"After his last few rough starts that still resulted in a win or a no-decision, Jon Lester has been thanking his lineup for helping him out.

Yesterday, despite getting the kind of run support that leads to drooling, Lester could take responsibility for the team's victory on his own.

Staked to a 7-0 lead in the first inning, Lester ignored the huge advantage. He allowed two hits in the first inning, but then it was 15 Indians up, 15 Indians down. He allowed a bloop double in the sixth inning, followed by his one and only walk, but that was it.

Asked if he did anything different on the mound knowing that he had a big lead to protect, Lester said, "No. Get people out. That's the main thing. It doesn't matter if the score's like it was today, if it's a one-run game or if it's 0-0. You're just trying to get people out."

Of course, Lester was not oblivious to the scoreboard.

"Obviously it's good, it takes a lot of pressure off of not only me but the defense," he said following the Red Sox' 14-2 victory. "You don't have to be perfect. You can attack guys and establish your fastball, and I was able to do that today."

By lasting through the sixth inning, Lester was able to allow the Red Sox to dip only into the front half of their bullpen and keep the back end fresh for today's afternoon game in Detroit. More importantly for the rest of the season, however, was that during this stretch where the Red Sox are leaning on their starters hard, manager Terry Francona was able to relieve Lester after only 97 pitches."