This Rookie’s All Right

Faced with a pitching staff decimated by untimely injuries to key starting pitchers, Boston has been scrambling to plug the holes in their rotation. Unfortunately, most of the plugs utilized haven’t withstood the test of time, and just as quick as they donned a Sox uniform, the temporary arms taking the mound have departed Fenway to suit up for another team the very next day.

One arm that is proving to be quite valuable for Boston is that of Jon Lester. The young rookie call-up has put up a 5-0 record in eight starts, the first Red Sox rookie southpaw pitcher to win his first five decisions since 1993 (Aaron Sele). In Lester’s eight starts since his callup in June, he’s held opponents to 3 runs or fewer every outing, posting a 2.38 ERA.

Last night was further example of this rising star’s ability. Lester threw eight strong innings, the longest outing in his career, surrendering only a single in the second inning. Papelbon slammed the door in the ninth for his league-leading 28th save, securing Lester’s 5th win.

With a revolving door of minor-league starters making their debuts in a Red Sox uniform this season, Lester allowed the Red Sox Nation to breathe a collective sigh of relief with his performances so far. With few more gems like the one he threw last night, Lester may start to get mention in the same breath as Papelbon for their surprising and welcomed dominance.

Lester still has some issues to work out before he can be considered a legitimate Major League hurler, however. Despite his record and ERA, he’s been plagued with walks in almost all of his starts, allowing 29 in 45 innings. While good defense has helped bail him out of jams from time to time, he’ll need to hone his control to really make an impact at this level.

But for now, Lester has been a godsend for the Sox. After starting the season with an abundance of pitching that led the front office to trade away fan favorite Bronson Arroyo, the Sox have been scrambling to nail down a solid 4th and 5th man in their rotation. And that number may bump up to include #3 starter Tim Wakefield if his back continues to ache.

So while Lester is still a far cry from the answer to all the Sox problems, he certainly has been more than adequate in filling an immediate need for quality starting pitching.

And pitching wins titles, folks.

New York kept stride with the Sox by winning their matchup with the Mariners, but only thanks to a blown call late in the game.

Trailing Seattle by a run in the bottom of the ninth with one out and one on, Jorge Posada sent a ground ball to the second baseman, who fielded it cleanly and fired to first for what should have been the second out of the inning. Instead, the first base umpire declared Posada safe, missing the fact that the ball clearly beat him to the bag by a half step. Two batters later, on a fly ball by Johnny Damon that would have been the final out in a Yankees loss, the tying run tagged up from third to send the game into extra innings. Melky Cabrera would go on to win it with a walk-off homer in the 11th.

The good news? ARod still sucks, going 0-4 in the game, including a strikeout to end the ninth. Keep up the good work, Alex!

Red Sox Captain Jason Varitek set a new team record for most games behind the plate, passing Boston legend Carlton Fisk. Tek caught his 991st game last night, eclipsing Fisk’s mark of 990.

As Tek strode to the plate in the top of the sixth inning, when the game becomes official, he received a raucous standing ovation from the Fenway crowd. Ever the humble yet gracious player, acknowledged the Fenway Faithful with a wave, sending the cheers to a new level.

The crowd had more reason to celebrate than just Tek’s new milestone as well. In the bottom of the fifth, Tek doubled and would come around to score the games only run on an Alex Gonzalez two-out single.

Oh Captain, My Captain!

The Red Sox have just completed a sweep of the Royals, taking another close 1-0 victory in a day game at Fenway. Josh Beckett pitched a great game, going 8 innings with 4 hits and 7 strikeouts. Papelbon once again recorded the save for his 29th of the season.

Manny Ramirez provided the only offense the Sox would need, blasting the first pitch he saw in the fourth inning over the Monster in left. It secured the second 1-0 victory over the Royals in as many days, and secured yet another day atop the AL East for Boston.

The Mariners are clinging to a 3-2 lead over New York in the eighth inning of their day game. A Seattle victory would pad Boston’s lead to 1.5 games over New York. But don’t get excited yet: the umpires still have a chance to swing the game in the Yankees favor.