Jon Lester was perfect for 6 1/3 innings and ended up allowing 2 hits in a complete game effort as the Boston Red Sox went on to beat the Texas Rangers 8-1 in front of 37,828 on a beautiful night for baseball at Fenway Park.
With the win, the Red Sox (33-23) take over first place in the AL East by ½ game as the New York Yankees lost this afternoon. Despite the loss, the Rangers (32-23) will stay in first place in the AL West.
What can we say about the way Lester pitched tonight? His stuff was just downright nasty. He had great velocity (hit 98 mph) and had excellent command of every pitch. He said after the game that his stuff tonight was better than when he threw the no-hitter last year.
Lester threw 107 pitches, 72 of them for strikes. He ended up allowing one run on two hits and two walks while recording 11 strikeouts. In the last two games, he has struck out 23 batters.
Rookie Derek Holland started this one for the Rangers and got roughed up a bit in Fenway debut. He gave up four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five in 4 2/3 innings.
Kris Benson took over for Holland and allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits andthree walks while striking out one. Doug Mathis struck out one in his inning of work.
David Ortiz extended his hitting streak to five games with a 2-hit effort tonight. One of those hits was just his second home run of the season. Dustin Pedroia also had two hits on the night and added two RBIs and a stolen base. Jason Bay added a hit and two RBIs while Kevin Youkilis had a hit and a RBI.
Mike Lowell also chipped in with a solo home run with Rocco Baldelli and Jason Varitek had the other hits for the local nine.
Lowell got the scoring started when he hit a solo home run off the ledge on the Green Monster. It was initially ruled a double by the third base umpire Jeff Kellogg. But after they went into review it, they got the call right and gave Lowell the home run.
Baldelli led off the 5th inning with a single but was retired at second on a Nick Green fielder’s choice. With Pedroia at the plate, Holland balked Green over to second. The balk ended up costing him as Pedroia drove in Green with a single to give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead.
Holland then walked Ellsbury but struck out Youk for the second out of the inning. With Bay at the plate, Pedroia and Ellsbury executed a double steal. It worked to perfection as Bay roped a long single to left scoring them both to put the Red Sox out front 4-0. Benson came in for Holland and retired Lowell on a fly out to right.
Big Papi picked up his second home run of the season when he wrapped one around Pesky’s Pole to lead off the 6th putting the Sox out front 5-0. Benson then walked Varitek and Baldelli before getting Green to fly out with Tek going to third. Pedroia brought in Tek with a single to make it 6-0 as Baldelli stopped at second.
After an Ellsbury fly out, Youk singled in Baldelli and a throwing error by left fielder Brandon Boggs allowed Pedroia to score, making it 8-0.
Lester had been dealing up to this point as he had set down the first 18 batters he faced and struck out 10.
He started the 7th inning by getting Ian Kinsler to line out to second. He then left a fastball out over the plate that Michael Young ripped for a double, ending the no-hitter. Lester walked Elvis Andrus but recovered as he got Nelson Cruz to fly out to right and picked up his 11th strikeout of the night by getting Marlon Byrd.
After an 1-2-3 8th inning, Lester was back out there in the 9th to try and finish off the shutout. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way.
Lester walked Andrus to start the inning and a Kinsler ground out moved him over to second. Young singled as Andrus went to third and he came around to score on an Andruw Jones sacrifice fly. Cruz flew out to center to end the game.
Two great starts in a row for Lester. With him and Josh Beckett clicking right now along with Tim Wakefield, the Red Sox starting pitching is starting to resemble what was talked about before the season started.
The rubber game is tomorrow afternoon at the Fens with Daisuke Matsuzaka on the mound for the Red Sox and Vincente Padilla goes for the Rangers.
Notes and musings:
Texas Rangers @ Boston Red Sox 6.6.09 box score
John Smoltz made his fourth rehab start and threw six innings for Pawtucket on Saturday night, allowing one run on three hits with two walks and three strikeouts. He’s expected to make one more start before joining the Red Sox for a possible start on June 16th against the Florida Marlins.
Jacoby Ellsbury saw his 13-game Fenway Park hitting streak come to an end tonight.
With tonight’s sellout, the Red Sox have now had 494 consecutive sellouts at Fenway Park.
It was New Hampshire Day at Fenway Park tonight.
Tonight marked the third time that instant replay has been used at the Fens. They have all come this season.
