Lester went 6 1/3 innings and allowed just two hits en route to the 3-0 win and his 15th victory of the season. The shutout win snapped the Sox' six-game losing streak.
The shutout was in jeopardy in the top of the seventh when Lester and reliever Daniel Bard loaded the bases only to have Alex Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis complete an inning-ending double play.
Red Sox 3, Indians 0
Fenway Park, Boston, Mass.
October 1, 2009
Headliner: Jon Lester retired the first nine batters he faced before Michael Brantley roped a single to right to lead off the fourth inning. The southpaw needed just 84 pitches for his 15th win of the season and third shutout performance in his last five starts.
Lester truck out the side in the fifth and allowed a double in the sixth before striking out two more. He ended the night with seven strikeouts giving him a career-high 225 on the season.
Dirt dog: Jacoby Ellsbury led the offense with three hits — all singles — while tallying his 68th steal of the season and a run scored from the leadoff spot. Ellsbury scored the game's first run in the opening inning, his 91st run of the year.
Jason Bay, Victor Martinez and Gonzalez each added a pair of hits for the Sox offense, which out-hit the Tribe 12-3.
Better luck next time: Indians starter Carlos Carrasco allowed three runs on nine hits and was helped off the field with two on and one out in the fourth after taking a Jacoby Ellsbury line drive off his knee. Carrasco will have to wait until next summer to pick up his first MLB victory.
Key moment: The Sox plated two in the third thanks to David Ortiz and Jason Bay RBI singles to give Lester a nice 3-0 cushion to work with. In the inning, Victor Martinez also doubled to pick up his first hit against his former squad.
On deck: Daisuke Matsuzaka gets one final and very important tuneup for the postseason when he and the Red Sox host the Indians on Friday night at Fenway for Game 2.
Dice-K has gone 2-1 since returning from the disabled list last month, allowing just four earned runs in 18 1/3 innings. The righty lost in his last outing despite holding the Yankees to just one run on six hits in seven frames. Although the start was encouraging for the most part, Matsuzaka showed signs of his pre-DL self by walking five batters to just three strikeouts.
The Tribe's Jeremy Sowers takes the bump in search of his first win in five career starts against the Sox. The lefty is 6-10 this year with a 5.09 ERA. In his last start, he picked up a no-decision after allowing five runs in five innings against the Orioles.
