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Lester eyes win No. 10 in Pittsburgh

Jun 24, 2011 - 2:59 PM (Sports Network) - The Boston Red Sox own the best run-producing offense in all of baseball, but their upcoming road trip figures to test the creativity of manager Terry Francona.

Set to play the first of nine straight in National League venues, the Red Sox try to avoid a third straight loss when they begin a three-game set with the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

The Red Sox lead the majors with a collective .279 average and 400 runs scored, plating at least eight runs in nine of their past 18 games. Designated hitter David Ortiz has been one of the many producers in the lineup, but Francona will have to find a spot for the resurgent power threat in the field.

A shift to first base isn't a simple as it seems given that the current holder of that position is Adrian Gonzalez, who is hitting major-leaguing leading .359 with 15 homers and 69 RBI. Gonzalez has told Francona he would be willing to spend some time in the outfield during this trip to keep Ortiz in the lineup.

"Gonzi has been taking some balls out in the outfield. He's very willing to do it," Francona told Boston's website. "My concerns are a couple of things. One is I don't want David to go 11 days without playing. That's not good for us or for him. If you put Gonzi in right -- that's the one place he says he can play -- you're potentially taking J.D. [Drew] out of the lineup or moving him to left, [and then] we've got guys all over the place."

Francona also needs to be worried about finding the win column if he wants to keep his club atop the American League East. The Red Sox had won 14 of 16 prior to back-to-back home losses to the San Diego Padres and now sit a half- game ahead of the second-place Yankees.

Boston had to endure a rain-soaked finale with San Diego on Wednesday, dropping a 5-1 decision after the game was finally called in the eighth inning following a fourth rain delay. Former Padre Gonzalez finished 4-for-4 with an RBI, but starter John Lackey was charged with five runs and four walks over 3 1/3 innings.

"You want to win every series," said Boston third baseman Kevin Youkilis. "We're playing great baseball. We can't be too upset."

Boston's Jon Lester gets a chance at becoming baseball's first 10-game winner this evening when he faces the Pirates for the first time in his career. He is 8-3 with a 3.02 earned run average in 15 career interleague starts.

The Red Sox could ask for a better hurler to start their road trip given that Lester is 6-0 with a 3.12 earned run average in nine outings on enemy mounds this season. The 27-year-old lefty picked up wins at New York and Toronto prior to a home loss to the Brewers last Saturday, yielding four runs -- three earned -- on seven hits and a career high-tying three homers. He pitched eight innings and struck out eight for the second start in a row, falling to 9-3 with a 3.70 ERA in 15 starts this season.

While Lester has been thriving on the road, Pirates left-hander Paul Maholm may benefit from a return to PNC Park. Following back-to-back outings at home in which he gave up just four hits over 13 scoreless innings, Maholm was tagged for four runs on seven hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings of a loss at Cleveland on Saturday.

Set to turn 29 tomorrow, Maholm is 3-8 with a 3.29 ERA in 15 starts this year, including a 2-4 mark and 2.12 ERA in eight at home. He has never before faced the Red Sox, but is 4-9 with a 4.93 ERA in 17 interleague starts, losing his past four decisions.

The Pirates have countered a four-game slide with consecutive wins over the Orioles, claiming a series victory over Baltimore with a 5-4 win on Wednesday. Andrew McCutchen had a pair of hits and drove in a run, while Brandon Wood and Michael McKenry scored the go-ahead runs in the fifth inning on an error by Baltimore on Josh Harrison's grounder.

Kevin Correia won his ninth game and got the Pirates back to .500 (37-37) after allowing four runs over six innings. Joel Hanrahan claimed his 20th save in as many chances this year, becoming just the third Pirate since 1969 to reach the 20-save mark before the All-Star break.

"We threw up zeros out of the bullpen and Correia gave us everything he had to get through the sixth," said Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle.

The Red Sox are 4-2 all-time versus the Pirates in the regular season, winning three-game sets at Pittsburgh (2003) and Boston (2005).