SB Nation Boston - Red Sox Open Pivotal Weekend Series Against Rays With 3-1 Win Friday Nighthttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48863/boston-fave.png2010-08-27T22:51:32-04:00http://boston.sbnation.com/rss/stream/14186662010-08-27T22:51:32-04:002010-08-27T22:51:32-04:00Lester, Martinez Prove To Be Difference As Red Sox Edge Rays, 3-1
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<p>St. Petersburg, FL (<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/events/53321/recap/112839">Sports Network</a>) - <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../../mlb/players/1057/Jon_Lester">Jon Lester</a> allowed two hits over seven strong innings and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../../mlb/players/85/Victor_Martinez">Victor Martinez</a> hit a pair of home runs as Boston downed Tampa Bay, 3-1, in the opener of a three-game series at Tropicana Field.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../../mlb/players/32402/Jed_Lowrie">Jed Lowrie</a> drove in the other run for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../../mlb/teams/boston-red-sox">Red Sox</a>, who have taken five of their last six games.</p>
<p>Lester (14-8) held Tampa to one run while fanning 10 to erase an uncharacteristic five walks. His one wild pitch was also responsible for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../../mlb/teams/tampa-bay-rays">Rays</a>' lone run.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../../mlb/players/298/Jonathan_Papelbon">Jonathan Papelbon</a> survived a shaky ninth to record his 33rd save.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../../mlb/players/646/Jason_Bartlett">Jason Bartlett</a> collected two hits for the Rays, who have dropped two in a row since winning four straight.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../../mlb/players/31830/David_Price">David Price</a> (15-6) was charged with 10 hits and three runs over seven full frames, with eight strikeouts in defeat.</p>
<p>Martinez hit a two-out solo homer in the first to get the Sox on the board, then Lowrie's RBI single in the third made it 2-0 for Boston.</p>
<p>Lester did not allow a hit through the first three innings. Bartlett reached on a throwing error by <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../../mlb/players/61/Marco_Scutaro">Marco Scutaro</a> to begin the fourth then <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../../mlb/players/591/Carlos_Pena">Carlos Pena</a> singled. Bartlett later came home on a wild pitch.</p>
<p>Lester worked out of trouble in the sixth, leaving two on with one out by getting <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../../mlb/players/31733/Evan_Longoria">Evan Longoria</a> looking at strike three and retiring <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../../mlb/players/4339/Willy_Aybar">Willy Aybar</a> on a grounder.</p>
<p>Martinez gave the BoSox a 3-1 edge in the seventh with his second solo shot of the game.</p>
<p>Tampa went meekly against Lester in the seventh and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../../mlb/players/69494/Daniel_Bard">Daniel Bard</a> turned in a scoreless eighth.</p>
<p>Papelbon walked Aybar and pinch-hitter <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../../mlb/players/23/Dan_Johnson">Dan Johnson</a> with two down but recovered to get pinch-hitter <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../../mlb/players/31353/John_Jaso">John Jaso</a> to look at a third strike to end the game.</p>
<p>This was the second time in 2010 that Martinez went deep twice in a game, with the first coming at Yankee Stadium in an 11-9 loss on May 17...Despite the loss, Tampa Bay leads the season series 8-5...Lester also issued five bases on balls over six innings in a 2-0 win at Tropicana on May 25, in a game where he fanned nine...Prior to the game, the Rays added outfielder <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../../mlb/players/492/Brad_Hawpe">Brad Hawpe</a>, signing him to a minor-league contract...Tampa outfielder Carl Crawford was a late scratch with a stomach virus.</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/2010/8/27/1655089/jon-lester-victor-martinez-red-sox-rays-box-score-game-aug-27Ryan Hudson2010-08-27T17:08:26-04:002010-08-27T17:08:26-04:00Jon Lester, Red Sox Open Pivotal Weekend Series Against Rays
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<p>(<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/events/53321/preview/112780">Sports Network</a>) - A terrific pitching matchup is on tap this evening when <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/31830/David_Price">David Price</a> and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/teams/tampa-bay-rays">Tampa Bay Rays</a> welcome <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/1057/Jon_Lester">Jon Lester</a> and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/teams/boston-red-sox">Boston Red Sox</a> to town for the start of an important three-game series at Tropicana Field.</p>
