Red Sox blank Mariners, 4-0
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 10:08 AM PDT
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| Ted s. Warren | Associated Press
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Jarrod Washburn throws in the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Monday at Safeco Field in Seattle. |
SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle is special to Jon Lester, and not just because he’s a local favorite.
It’s where he was during a series in 2006 when he first had his sore back examined, before being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He’s received treatments here during the winter for the rare form of the disease, and doctors in Seattle declared him cancer free before the ’07 season.
Monday, he finally put on a hometown performance that was special, too.
Lester carried a shutout into the eighth inning, struggling Jason Varitek rewarded his manager’s faith with a two-run homer and the road-weary Boston Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners 4-0.
‘‘Unlike the last couple times here, I didn’t have the distractions or anything,’’ Lester said after sleeping in his own bed and then completing his fifth start without allowing a run this season, including his no-hitter May 19 against Kansas City.
Before Monday, his ERA in two starts in Seattle was 8.10, his worst against any AL opponent.
Rookie Jed Lowrie hit a two-run single in the eighth and Manny Ramirez, the designated hitter in the absence of David Ortiz, had three singles to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.
Boston won for just the third time in 13 road games to remain 1 1⁄2 games behind first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East.
Seattle, entered the season expecting to compete for its first postseason since 2001, lost for the ninth time in 12 games to tie its season low of 23 games under .500.
