Jon Lester

The Red Sox have historically been a strong team at home, and in their first four home games of the 2012 season they continued that Fenway success, taking three of four games from the Rays. Boston will look to continue that home-field advantage on Tuesday night in the first game of a two-game series against the Rangers.

The task will not be an easy one. The 8-2 Rangers own the best record in the American League, and they arrive at Fenway on the heels of a three-game sweep of the Twins at Target Field. The Red Sox will send out ace Jon Lester in the hopes of slowing down Texas.

Lester is still searching for his first win of the season despite two strong outings. In his last start, a 3-1 loss to the Blue Jays, Lester allowed three earned runs on three hits through eight innings of work, but the Boston lineup only mustered three hits of its own as Lester was the hard-luck loser.

Lester’s only start against the Rangers last season came on Opening Day, and it was not a good showing for the left-hander. The Rangers collected five earned runs on six hits and three home runs through 5 1/3 innings against Lester, and the Red Sox lost, 9-5.

On Tuesday, Lester will be tasked with cooling down Josh Hamilton, who is off to a hot start for the Rangers. Hamilton is second in the AL in hits (16) despite having four fewer at-bats than the league-leading Derek Jeter (17 hits in 45 at-bats). In the Rangers’ three-game sweep of the Twins, Hamilton went 6-for-13 with five runs, two home runs and three RBIs.

The Rangers will counter Lester with Colby Lewis, who will be making his third start of the season. Lewis enters the game off a shutout performance against the Mariners, who tallied five hits, six strikeouts and no runs against Lewis in 6 2/3 innings. The Rangers went on to blow that game, however, allowing three runs to Seattle in the ninth inning for the 4-3 loss.

The Red Sox may be eager to face Lewis after getting the best of the right-hander in his three starts against Boston last season. After earning an April 2 win against Boston last year, Lewis allowed 11 runs in his next two starts to the Red Sox in 9 1/3 innings of work. In his only appearance at Fenway last year, Lewis was yanked after 3 1/3 innings in which the Red Sox tallied four runs on seven hits.

David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez have both played well against Lewis. Ortiz is 5-for-15 with three home runs and five RBIs in his career against Lewis, while Gonzalez bats .857 with two home runs and three RBIs in seven at-bats against the 32-year-old. Read the rest of this entry »

Carl Crawford hit his fourth-career grand slam Saturday in Boston's 12-7 win over the Rangers.

Through his first month in Boston, Erik Bedard pitched well but received little in the way of run support. The Red Sox offense seemed intent on making up for that on Saturday.

Carl Crawford hit a grand slam into the right field stands in the bottom of the fourth inning to propel the Red Sox to a 12-7 victory over the Texas Rangers Saturday afternoon at Fenway. The big win comes a day after the Rangers crushed the Red Sox, 10-0.

The Red Sox blew the game wide open in the fourth inning. Boston scored eight runs on eight hits in the bottom of the fourth alone. The Sox went from losing 3-1 to establishing a lead of 9-3 in a marathon 36-minute half-inning that featured 19 separate plate appearances. Crawford’s grand slam came after Boston had chased Rangers starter Colby Lewis (3.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K) from the game.

Bedard (6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 6 K) finally picked up his first win in a Red Sox uniform, just over a month after he was traded from the Mariners. Despite struggling a little early on in the game, Bedard seemed to gain confidence from Boston’s big fourth inning and pitched well through his final two innings of work. The nine runs scored during Bedard’s six innings pitched were the most he has received in support all season, from either Boston or Seattle.

WHAT WENT RIGHT FOR THE RED SOX

–Crawford’s grand slam was the fourth of his career and the second slam of the season for Boston (David Ortiz hit one back on July 27 against the Royals). Crawford ended up going 2-for-5 on Saturday.

–Boston nearly had another grand slam in the bottom of the sixth when Dustin Pedroia hit a double off the top of the centerfield wall with the bases loaded, scoring three more for Boston.

–With the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, Mike Aviles hit in place of Jed Lowrie, who left the game with left-shoulder tightness. Aviles took advantage of the situation, singling to drive in a run, giving Boston the 4-3 lead and setting up Crawford’s grand slam.

–Adrian Gonzalez has helped carry the Red Sox all season long with his bat, but he used his glove on Saturday to help Bedard out of some early jams. With one out and runners on first and third in the top of the first inning, Michael Young hammered a line drive down the first-base line. Gonzalez calmly snatched the ball out of the air before stepping on first to double up Josh Hamilton and end the inning.

Then, in the top of the fourth, Gonzalez caught a popped-up bunt off the bat of Craig Gentry on a suicide-squeeze attempt. The first baseman then tagged Yorvit Torrealba, who had sprinted from third to home, for the unassisted, inning-ending double play.

