston twice in a season (series of 3+ games) was the Yankees in 2001, Aug. 31-Sept. 2 at Fenway Park and Sept. 7-9 at Yankee Stadium.

Jon Lester is now the first Red Sox left-hander to throw a complete game shut out at Yankee Stadium in 35 years. The last to do it before tonight was Roger Moret on July 4, 1973.

Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 11 games and his road hitting streak to 15 games.

Manny’s only hit tonight broke an 0-for-12 skid.