Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Sox Get 'Lester-Iffic' Performance, Beat Rays, 6-2

(Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
This was the Jon Lester we knew and loved at the start of the 2013 season. Throwing strikes, showing command, lasting into the seventh inning. Lester went 6 1/3 innings, giving up just two runs, striking out eight and—significantly—walking nobody in a 6-2 win by the Carmine Hose. A mixture of good and bad baserunning characterized the Boston offense. David Ortiz was thrown out at third before Boston scored its first run, and Shane Victorino took advantage of the fact that—while he was on third—no one else was in the immediate zip code. On a double steal, Victorino waltzed in to score. Jose Iglesias knocked in a couple of insurance runs in the eighth on a seeing-eye chopper over Evan Longoria's head. Boston increased its lead over both Tampa (1.5 games) and Baltimore (3.5 games) with the win.