For the first time in his career, Jon Lester had a bad postseason start. In what everyone thought would be the Red Sox' 2nd win of the 2008 ALCS, the Rays put those plans on hold, with 4 home runs (2 off Lester) in a 9-1 blowout.
So what happened to Lester, who gave up 8 hits and 5 runs in only 5+ innings? Sox manager Terry Francona discusses it here:
Francona blames location, pointing out several big hits where Lester didn't place his pitches where he wanted them. He also makes a very valid point: outside the 4-run 3rd, Lester actually pitched pretty well.
In all reality, if the Red Sox are to come back in this series, they will definitely need Lester to be at his best. He has been their ace this year, and with Josh Beckett still feeling the effects of several injuries, Lester had taken the role of their postseason ace as well. This was something that Beckett had been his whole career.The Sox are sending Tim Wakefield to the mound tonight for Game 4 against Andy Sonnanstine. Some might say it's a must-win, but the Red Sox came back from an 0-3 hole in the 2004 ALCS, and 1-3 in the 2007 ALCS. They might be playing with fire if they fall behind that far again, but if any team has proven they can come back, it's the Sox.
Regardless, Jon Lester WILL be a key to this series, either way. We'll see if he has a chance for that to be a good thing, or if he has already cemented his place as one of the goats this year.
Francona Talks About Lester's Rare Dud [The Bottom Line]
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