Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rando was the big story in Boston yesterday while Oakland A’s pitcher Dallas Braden was the story in New York after throwing a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Of course all of this came before the Boston Red Sox were looking to avoid a sweep at the hands of the hated rival in the New York Yankees.
The Red Sox had the right guy on the mound in Jon Lester to prevent the sweep and the Yankees were hoping A.J. Burnett’s 4-0 start this season was good enough to put his Fenway troubles behind him. In his four previous starts at Fenway, Burnett had an ERA of 11.72.
And last night the Red Sox added to that as they scored nine runs in 4 1/3 innings against him. It was a much-needed win for the Red Sox as right now, they are just looking for a way to get back on track after the slow start to this season.
Other than two little bumps in the road in the 4th, Lester was outstanding again. He’s now picked up wins in his last three starts and is definitely on his way to erasing his bad month of April with the exception of his April 30th start. He mixed his pitches well and moved the ball around the plate. On the monstrous blast he gave up to Nick Swisher, he left a fastball out over the plate. The one Alex Rodriguez hit came on a inside fastball.
Now the Red Sox must turn their focus to moving up out of fourth place. They’ll have a chance to do that as the Toronto Blue Jays come to town for a 3-game set before Thursday’s off day. The Red Sox currently trail the Jays by 2½ games in the AL East for third place and the last time they faced each other a few weeks ago, the Red Sox swept them in Toronto.
While a sweep will go a long way against them, the Red Sox need to continue to get good starting pitching. John Lackey should deliver that tonight but you can only hope and pray you get that from Daisuke Matsuzaka and Josh Beckett in the next two games.
Don’t forget tonight’s Red Sox game is on NESN Plus.
We’ll be back later with tonight’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day but for now, enjoy the overnight links.
Red Sox salvage the finale [Boston Globe]
Bow out [Boston Globe]
Disdain still surfacing over infield [Boston Globe]
Cameron gets the green light [Boston Globe]
No need to throw in towel on staff [Boston Globe]
Sox bullpen has had its work cut out so far [Boston Globe]
At an opportune time [Boston Globe]
This time, it was a welcome change of pace [Boston Globe]
Sweep salvation [Boston Herald]
Time to follow Jon Lester [Boston Herald]
Mike Cameron heads to Pawtucket [Boston Herald]
Yo, Adrian. What’s with the glasses? [Clubhouse Insider]
Youkilis on offense: No respect [Clubhouse Insider]
Red Sox win series finale vs. Yanks, 9-3 [CSN New England]
About Beltre’s glasses [ESPN Boston]
Video: Red Sox-Yankees postgame analysis [ESPN Boston]
Up and down Sox win one they needed [Extra Bases]
Closing Time: Red Sox 9, Yankees 3 [Full Count]
Why Beltre wore the glasses [Full Count]
Francona, Lester after Sox win [Full Count]
Red Sox, Lester Defeat Yankees [Hartford Courant]
Mother’s Day Much-Needed Win [Hit and Run with Dan Roche]
Jon Lester Spins Ace-Like Performance as Southpaw Plays Stopper Against Yankees [NESN.com]
Can Red Sox Still Make Playoffs? [NESN.com]
Monday Morning Quickie – Just Two Nuggets [Nuggetpalooza]
Red Sox continue to own Burnett at Fenway, take series finale with Yankees [Providence Journal]
Lester establishing himself as the true ace of Red Sox’ staff [Providence Journal]
Ditching pink bats a good move for some Red Sox, Yankees [Providence Journal]
Despite successful start, Darnell McDonald’s Red Sox future is in limbo [Providence Journal]
Big Papi on verge of turning corner [RedSox.com]
Pitching will determine Boston’s fate [RedSox.com]
Red Sox pay tribute to moms at Fenway [RedSox.com]
Hermida continues to deliver big hits [RedSox.com]
Taking stock of these Red Sox [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]
For more slices of Boston Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal and WEEI websites.
And to take a look at what the enemy papers are saying, head over to the ESPN New York, NY Post, NY Daily News, NY Times and Journal News websites. You can also check out what our Bloguin brother NYY Stadium Insider has to say.
