Fittingly, there's plenty to be said about the recent sterling stat line of Jon Lester.
With the Red Sox scuffling against the Kansas City Royals and having just eked out a 1-0 decision on May 29, Boston turned to Lester to even the series. The 26-year-old left-hander obliged, tossing seven innings of four-hit ball, allowing just one run. The Sox rolled for an 8-1 win, and Lester earned his sixth win of the season while lowering his ERA to 2.97, good for 10th in the AL.
The performance also earned Lester his third Amica Pitcher of the Week honor of the season.
Lester's steady domination has held together the pitching staff and allowed the Red Sox to dig themselves out of an early hole. Boston trails the second-place Yankees by 2 1/2 games and the first-place Rays by 4 1/2.
"We're just playing better baseball," Lester told MLB.com. "We kept saying early on that we weren't playing good baseball and we weren't executing pitches. We've put some good games together. We're getting that swagger back, getting that confidence. You can definitely tell on the field how guys feel. It's a step in the right direction. It's a long season still, and there's a long way to go."