<p>Tampa comes into tonight's tilt tied atop the American League East standings with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/teams/new-york-yankees">New York Yankees</a>, while the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Red Sox</a> sit 5 1/2 games back of both teams, despite a plethora of injuries.</p>
<p>"We have to go to [St. Petersburg] and at least win the series," third baseman <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/854/Adrian_Beltre">Adrian Beltre</a> told the team's website. "I think we're trying to go in there looking for a sweep, so we can get a better chance to cut it down. They're playing really good baseball -- Tampa Bay and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a> -- so we have to try and do our stuff and win games, because it's been tough. They're not budging."</p>
<p>Tonight's tilt is the first of six meetings between these teams between now and the end of the regular season.</p>
<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Rays</a>, who will be beginning a stretch of 18 straight games within the division, have been incredible at home of late, winning 19 of their past 24 games at the Trop since the beginning of July -- the best home record in the majors over that time.</p>
<p>A big reason for that has been Price, who is 7-1 with a 2.11 earned run average in his 11 starts in St. Petersburg. Tonight, he will be taking a third crack at win No. 16 after receiving no-decisions his last two times out. The former first overall pick, who is 15-5 with a 2.97 earned run average, did not factor into the decision of his team's 5-4 win on Saturday, and surrendered four runs and six hits in six innings.</p>
<p>The left-hander, who turned 25 on Thursday, beat the Red Sox the last time he faced them and is 2-1 with a 3.79 ERA in three career starts against Boston.</p>
<p>Lester, meanwhile, will be trying to bounce back from one of the worst outings of his career. Last Friday the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/teams/toronto-blue-jays">Toronto Blue Jays</a> battered him for nine runs and eight hits in just two innings. The loss stopped a two-start winning streak for Lester and dropped him to 13-8 with a 3.26 ERA.</p>
<p>The southpaw tossed six scoreless innings to beat Tampa back on May 25 and is 7-3 in 14 starts against them with a 4.18 ERA.</p>
<p>Lester had been slated to start the nightcap of Boston's day/night doubleheader with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/teams/seattle-mariners">Seattle Mariners</a>, but after the Red Sox claimed a 5-3 win in the opener he was pushed back to this series to skip the ailing <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/296/Daisuke_Matsuzaka">Daisuke Matsuzaka</a>.</p>
<p>However, even if Lester had been on the hill for the second game it may not have mattered, as the Boston bats were silenced by <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/307/Felix_Hernandez">Felix Hernandez</a> in a 4-2 loss.</p>
<p>On short notice, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/297/Tim_Wakefield">Tim Wakefield</a> (3-10) took the loss after giving up four runs -- three earned -- on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings, while <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/176/J_D_Drew">J.D. Drew</a> homered for the Red Sox, who had a four-game win streak stopped.</p>
<p>Tampa will also be looking to bounce back from a loss after ending its seven- game West Coast road trip on a sour note, as it was crushed by the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/teams/los-angeles-angels">Los Angeles Angels</a> of Anaheim 12-3 in the finale of a three-game set at Angel Stadium.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/31353/John_Jaso">John Jaso</a> finished 3-for-5 with a homer and drove in all three runs for the Rays, who had won nine of their last 11 before the rout and ended the trek 4-3.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="../../mlb/players/31351/Jeff_Niemann">Jeff Niemann</a> (10-4), who was activated from the 15-day disabled list prior to the contest, was torched in defeat for a career-high 10 runs -- all earned -- and eight hits over 3 1/3 frames.</p>
<p>"Jeff had a very difficult day. He just had a bad time throwing his fastball where he wanted to," said Rays manager Joe Maddon of Niemann. "It's all about command. When he gets that back, he's going to be fine."</p>
<p>The Rays have won eight of their 12 meetings with the Red Sox this season.</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/2010/8/27/2320038/jon-lester-red-sox-open-pivotal-weekend-series-against-raysRyan Hudson