Jon Lester Is Becoming The Boston Red Sox STOPPER...Boston 4 Seattle 0

John Lester spun another gem Monday night in Seattle as he and his team beat the host Seattle Mariners 4-0. Lester was able to go 7 1/3 innings, giving up zero runs and eight hits while striking out 6. He walked absolutely no one. It was another tremendous start in this, his breakout season of 2008. He is close to becoming the stopper of the club, and something like that couldn't happen to a nicer and more courageous person. Great job, Jon! Jonathon Papelbon took care of the last five outs of the game, giving up nothing to the last place Mariners. Here's what Mr. Lester and his manager had to say after his performance in Seattle, very near his hometown...

"Unlike the last couple times here, I didn't have the distractions or anything," Lester said. "It's nice to come back home and pitch halfway decent," he said.

"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."

One of the Sox batting stars was none other than the struggling Jason Varitek, a man who manager Tito Francona refuses to bench except for the days that Kevin Cash catches Tim Wakefield's knuckies. He had two hits, including a two run tater. Jed Lowrie, who will be a starter and a star in the next couple of years, also collected two safeties and two RBIs. In all, the Red Sox had eleven hits, Seattle just eight. It was a great win for a great pitcher, and coupled with the Rays' win and the Yankees' triumph, things are status quo in the AL East, with the Sox 1 1/2 games behind the Florida team. There are two games left for Boston in the Pacific Northwest, and then it's on to the Big Apple to play the Yankees for three. But one game at a time, please. Tonight in a late night start, it will be Daisuke Matsuzaka versus R.A. Dickey. A win would guarantee a series win, but I want ALL THREE before we go east to face those pinstriped ones. Sound good to you? I certainly hope so.

You can click on this post's title to be teleported to the Boston Globe Boston Red Sox homepage, if you wish. Your atoms will be scrambled and reassembled at the arrival site. So go ahead, and as always, BE WELL. FOREVER.