"With the sheer madness of the trade deadline in full bloom, one of the surest things stood on the mound last night for the Red Sox.

And, as usual, Jon Lester dazzled.

Making his second start since a nearly three-week stint on the disabled list, Lester was both efficient and effective. He allowed little more than a pair of solo homers and mostly mowed down the White Sox in a 10-2 victory that got the Red Sox past a two-game speed bump.

"Jon was great," catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said. "Just put a finger down and knew he was going to hit my mitt, and that's kind of what happened."

Back home, general manager Theo Epstein was busy making moves to upgrade the back of the rotation, trading for veteran right-hander Rich Harden from the Oakland Athletics for first baseman Lars Anderson and a player to be determined.

Meanwhile, Lester offered reassurance that the top of the rotation is solid. The ace lefty yielded four hits, struck out eight, walked only one and finished eight innings for the first time since June 18 en route to his first victory since June 30 in Philadelphia.

Best of all, he threw only 98 pitches. And in the Battle of the Sox, the Red Sox snapped a seven-game skid dating to last season."