Gonzalez has been excellent defensively at first base for Boston with a .997 fielding percentage, second among all first basemen in the majors this season.

–Jarrod Saltalamacchia came up with a huge two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth to tie the score at three and spark Boston’s high-scoring inning. The catcher also picked up his first-career stolen base later in the fourth.

–Outfielder Josh Reddick set a career-high with four hits. The rookie had been struggling of late, hitting just .136 with no home runs and one RBI in ten games before Saturday’s win. Reddick was hit in the left hand by a pitch in the eighth inning but stayed in the game.

WHAT WENT WRONG FOR THE RED SOX

–Bedard struggled early, allowing three runs through the first three innings. Control was a bit of a problem for the left-hander, as he handed out three walks through those first three innings. But he settled down after Boston’s big fourth inning and secured the win.

–Kevin Youkilis struggled in his second game back from a stint on the disabled list with a sore back. Youkilis was 0-5 on Saturday after going 0-3 Friday night.

–Dan Wheeler was shaky in relief, giving up three runs in 1.2 innings. Wheeler had been lights out prior to Saturday, surrendering just one run in his previous 9.2 innings pitched.

–Lowrie’s injury that caused him to leave the game is in the same shoulder (left) that caused the shortstop to miss 45 games between June and August earlier this year.

Erik Bedard

The Red Sox and Rangers will square off in the second game of their three-game series Saturday afternoon at Fenway. Erik Bedard will take another shot at his first win in a Boston uniform, while Colby Lewis will take the mound for the AL West-leading Rangers.

Despite being unable to pick up a win in five starts for the Red Sox, Bedard (0-2, 3.46) has not pitched poorly in his stint in Boston. The lefty has a 3.46 ERA with the Red Sox, and he has walked just nine batters in 26 innings. Poor run support has prevented Bedard from notching his first victory with his new team. Out of all the Boston starters, Bedard has gotten the worst run support since Aug. 1, which is when he joined the team.

Even mother nature seems to be working against Bedard, as a rain delay in his last start against Oakland may have stopped him from picking up a win. Bedard had pitched four scoreless innings in that game but was yanked after a long delay in the top of the fifth. Boston went on to win the game 4-0.

Bedard did struggle a bit down in Texas last week, when he allowed four runs in six innings in Boston’s lone loss of that series. The Rangers are hitting .226 in 169 combined plate appearances against Bedard in his career. Second baseman Ian Kinsler has had the most success against the Boston pitcher, batting .333 in 29 plate appearances. Catcher Mike Napoli has hit two home runs and driven in five against Bedard.

Lewis (11-9, 4.19 ERA) was pounded in his last two starts for the Rangers, allowing 12 runs in 12 innings of work. One of those starts was against the Red Sox on Aug. 23, when Lewis gave up seven earned runs in six innings. Over the last two seasons, Lewis has a 5.34 ERA in five starts against Boston. But Lewis has been excellent on the road this season, with a record of 7-4 and a 2.71 ERA away from Rangers Ballpark.

David Ortiz will be one player trying to put a halt to Lewis’ road success. The Red Sox slugger is hitting .286 with three home runs and five RBIs in 15 plate appearances against Lewis. Adrian Gonzalez has also roughed up Lewis, hitting two home runs and three RBIs against the Rangers starter in Lewis’ loss to Boston last week.

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John Lackey

The Red Sox will take on the Rangers in the second game of a four-game series in Texas Tuesday night. Each team will send an 11-game winner to the mound. John Lackey (11-9 6.02) will get the ball for the Red Sox and be opposed by Colby Lewis (11-8, 3.83).

Lackey enters the game winning six of his last seven decisions, but suffered the loss in his last outing last Wednesday against the Rays. Despite the the loss Lackey pitched fairly well. He went 6 2/3 innings allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits and struck out seven.

After his worst outing of the season on July 4 Lackey’s ERA was 7.47. He has seen his ERA drop 1.45 since, as now it sits at 6.02. Also since the July 4 start, he has allowed four runs or fewer in all of his starts except for one. That came on Aug. 1 when he allowed five against the Indians.

Tuesday marks Lackey’s 35th career start against the Rangers, which is the most against any opponent. Lifetime he is 11-13 with a 6.07 ERA. He has faced the Rangers once this season, which came in his first start of the year back on April 2. The right-hander struggled, allowing nine runs on ten hits in just 3 2/3 innings. The Red Sox lost the game 12-5.

Lewis comes into the game pitching quite well. In his last start on Aug. 18 he pitched seven shutout innings, striking out seven in the Rangers’ 2-1 loss to the Angels. Lewis got a no decision. The start before that on Aug. 13 against the Athletics Lewis went 6 1/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits and striking out eight in the Rangers’ 7-1 win.

