The Red Sox are out to secure a series win Tuesday night as they send Jon Lester to the mound against Ryan Dempster and the Texas Rangers.
We'll keep you up-to-date on all the action as it goes down in Fenway Park.
Rangers 5, Red Sox 3, End 8th -- The frustration is boiling over after Dustin Pedroia was run up on a terrible call from first base umpire Paul Nauert, who says Pedroia went around on what was clearly a checked swing. Another wall ball gives Adrian Gonzalez a double, but with Mike Adams striking out the side around him, the Sox are still down two.
Rangers 5, Red Sox 3, Mid 8th -- And the Rangers instantly grab an insurance run off of Mark Melancon on the strength of a leadoff walk and line drive single. The walk has been the real killer tonight for the Sox in the last two innings, with three walks contributing heavily to three runs scored.
Rangers 4, Red Sox 3, End 7th -- One of those big flies to left field finally ends up in the seats for the Red Sox, and it comes at a big time. With some dodgy fielding from the right side of the Texas infield letting both Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Kalish reach base, Will Middlebrooks was called on to pinch hit for Nick Punto. Ryan Dempster hung a first-pitch slider, and Middlebrooks was all over it, crushing the ball to left and into the Monster seats. A fan reaching over the ledge to make the grab earned a review, but after a couple of minutes it was correctly ruled a homer and the Red Sox pulled within one.
Rangers 4, Red Sox 0, Mid 7th -- The Rangers double their lead in the top of the seventh, and send Lester off with a very disappointing finish after a great start. The damage comes largely thanks to walks--one with one out to Michael Young, and another with two down to Mike Olt, neither of which had Lester particularly happy with the strike zone. Olt came around to score on a single and a sacrifice fly, and with Lester chased from the game for Mark Melancon and Geovany Soto in scoring position after the second walk, a wall ball single from Ian Kinsler is enough to bring the fourth run of the game home.
Rangers 2, Red Sox 0, End 6th -- The Sox do not manage to back up their starter in the bottom half of the inning, with a Dustin Pedroia walk the only offense mustered. Adrian Gonzalez does manage sharp contact behind him, but the inning ends as his line drive ends up too close to Nelson Cruz to find the grass.
Rangers 2, Red Sox 0, Mid 6th -- The sixth proves the breakthrough inning for the Rangers against Jon Lester. Texas does not waste a leadoff double from David Murphy, despite Lester following it up with a strikeout of rookie Mike Olt. An Ian Kinsler fly ball that just misses being a homer to left is enough to David Murphy home from second, and after a Josh Hamilton single to right it's a 2-0 lead for the Rangers, as Kinsler comes in to score from second.
Red Sox 0, Rangers 0, End 5th -- No baserunners to strand this time for the Sox, as the bottom three go in order with Mike Aviles the only one to even make contact.
Red Sox 0, Rangers 0, Mid 5th -- A flared single breaks up Lester's minimum-faced run, but it comes with two outs and the lefty is up to the task of recording the last out before any real danger forms.
Red Sox 0, Rangers 0, End 4th -- Between the first, second, and third innings, the Sox have hit no fewer than four wall balls. They somehow still have zero runs, however, even after Ross' second in this last inning.
Red Sox 0, Rangers 0, Mid 4th -- Lester shows no signs of faltering, getting through the top of the Rangers lineup 1-2-3 on just 11 pitches with three straight ground balls.
Red Sox 0, Rangers 0, End 3rd -- Dempster gets his first 1-2-3 inning of the night, striking out Carl Crawford to end the third. Hopefully for the Sox this isn't a sign that he's settled in for the game--they certainly had their chances early.
Red Sox 0, Rangers 0, Mid 3rd -- Jon Lester keeps right on rolling through the third, staying at the minimum nine batters faced. Once again there's not even much in the way of contact for the Rangers to hang their hats on, as Lester gets a ground ball, a pop-up next to the Texas dugout, and a strikeout to end the frame.
Red Sox 0, Rangers 0, End 2nd -- Another double is wasted, and this time a leadoff one at that. Cody Ross puts a third ball off the wall for the Red Sox, but Jarrod Saltalamacchia strikes out, Mike Aviles can only move him to third, and Ryan Kalish grounds out to first to end the inning with Ross stranded at second.
Red Sox 0, Rangers 0, Mid 2nd -- Nelson Cruz picks up the first Rangers hit of the game, singling past Jon Lester's feet and into center field to give the Rangers a one-out baserunner. The next ground ball gets too close to Mike Aviles, however, who steps on second and fires to first to complete the double play that ends the inning.
Red Sox 0, Rangers 0, End 1st -- The Rangers should be down 1-0 right now, but a good bit of scouting and trickery leaves Carl Crawford out at second base after a one-out wall ball double. With Ryan Dempster resetting on the mound and the game in one of those lulls where nothing ever happens, Crawford began to take a routine walking lead at second and was caught completely off guard when Dempster spun back towards second and fired to Ian Kinsler, who had never left the bag, for the out. With Dustin Pedroia hitting a ball to the wall behind him, that would have been an opening run.
Red Sox 0, Rangers 0, Mid 1st -- Jon Lester is off to a hot start in the first--an inning which is becoming less-and-less frightening for Red Sox fans by the day, it seems. A strikeout to Ian Kinsler takes Lester just five pitches, and the hardest contact the lefty faces is a flair down the line in left from Josh Hamilton which Carl Crawford is able to easily track down for the third out.