Red Sox - Inside Pitch

In a matchup of young left-handers, a visibly confident Jon Lester decisively won the mound battle over Sox-killer Scott Kazmir on Sunday afternoon.

The 24-year-old Lester, working with good tempo and effectively mixing all his pitches, shook aside temporary struggles during the first two innings in securing his second win of the season—and the third straight win for a Sox starting pitcher.

Lester dropped his ERA to 3.94 while limiting the Rays’ offense to four hits and a single earned run in six innings of work, and his only blemish came on a Carlos Pena solo homer.

The Red Sox southpaw was obviously feeling his way through the first two frames and moving at a glacial pace, but quickened things in the third inning and allowed only four baserunners after that point of clarity.

“(Lester) is taking steps,” said Sox catcher Jason Varitek. “He’s continuing to do that. We even added some stuff today to his repertoire and we’re really expanding what he can do.”

Red Sox 7, Rays 3: First baseman Kevin Youkilis collected his fifth three-hit game of the season and tied a career high with four RBIs in leading the Sox to a weekend sweep over the Rays. Right hander Manny Delcarmen ran into trouble in the eighth inning, but lefty Hideki Okajima and right-hander Jonathan Papelbon were able to finish out the last 2 2/3 innings and secured a victory for Jon Lester.

Notes, Quotes

• DH David Ortiz was a last-minute scratch from Sunday’s starting lineup after experiencing tightness in his surgically repaired right knee. Big Papi has been red hot as of late while hitting .301 over his last 17 games, and the lefty slugger collected a season-high three hits on Saturday. The three-hit performance pulled his batting average all the way up to .217, his first day spent over the Mendoza Line this season. Ortiz said after Sunday’s game he doesn’t expect to miss any additional games.

• OF Brandon Moss underwent an emergency appendectomy on Saturday night after complaining of abdominal pain that started during Friday night’s game. The rookie outfielder was out of the hospital on Sunday and resting comfortably at home following the surgery. Moss was placed on the 15-day disabled list and will be out roughly five-to-10 days before commencing a rehab stint in Ft Myers.

• OF Manny Ramirez is the proud owner of an impressive 496 career home runs, but has now gone through a 12-game homer-less drought on his march to 500 career home runs. Ramirez also broke an 11-game RBI drought—one game shy of the longest in his accomplished big league career—with a two-run single in the first inning on Saturday. Man-Ram has also whiffed an eye-opening 14 times during this most recent power outage.

• RHP Craig Hansen was called up from Class AAA Pawtucket to take the roster spot of OF Brandon Moss after he was placed on the disabled list. The 24-year-old power reliever impressed Sox officials with a solid 1 2/3-inning, three-strikeout stint during his last go-round with the Sox on April 23, and could help Boston’s bullpen in a setup role. Hansen put up a 1.62 ERA in 11 games as a setup man for Class AAA Pawtucket this season.

• C Jason Varitek has battled back from a flu that knocked him out of commission for nearly a week, and is hitting .368 during a five-game hitting streak for the Sox. ‘Tek had been 0-for-9 during his previous four games as he battled back from the after-effects of illness, but it seems that the 35-year-old catching Captain is finally back up to full speed.

By The Numbers: 84.4—Stolen-base success rate percentage of OF Coco Crisp during his career with the Red Sox, which ranks highest in club history of any player with at least 50 steal attempts.

Quote To Note: “I told Manny, ‘You’re the closest thing to Yogi Berra in the modern era that we have.’ Manny looked at me and said, ‘What do you mean?’ I said, ‘When I hear you talk, every player knows exactly what you mean, but you say it in a manner that’s unique to you.”—Player agent Scott Boras, talking to the Boston Globe about a conversation between himself and OF Manny Ramirez.

Roster Report

Medical Watch:

DH David Ortiz (sore right knee) was scratched from the lineup on May 4. Ortiz is day to day.

OF Brandon Moss (appendectomy) was placed on the disabled list on emergency surgery. If all goes well, he could begin a rehab stint on May 15.

OF J.D. Drew (tightness in left quadriceps) left the April 29 game. He missed three games but returned May 3.

OF Jacoby Ellsbury (sore groin) did not play May 1. He played on May 2 against the Rays.

1B Sean Casey (strained right hip flexor) went on the 15-day disabled list April 26.

RHP Curt Schilling (right shoulder) began experiencing discomfort during the offseason, and he opened the season on the 60-day disabled list as he undergoes a muscle-strengthening program. Schilling is expected to be out until at least the All-Star break, but may start throwing in mid-May.

INF Alex Cora (sore right elbow) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 10.