The Rangers right-hander has appeared in nine games against the Red Sox including five starts against the Red Sox over the course of his career and has posted a 2-1 record with a 3.38 ERA. Lewis also started the April 2 game against the Red Sox, and earned the win. He went six innings and allowed three runs on six hits.

The Red Sox don’t have too much experience against Lewis, as only three players have double-digit plate appearances against him. In 15 plate appearances, David Ortiz has four hits including three home runs, but he will not be in the lineup as he is still working his way back from right heel bursitis.

On the other hand the Rangers have plenty of experience against Lackey and have enjoyed a great deal of success. As a team they are hitting .356 against him. Ian Kinsler leads the way as in 31 plate appearances he is hitting .480 with three home runs and seven RBIs.

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John Lackey

The Red Sox take on the Rangers Saturday night in Game 2 of a three-game set. Opposing them on the mound will be Colby Lewis, who has finally settled into a major league rotation after years of bouncing around. He spent three years with the Rangers from 2002-04, but he managed to go just 12-13 with a dismal 6.83 ERA in 44 games, including 33 starts. After undergoing rotator cuff surgery, Lewis spent most of the next three seasons in the minors jumping from the Tigers to the Nationals to the Athletics and finally to the Royals.

He got his career back on track in Japan of all places, as he led the Japan Central League in strikeouts in both 2008 and 2009 while pitching for the Hiroshima Carp. Lewis returned to the Rangers last spring and earned a spot in the starting rotation. He went just 12-13, but he posted a solid 3.72 ERA and broke the 200-inning mark. Three of his starts came against the Red Sox, and he went 1-1 with a 3.78 ERA in those outings. Lewis was great in the postseason, as he went 3-0 with a 1.71 ERA in four starts. He registered a 4.50 ERA without earning a decision in four starts this spring.

Current Red Sox are hitting a meager .194 against Lewis. No player has a better average than Carl Crawford‘s .286 against him. David Ortiz owns a .273 average with two home runs in 12 career plate appearances against the right-hander. Mike Cameron has a home run and five RBIs in 17 plate appearances against Lewis, but has managed just a .200 average.

Starting for the Red Sox will be John Lackey, who is something of a surprise No. 2 starter after a disappointing season last year. Although his 14 wins were tied for the second-most of his career, his 4.40 ERA was his highest since 2004. Lackey did finish the season with his best month of the year, though. He recorded a season-low 3.46 ERA in September, although he went just 2-3 in six starts. He had a pretty good spring training, going 2-1 with a 3.43 ERA in five starts.

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Felix Doubront

After a much-needed three-day respite that came in the form of the All-Star break this week, the Red Sox were hoping to forget about the injury-plagued first half and start things off by beating a division-leading team. Instead, they were rocked from the outset and lost 7-2 on Thursday night at Fenway.

In hopes of turning things around, the Sox look to young lefty Felix Doubront. Doubront (1-1, 4.22 ERA) has made two starts in his major league career, but has shown that he can handle pressure situations. In his last outing against the Rays he went five innings, giving up only two runs while striking out three. The Sox will hope that he can work deeper into the game on Friday, relieving a Sox bullpen that has struggled this season.

The Rangers counter with right-hander Colby Lewis, who pitched the last two seasons in the Japan Central League. Lewis (8-5, 3.33 ERA) went six innings his last outing against Cleveland, allowing two earned runs while striking out two. Against the Red Sox back on April 20, Lewis pitched decently, going five innings while surrendering three runs in an eventual 7-6 Red Sox win.

A matchup to look out for is Lewis vs. David Ortiz. Ortiz has two home runs in only seven plate appearances against the 30-year-old righty. Doubront, in only his third major league start, will look to stymie a Rangers lineup that has never seen the young lefty pitch.

Red Sox vs. Colby Lewis

Mike Cameron (17 career plate appearances against Lewis): .200 average/.294OBP/.400 slugging, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts

David Ortiz (7): .333/.429/1.333, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts

Eric Patterson (6): .600/.667/1.600, 1 triple, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 walk

Marco Scutaro (5): .000/.200/.000

J.D. Drew (4): .000/.250/.000, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts

Adrian Beltre (3): .667/.667/.667, 1 strikeout

Kevin Cash (3): .000/.000/.000

Kevin Youkilis (3): .000/.333/.000, 1 walk, 1 strikeout

The Texas starter has never faced Bill Hall, Darnell McDonald, Gustavo Molina, Daniel Nava, and Ryan Shealy.

Rangers vs. Felix Doubront

The Boston starter has never faced Elvis Andrus, Joaquin Arias, Andres Blanco, Julio Borbon, Nelson Cruz, Chris Davis, Vladimir Guerrero, Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, Bengie Molina, David Murphy, Matt Treanor, and Mike Young.