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PHILADELPHIA -- Only once in six innings did Jon Lester manage to keep the Philadelphia Phillies off base. He sensed from the outset it was going to be that kind of night, so to survive six innings and come away with the decision in a 7-5 Red Sox win, well, sometimes that’s enough to make a man satisfied.

It may not satisfy those who expect Lester to be able to dominate the way he did in his last start against the Mariners, when he threw a complete-game, eight-hit, no-walk victory. Or the way he had in three previous starts here against the Phillies, in which he had allowed just one earned run in 21 innings.

But it was enough for his manager, and it was enough for Lester.

“His back stiffened a little, he wasn’t finishing his pitches,’’ Valentine said, “but he gave us everything he had. He’s the leader of the pack, and that was a very good exhibition [of that].’’

Lester downplayed the back issue -- saying that while he felt it early, he doesn’t expect it to linger -- but lavished praise on his defense for helping him through a grinding night in which he gave up eight hits, including a two-run home run to Freddy Galvis and an RBI double to Shane Victorino, walked one, and hit a batter.

“I was battling myself from pitch one,’’ he said. “I couldn’t get my rhythm, couldn’t get comfortable. I don’t know if it was mechanical or just a feeling. I figured early on I was going to have to grind it out. I tried to keep the ball down the best I could, try to get as many ground balls as I could, and keep them in the park.

“I was definitely satisfied because we won. ... To be able to get through six innings and keep the team ahead, that’s big. And the bullpen did a great job of picking me up.’’

And when you win, you can also make light of your at-bats. Lester grounded into a double play, executed a sacrifice bunt, and struck out in three trips to the plate.

“Terrible,’’ he said. “How’d they look? Did they look as terrible as they felt?’’

PHILADELPHIA -- Seven weeks into the season, the Boston Red Sox have already started five center fielders, which is what happens when the MVP runner-up, Jacoby Ellsbury, dislocates his shoulder 10 days into the season.

Ryan Sweeney ended up there almost by default, the Sox having already played Cody Ross, Jason Repko and Marlon Byrd in center before Bobby Valentine gave Sweeney, who had spent all his time in right field previously, his first start there eight days ago.

The change of real estate paid off splendidly for the Sox on Saturday night, as Sweeney made a diving catch that ranked with Ellsbury’s finest, overshadowing the four home runs the Sox hit in a 7-5 win over the Phillies.

Sweeney sprinted far to his left, then left his feet to steal extra bases from Carlos Ruiz, the Phillies catcher who had laid into a 59 mph eephus pitch from Vicente Padilla with two on in the seventh and the Sox ahead by three.

Two runs surely would have scored, and the Sox would have been hard-pressed to protect what had once been a 5-1 lead, built on home runs by Mike Aviles; Will Middlebrooks and Jarrod Saltalamacchia back to back; and David Ortiz.

As it was, the Phillies kept the pressure on the rest of the night, scoring a run in the eighth and leaving the bases loaded when Shane Victorino popped out, and putting two more runners on in the ninth before Alfredo Aceves struck out Hector Luna to end a four-out, nail-biting save.

The Phillies made the most of a startling six infield hits and a two-run home run by Freddy Galvis to push the Sox, but Boston held on to square this series at a game apiece.

Aviles’ home run was his first ever to lead off a game and sixth of the season. Middlebrooks and Saltalamacchia went back to back, and Ortiz, playing first base in a National League park, hit his ninth with a man on.

The win went to Jon Lester, who worked a shaky six innings.

Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester, who has been cancer-free for five years, discusses his new "Never Quit" campaign to fight children's cancer.

Alongside Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation board member Rob Quish on Thursday, Lester launched NVRQT, "a rally cry to raise awareness and money for children’s cancer research," according to a Red Sox release.

CHICAGO -- Prior to Saturday night’s 1-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox starter Jon Lester asked his manager what he needed from him.

“Pitch like an ace, like Jon Lester is,” Bobby Valentine said he told Lester. “And he pitched like an ace. He had both sides of the plate, (he was) very competitive, he was terrific.”

Lester threw seven shutout innings, striking out seven and walking only one as he dominated an anemic White Sox offense and led Boston to its sixth consecutive victory. It was Lester’s first victory since Sept. 6 last season over the Toronto Blue Jays.

However, Lester said he was unaware of his long winless streak, adding that it was never really a concern of his.

His counterpart on the mound, Jake Peavy, was nearly Lester’s equal on the day. Peavy went nine innings and was almost flawless. However, almost flawless wasn’t enough as the Red Sox managed to scrape across the lone run of the game when Adrian Gonzalez singled in Ryan Sweeney in the fourth inning. Lester said he relishes his opportunities to go toe-to-toe with the best pitchers in the game.

“Any win is satisfying, but those games are fun, it’s just a battle,” Lester said. “I’ve been on the other end of those and you feel like you do everything you can to put your team in a position to win, but the other guy just does a little bit more. That was big tonight, grinding it out.”

Lester wasn’t the only story of the night. The much-maligned Boston bullpen continued its strong performance of late with two shutout innings. During the Red Sox's six-game winning streak the 'pen has allowed only one run in 15 2/3 innings of work.

