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All Wells For Blue Jays

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The Associated Press

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 24, 2008

TORONTO - Here's how bad it was for Boston lefty Jon Lester: Vernon Wells turned on the best pitch he threw and drilled it for a two-run homer.

Wells hit two home runs, Marco Scutaro added a solo shot and the Blue Jays roughed up the usually reliable Lester in an 11-0 rout of the Red Sox.

"Nothing was really working," Lester said. "I was rushing through my delivery, not a good tempo. When I did get the groundballs that I needed, they weren't at people. It just wasn't my day. Basically, everything you don't want to do, I did today."

Lester (12-5) had won nine of his previous 10 decisions and lasted at least seven innings in eight consecutive starts, but he was knocked out after 21/3 innings this time - the shortest start of his career. The lefty matched a career high by allowing seven earned runs. He gave up eight hits and walked two.

"Today he just seemed a little flat, up in the zone," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "He made some mistakes and, on top of that, it seemed like every ball found a hole."

Wells got the Blue Jays rolling in the first with a two-run drive off the facing of the second deck in left.

"It was probably the best pitch I threw all day," Lester said. "It was the only ball that was down. He did a good job of hitting it."

Wells came in 0-for-11 but went 4-for-5 with three RBIs and scored four times to back Jesse Litsch's strong outing. He added a solo shot in the fifth for his team-leading 12th homer.

It was Wells' first multihomer game this season and the 17th of his career.

"I was so bad yesterday," Wells said. "It couldn't go anywhere but up."

A three-time Gold Glove winner, Wells also made a pair of fine catches, both on drives by Jason Bay. Wells ended the third by racing back to the warning track to make an over-the-shoulder, bobbling catch, trapping the ball in his arm. In the sixth, he ranged into deep left-center to deny Bay again with a running catch by the wall.

A broken wrist and a strained hamstring sidelined Wells for 52 games this season, the first of a seven-year, $126 million contract.

Litsch (9-7) pitched six sharp innings to win for the first time since June 26. The Pinellas Park High product allowed three hits, walked three and struck out four.

"They scored runs for him early and he filled up the strike zone, which is what you're supposed to do when you have a lead," Boston's Jed Lowrie said.

Litsch was demoted to Triple-A on July 24 and made three minor league starts before returning Aug. 14 and pitching seven shutout innings at Detroit.

Jesse Carlson worked the seventh, Brandon League pitched the eighth and B.J. Ryan closed it out.

Toronto has won seven of 10 against Boston this season, with eight games remaining.

Leading 2-0 after Wells' first-inning homer, Toronto made it 3-0 on Jose Bautista's sacrifice fly in the second and then chased Lester in a four-run third.

Wells and Adam Lind singled, with both runners advancing on shortstop Alex Cora's throwing error. Rod Barajas hit an RBI grounder before Lyle Overbay and Kevin Mench followed with run-scoring doubles. John McDonald's single ended Lester's day before Scutaro capped the inning with a sacrifice fly off Chris Smith.

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