"The Red Sox had lost six straight to open the season when they showed their faces for the first time at Fenway Park this season.

This time around, they have won 6-of-9 on what has to be considered a wildly successful road trip in this wildly inconsistent 2011 season.

As the 11-13 Red Sox begin play tonight against the Mariners, there is a whole new look and feel to the team.

It's too late for a new beginning, but there is still plenty of time to start winning far more than they have so far.

"Kind of a weird trip, going to the West Coast and coming back here, but we'll take that more times than not," said Jon Lester [stats], whose eight strong innings in the 6-2 victory last night over the Orioles allowed the Red Sox to break open a close game in the late innings.

"That's pretty good baseball. You can see the guys in this clubhouse starting to feel more comfortable and not pressing so much. Guys are starting to have fun, just worrying about playing and not worrying about us as a team struggling and individuals struggling. It's definitely nice to see.""