(Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
MLB.tv wasn't showing this game because the Mets where hosting the Cardinals on Fox (you figure that one out), so I had to actually listen to the game. No offense to all you old-timers, but listening to a baseball game, when you're not in a car, is boring and awful and stupid. Maybe I'm spoiled by all the moving pictures we have access to nowadays, but instead of being on the edge of my seat through the close game, I was literally forcing myself to pay attention.
Irrelevant rant aside, Lester sounded in command tonight. The black mark on his night was a 3 run home run given up to something named Valbuena in the 7th to cut the Sox lead from 4-3. He lasted 6 2/3, struck out 8 but did get tagged for 7 hits. Good for a Lester start lately, but not so impressive against a Cubs lineup chalk full of mid-.200 hitters. And Valbuena's. Atchison notched the final out in the 7th, and Padilla and Aceves took it home.
The Sox offense was surprisingly not terrible. Ortiz hit a double, scored two runs and walked twice. Podsednik had another two hit game (plus and RBI). Aviles had a couple of hits. Saltalamacchia had two hits as well, including a two-run home run in the 4th. MIddlebrooks was the only other Sox batter to get a hit. He also had an RBI, as well as an error. But from the radio broadcast it sounded like that error wasn't the only trouble he had in the field, but, again, I didn't see anything, so I don't know what was going on at 3rd base.
Also, the Sox did end up placing Josh Beckett on the 15-day DL due to the inflammation in his shoulder. Valentine said that they were going to take the conservative route with Joshy and have called up Mortensen to take his place.
