The Red Sox fell in embarrassing 5-0 fashion to the Twins Thursday night, scoring not a single run against the walk-happy Sam Deduno while Lester was the victim of some unlucky runs and Alfredo Aceves put the nail in the coffin by allowing a ninth-inning homer.
Jon Lester had been on a very bad run, making his first two innings all-the-more imnpressive. Striking out the first two batters he faced and three-of-six, Lester had sharp movement on his pitches and was looking, for once, like the old Lester.
Then came the third and bad luck. A comebacker off his glove, a ground ball just fair past the first base bag, and a flair just over the head of Pedro Ciriaco and into left cost the Red Sox a pair of runs.
Meanwhile, Deduno was surviving largely thanks to ground ball outs and bad timing by the Red Sox. Two baserunners reached in the first, and two in the fourth, but only one batter reached with fewer than two outs.
The Sox would repeat this act in the sixth, but that was all they would manage. With none of their balls in play finding holes, they were held to just two hits-both from Adrian Gonzalez. Lester would manage to survive through eight, allowing just the one extra run, but Alfredo Aceves gave up a two-run shot to put an end to the Sox' hopes once and for all.
For more on the Red Sox stay tuned to Over the Monster and SB Nation Boston. Check out Baseball Nation for even more news around the Major Leagues.