By Danny Picard and Maureen Mullen
CSNNE.com
BOSTONJon Lester didnt have his best stuff on Sunday, but that didnt matter. The lefty pitched six-plus innings and allowed only one run on six hits while walking three and striking out five.
In the process, he was able to get more than enough run support from his offense, and picked up his first win of the season.
He had the ability to throw that groundball a lot, said Red Sox manager Terry Francona after Bostons 8-1 win over Toronto. A couple innings were real big. I dont think he commanded like he can. But hes got all his pitches. He can always have somewhere to go . . . Hes got a lot of ways to get you out.
I made some good pitches when I had to, said Lester. Today obviously wasnt the best control day Ive ever had. I battled a few things out there with myself and was almost feeling a little too good at times, then kind of going back to not feeling so good. So a little bit of a grind, but it was a good win.
Lester now has a 1-1 record and lowered his ERA from 3.72 to 3.20 on Sunday. In his last three starts, hes allowed just four earned runs in 20 innings, which comes out to a 1.80 ERA in that span. But still only has one win to show for it.
Im four starts in, so its not like Im going to go 0-33, said Lester. So, just keep grinding it out. Ive thrown the ball well. I think this is like the lowest ERA Ive ever had in April. So Im pretty happy with that, throwing the ball well at the beginning of the season. So just keep continuing to grind it out. Take it one start at a time. Thats all we can do.
Boston Red Sox
Its the same every year. I try to take the same approach. For some reason Im just executing pitches right now that in years past I havent. So nothings changed. I didnt invent a new pitch this year and guys are swimming at it. Its the same stuff. Just executing when I have to.
Sundays win marked the first time this season that the Red Sox won back-to-back games. A large reason for that was Jacoby Ellsburys three-run home run in the second inning that gave Boston a 4-1 lead which it never looked back from.
Ellsbury crushed a 2-and-0, 91-mph fastball deep down the right-field line and into the seats. The fact that it was Ellsburys third home run of the season, which gave him sole possession of home run king on the team for the time being, wasnt the biggest part about the three-run jack.
Its significance came with the fact that it was Bostons first three-run home run of the season, 14 games in.
I was sitting on a pitch I could drive, 2-0, and got something I could do something with, said Ellsbury. Its nice to get out to the lead with Lester on the mound.
Jed Lowrie made the start at shortstop on Sunday, and hit sixth, behind David Ortiz. He extended his hit streak to six games going 1-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Hes now 11-for-19 (.579) with five RBI and six runs scored over that six-game stretch.
Red Sox catchers are a combined 4-for-22 (18 percent) in catcher's caught stealing. Jarrod Saltalamacchia is 3-for-15 (20 percent). Jason Varitek is 1-for-7 (14 percent).
Kevin Youkilis was hit by a pitch in the eighth inning. It was the 70th time in his career being plunked. He is now one behind Mo Vaughn on the Sox all-time list.
Ellsbury's blast was the Sox' first three-run homer of the season.
Red Sox batters were 3-for-8 with runners in scoring position and are 14 for
their last 80 (.175) in such situations.
Danny Picard is on Twitter at http:twitter.comDannyPicard. You can listen to Danny on his streaming radio show I'm Just Sayin'Monday-Friday from 9-10 a.m. on CSNNE.com.
Maureen Mullen is on Twitter at http:twitter.commaureenamullen