“I don’t think anybody in this clubhouse was too worried about (the bullpen),” Lester said. “This game, sometimes it takes you a little bit to feel comfortable, get confidence and get in that rhythm. Everybody is kind of different, so it’s just nice that those guys are kind of fitting in down there and doing good.”

The biggest turnaround may be from closer Alfredo Aceves, who struggled in the season’s first series in Detroit when he was on the mound for two walk-off victories for the Tigers. Aceves seemingly hit rock bottom when he took the loss in a 15-9 defeat to the New York Yankees, a game the Red Sox once led 9-0.

Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said mechanics were an issue for Aceves early on in the season, pointing out that he was lowering his arm slot and losing location on his pitches. Aceves has since corrected the problem, and the results have been clear as he hasn’t allowed a run in his last three save opportunities.

“I think he’s always had that arm; in the closer role you get amped up and can use a little extra,” Saltalamacchia said of Aceves, who was pumping in 97 mph heat on Saturday. “Tonight was the best I’ve seen him, lights out and just hitting his spots. I think he’s definitely getting more comfortable. I think the more times he goes out and gets in that situation and has success, the more confidence he builds. Tonight it showed.”

Valentine has been thrilled of late with his bullpen and his starters, who have delivered quality starts in four of their last five outings. All of it culminated in Lester’s brilliant performance on Saturday night.

“That’s how you start building a real foundation of the team,” Valentine said. “Those other little things are just parts of the team, the foundation is what the starters can do day in and day out. They’re pretty good, I’ll take those five that we’re running out there right now.”

Valentine admitted that he’s still learning the ins and outs of the players on his team. The first 14 games he witnessed were undoubtedly not what he had hoped to see. However, as the team hopefully has turned a corner, Valentine is starting to get more comfortable in his new digs and is finally enjoying what his team is doing on the field.

BOSTON -- Jon Lester didn’t mince words.

“It was one of those nights I flat-out stunk,” Lester said in analyzing his ugly, abbreviated outing in the Red Sox’s nightmarish 18-3 loss to the defending American League champion Texas Rangers on Tuesday night at Fenway Park.

Lester's pitching line certainly didn’t offer any contradiction to his assessment.

Lester lasted only two-plus innings. He was charged with seven earned runs on eight hits and four walks. The left-hander struggled through a 49-pitch, four-run second that negated a two-run lead he had been provided on Dustin Pedroia’s homer in the first inning off Texas starter Colby Lewis.

And Lester was unable to turn things around in the third, lifted after surrendering a single and walking two, leaving the bases filled for Scott Atchison, who was unable to strand any of the baserunners.

The Sox were never able to climb out of that 7-2 hole, and the game turned into an embarrassment when Mark Melancon, Justin Thomas and Vicente Padilla combined to cough up 10 runs over the final two innings as Texas improved to 9-2.

Boston, meanwhile, has dropped two in a row on the heels of a three-game winning streak that opened the homestand. Lester’s performance mirrored the dip in the team’s recent fortunes.

In his first two starts, Lester pitched well (2.40 ERA), but the Sox managed to score only one run in his 15 innings. On Tuesday night, Lester couldn’t put anyone away. The signature at-bat along those lines was a 12-pitch battle with ex-Soxer Adrian Beltre, a battle the Rangers’ third baseman won on a single up the middle.

“They have good hitters,” said Lester, whose ERA ballooned to 5.82. “They fouled off some good pitches, hit some bad pitches, hit some good pitches. When I made adjustments down with the ball they hit some on the ground up the middle, found some holes. That being said, when I didn’t make pitches, they hit the ball hard.”

One at-bat that particularly bothered Lester was the one in which Mike Napoli clubbed a towering two-run homer over the Green Monster in left-center on an 0-and-2 pitch in the second inning.

“I got two quick strikes on him and I tried to go in with a cutter,” Lester said. “Obviously he was sitting on a pitch in there and I gave it to him and he didn’t miss it. That’s what good hitters do. As a pitcher you have to try to figure out what the hitter is trying to do to you and the hitter is trying to figure out what you’re trying to do to him.”

The figures didn’t add up for Lester in the second inning as the Rangers found some holes, hit some balls hard, took their walks, dribbled an RBI single down the third-base line and in general just kept inflating his pitch count to the point where manager Bobby Valentine was considering replacing him to start the third inning.

Lester stuck around, for three more batters, but after 80 mostly ineffective pitches he was finally taken out.

“It was one of those deals where I wasn’t very good,” said Lester. “It wasn’t a good night for me. I stunk.”

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- A few takeaways from the Fort, where the Boston Red Sox may or may not have damaged their chances to win the Mayor’s Cup with a 2-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Friday night:

Making a case: Andrew Miller just wants to make the team at this point. Sure, it’d be nice to be the fifth starter. But after missing 10 days with elbow stiffness, he might be running out of time.

Miller pitched a solid inning -- no hits, two strikeouts and one walk on 14 pitches, nine strikes -- but he has managed just three innings all spring.

“The goal for me is more to be with the club than anything,” he said, “but if starting is going to be in the equation, it’s going to have to happen pretty fast. I think I threw 26 pitches the first time out and today around 15, so I’ve got a ways to go if I’m expected to throw seven innings.”

He said he’d cherish a regular starting role, feeling his varying roles have not been the best recipe for success.

