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Lack Of Execution Hurt Lester's Chances

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 14, 2008

Updated: 10/14/2008 12:33 am

BOSTON - Needing only a four-pitch first inning Monday, LHP Jon Lester looked like he would mow down the Rays like he did in his three previous starts against them this year.

Well, no.

Lester gave up an unearned manufactured run in the second and then a three-run home run to B.J. Upton and a solo shot to Evan Longoria in the third. The Rays led 5-0, and that was still the score when Lester left with two outs in the sixth.

"I didn't execute, for the most part, two pitches, and they hurt me," Lester said. "With this team, you can't have big innings like that, where they get action after action and put up a crooked number on you. It's tough to come back from."

Lester is 3-0 with an 0.90 ERA against the Rays during the regular season. Before Upton sent a ball out of the park, Lester had tossed 242/3 consecutive postseason innings (16 in the ALCS) without allowing an earned run.

After not allowing a leadoff hitter to reach base this postseason, Lester put the Rays' leadoff man on in every inning from the second through fifth Monday.

The home run pitch to Upton was a "fastball trying to go in, and I just left it middle" and the pitch to Longoria was a "backdoor cutter that turned into more of a slider that was kind of up and middle," Lester said.

"When you leave pitches out over the middle of the plate to good hitters," he said, "they're supposed to do what they did."

NO FOUL

Catcher Jason Varitek, who held onto the ball after a vicious collision at the plate with Carl Crawford in the eighth inning, said he's fine other than his neck being a little sore.

Crawford came barreling to the plate with his forearm raised on a grounder from Dioner Navarro. Second baseman Dustin Pedroia threw a bullet to Varitek, who applied the tag as both players went sprawling and gear went flying.

Asked if it was a clean play, Varitek said, "Yes, absolutely."

UNFAMILIAR STRUGGLES

The Red Sox have surrendered eight or more runs in back-to-back postseason games for the first time in franchise history.

What's more, they scored only one run at home in a postseason game for the first time since Game 5 of the 1999 ALCS against the Yankees.

Jacoby Ellsbury's RBI sacrifice fly in the seventh inning kept the Sox from being shut out at home for the first time in a postseason game since Game 5 of the 1918 World Series.

Two of the Sox's big weapons are struggling mightily. Leadoff man Ellsbury, who batted .438 in the World Series last year, is 0-for-14 in the series. And David Ortiz, who had a .317 career postseason average entering the playoffs this season, is 0-for-10 with four walks and a run.

Against Matt Garza, J.P. Howell and Edwin Jackson on Monday, the Sox's Nos. 3-4-5 batters (Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis and J.D. Drew) were 1-for-12.

KNUCKLER NEXT

Tim Wakefield goes for the Red Sox tonight in Game 4. The 42-year-old knuckleballer is 19-5 against the Rays (3.32 ERA), but most of that success has come before this season.

This year, he's 0-2 with a 5.87 ERA against them, and in his last outing Sept. 17 at Tropicana Field, he was slammed for six runs (three home runs) in 21/3 innings.

So it would appear Wakefield isn't as daunting against Tampa Bay as he once was.

"Part of that is the fact they're now a 97-win team as opposed to 67," Francona noted.

QUOTABLE

Francona was asked during the game by the TBS broadcast team if he thought Garza had his emotions under control. "I don't know about his emotions," he said. "... I know he has his fastball under control."

Tony Fabrizio

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