IS JON LESTER BACK?

I sure hope so. At the very least, his start Sunday afternoon was encouraging. He struck out a season high 12 batters, and cruised through 6 innings. The inning count was low, but with the Red Sox' bullpen, it isn't as big of a concern as it would have been last year. He only allowed 3 soft hits and 3 walks.

Lester needs to put together a few good starts, and this was a major step forward in doing so.

The offense also exploded as Francona juggled the batting order a bit. But I think facing Ricky Romero had more to do with the Red Sox' 8 runs than the lineup. 6 of the 8 Sox runs came with 2 outs, the big hit being Dustin Pedroia's 3 run shot with 2 outs in the 4th. That blast turned a 1-1 tie into a 4-1 lead.

Every Sox batter registered a hit, except Varitek, who walked 3 times.

Man of the Game:
Jon Lester - 6 IP, 12 K, 3 H, 1 ER

The Sox have a tough task this week, taking on the AL Central leading Detroit Tigers, who are 15-7 at home. Daisuke Matsuzaka faces Rick Porcello Tuesday night.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darren Calabrese