“My ultimate goal is consistency, and that’s been my downfall historically,” he said. “Even if I have one start, two starts in a month, that’s good. The goal for a starter is someone who consistently gives you a chance every time, not five out of six or four out of five.”

Manager Bobby Valentine said that whether he’s a starter or reliever, he should eliminate pitching out of a windup.

“It seemed like there were two different guys out there -- one guy I didn’t want to look at out of the windup and one I’d look at all night long out of the stretch,” Valentine said. “He was terrific out of the stretch. I thought every pitch was quality, crisp, to the target and damn near unhittable.

“If he comes in with no one on base, that doesn’t mean he has to pitch out of a windup, or if he starts a game, that doesn’t mean he has to pitch out of a windup.”

Miller’s verdict on the elbow?

“The real test will be tomorrow morning,” he said.

Jamming: It wasn’t vintage Jon Lester. But he wasn’t sweating it. Just move on.

“Physically I felt fine -- just a little out of whack, out of rhythm,” said Lester, who hit two batters, walked one and gave up five hits and two runs in four innings. “I really couldn’t make the adjustment and be consistent, repeat. That was the big thing: I couldn’t repeat. I went through a lot of pitches.

“Stuff like this happens during the season. There’s games where you’ve got to grind it out and you’re not feeling that great, whether it’s physical or mechanical, like I was tonight. Minimize damage. It was spring training, but I was pretty able to do that. Obviously, it’s a good thing to work on—pitching out of jams. You’ve got to do it during season. You might as well practice it here. Obviously, it’s not ideal. I don’t want all those base runners. Just one of those nights. Got to grind through it."

Said Valentine, “It looked like everything was a little bit more of an effort than it will be soon, I hope. But all in all, he was all right.”

Papi’s promise: David Ortiz said that when he retires, we won’t see him again in uniform -- unlike Andy Pettitte, who signed with the Yankees on Friday after retiring in 2010, or Roger Clemens, who was a serial comebacker and as recently as November reportedly wanted to play winter ball in Puerto Rico.

“I’m going to play, and when I stop, I stop,” he said. “It don’t make no sense (to) stop and then come back. You’re going to be behind. I don’t know. Everybody’s got their reasons.”

Papi’s Tribute: After Ortiz was robbed of an extra-base hit in the fourth inning when center fielder Joe Benson snagged his laser shot in front of the 420-foot sign, Ortiz approached the Sox dugout, clapped, then turned around and tipped his helmet toward Benson.

“David killed that ball,” Valentine said.

Valentine on Benson: “The kid looks like a player. I like that kid. He’ll have a lower number soon.”

Pedro for President: Earlier in the week, Valentine said infielder Pedro Ciriaco couldn’t impress anyone more than he already had. But just for kicks, he keeps trying to do it.

After going 1-for-3 with a double and run scored on Friday, he’s hitting .588. He went into the game tied for the team lead with Lars Anderson in RBIs (5) and second on the team behind Darnell McDonald in total bases (14).

“It’s pretty good to hear that,” Ciriaco said of Valentine’s praise. “I’m just trying to keep working to do whatever I can to be a better player.”

Nothing Ciriaco does will really change the facts: There isn’t a spot in Boston for him to start the season. After hitting .303 for the Pirates in six different stints covering 23 games last year, he’s projected to start at second base at Triple-A Pawtucket.

“I don’t really think about it,” he said. “Just go day to day. I don’t put too much pressure on myself. I play the game to have fun.”

He said his walk-off homer in Monday’s 5-3 win over the Miami Marlins was the first of his baseball career at any level, and his first game-winning hit since 2008 in Class A Visalia.

Theo deal (almost) complete: RHP Aaron Kurcz, an 11th-round pick by the Chicago Cubs in the 2010 first-year player draft, was acquired Thursday as the player to be named in the compensation deal for former Red Sox GM Theo Epstein. Kurcz pitched for high Class A Daytona last season and is 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 109 2/3 innings over two seasons. Boston must still send a player to the Cubs to finally bring this drawn-out affair to an end.

Getting it in: Earlier Friday, pitchers Chris Carpenter and Justin Germano faced Orioles farmhands at JetBlue Park. Carpenter (Double-A Portland) gave up an unearned run on three hits over three innings, throwing 29 strikes and 15 balls. Germano (Triple-A Pawtucket) allowed three hits over three scoreless innings, throwing 31 strikes and 13 balls.

Mayor’s Cup no more? The Red Sox now have a 2-1 lead in what will be a six-game series with the Twins. The Red Sox and Twins used to compete for the Mayor’s Cup, with the Red Sox representing Fort Myers and the Twins representing Lee County. But that ended when the Red Sox moved out of City of Palms Park in the city limits of Fort Myers and into JetBlue Park, according to the Fort Myers News-Press.
The Red Sox apparently are under the belief that they are still playing for it, but Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said earlier this spring that the Cup is “in somebody’s cabin now, in Minnesota.” Gardenhire couldn’t clarify Friday night: He missed the game to attend his father-in-law’s funeral.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Jon Lester met with members of the Boston media this morning. Here are the highlights:

“The way everything ended obviously leaves a bitter taste in everyone's mouths,” Lester said. “I’m definitely motivated to get back and I’m ready to go. It’s been a long winter and I’m excited to be here.”

