Lester has pitched in Safeco Field twice before - but never with the authority he displayed in last night's 4-0 win over the Mariners, which he began by inducing Ichiro Suzuki to strike out on a pitch below sea level and was barely touched thereafter.
"I looked up in the fifth or sixth inning and he'd thrown only 11 balls," Francona said. "Those were quality pitches, too. That was terrific. You hope when you give a guy rest, you hope it's not too much."
Lester was strong into the eighth inning, when the Mariners loaded the bases on three singles, the last a sharp comebacker by Willie Bloomquist that caromed off Lester's right shin, dropping the lefthander into a sitting position. Trainer Paul Lessard and Francona came out to the mound, Lester walking off with Lessard.
Francona brought in Jonathan Papelbon, who hadn't pitched since last Tuesday's All-Star Game, and the Sox closer required just two pitches to end the inning, Raul Ibanez grounding into a double play.
"Hit [Lester] in the shin - he's OK," Francona said. "It was time to get Paps anyway."
Lester, who failed to go beyond five innings in his previous two starts here (9 ER in 10 IP, an 8.10 ERA), did not allow a base runner to advance to third through seven innings. Adrian Beltre had two ground-ball singles, one off the pitcher's glove, and Yuniesky Betancourt doubled over J.D. Drew's head in the third, but that was the sum of the Seattle offense until Ibanez singled to open the seventh. One out later, Jose Lopez grounded a single that Lowrie halted with a dive, but the ball squirted free before Lowrie could flip to second for a force.
But Lester got Miguel Cairo to flail at a curveball that broke at his ankles for the second out, and retired pinch hitter Jose Vidro on a liner to right to end Seattle's threat. Vidro was hitting for Bryan LaHair, a rookie first baseman from Worcester's Holy Name High School playing in just his third big-league game. LaHair struck out and tapped to Lester in his only two at-bats last night.
