Lester v. Moyer (Game 74)

Coco home runs, Sean Casey stealing bases, Jon Lester (almost) not walking anyone, interleague play turns the world upside-down.

Jon Lester pitched beautifully tonight. He threw seven shut-out innings and silenced the Phillies' biggest bats. He threw ninety-nine pitches, sixty-eight of them for strikes. He gave up six hits but none of them were for extra bases. He walked only one batter and made it all the way to the sixth inning before he did that. Not to get too far ahead of myself but the Jon Lester who pitched tonight seems so different from the Jon Lester who started the year. That Jon Lester worked at a glacial pace, fell behind batters (he was the original man John Farrell sent in search of first-pitch strikes) and ended up walking too many, to be effective without anything but the best offense. Not this Jon Lester, though. I'm really starting to like this Jon Lester. And what's more-he's not half bad with a bat.

After Lester came out, the bullpen worked the way it was supposed to work. Okajima came out to pitch the eighth inning and was sufficient. He struck out the first batter he faced. He gave up a double to deep left (and a groan went up around New England) but it turned out to be harmless. The next batter flied out to right. He struck out Utley to end the inning.

Papelbon finished off the game in the ninth. He picked up his twentieth save of the season by striking out the side with fourteen pitches.

Coco proved to be all the offense the Sox would need tonight. Varitek had drawn a walk to start the second inning but was forced out at second when Casey grounded into a fielder's choice. With Casey standing at first, Coco took the first pitch he saw in the game and planted it in the seats beyond left field to put the Sox on the board.

They didn't score again until the sixth inning. With one out, Coco blooped one into left. He stole second. He stole third. He came around to score when Lugo doubled to deep left center.

Not to belabor a point too much (especially after a win) but they've returned to their earlier in the season road-woe: leaving men on base. They left ten men on base during the game and only monopolized on two out of nine scoring opportunities. They did play pretty good small ball, though. Lugo, Pedroia, Ellsbury, Casey and Coco (2) had stolen bases. They also played some pretty defense turning two double plays: one Lowell to Pedroia to Casey and the other Lowell to Casey.