Red Sox 8-1, FINAL: The Red Sox sweep their first series in almost three weeks, and the deficit is down to 6 1/2 games with the Yankees in town Friday for three big ones. What a way for Jerry Remy to make his return.
Mid 9th, Red Sox 8-1: Don and Frank were discussing Jason Varitek's role going forward. Seems fairly obvious that Varitek should only catch 2 or 3 times a week the rest of the way, if that often. Too many other productive bats in the lineup to waste by letting Varitek catch the majority of games and moving Martinez to first.
End 8th, Red Sox 8-1: Fernando Cabrera is warming up in the pen, but Lester is showing no signs of slowing down, striking out Snider for a second time to make it seven in a row since Hill's single in the sixth. Lester is only at 104 pitches.
Mid 8th, Red Sox 8-1: After scoring 12 runs in the four games leading up to the Jays series, the Red Sox have 24 runs in three games with one more inning to go. Just what the doctor ordered with the Yankees in town Friday night.
End 7th, Red Sox 7-1: Every time Alex Gonzalez makes a slick play in the field — as he did in the seventh on a grounder deflected by Lowell — you have to ask yourself: Julio Lugo? For $36 million? Was it really necessary?
Mid 7th, Red Sox 7-1: Victor Martinez continues his torrid pace with the Sox, leading off the inning with an upper-deck shot, his 20th of the season and fifth since the July 31 trade. Martinez is now 12-for-27 (.444) with three homers and six RBI in a seven-game hitting streak.
End 6th, Red Sox 6-1: Lester allows his first hit since the first inning — 2 of 3 belonging to Aaron Hill — but that is quickly erased as Wells hits into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. That saves Lester some pitches as he eyes a complete game. He's at 74 with three innings to go.
Mid 6th, Red Sox 6-1: J.D. Drew is dominating the 8-hole. Drew is 3-for-3 with two homers and a single. The bottom three in the Red Sox lineup, including Lowell and Gonzalez, are 5-for-9 with 4 RBI and three runs scored.
End 5th, Red Sox 6-1: Lester is pitching much the way he did against the Jays in Toronto in late May. That Sunday start turned his season around. Tonight, he is 12 outs from his 10th victory of the season. Lester has retired 10 in a row and 14 of 15 since the first inning.
Mid 5th, Red Sox 6-1: More Jays mistakes lead to more Red Sox runs. A two-base throwing error by John McDonald, who had replaced Edwin Encarnacion at third, allows Pedroia to score and moves Youkilis to third. Youk then scores on a David Ortiz groundout and Lester, who is at 54 pitches, has a five-run lead to work with.
End 4th, Red Sox 4-1: Since allowing the first three batters of the game to reach, Lester has retired 11 of 12 and the last seven in a row, including four strikeouts.
Mid 4th, Red Sox 4-1: The mother of all rookie mistakes ignites a big inning. After Jason Bay led off with a walk, the umpire called for the ball from Cecil, who instead fired it into the Jays dugout. That's a no-no. Time was never called, so Bay was awarded third. He then scored on a one-out single by Lowell through a drawn-in infield. Perhaps rattled, Cecil followed with a meatball to Drew, who hit his second homer of the night.
End 3rd, 1-1: Mike Lowell may have lost a step (or two) on defense, but the hands remain sure as ever. With two outs, Lowell barehands a grounder down the line by Wells and throws him out by a step, with a nice scoop by Youkilis to bookend the play.
Mid 3rd, 1-1: The deep Sox lineup pays a dividend in the third, with No. 8 hitter J.D. Drew leading off with a home run to tie the score.
No. 9 man Alex Gonzalez follows with a single and Jacoby Ellsbury bunts his way on, but the rally dies there. Pedroia lines out to short, Vernon Wells tracks down a liner by Martinez and Youkilis strikes out to end the inning.
End 2nd, Blue Jays 1-0: Lester is warming to the task, answering a two-out walk with a nasty breaking ball to get Travis Snider looking, ending the inning.
Mid 2nd, Blue Jays 1-0: Brett Cecil is exactly the kind of pitcher the Red Sox simply never handle well: a rookie lefthander. Cecil was 5-1 with a 4.35 ERA entering tonight's game, and he's breezed through the first two innings, allowing just the walk to Pedroia in the first.
End 1st, Blue Jays 1-0: A rocky start for Jon Lester, but all things considered, a good ending to the inning. Lester loads the bases with nobody out (single, double, walk) but gets a double play from Rod Barajas that scores a run but mitigates the damage. Lester then strikes out Kevin Millar to strand a runner at third. In April or May for Lester, that's a 3-to-4 run inning.
Mid 1st, 0-0: Someone forget to tell Brett Cecil he's supposed to be overwhelmed by the deep Red Sox lineup. Cecil pitches a relatively easy first inning, allowing just a one-out walk to Pedroia, then blowing Kevin Youkilis away with a fastball to end the inning.
6:45 p.m.: Should the Red Sox make the postseason, tonight's lineup is likely what you'll see on Oct. 6. With Lil' Papi Pedroia back in his usual No. 2 slot and Victor Martinez settled in at catcher (fourth straight game) in the No. 3 hole, the lineup is stretched out like no other time this season. Jason Bay is batting sixth, Mike Lowell seventh and J.D. Drew eighth. Not since Bill Mueller won a batting title hitting ninth has the Red Sox lineup looked so deep.
1:00 p.m.: Perhaps it is all coming full circle. The last time the Red Sox swept a three-game series, it was in Baltimore almost three weeks ago. The lead in the wild-card race seemed secure and the division was still up for grabs with the Yankees. But starting with that sweep, the Sox lost 9 of 13 games, including all four to the Yankees in New York, and the landscape changed dramatically.
Tonight, the Red Sox can finish off their first three-game series since that slide. And they can do it on the eve of another critical series with the Yankees and with a chance to maintain or increase their lead over the Rangers in the wild card. Jon Lester, who has been terrific in his past three starts, but has nothing to show for it, goes for the sweep tonight against Brett Cecil, who hasn't pitched for two weeks because of a knee injury. With Dustin Pedroia expected back tonight and the offense awakened in the past two games, chances are good the Sox can ride a wave of momentum back to Fenway for Jerry Remy's return against the Yankees Friday night.
