Guardians 2 - 5 Red Sox
Final
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Red Sox turn to Lester in opener with Tribe

Jun 12, 2014 - 2:36 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Jon Lester tries to get the Boston Red Sox back on the winning track Thursday when they open a four-game series with the Cleveland Indians at Fenway Park.

Lester, though, will have to get himself right as he enters this start on the heels of an awful showing in Detroit on Saturday. Lester allowed five runs and 12 hits in 4 1/3 innings of that one and fell to 6-7 on the year to go along with a 3.52 ERA.

"Obviously, it wasn't good from the start," said Lester. "Just one of those weird nights. From my first throw in warmups to my last pitch on the mound, just wasn't good. Combine that with a good-hitting team like they are over there, obviously you get the results I did."

The Tribe may be just what the doctor ordered for Lester, as he is 6-1 lifetime against them with a 3.43 ERA in 13 starts. However, he is just 2-4 at home this season with a 3.05 ERA in six starts.

Boston enters tonight's matchup after another series loss in Baltimore that culminated with a 6-0 loss on Wednesday. The Red Sox managed just one run in the three-game set and have lost seven of nine.

"We haven't been swinging the bats good," second baseman Dustin Pedroia said. "It seems like when we do hit the ball well it's right at somebody or we get a rally going and we find a way to stop it quick."

Hoping to add to their misery on Thursday will be Cleveland's Josh Tomlin, who is 4-2 with a 3.12 ERA. Tomlin beat the Texas Rangers on Saturday, holding them to three runs and seven hits in eight innings.

Tomlin seems to be fully back from Tommy John surgery undergone two years ago and has registered a stellar 0.94 WHIP while registering 7.8 strikeouts-per- nine innings through six starts.

"Just being healthy and being able to go out there and compete, that's the main thing," Tomlin said. "I haven't been able to do that in about two years now, so I'm able to do that, and I think the most satisfying thing for that is being able to get up and down that many times and not feel any setbacks from the Tommy John surgery."

Tomlin is 1-1 with a 7.17 ERA in four games (3 starts) versus the Red Sox.

Cleveland also enters this series on a sour note after dropping both games in its brief series with the Kansas City Royals, including a 4-1 setback on Wednesday.

Carlos Santana knocked in the lone run for the Indians, who had won nine of 10 before that series. Trevor Bauer (1-3) gave up three runs on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings.

Cleveland swept the Red Sox earlier in the season, but Boston took six of the seven meetings between the two teams a year ago.






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