Lester in Postseason Form as Red Sox Top White Sox

A two-run home run from Mike Lowell in the top of the fourth inning was all the offense the Red Sox would need on Sunday, as the Red Sox won 6-1 over the White Sox in Chicago.

Jon Lester pitched seven scoreless innings as the Red Sox snapped a brief two-game skid.

Red Sox 6, White Sox 1
U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago, Ill.
September 6, 2009

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Headliner: The playoffs are just around the corner, and if Sunday afternoon is any indication, Jon Lester is ready.

The 25-year-old allowed the first two batters to reach base, but it was mostly smooth sailing from there. In seven innings, Lester allowed just four hits and two walks while striking out eight White Sox. Heading into the seventh, his pitch count stood at 100. A pair of baserunners likely would have sent Terry Francona to the mound with the hook, but Lester ended his outing with back-to-back strikeouts — both looking — to leave with the lead intact.

With the eight strikeouts, Lester reached 204 for the season, becoming the 10th pitcher in team history to top 200 in a season. The last pitcher to do so was Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2007.

Dirt Dog: Nothing fazes Mike Lowell. Not a schedule that causes him to sit as much as he plays, not a .143 average against Chicago starter John Danks and not a bad at-bat in his first plate appearance of the day.

The consummmate professional, Lowell jumped on a first-pitch fastball in his second at-bat and sent it flying over the left-field fence for his 17th long ball of the season, plating himself and Jason Bay and giving the Sox a lead which they would not relinquish.

Better Luck Next Time: There's no getting around it: David Ortiz is struggling. Grande Dad went 0-for-4 at the plate, looking similar to his mega-slumping self from earlier in the season.

He was in a good position to break out in his final at-bat, getting a 3-1 count against reliever Tony Pena. Ortiz, however, put a bad swing on an inside fastball, grounding out softly to the left side of the infield. He's now 3-for-29 since August 29 with no homers and one RBI.

Key Moment: The game may have turned for the worse on Lester before he settled into a groove had it not been for an outstanding play by Dustin Pedroia in the bottom of the first inning.

With runners on first and second, Paul Konerko skied a popup into shallow right field. Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis gave chase from the infield as J.D. Drew retreated from deep right, but it appeared nobody could get to it. That's when Pedroia, with his back to the plate, made the over-the-shoulder catch before quickly turning and firing the ball to second base to double up Scott Podsednik.

The effort from Pedroia changed a 1-0 White Sox lead with runners on the corners and nobody out into a two-out, one-on situation. Just when you forget why Pedroia earned the American League MVP Award last year, he makes sure to remind you.

On Deck: The Sox and the Sox will play day baseball on Labor Day, getting things started on Monday at 2:05 p.m. in the East. It will be a battle of aces, with Josh Beckett facing off against Mark Buehrle. Beckett has struggled of late, but finished off his last outing in Tampa on a promising note. Buehrle, meanwhile, has yet to win since throwing his perfect game on July 23. Since then, he's gone 0-4 with a 5.44 ERA.