Pitching Carries the Day as Red Sox Sweep the Jays

by Ben Buchanan on Apr 28, 2010 10:15 PM EDT

Every year, Jon Lester seems to have a "turnaround" game. He starts the season slow, dominates one game, and then he's the ace we expect the rest of the way.

Maybe today was the day? 7 shutout innings, 1 hit, 11 strikeouts, 2 walks in a 2-0 win. Hard to argue with that.

Lester was actually a little shaky early, walking the leadoff hitter and giving up a loud double to Vernon Wells in the second. He gave up a few 3-0 counts, and didn't seem to have his best stuff. From the 3rd inning on, though, he was untouchable.

With Lester going 7 innings, the Red Sox were finally able to avoid the shaky portions of the bullpen. Daniel Bard came out in the 8th, and after giving up a leadoff double to Alex Gonzalez, struck out the next 3 batters on 15 pitches. Papelbon closed it out with a 1-2-3 9th, including the team's 15th strikeout on a good slider.

The offense was not all there tonight, managing only 9 baserunners on the day. Darnell McDonald played the hero yet again, scoring the first run on a Dustin Pedroia sacrifice fly in the 6th, and knocking home the second one in the 7th. Adrian Beltre and Marco Scutaro each pitched in with two hits of their own.

The win brings the Red Sox back up to .500 for the first time since they went to 4-4 after a victory over the Twins on the 14th.

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Lester looked like he was bound and determined to one-up Buchholz!

These two are going to be quite the tandem over the next few years.

The Jays may be a suck team, but their hitting had been decent coming into this series. So this was a pretty impressing 18 innings of pitching by Buch, Lester, Ram-Ram, Bard & Paps.

Hopefully Lackey can keep the streak going against Baltimore and we can get a bit of a run going.

by mmmmm on Apr 28, 2010 10:26 PM EDT reply actions

Eckersley has a serious man-crush on Bard

He’s practically beside himself when he talks about him.

by mmmmm on Apr 28, 2010 10:29 PM EDT reply actions

I know how he feels.

by TheOtherAndrew on Apr 28, 2010 10:34 PM EDT up reply actions

A triple-digit delivery is a powerful aphrodisiac.

But yeah, Eck has been crushing on Bard since he came up. (He was probably thinking about all the damage he could do if he had had a 100 mph heater back in his day.)

Fenway: "An alternate and better universe, disguised as a ballpark." --Thomas Boswell

by lone1c on Apr 29, 2010 12:12 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Sheesh - I assume you mean without losing Eck's pin-point control (at his peak)

100 mph heat that never walks anyone. Yeah, that would be fair.

by mmmmm on Apr 29, 2010 5:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Another great pitching day

You watching Beckett, Lackey and Dice-K? Good.

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by Randy Booth on Apr 28, 2010 10:51 PM EDT reply actions

I missed the game and a shame I did with that performance by Lester!

I LOVE PEDROIA!!! ITS MAN LOVE!

by kraken613 on Apr 28, 2010 11:30 PM EDT reply actions

Since we are now .500 this means the Byrds are back right?

I LOVE PEDROIA!!! ITS MAN LOVE!

by kraken613 on Apr 28, 2010 11:34 PM EDT up reply actions

Another appearance in which Bard gets three Ks

That’s two in a row now—and relatively efficiently, too. 15 pitches for the 3 Ks (again!).

Fenway: "An alternate and better universe, disguised as a ballpark." --Thomas Boswell

by lone1c on Apr 29, 2010 12:15 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

Lester is a very unusual pitcher

His “struggling early” is always a theme—season to season, and even from start to start. Teams have to do their damage against him early, because it always seems like in the later innings, he buckles down and just starts mowing down opposing batters from about the fourth inning on.

Fenway: "An alternate and better universe, disguised as a ballpark." --Thomas Boswell

by lone1c on Apr 29, 2010 12:20 AM EDT via mobile reply actions