"On paper, James Shields won the pitching duel with Jon Lester [stats] before the game even started.

And after Lester's first three innings in the opener of a doubleheader yesterday, it was such a mismatch in Shields' favor that judges were looking for the white towel.

Then a funny thing happened.

Lester found his groove just when the Red Sox [team stats] needed him the most.

Funny how those things tend to happen to aces more than just your average pitcher.

And Lester, make no mistake, is as much the ace of the Red Sox staff as Josh Beckett [stats].

"I think the fourth (inning) was kind of the turning point for me," the left-hander said after the Sox' 3-1 victory at Fenway Park [map]. "Heck, I'd thrown enough pitches, I should have felt comfortable by that point. Sometimes it takes me a while, and today was one of those days."

The pitching duel between Shields (11-9, 2.80 ERA entering the game) and Lester (11-6, 3.32) did not exactly start off as one.

Lester allowed a leadoff double to Rays phenom Desmond Jennings, who stole third and then scored on an Evan Longoria groundout. Lester allowed another double to Ben Zobrist before inducing a B.J. Upton groundout on his 22nd pitch of the frame.

In the second, he didn't allow a run but did throw 20 more pitches.

The third?

No runs, but 17 pitches, upping his total to 59. Nobody was up in the bullpen, but they were stirring."