Red Sox 3-0, FINAL: So much for the "The Red Sox are going into the postseason flat" talk.
End 8th, Red Sox 3-0: For the first time in a save situation since Sept. 18 … I LOST MY LEG!
Mid 8th, Red Sox 3-0: No problems for Wagner tonight: a quick 1-2-3 and Papelbon is starting to loosen up.
End 7th, Red Sox 3-0: Billy Wagner on to pitch the eighth. You have to know that Wagner is going to impact the postseason in a significant way. Let's hope it's in a good way, for a change.
Mid 7th, Red Sox 3-0: Bard nearly ruined it for Lester, allowing a double and a hit batsmen to load the bases with one out. But Alex Gonzalez starts a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
9:15 p.m.: Lester's terrific outing is over. After a one-out walk in the seventh, Francona made the long walk to the mound and Lester received an enthusiastic ovation, which Lester acknowledged with a tip of the cap. Two hits and a walk over 6 1/3 innings, with seven strikeouts. He's ready for the Angels.
End 6th, Red Sox 3-0: Lester is back on the mound for the seventh, but this will likely be it. Daniel Bard has begun warming up.
Mid 6th, Red Sox 3-0: Two more strikeouts for Lester, who needed 20 pitches that inning, allowing just his second hit. There is no stirring in the bullpen, so it looks like at least one more inning to go.
Mid 5th, Red Sox 3-0: Lester has his best inning of the night in the fifth, and that's saying something. Lester strikes out the side, giving him five strikeouts on the night. He's at 57 pitches.
8:15 p.m.: In an eerie coincidence, Indians starter Carlos Carrasco just got hit by a line drive in the same exact place as Lester. He's out of the game, needing help to come off the field. In another bizarre twist, it was Jacoby Ellsbury, the Red Sox centerfelder, who hit the ball. It was Melky Cabrera, the Yankees centerfielder, who hit Lester. Weird.
Mid 4th, Red Sox 3-0: Lester might throw a complete game, anyway. Lester follows the single with a strikeout and a 5-4-3 double play. He's at 42 pitchs through four. In a related story, the leg is fine.
8:08 p.m.: Michael Brantley ends the dilemma. Sharp single to right to start the fourth.
End 3rd, Red Sox 3-0: For all the grumbling, hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing the past few days about the flat performances about the Red Sox, there's no denying the effort tonight. Two more runs on four hits, runners taking extra bases and a pitcher with a perfect game. Crisis, over.
Mid 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: Terry Francona could have a quandry pretty soon. He doesn't want Lester hitting a high pitch count, and maybe he won't, sitting on 35 through three innings. But the fact of the matter is, Lester has yet to allow a baserunner, and no manager wants to lift a guy in the middle of that.
End 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: The Sox get a couple more hits in the inning, but Jacoby Ellsbury strands two with a strikeout. Lowell stays in the game.
7:38 p.m.: Mike Lowell's hip is fine, but his left ankle is killing him. Lowell just fouled a ball off the ankle and needed a couple of minutes to walk it off before resuming the at-bat. He flied out to right, and we'll see if he comes back out for the third.
Mid 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: Another effecient 1-2-3 inning for Lester, who needs just 11 pitches and gets three more fly balls — two to Joey Gathright in right and one to second base. Gathright is playing his first game in right, as the Sox evaluate his ability on that corner position. All signs point to Gathright making the postseason roster.
End 1st, Red Sox 1-0: For the first time on the homestand, the Red Sox have the lead. Kevin Youkilis hits a deep fly to right that scores Jacoby Ellsbury from third. Ellsbury stole second earlier in the inning, his 68th of the season.
Mid 1st, 0-0: All eyes are on Jon Lester tonight, and so far, so good. Lester shows no effects of the line drive last Friday, needing just 10 pitches in a 1-2-3 inning, hitting 96 on the gun and throwing 6 of 10 for strikes. All three outs were fly ball outs.
6:50 p.m.: Mike Lowell returns to the lineup after receiving a Synvisc/contrisone cocktail on Monday. Lowell said he doesn't need to play in each of the final four games this weekend to get back in game shape, and will probably play in just one more after tonight. Lowell said he feels "1,000 times" better than this time last year, when the hip injury led to his early exit from the postseason.
4:40 p.m.: The Red Sox are back to business after their "Spring Training in September" promotion Wednesday night at Fenway Park.
The regular lineup will be back on the field against the Indians tonight, save for J.D. Drew, who is nursing a sore shoulder. That gives Terry Francona the opportunity to play Joey Gathright in right field, as Gathright continues his strong tryout for a spot on the postseason roster. Francona said before the game that he would love to have that "Dave Roberts" type on the roster, and Gathright is certainly that man.
Jon Lester makes the start tonight, all systems go after his scary moment last Friday in New York. Francona said there are no special restrictions tonight. beyond common sense. In other words, don't expect a complete-game, 130-pitch outing. The Red Sox have lost six in a row, but Francona echoed Theo Epstein's comments from Wednesday, saying it was far more important to have the team healthy and sharp going into next week than killing themselves to win meaningless games this weekend.
