A LIFT FROM LESTER

Boston needed a big lift after dropping five games in a row to drop 3 1/2 games behind in the division. Little did anyone know it would come from Jon lester. Especially in the bright lights of Yankee Stadium. But just when the Sox needed it most, Lester came up with a gem to halt the losing streak.

Lester was brilliant against the Yankees in his first ever start at the Stadium. The Red Sox lefty went nine scoreless innings allowing just five hits and striking out eight batters. He walked two batters, the first two he faced. However that disappointing start was quickly erased from memory when Lester got Bobby Abreu to hit into a fielders choice and then striking out A-Rod and Jason Giambi to end the threat. From there Lester cruised. He did not allow a Yankee baserunner to reach second and the Bronz Bombers went quietly into the night.

The Sox provided Lester with all the support he would need in the first inning. Dustin Pedroia scored on a fielders choice grounder and Mike Lowell drove in Manny Ramirez with a single to make the score 2-0. Jacoby Ellsbury drove in a pair in the second inning with a double and the Sox scored single runs in the fifth, sixth and eighth innings.

But this game belonged to Lester. He improved to 7-3 on the season and lowered his era to 3.21. In the process he gave a struggling bullpen a night off and got a big four-game series against the hated Yankees off to a good start. He rebounded from his roughest start of the season against Houston in which he gave up six runs on nine hits in five innings. All in all Lester may have delivered the biggest lift of the season for the Red Sox who are now trying to prevent the Tampa Rays from getting out to a sizable lead in the division. The Sox deficit is now down to three games with Tampa idle on Thursday.

Josh Beckett takes the mound tomorrow at 1 pm for the Red Sox. Let's see if Lester's lift can start a winning streak.