Red Sox 6 - 7 Blue Jays
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Red Sox send Lester to mound in opener at Toronto

May 10, 2011 - 2:59 PM

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(Sports Network) - Jon Lester tries to get the Boston Red Sox to .500 this evening when they open a brief two-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

Lester has won his last four starts and is coming off a sensational effort against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim his last time out. The left-hander limited the Angels to a run and six hits in seven innings in that one, and struck out 11, as he improved to 4-1, while lowering his earned run average to 2.33.

He beat the Blue Jays back on April 17 for his first win of the season and is 8-4 lifetime against them with a 3.30 ERA in 14 starts.

Boston won its third straight game on Monday, as Carl Crawford doubled in pinch-runner Jose Iglesias in the bottom of the 11th inning, lifting the Red Sox to a 2-1 victory over Minnesota in the finale of a four-game series.

Jed Lowrie worked a one-out walk against Jim Hoey (0-1) before being lifted for Iglesias. Crawford got into a full count before ripping the seventh pitch -- a low fastball -- off the Green Monster.

Iglesias raced around to score, beating the throw to give the Red Sox their sixth win in the last nine games.

Hideki Okajima (1-0) pitched the final two innings in scoreless fashion to record the victory.

Toronto, meanwhile, has lost three in a row after dropping the final three games of its four-game set against the Detroit Tigers, including a 10-5 setback on Monday.

Jose Bautista went 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Blue Jays, who have lost seven of their last nine games. Brandon Morrow (1-2) was touched for five runs on three hits and three walks in just 3 1/3 innings to get the loss.

Trying to reverse the Jays' fortunes tonight will be rookie right-hander Kyle Drabek, who has lost his last two starts. Drabek was upended by the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, as he allowed three runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings to fall to 2-2 on the year to go along with a 4.50 ERA.

Drabek has never faced the Red Sox.

Boston took three of four from Toronto earlier in the year.






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