Sox Fall To Reds; Lester Solid In Defeat

The second time was far better than the first for Red Sox left-handed pitcher Jon Lester, who allowed one run on four hits and one walk while striking out two over three innings as the Sox fell to the Reds, 7-6, Wednesday in Grapefruit League action at City of Palms Park in Ft. Myers, FL.

Lester was shelled in his Grapefruit League debut Saturday, when he failed to record an out in the second inning as he gave up five runs (four earned) on two hits and four walks. But he was effective Wednesday, when he tossed 56 pitches, including 33 for strikes.

Afterward, Lester told reporters he wasn’t worried about the outing Saturday and that he felt he might have been a bit overexcited against the Twins. “You see somebody other than your own team for the first time, you’re amped up,” Lester said. “That could have resulted in me being erratic. It could have been something minor. It was just nice to get back up on the mound and see another team and go get them again.”

Left-hander Hideki Okajima and right-hander Manny Delcarmen, each of whom are expected to assume the top set-up roles in the Sox bullpen this season, followed Lester with a scoreless inning apiece. But left-hander Javier Lopez wasn’t as fortunate in the sixth, when he gave up five unearned runs on four hits, one walk and one hit batsman, to take the loss.

Lopez can’t afford many outings such as the one he endured Wednesday. While he agreed to terms with the Sox on a one-year deal worth a reported $840,000 shortly after he filed for arbitration in January, he was far less successful against left-handers than right-handers last season and could be in danger of losing his roster spot if he struggles this spring and/or the Sox decide to go without a traditional situational southpaw. His contract is reportedly not guaranteed.

Devern Hansack, who is expected to provide insurance again at Triple-A this season, relieved Lopez and allowed one run on one hit and one walk while striking out two over two innings. Jon Switzer, a non-roster invitee who spent last season in the Rays organization, finished up with a perfect ninth.

Kevin Cash delivered a two-run single in the third inning for the Sox, who received two hits apiece from four players—Manny Ramirez, Alex Cora and non-roster invitees Keith Ginter and Joe Thurston, the latter of whom is hitting a red-hot .600 in 10 at-bats. Ginter, Jed Lowrie and Dusty Brown all had one RBI each.

Every Sox starter except Dustin Pedroia and Jason Varitek had a hit. The Sox scored four runs in the seventh off Mike Lincoln but failed to push the tying run across despite three hits in the final two frames.

The Sox, who dropped to 3-3 with the loss, return to action Thursday, when Tim Wakefield is scheduled to start against the Dodgers at City of Palms Park at 1:05 p.m. Wakefield allowed one hit over two scoreless innings against the Twins in his Grapefruit League debut Sunday.