Lester leads Red Sox in finale vs. D-Rays

Sep 12, 2007, 14:55 GMT

- Jon Lester tries to follow up a brilliant performance in his last start when the Boston Red Sox conclude a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays tonight at Fenway Park.

Lester continued his inspiring comeback from cancer against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, as he scattered four hits over seven scoreless innings to improve to 4-0, while lowering his earned run average to 4.47.

The 23-year-old left-hander defeated the Rays the last time he faced them and is 1-0 in three starts in his career against Tampa Bay with a 4.74 ERA.

Tampa will counter with 24-year-old righty Edwin Jackson, who is 4-14 with a 6.00 ERA. Jackson lost his second straight start on Friday against Toronto, as he was pounded for seven runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.

One of Jackson's four wins this season came against the Red Sox back on August 22, but is just 1-1 lifetime against them with a 5.87 ERA in five games, two of which have been starts.

In the second game of the set on Tuesday, Kevin Youkilis hit a bases-loaded triple in the sixth-inning to give Boston the lead, as the Red Sox outslugged their way to a 16-10 win. Kevin Cash also knocked in three runs while Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and J.D. Drew all homered for the Red Sox, who remained five games in front of the Yankees for the AL East lead.

Third baseman Mike Lowell was the only Boston starter not to record an RBI, but had a team-high four hits with three runs scored.

Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield pitched into the fourth inning and gave up 10 hits and seven runs. The knuckle-baller entered the game with a career 19-2 record against Tampa Bay with a 2.72 earned run average in 36 games.

Bryan Corey (1-0) got the win with a scoreless inning of relief.

Carlos Pena hit a three-run homer and Akinori Iwamura also had three RBI for the Devil Rays, who saw their three-game winning streak come to an end.

Tampa Bay starter Andy Sonnanstine didn't fare a whole lot better than Wakefield, yielding eight hits and five runs over 3 1/3 innings. Jon Switzer (0-1) was charged with the loss in relief, as he allowed two runs and two hits in just a third of an inning.

Boston, which swept a three-game series from Tampa at Fenway from July 3-5, has defeated the Devil Rays in 10 of the 14 matchups this season, including six of the eight games played in Beantown. The Red Sox are also 30-7 against the D-Rays at home since the start of the 2004 campaign.

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