Final, Nationals 4-3: That's a sweep, folks. The Nationals came, they saw and they conquered.
And they did it with pitching, from the starting rotation and with the bullpen. Tyler Clippard recorded his third straight save and Jordan Zimmermann complemented the work of Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez.
The strike zone was questionable down the stretch and it got Bobby Valentine tossed. But the Red Sox will look to regroup in Miami
Mid 9th, Nationals 4-3: Davey Johnson made a wise move in insterting Bryce Harper as a pinch hitter.
Although Harper didn't get a hit, he drew a walk. Then, Roger Bernadina roped a double down the right field line that allowed the 19-year-old speedster to beat the tag at home.
Aceves won't be happy about that and could be on the hook for a loss.
End 8th, 3-3: With two men on base, Ryan Sweeney had an opportunity to drive in the go-ahead run.
But he was denied, grounding out to first base. It was a good opportunity for the Red Sox to pounce, peace out and head off to Miami.
Instead, we may be headed to extra innings. And Alfredo Aceves is out to pitch.
Mid 8th, 3-3: Scott Atchison continues to be the model of consistency.
He induced a fly out and a line out while getting Adam LaRoche to strike out swinging. He'll be the key piece to long relief now that Red Sox skipper Bobby Valentine can't go that route with Franklin Morales.
Now that Rich Hill is sidelined, Morales is back to being a lefty specialist.
End 7th, 3-3: Look at Ryan Sweeney and Nick Punto setting the table for the Red Sox.
Both of them strung together singles and moved over as a result of Darnell McDonald's bunt. Scott Podsednik brought Sweeney in with a ground out.
But Pedroia was mad he couldn't capitalize and drive Punto in after he belted a long fly out.
Mid 7th, Nationals 3-2: A lot of craziness in this inning. A fan interfered with a grounder — and tried to take the ball from Will Middlebrooks — and it was ruled a single.
The Nationals then pulled off a double steal to catch the Red Sox off guard. Danny Espinosa lined a shot off the Green Monster that Podsednik wound up misplaying.
That resulted in two runs and the numbers won't reflect how good Lester actually was in the game.
End 6th, Red Sox 2-1: If the Nationals' rotation keeps up this pace, they can be dangerous.
And it reminds me of when there was a chance the Red Sox could've gotten Gio Gonzalez over the offseason. It would've required packaging some top prospects.
The Nationals ultimately snagged Gonzalez. But you always have to wonder — what if?
Mid 6th, Red Sox 2-1: Historically, heading into the season, Lester had posted good numbers against the Nationals.
Well, you can see that trend is definitely continuing. Lester has racked up eight strikeouts — and counting — through six innings.
This is the type of turnaround outing that he's needed for some time.
End 5th, Red Sox 2-1: Scott Podsednik has continued to hammer the ball, notching his second hit of the game.
This one was a double, marking his third extra base hit of the season. He's been doing well since his call-up, going 14-for-36.
His contributions, along with Daniel Nava's emergence, made Marlon Byrd expendable.
Mid 5th, Red Sox 2-1: Lester continued to pack a punch with his pitches in the fifth inning, collecting two more K's.
He's been hitting the Nationals with his sinker and curveball all afternoon long. He dialed up the sinker to about 94 mph in that inning.
End 4th, Red Sox 2-1: David Ortiz just blasted his 14th homer of the season, a shot that landed in the Nationals bullpen.
With that solo shot, the Red Sox have their first lead of the game. He's now 2-for-2 with a double and a home run.
He's also currently the leading vote getter at DH, acording to the first ballot results from MLB.
Mid 4th, 1-1: Ian Desmond has been a nice piece to the Nationals' puzzle, providing a speedster that can pile up the hits.
He just cracked a double in the fourth, but Jon Lester continued to mow down the Nationals' lineup other wise.
Lester has looked awfully sharp after posting subpar numbers over the last month.
End 3rd, 1-1: Dustin Pedroia was rewarded for his hustle. He beat out what would've been a double play with his speed.
As a result, it allowed Nick Punto to score, tying the game up. Darnell McDonald also helped the team's cause by hitting a single that moved Punto from first to third.
Mid 3rd, Nationals 1-0: That intentional walk to Ryan Zimmerman worked well for Jon Lester.
The lefty drew Michael Morse instead and struck him on a 95 mph sinker. Morse just froze on that one and it was a strong effort from Lester, who had the bases loaded.
He could certainly benefit from some run support.
End 2nd, Nationals 1-0: Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann is following in the steps of Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez.
He's shutting down the Sox, limiting them to two hits and no runs through two innings. Zimmermann also has two punch outs already
That pitching staff is pretty good. No wonder the Nats are in first place in the NL East.
Mid 2nd, Nationals 1-0: Why is Darnell McDonald and not Daniel Nava patrolling left field?
Glad you asked. Nava was a late scratch right before Sunday's game with a sore left hand. We'll check on him for details afterward, but it was surprising.
Lester also racked up his second strikeout of the afternoon.
End 1st, Nationals 1-0: After Saturday's game, Dustin Pedroia confidently proclaimed that he would get his hits eventually.
Since coming back from the thumb injury, Pedroia has been in a bit of a slump, but he's picked it up, collecting his third hit in as many days.
Now, he'll aim to collect a multi-hit game.
Mid 1st, Nationals 1-0: Most of you have noticed that Mike Aviles and Kevin Youkilis aren't in the lineup.
Well, the reason is that Bobby Valentine wanted to give Will Middlebrooks a few days at third to develop some consistency and wanted to offer Punto some playing time.
It would also allow Aviles and Youkilis to get a breather with the hot weather and series coming up in Miami.
1 p.m.: Here are the lineups.
Red Sox
Scott Podsednik CF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Adrian Gonzalez 1B
David Ortiz DH
Jarrod Saltalamacchia C
Will Middlebrooks 3B
Ryan Sweeney RF
Nick Punto SS
Darnell McDonald LF
Jon Lester P
Nationals
Danny Espinosa 2B
Xavier Nady RF
Ryan Zimmerman 3B
Michael Morse DH
Adam LaRoche 1B
Ian Desmond SS
Tyler Moore LF
Jesus Flores C
Roger Bernadina CF
Jordan Zimmermann P
8 a.m. ET: The Nationals (34-23) are eyeing a sweep of the Red Sox (29-30) in interleague play. The Red Sox will look to Jon Lester to stop the streak, but the lefty is winless in his last three starts and has given up at least four runs in five of his last six outings.
Lester, who is 3-4 and has a 4.64 ERA this season, has performed well against the Nationals during his career, going 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two career starts against Washington with 16 strikeouts in 12 innings. He'll go up against Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann, who is 3-5 with a 2.82 ERA. With a win, the Red Sox would bring their record back to .500.
For more details and analysis from Fenway, follow NESN.com's live blog. Tune into NESN's pregame show at 12:30 p.m. First pitch is slated for 1:35 p.m.