On whether he thought about the September collapse over the winter:

“A lot. It’s one of those things you don’t ever forget. In baseball, it seems like every year there’s something you haven’t seen before and that was one thing I’ve never really seen. Now that it’s over and we’re here, it’s a new season, a new start and I’m kind of glad a lot of these guys went through it. I went through it and it’s going to make us better. It’s going to make us stronger to where if we get into a situation like that where we’re not playing good, we’ll reflect back on last year, on September, and realize we can get through this, learn from it and get better.”

On the reports of an out-of-control clubhouse:

“I did a pretty good job of covering that in November. I don’t think there’s anything else to talk about it. The biggest thing is, for myself, I’m ready to move on from it. I’ve learned from it and it’s something I’m not proud of. You learn from your mistakes and I’m looking forward to starting new this year and try to be a leader, being a better teammate, being on the bench.

“With that being said, the starting pitchers do have a lot of stuff to do during the game that we don’t get to before the game because position players are the priority. If we’re not pitching, then we let them go first and we’ll come in after the game starts and do what we need to do.

“The first time you go through it, we were all naive. We kept saying, ‘We’re going to be fine.’ The mindset was that we were going to be in the playoffs. We’ll just get there and when we get there, everybody’s going to come back and be healthy and ready to go. We stunk. I stunk and Tampa Bay was better. That’s basically how it was. Now you put that in your memory bank, just like your experiences in the World Series and the playoffs or pitching in tight games, you file those in your memory bank and when you’re in those situations you draw from it and learn from it.”

On his pitching poorly down the stretch:

“It’s disappointing. It’s a crucial time of the year and I’m supposed to pitch good and I didn’t. I don’t know why. Physically, it was September and I felt fine. I tried to grind through it but it was one of those things.

“Usually, as soon as the season ends I go home and don’t think about baseball. I’m done and I move on. This year it lingered in my head and I think that helped motivate me to get into the gym more and start moving back to baseball. I have more desire this year.”

On whether he had talked to Josh Beckett about last season:

“No. He knows. We know. I can’t speak for him completely, but I know we don’t need to sit down and have a heart-to-heart about anything. I think we both know we need to do a better job on the field and be around these guys more. We do care and we want to win.”

On Red Sox fans being angry:

“They should be. We didn’t play very good. With all the other stuff added on top of that, it’s obviously going to make it worse. I don’t blame them for being mad. We didn’t play good. We stunk. I stunk. I take complete responsibility for it. With that being said, we’ve all learned from it. We’ve all moved on. I’m sure that’s going to be a big theme in spring training for a lot of guys. We’re moving on and we’re looking forward to 2012. I think that desire to compete and really win and show the fans that we do actually care, I think a lot of fans don’t think we care and that we’re a bunch of babies, but we do care. We want to win and we want to get back into the playoffs and hopefully bring a World Series back to this town again and show these fans that we are a good team.”

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Sunday is the first official reporting date for Red Sox pitchers and catchers, but already the bullpens have been busy the last week.

STARTERS GETTING AFTER IT: Clay Buchholz, who missed the majority of the 2011 season with a stress fracture in his lower back, has already thrown 10 bullpen sessions this spring. He began his offseason throwing program a lot sooner than normal because he wanted to be strong in camp and not suffer any setbacks. The right-hander looked sharp during his 45-pitch session on Saturday. He was working with catcher Kelly Shoppach. Buchholz said afterward that he felt strong.

Reliever-turned-starter Daniel Bard threw 55 pitches during his session and admitted afterward he was a bit tired but still felt good. Bard worked with catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Left-hander Jon Lester tossed a similar amount of pitches as Buchholz and Bard. Lester was popping the mitt as he worked with catcher Ryan Lavarnway.

Red Sox pitching coach Bob McClure and manager Bobby Valentine were keeping close tabs on all the pitchers. After the session, all the pitchers ran sprints.

BAILEY READY TO GO: Red Sox closer Andrew Bailey also tossed a brief bullpen session and deemed himself healthy and strong afterward. It was his first throwing session in camp.

“I’m excited to here,” Bailey said. “Obviously this is an organization that has a proven history of winning and contending every year. It’s nice to be around the guys and get to know them early and I’m looking forward to a good year.”

CATCHERS PUTTING IN THE TIME: It was a busy day for Red Sox catchers. After catching numerous bullpen sessions, the group, led by Saltalamacchia, Shoppach and Lavarnway, hit on one of the back fields and then ran sprints for 15 minutes.

BOSTON -- Jon Lester went to great lengths in an attempt to restore his good name and clear the air in the Red Sox clubhouse on Monday, taking issue with the portrayal of the team's starting pitchers as "a bunch of drunk, fried-chicken eating SOBs."

In a wide-ranging interview with ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes, one of several interviews Lester did with Boston media outlets, Lester forcefully disputed the way the team has been characterized in the aftermath of its September collapse.

“I’m trying to set the record straight,’’ Lester said, insisting he was acting on his own and not at the behest of anyone else, including the team. “It’s tough to sit back and let people bash your name, and that’s what they’re doing.

