Theory proven; Lester dominates Indians

Written by Rob Munstis | 02 October 2009

Yesterday, I predicted that the Red Sox would use this 4-game set as a stepping stone into the postseason. The pressure of clinching a playoff spot had eased, the champagne hangovers were gone and the Indians just aren't that good.

The theory was that the Red Sox would use this series to get back on track after a six-game losing streak. Jon Lester got the ball rolling with a solid outing last night and a 3-0 victory.

After getting plunked in the leg last week, Lester bounced back with 6 1/3 innings of shutout ball, allowing two hits overall and fanning seven along the way. Basically, Lester did what he's been doing all season and now he looks primed to start Game 1 in LA as planned.

In a strange twist of fate, Indians starter Carlos Carrasco, had to leave the game in the 4th after Jacoby Ellsbury nailed him in the leg with a line drive. Manager Eric Wedge said Carrasco is OK.

Ellsbury fininshed with three hits on the night and Victor Martinez, Jason Bay and Alex Gonzalez each had two hits in the game. The Sox went up early with a sac fly from Youk that scored Ellsbury and Ortiz and Bay each ahd RBIs in the thrid to make it 3-0. That was all the Sox needed with Lester dealing and the bullpen looking sharp. Bard, Wagner and Paps all looked good and Paps got his 38th save (for those of you waiting to win the TBS Paps poster.)

Bottom Line: This was the kind of game we needed to see from the Sox. Yes, it was against the Indians, not the Yankees or Angels, but we need these guys feeling confident before the fly out west and this was a good start.

Notes: Jacoby stole his 68th base of the year, but was thrown out on his second attempt. He should finsihs with 70 or more on the year and lead the majors. Only two guys have stolen 70+ bases since 2000 - Jose Reyes had 78 in 2007 and Scott Podsednik had 70 in 2004.

Jon Lester finsihed the regular season with a 3.41 ERA and a 15-8 record. He had nine starts in which he held the opponent to 3 runs or less but took the loss or an ND. Lester is currently 3rd in the AL WITH 225 strikeouts.