Another 'W' With A bit of SSweat--Peter

Well, today's game started out a bit ominously, Jon Lester giving up a homer in the very first inning. However, the Sox run manufacturing machine went into high gear in their half of the 1st and suddenly, it was 1 all. Sox run came on a base hit by Jake, followed by, in succession, his 48th steal of the year, a sacrifice by Dusty and an RBI grounder from Papi. His homer hitting may still be a bit off, but that due to the fact that his wrist still isn't 100% and likely won't be until he gets to rest it completely for three or four months--the off-season. In the 2d, the Sox took the lead for good when Bay doubled and, with two outs, came home on a single by Coco. Coco later duplicated his two out heroics for an insurance run that turned out to be much needed, but more on that later.

From the 2d on, Lester and Halliday pretty much duplicated each other's efforts. They kept putting up zeroes, giving up few hits and fewer BB's. At one point, Halliday had a consecutive out streak going of 13 batters, while Lester simultaneously had nine in a row.

Rolling into the bottom of the 7th, it was still 2-1, Sox. At that point, Coco performed his second two out run rescue job, driving in Mike Lowell, who had preceded him with a hit. In the last of the 8th, they added another insurance run. Big Papi hit a sinking liner to right that was just out of the reach of the Jays fielder and went to the wall. Papi did what he does every twelve or thirteen months in such a situation. He went to third, his first triple since August 21 of last year. Good thing he did, because the run he scored a moment later on Yoouk's sacfly was the ultimate winning margin.

Papelbon came on in relief of Lester for the 9th, though the way Lester was throwing, there's some question of why. Anyway, here was Laser. Suddenly, there was Toronto adding runs to the scoreboard. A leadoff double, a couple of singles and it was quickly 4-3, Sox. No K's yet from Pap, and there were not to be any. He managed to steady enough that, coupled with a lucky favorable call on a throw out to second which should, replays showed, have been a 'safe', not the called 'out', got the end of the game. Good thing, too.

Tampa was busy getting beaten again by Mr. Hankie's Yankees, moving the HubHose to within a game of Tampa, while also extending their lead for the wild card over Toronto to 8 1/2 and the Twinkies to six.

Now, it's off to Tampa for three that, hopefully, will leave us with the division lead.