“You know what? We didn’t play good baseball. People are making us out to be a bunch of drunk, fried-chicken eating SOBs, playing video games. You can ask my wife, for the last 10 years I don’t think I’ve played a single video game, and Josh (Beckett) and Lack (John Lackey) are the same way. But one person writes an article, and things have gotten blown way out of proportion, almost to another planet. We’re getting crushed.’’

Lester was referring to a story that appeared in the Boston Globe last Wednesday, in which “team sources” described a clubhouse in which starting pitchers Beckett, Lackey and Lester had beer and fried chicken in the clubhouse during games in which they were not pitching.

Lester acknowledged Monday that he and fellow pitchers Beckett and Lackey had an “occasional” beer, what he termed “a ninth-inning rally beer.’’

“Did we drink an occasional beer? Yes,’’ he said. “Did it affect our performance in September? No. This stuff has been going on long before September, and not only in this clubhouse, but 29 other clubhouses too. We ordered fried chicken maybe three times in six months. Other guys who were not playing that day would come in and have a bite to eat.

“But what people are trying to do is a witch hunt. They’re looking for any reason to basically tear somebody’s head off because we lost, and people right now are saying it’s because we did this. I’m not shying away from saying I did it. I admit it, and I’m sure the other guys would say it too.

“But we lost because we did not play good baseball. We did not execute Boston Red Sox good baseball.’’

Lester also attempted to place the blame for the team's poor finish on himself and the rest of the players, and no one else.

“I’m not making excuses for what we did. I’m owning up to what I did. But I can honestly tell you that I was prepared every five days -- and so were the other guys -- to go out and perform. We were physically prepared to perform. But I stunk, plain and simple. I’m not going to shy away from that. I stunk.

“When all is said and done, none of this was Tito’s fault, or Theo (Epstein)’s fault, or the fault of Larry Lucchino or John Henry or Tom Werner. It was not the trainer, Mike Reinold, or (assistant trainers) Greg Barajas or Masai (Takahashi) or (strength coach) Dave Page.

“It was not their fault. It was our fault. That’s the message I’m trying to get across. It’s not about beers, it’s not about Tito, it’s not whether there were no rules, it’s not anything. It’s performance. And we didn’t do it.’’

Lester said he recognizes that “is not the answer people want, especially with our payroll being the second-highest in baseball, they want a reason. I understand that. If I was a fan, I would too.

“I think a lot of guys are going to have chips on their shoulder next spring, there will be an urgency, they want to prove people wrong. I hope fans don’t jump off and think, ‘These guys are a bunch of idiots, not like the ’04 idiots, but a bunch of overpaid babies and jump off from our team. I hope they keep supporting us.

“We still care about each other, we care about winning. That’s the main issue I’m trying to express. We care. We want to win. We want to be professional. We’re all still good guys, regardless of what the public thinks of us.

“We’re good people.’’

For much more from Lester, including his take on Terry Francona's tenure in Boston and its abrupt end, click here.

On Monday, the sky was falling. On Tuesday, maybe things weren't so bad after all.

Such is the life of Red Sox fans these days.

A day after ace Josh Beckett left his start prematurely, talking of things popping in his ankle, and the Sox couldn't score for 11 innings, losing 1-0 to Toronto, the team turned the tables on the Jays, rolling to a 14-0 win, and got what on the surface seems like positive news on Beckett's injury.

The Red Sox hope Beckett won't miss more than a start or two, but will have a better idea of his status in the next few days, a team source told ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes.

LESTER DELIVERS: The Sox hadn't gotten word on Beckett's ankle when the game started and for the good of their collective psyche, their fans needed to see Boston's last big gun standing -- Jon Lester -- perform at or near the top of his game. Lester delivered, allowing just three hits and walking one while striking out 11 over seven innings.

Lester improved to 4-0 with a 1.16 ERA in five starts since losing at Minnesota on Aug. 10. He is the first Sox lefty since Lefty Grove in 1936 to give up one run or fewer in five straight starts.

"He threw strikes, he threw his cutter with some power to it," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "That was good to see."

Of course, the fact that he had a sizable lead before he even took the hill couldn't have hurt.

HEAVY HITTERS: The Sox jumped all over young Luis Perez, scoring four runs in the first inning. Perez was gone before the end of the third, having allowed eight runs and 10 hits.

Even with Perez gone, the Sox kept hitting and scoring. It was 13-0 after five, and according to Elias, it was the first time in franchise history they scored two or more runs in each of the first five innings.

Every starter had at least one hit except Dustin Pedroia, who hit the ball as hard as just about anyone but had nothing to show for it. David Ortiz and Marco Scutaro led the hit parade with four hits apiece. Scutaro knocked in four runs scored two more, and had three of the Sox's nine doubles.

"I've been hitting the ball good for three weeks and it seems like everything I hit is right at people or they're making diving plays," said Scutaro, who was batting sixth in the lineup, an unusual spot for him. "It's nice to have a day like this."

Francona said he moved Scutaro up to give the lineup better balance. It certainly paid off.

"He had a great night," Francona said. "He swung the bat terrific."

Ortiz had two doubles, two RBIs and three runs. Adrian Gonzalez and Jarrod Saltalamacchia each had a pair of RBIs, Salty hitting his 15th homer in the third.

