Terry Francona confirmed Monday that he will use Jon Lester on short rest Wednesday night if the regular season finale is important.
Lester threw 55 pitches Saturday in New York. He was yanked in the third inning of a miserable start, in part because he was not sharp, but also so that Francona could use him on three days' rest in Baltimore if needed.
The Red Sox enter the last three games of the season with a one-game lead over Tampa Bay in the wild-card race.
Lester has started once in his career on three days' rest. It was April 23, 2008, against the Angels at home. He gave up four runs on nine hits (two homers) in five innings of a 6-4 loss.
