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Lester goes for fourth straight win vs. Cardinals

Jun 22, 2008 - 2:35 PM St. Louis (44-32) at Boston (46-31) 1:35 pm EDT

BOSTON (Ticker) -- If the Boston Red Sox hope to avoid a sweep on Sunday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals, Jon Lester will need to keep up his current outstanding pace.

Lester (6-3, 3.18 ERA) has been one of the best pitchers in baseball over his last 10 starts and is emerging as a solid No. 2 starter behind Josh Beckett as Daisuke Matsuzaka struggles to overcome his shoulder ailment.

Lester is 5-1 with a 2.09 ERA in his past 10 outings, limiting opponents to a .222 batting average while striking out 46 and issuing just 19 walks in 64 2/3 innings over that span. He dominated the Philadelphia Phillies in his last start, allowing six hits in seven scoreless innings while striking out five and walking one.

Boston has been dropping starters left and right over the past week, placing righthander Bartolo Colon on the 15-day disabled list after a loss on Monday and getting the news that Curt Schilling will be lost for the season on Friday.

It was Matsuzaka's turn on Saturday, as the Japanese righthander was activated from the DL but lasted just one-plus innings while allowing seven runs and walking three in a 9-3 shellacking by the Cardinals. Matsuzaka threw just 24 of his 48 pitches for strikes.

The victory, combined with a 5-4 win on Friday night, clinched the series win for St. Louis, making it just the second team this season to come into Fenway Park and win a three-game series. Boston is an American League-best 28-9 at home.

The Cardinals will send former Red Sox righthander Joel Pineiro (2-3, 4.02) to the mound Sunday in search of the sweep. Boston designated Pineiro for assignment last July and traded him to St. Louis at the deadline for a player to be named later after he posted a 1-1 record with a 5.03 ERA in 31 appearances - all out of the bullpen.

Pineiro has found success as a starter with the Cardinals, going 6-4 with a 3.96 ERA down the stretch in 2007 before winning two of his first four starts this season.

Although Pineiro has not had a victory since April 29, the righthander pitched well in his last outing, yielding a run and seven hits in seven innings in a 2-1 loss to Kansas City on Tuesday.