CENTURY CLUB: Jacoby Ellsbury scored twice to bring his season total to 100 ... Nate Spears made his major league debut in the fifth, replacing Carl Crawford in left. Jed Lowrie, sidelined for the past two games with a sore left shoulder, came on in the seventh and played first base.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Of all the unlikely sparks for the Red Sox offense, a Jason Varitek triple might draw the longest odds.

But there was Boston's veteran catcher, chugging around second base after splitting two outfielders with a drive into the right-center-field gap. The triple, Varitek's first since 2007, broke a scoreless tie in Boston's 6-1 victory Sunday at Kansas City, prompting some postgame commemoration in the Red Sox clubhouse.

"A Varitek triple," center fielder Darnell McDonald said. "We've got to take a picture of that."

The Red Sox can't count on a Varitek triple every day -- or every year, for that matter -- but it's the kind of spark Boston could use with several of its big bats on the shelf.

Injuries to Jacoby Ellsbury, David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis have forced the Red Sox to become resourceful, but they still managed to take three of four games against the Royals and stay within a half-game of the Yankees in the American League East.

"It's nice to know that when those guys are out, you have other guys to fill in and do a good job," pitcher Jon Lester said.

Lester gave Boston a strong start, limiting the Royals to one run and three hits in six innings for his 13th win. His command wavered at times, with four walks padding his pitch count, but the Royals didn't record a hit until the fourth inning and didn't mount a serious threat until the seventh.

"He put up a lot of zeroes," manager Terry Francona said.

Equally important were three innings of scoreless relief from Daniel Bard and Dan Wheeler, especially after Boston's bullpen imploded during an eight-run inning the night before.

The Red Sox called on Bard after Lester worked into a seventh-inning jam. Royals rookie Johnny Giavotella opened the inning with a triple, followed by a walk to Salvador Perez and an RBI single from Mike Moustakas that trimmed Boston's lead to 3-1.

Bard entered the game and struck out shortstop Alcides Escobar, who was trying to advance the runners with a bunt. He then got Alex Gordon on a liner to center and induced a ground ball from Melky Cabrera to end the inning.

"My job is to maintain the lead," said Bard, who lowered his ERA to 2.10 with two perfect innings. "The easiest way to do that is to strike a guy out and get a ground ball.

"I knew [Escobar] was going to be trying to bunt. He's probably one of the best bunters in the league. I got lucky with him fouling those two balls off. From there, you're pitching for the strikeout in that situation."

Boston's bats needed time to get rolling against Royals rookie Danny Duffy (3-8), who allowed two runs in six innings.

Varitek's triple broke a scoreless tie in the fifth, scoring Jed Lowrie with two outs.

"I told him speed never takes a day off," Francona said, asked about Varitek's rare triple. "At that point in the game, they're holding us down pretty well. I know the score ends up being spread out a little bit, but at that time, that's a huge hit."

Varitek didn't hesitate after peeking over his shoulder and seeing Cabrera and Jeff Francoeur racing toward the ball.

"It's much easier for me to score from third than it is from second," Varitek said. "So if I have the chance ..."

McDonald, subbing in center for Ellsbury, took an 0-2 pitch from Duffy over the fence to put Boston on top 2-0 in the sixth, one of three hits for McDonald on the day.

"They'd been throwing a lot of fastballs with two strikes," McDonald said. "I was looking for it, and I was able to put a good swing on it.

"It's no secret -- the more at-bats you get, the easier it is to get your timing. The biggest focus for me is trying to swing at good pitches and put quality swings on the baseball."

Carl Crawford pushed the lead to 3-0 with his eighth home run of the season, a 416-foot blast off All-Star reliever Aaron Crow in the seventh.

With several big bats sidelined, the Red Sox would welcome a hot stretch from Crawford, who entered Sunday's game batting .251.

"That ball went a long way," Francona said. "He got his foot down on time. When he does that, it seems like everything slows down. The bat head gets where it's supposed to. That was gorgeous."

The Red Sox headed from Kansas City to Texas, where they play the first of four games Monday night. Given their makeshift lineup, they were happy to leave with a series victory.

"Taking three out of four here maybe lets us take a deep breath," Bard said. "If we had gone 1-3 here or even 2-2, we'd probably feel like we had some ground to make up heading into [the Texas series]. Now we can just go in and play our game."

BOSTON -- The pitch count was adding up.

By the end of the fourth inning, Boston starter Jon Lester already had thrown 79 pitches, and even though he had limited the Tampa Bay Rays to only one run on two hits, there was concern in the Red Sox dugout about how far the ace left-hander would be able to go in the opener of Tuesday’s day-night doubleheader.

“I’m thinking (are) we were going to get (Lester) through six (innings),” said Boston manager Terry Francona.

But then came the fifth inning. It was a six-pitch breeze for Lester, who wound up going seven strong innings, allowing only the one run on three hits as the Red Sox, fueled by Jacoby Ellsbury’s three-run, third-inning homer off James Shields, tumbled the Rays, 3-1, at Fenway Park.

Lester said he began to find his rhythm in the fourth, when he fanned the side, albeit on 20 more pitches. He called that inning the “turning point” for him.

“Sometimes it takes me a while (to find a rhythm),” said Lester, who improved his record to 12-6 with dominant relief from Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon (28th save).

