Finally! Lester Goes 6 & Sox Hang On

Ryan Lavarnway and Cody Ross went deep to help power the Red Sox to a 4-3 win over the Mariners in Seattle Tuesday night. The victory snapped a 7-game Red Sox losing streak.

Jon Lester went 6 innings for Boston, allowing 3 runs on 9 hits (including a pair of solo home runs in the 3rd inning) and 2 walks. He struck out 4 in winning his 9th game against 11 losses.

The Red Sox did all their scoring in the top of the 6th inning. Cody Ross drove in 3 with his 20th home run of the season to tie the game and Ryan Lavarnway (pictured) slammed his 1st of the season to put Boston ahead.

Craig Breslow, Junichi Tazawa, Vicente Padilla and Andrew Bailey combined for 3 shutout innings. Bailey picked up his 2nd save of the season in the process.

Dustin Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 15 games; he and James Loney each had 2 hits in the win.

Just because we like to share good news - the Yankees' imitation of the September 2011 Red Sox continued with a 5-2 loss to Tampa. Combined with the Orioles 12-0 pounding of the Blue Jays, New York's 10-game lead in the American League East has completely evaporated. Admit it...as bad as the last 53 weeks of Red Sox baseball have been, the thought of the Yankees blowing a 10-game lead (and dare we say it, somehow not even making the playoffs) has put a hint of a smile on your face.