Last time we saw Jon Lester take the mound, he got knocked down off of it — quite literally. Six days ago, he was drilled in the leg by a line drive off the bat of the Yankees' Melky Cabrera, but Lester has bounced back quickly.
Lester vowed to return and make his next scheduled start, and he's now poised to follow through on that promise. This will be the final tune-up for the Sox' lefty before he takes the mound in the first round of the playoffs. Before he takes on the Angels, Lester must first get through the fourth-place Cleveland Indians.
When and Where
Friday, Oct. 1, 7:10 p.m. ET (NESN)
Fenway Park, Boston, Mass.
Records
Red Sox (91-67, 2nd place in AL East)
Indians (65-93, 4th place in AL Central)
Head to Head
The Red Sox have only played the Indians five times this season, but they lead the season series 3-2. The two teams met for a three-game series in Cleveland at the end of April, which the Sox took two games to one, and then they traded blowouts in a quick two-gamer at Fenway in early May. The Tribe won the first game 9-2 and the Sox took the second, 13-3.
Skinny
For their final series of the season, the Red Sox get to stay home at friendly Fenway Park. Coming off of six consecutive losses, it sure would help for the Sox to enjoy the comfort that comes with playing in their own home. With their October tickets already booked, they're not playing for much of anything, but it would still be a good confidence boost to head into the postseason on a high note.
Starting Lineups
| Indians |
Red Sox |
| Michael Brantley, CF | Jacoby Ellsbury, CF |
| Jamey Carroll, 2B | Dustin Pedroia, 2B |
| Jhonny Peralta, 3B | Victor Martinez, C |
| Matt LaPorta, LF | Kevin Youkilis, 1B |
| Kelly Shoppach, DH | David Ortiz, DH |
| Andy Marte, 1B | Jason Bay, LF |
| Luis Valbuena, SS | Mike Lowell, 3B |
| Lou Marson, C | Joey Gathright, RF |
| Trevor Crowe, RF | Alex Gonzalez, SS |
Starting Pitchers
LHP Jon Lester (14-8, 3.52 ERA) vs. RHP Carlos Carrasco (0-3, 9.00 ERA)
Going into Friday night, Jon Lester was not only undefeated in his previous 11 starts, but he was poised to beat the Yankees in Yankee Stadium with the division on the line. Not only did he come up short, but he went down with an injury in the process. This will have to be a bounce-back effort for Lester in two ways — not only from injury, but also from his first loss in over two months.
This is just the fifth career start for Carrasco, and the 22-year-old rookie is still looking for his first career victory. Not only is the young righty 0-3, but he's allowed six home runs in 19 innings, and he's allowed as many walks (10) as strikeouts. Better luck next year, kid.
Stat Sheet
Red Sox
The Red Sox are 52-25 at Fenway Park this season.
They have a .804 team OPS, second-best in the American League.
Jon Lester is 2-0 in five career starts against Cleveland. He has a 4.76 ERA.
Victor Martinez is seventh in the AL with 103 RBIs.
Dustin Pedroia has scored 111 runs, second-most in the AL.
Jason Bay is third in the AL with 36 home runs.
Joey Gathright is 29-for-84 (.345) in his career against the Indians. He has three extra-base hits.
Casey Kotchman has an .807 OPS against Cleveland. He has one homer and five doubles.
Rocco Baldelli is hitting .274 at Fenway this season.
Alex Gonzalez is hitting .285 since joining the Red Sox, but he has just four walks for an OBP of .305.
Jed Lowrie has a .449 OPS this season, a 290-point drop from 2008.
Indians
The Indians are 19-17 this season against American League East opponents.
Carlos Carrasco has a 2.16 WHIP this season.
Shin-Soo Choo is eighth in the AL with a .395 on-base percentage.
Kelly Shoppach has been hit by 18 pitches, most in the AL.
Matt LaPorta has a .463 slugging percentage since being called up to the major leagues. He has seven home runs in 46 games.
Travis Hafner has just five home runs and 30 RBIs in 141 career at-bats against the Red Sox.
Jhonny Peralta is hitting .266 on the road this season.
Black and Blue
Red Sox
Jon Lester is day-to-day with a quad contusion. He makes his return to the mound Thursday, six days after being hit by a Melky Cabrera line drive.
Josh Beckett, who was scratched from his Monday night start due to back spasms, threw a successful 62-pitch side session on Wednesday and appears likely to start on Saturday night against the Indians.
Junichi Tazawa is out for the season with a a mild left groin strain.
Indians
Grady Sizemore has been on the DL since Sept. 4. He is slated for left elbow surgery.
Anthony Reyes is out for the season. He is recovering from right elbow surgery.
Jake Westbrook is also recovering from right elbow surgery. He has missed all of 2009.
This Date In Red Sox History
In 1903, the Red Sox played in the first game in World Series history. Ace Cy Young had a shaky day on the mound, and the Sox (then called the Boston Americans) lost 7-3 to Deacon Phillippe and the Pirates. They went on to win the series, however, downing Pittsburgh five games to three.
Overheard
"[Roy] Halladay's tough every night. Even when you score a couple of runs off of Halladay, that doesn't mean he didn't have a good day. That just means you got lucky."
— Rocco Baldelli, in The Boston Globe, on Roy Halladay's complete-game, three-hit shutout on Wednesday night. Baldelli struck out six Red Sox and walked two.
Press Box
Red Sox
The Sox got shut out — and swept.
Boston is looking forward to the playoffs.
Jonathan Papelbon will be ready for October.
Indians
The Indians split a doubleheader with Chicago.
What's next after Eric Wedge?
The speculation about John Farrell continues.
MLB
For NL East champions, the Phillies sure are worried.
In the AL Central, the Tigers are one win away.
Will Ken Griffey Jr. retire?
Outlook
The Red Sox may have lost six straight, but if they can bounce back against the lowly Indians, they'll be in good shape heading into October. It's time for them to put the past behind them and ride their newfound ace, Jon Lester, to a win in front of the Fenway faithful. Lester says he's recovered from last week's injury and ready to go — if he can prove it, he'll make a lot of fans happy. An October hangs in the balance.