In the fifth, even Lester was a bit surprised by the ease in which he sailed through the inning. He threw a first-pitch ball to each hitter, but Kelly Shoppach grounded weakly to short on the second pitch he saw, Elliot Johnson popped up to right field on his second pitch and Desmond Jennings also grounded out to short on his second pitch.

Just like that, after six pitches, the inning was over and Lester had “reeled it in,” as Francona said later.

“Innings like the fifth don’t come along very often. They give you a lot of confidence,” said Lester, who retired 12 in a row and 17 of the last 18 batters he faced after hitting a batter and walking the next one with one out in the second.

“They have aggressive hitters. They did a good job of laying off some pitches (over the first four innings). The fifth was a nice breather for me. You don’t get five or six-pitch innings very often. That was a nice change for me today,” said Lester.

BOSTON -- The outing didn’t exactly get off to a crisp start for Jon Lester.

The left-hander labored in a 22-pitch first inning in which he was tagged for a pair of doubles and one run. He also labored at times in a scoreless 20-pitch second inning.

But it was in the second inning that Lester seemed to find his rhythm. Lester wound up allowing only three hits and the one run in his seven innings, earning his 12th win of the season in Boston’s 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park in the opening game of a day-night doubleheader Tuesday.

Lester, who snapped a two-game losing streak in raising his record to 12-6, outdueled the Rays’ James Shields, thanks to Jacoby Ellsbury’s three-run third-inning homer and airtight relief from Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon (28th save).

Lester’s game took a turn for the better in the second after he hit a batter and walked the next with one out. Elliot Johnson, the Rays’ number nine hitter, tried to drop down a bunt, but he popped it up and third baseman Kevin Youkilis reeled it in.

From that point on, Lester kept the Tampa Bay hitters from reaching base, retiring 17 of the final 18 batters he faced. Beginning with Johnson’s popout, Lester set down 12 in a row, the spell broken by Evan Longoria’s single with one out in the sixth. Lester then mowed down the final five batters he faced.

At one stretch, Lester struck out four batters in a row en route to eight whiffs. And while his pitch count rose to worrisome levels early (79 through four innings), Lester became more economical, throwing only 34 pitches over his last three innings for a final total of 113.

This was the 10th time in his last 11 starts that Lester has permitted three or fewer runs.

THE HOME-RUN GROOVE: The potential was there for Jacoby Ellsbury to hit home runs, but the Red Sox center fielder has truly blossomed in that department this season.

In Tuesday’s afternoon portion of the day-night doubleheader, Ellsbury crushed a three-run homer off one of the Rays’ aces, James Shields, giving Boston all three of its runs en route to a 3-1 victory.

It was the 21st homer of the year for Ellsbury, who had clubbed a total of only 20 in his first three big-league seasons. Ellsbury, the Sox’ leadoff man, is the second-leading home-run hitter on the club, behind only designated hitter David Ortiz, who has clouted 24 homers, and ahead of other more well known home-run hitters such as Adrian Gonzalez (18) and Kevin Youkilis (17).

The round-tripper also was Ellsbury’s fourth three-run shot of the year. Only Ortiz (five, including a grand slam) has more homers with at least two runners on base.

One of the keys to Ellsbury’s home-run prowess this year has been his discipline at the plate, learning which pitches he can drive well enough to hit out of the ballpark. Tuesday’s homer came on a thigh-high, down-the-middle pitch from Shields that Ellsbury pulled over the Rays’ bullpen in right.

EFFICIENT OFFENSE: The Red Sox had only three hits against Shields. But they all came in the third inning, producing their three runs. Josh Reddick and Mike Aviles singled in advance of Ellsbury’s homer.

BEHIND THE EIGHT-BALL EARLY: The Red Sox have had to battle back from early deficits a lot lately. Tuesday afternoon, Jon Lester limited the first-inning damage to one run, but that constituted the fifth time in the last six games that a Boston starter has coughed up at least one run in the opening inning.

BOSTON -- Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester has owned the New York Yankees during his career, so when the left-hander took the mound in the first game of this three-game set Friday night at Fenway Park the focus was on him to deliver.

He worked five scoreless innings and struck out seven, but the Yankees were able to stay patient and figure him out in the sixth, scoring all three of their runs en route to a 3-2 victory over the Sox.

Overall, he allowed three runs on five hits with four walks and seven strikeouts.

“He pitched his ass off,” said Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. “He went out there and competed. It was really one bad inning, but other than that he looked great.”

Lester entered Friday’s start with a career 8-1 record against the Yankees, including a 2-0 mark this season. He was in total control early, but scuffled in the sixth.

He allowed a leadoff walk to New York’s No. 9 hitter Eduardo Nunez before allowing back-to-back singles to Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson that provided the Yankees with their first run of the game.

Lester then issued a walk to Mark Teixeira to load the bases. The Sox followed that with a 4-6-3 double play as New York’s second run came across. The Yankees’ Nick Swisher provided an RBI-double before Andruw Jones grounded out to end the inning.

“I lost command,” Lester said. “You’ve got to tip your hat to them because they did a really good job being patient that inning. I threw some pretty good pitches that they laid off, whether it was a ball or a strike they stayed within themselves. Seemed like the first five innings we dictated both sides of the plate and in that sixth inning they did.”

