Lester Goose Eggs The Indians And Rights The Red Sox Ship...Boston 3 Cleveland 0

Jon Lester, showing absolutely no ill effects from being hit by a line drive two starts ago, was cold and efficient as he zipped through the Indian's batting order time and time again Thursday night at Fenway Park. The final score was 3-0 Good Guys, breaking the six game Sox losing streak. Lester pitched 6 1/3 innings and could have gone one more, giving up zero runs and only two base hits. He walked not a soul and struck out seven. He was at his dominating best, just the way we like it. Bard, Wagner and Papelbon completed the goose egg whitewash. Jon left to a standing ovation and with only three games left in the regular season and Lester slated to start the first game of the ALDS against the Halos, all is good in Lesterworld. Here's Red Sox skipper Terry Francona on his co-ace...

“We were really happy,” said Terry Francona. “I don’t think that we thought it was an issue. We wouldn’t have let him pitch. But it was really nice to see him pitch as well he did - for a lot of reasons. He was good. He used all his pitches, he didn’t overextend and it worked out.”

And here's our Mr. Lefty...

“I don’t see any reason why it (the Thursday start) wouldn’t be like any other start,” he said. “After my side day Monday, all the questions that were kind of out there about my knee, I really didn’t have any more. I treated it like a normal start, like the other 31 I’ve had all season.”

Whew, that's a relief!! Daisuke Matsuzaka will go tonight and try to produce similiar results with Josh Beckett to follow on Saturday. The final game of the 2009 season will feature Clay Buchholz on the mound. They will be the quartet of hurlers who will try to catapult Boston to a world championship. Boy, that'd be nice, wouldn't it?

On a side note, we might have seen the last of Tim Wakefield. It would be a long shot, to say the least, for him to be on the playoff roster and another long shot for the Red Sox to resign him to another four million dollar one year contract. We'll see him in the dugout during the postseason, cheering on the team he loves and the team he always gave his all to. There's another standing ovation or two waiting in the wings for Mr. Knuckleball. What a first half of the season he had...don't forget his All Star game selection, too. He'll be a Red Sox All Star forever. We all know that.

You can click on the title of this post for more Sox coverage from the Sports Illustrated Boston Red Sox homepage. You might want to bookmark it for full coverage of the postseason action from everywhere in Boston and from their opponent's media outlets. They do it all. If you'd like, leave a comment. I read and respond to every one of 'em. Most importantly and as always, BE WELL. What could be more important? See ya...soon.