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| (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) |
Jon Lester may be pitching as good as he
ever has. Over his last thirty-one innings, he's given up
one earned run; over his last 52.2 innings, he's posted an ERA of 0.85. This is
ace dominance. Today, Lester went eight shutout innings, giving up just four hits and two walks, while striking out eight in
a 6-0 win over the Royals. The Red Sox offense provided more than enough cushion, erupting for six runs on nine hits—two each by
Brock 'Babe' Holt,
Daniel Nava,
Shane Victorino and
Jackie Bradley, Jr. Oddly,
Dustin Pedroia and
David Ortiz went a combined 0-9—although
The Muddy Chicken did get an RBI. Perhaps the tone-setting hit was a two-tun, ground-rule double to right by Nava— which pushed Boston's lead to 3-0.
David Ross later homered to pad the lead even further. So, the Red Sox have won seven of eight—but are mired in last place in the AL East by one percentage point.