The four walks Lester issued, especially the two free passes in the sixth, are what eventually hurt him.

“You can’t give these guys, especially this team, free base runners,” he said.

The loss snaps a stretch of five straight winning starts for Lester against the Yankees.

“It’s a good lineup and we had a great pitcher on the mound as well, and it was just their day,” Saltalamacchia said.

Lester drops to 11-5 this season.

The Red Sox look to rebound on Saturday when they send John Lackey (9-8, 6.23 ERA) to the mound to face New York’s ace CC Sabathia (16-5, 2.55).

BOSTON –- The Red Sox gladly welcomed pitcher Jon Lester back to the starting rotation Monday night against the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park.

The left-hander, who had been on the disabled list with a lat strain since July 6, showed no ill effects and worked 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run on seven hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

He threw 89 pitches (55 for strikes) and had to settle for a no-decision. Lester exited with the game tied at 1-1 and it remained that way until top of the 14th inning when Kansas City pushed across a pair of runs en route to a 3-1 victory.

The start of the game was delayed 2 hours 21 minutes due to inclement weather and it ended with the Royals playing small ball to produce the winning runs.

Kansas City’s Eric Hosmer led off the 14th inning with a double to left and reached third on a single by Jeff Francoeur. With runners on the corners, the Royals’ Mike Aviles provided a sacrifice bunt that resulted in the winning run. Kansas City added an insurance run on Alcides Escobar’s sacrifice fly.

The Red Sox could not respond in the bottom of the 14th.

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN: Boston had a golden opportunity to end it in the bottom of the 12th. The Sox’s Josh Reddick led off with a single to right, and with one out, he reached third on a two-base error by Royals reliever Louis Coleman, who threw the ball away trying to pick Reddick off first.

This is where it gets interesting.

With the potential winning run 90 feet away, Red Sox manager Terry Francona called for a squeeze play. Reddick broke for home on a pitch that was a bit inside on batter Marco Scutaro, but it appeared Scutaro missed the sign and Reddick was caught 2-5.

"We just missed a sign," Francona said. "Thought it was an opportunity after action like that. We got half of it right, but we didn't get the whole thing right. Red got it and Scoot didn't. We had some other opportunities too. We kind of let them off the hook. I know there won’t be much sleep, but it'll be a tough one tonight."

"I didn't see the sign. It's my fault. Just missed the sign," Scutaro said.

"It just feels bad, man. It feels like your teammates, manager, the fans, just want to kill you. It's a bad feeling. But just come back tomorrow and win the game."

Scutaro followed with a two-out single, but was thrown out at second base trying to stretch the hit to end the inning.

INJURY WATCH: Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis was removed in the top of the eighth with right hamstring tightness. He was replaced with Yamaico Navarro. Youkilis suffered the injury in the sixth attempting to leg out an infield hit, but was thrown out 6-3. He limped into the dugout and immediately sat on the bench and was examined by team trainer Mike Reinold and Francona. Youkilis hobbled out to his position in the top of the seventh, but did not return after that.

Youkilis was examined after he was removed from the game.

“The exam was really good,” Francona said. “We’re fortunate. His heel hit the bag and it kind of gave way a little bit. He felt it in his hamstring and I think we’ll stay away from him [Tuesday]. It hopefully won’t be more than that. He had full range of motion, so he should be OK. He’s just beat up in a lot of areas.”

Navarro had an opportunity to end the game in the 13th inning with one out and the potential winning run on third base, but he popped out in foul territory to Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer.

K-RAWFORD: Carl Crawford entered Monday’s game with a four-game hitting streak, going 7-for-15 with two doubles, three RBIs and two runs during that stretch. But he went 0-for-6 against the Royals, including four strikeouts. Crawford struck out with two runners on in the ninth and 11th innings.

DEFENSIVE GEM: Right fielder J.D. Drew is scheduled to land on the disabled list Tuesday, but replacement Josh Reddick has been spectacular of late both offensively and defensively. He turned in the defensive play of the game with a highlight-reel diving catch in the top of the 10th to rob the Royals’ Alcides Escobar of a base hit. Escobar lifted a lazy pop up to shallow right field just out of the reach of Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia. Reddick came charging in and made the dramatic grab.

CATCH 22: Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 22 games with a two-out single to right-center field in the bottom of the third. He finished the night 1-for-6. He’s now 36-for-97 (.371) with 16 RBIs during the streak.

MORE ZEROS: Red Sox reliever Daniel Bard extended his scoreless streak to 25 innings. The right-hander allowed one hit, was called for a balk, but retired the side in the top of the eighth. He’s allowed only 16 baserunners and 10 hits, while posting 24 strikeouts during his streak.

UP NEXT: The Red Sox send lefty Andrew Miller (4-1, 4.65 ERA) to the hill on Tuesday against Royals southpaw Dan Duffy (2-4, 4.58). Miller went 5 2/3 scoreless innings and earned the win in his last outing, a 4-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles last Wednesday. He allowed only two hits with six walks and three strikeouts. Despite Monday's 14-inning game, Francona believes the Sox will be fine from a pitching standpoint on Tuesday. Reliever Alfredo Aceves, who did not pitch on Monday, can be stretched out to fill the void if necessary.