BOSTON – Jon Lester just keeps adding to his impressive postseason resume.
The Red Sox left-hander pitched seven innings without allowing an earned run for the second time in the AL division series Monday night, helping Boston end the Los Angeles Angels' season with a 3-2 win in Game 4.
Lester's 14 innings without allowing an earned run are the most ever in a single division series, surpassing Pedro Martinez's 10 innings for the Red Sox against Cleveland in 1999.
His next opponent will be the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL championship series.
“We've had some good battles with them all year,” said Lester, who allowed an unearned run in Game 1 against the Angels. “Hopefully we can go down there and steal a win or two and get some momentum on our side and come back home.”
Lester pitched 5 2-3 scoreless innings in Boston's 4-3 World Series win last year that finished off the sweep against Colorado. He has a string of 22 2-3 postseason innings without allowing an earned run.
“The kid is one of the best pitchers in the league right now,” manager Terry Francona said. “If we're going to get where we want to go, he'll be a huge part of that, as he already has been.”
GRACIOUS GUILLEN: White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen lavished praise on Tampa Bay and stopped by the Rays' clubhouse to wish them well after they ended Chicago's season in the AL division series.
“They played better than us,” Guillen said. “There's no doubt. They pitched better. They executed better. They got big hits. And that's what I said, I tip my hat to them because they outplayed us. We didn't have much thing going, only one game we just got something going on. But besides that, they really did a tremendous job against this ballclub.”
Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon called Guillen's clubhouse visit “extremely classy.”
“I appreciate that very much,” Maddon said.
Guillen looked worn down after a long season that included his typical verbal blowups and two infamous blowup dolls in his clubhouse in Toronto. The White Sox won three straight elimination games to make the playoffs, but couldn't get past the Rays in the first round.
“We overcame the tough times,” Guillen said after Chicago's 6-2 loss in Game 4 on Monday. “And I just talked to them. I said, make sure you keep your head up, feel proud of yourself, walk on the street with your head up and feel proud about what they did.”
BIG-TIME TALENT: Justin Masterson could be a valuable member of Boston's starting rotation in the future. He could be a strong option in the Red Sox bullpen.
For Boston manager Terry Francona, it's a nice dilemma to have.
“I think we see him as a good pitcher,” Francona said before the Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-2 Monday night to advance to the AL championship series. “I think he could start. He's already proven that to some extent in the major leagues even though it's been a small sample size.”
Masterson struggled in Game 4 of the first-round series, allowing Torii Hunter's two-run single in the eighth that tied it at 2.
With a runner on first and two outs, he came in and walked Vladimir Guerrero, then threw a pitch that seemed to cross up catcher Jason Varitek for a passed ball. Hunter followed with his hit, but Masterson retired Mike Napoli to end the inning.
In his first major league start on April 24, Masterson allowed one run and two hits in six innings of a 7-5 loss to the Angels. The right-hander faced that same team Sunday night in the postseason and threw a 96 mph fastball past Guerrero for an inning-ending strikeout with a runner on first and the game tied in the eighth.
Masterson also pitched a scoreless ninth before the Angels won 5-4 in 12 innings, cutting Boston's lead to 2-1 in the series.
In nine starts this season after being recalled from Double-A Portland, Masterson went 4-3 with a 3.67 ERA. In his next 27 appearances, all in relief, he was 2-2 with a 2.36 ERA.
His future role “will be determined on how we feel he can impact us more,” Francona said. “What direction it goes will be interesting and we don't have that answer yet.”
BEAST OF THE EAST: The Rays are headed to the AL championship series, and manager Joe Maddon said part of the reason is their tough division.
“People, when I first came along, said we should get out of the American League East. I'm asking why,” Maddon said. “What better battle testing can you possibly get than going to Fenway often and going to Yankee Stadium, and of course, Baltimore and Toronto.”
Tampa Bay, which never won more than 70 games during its 10 previous seasons, went from 96 losses last year to 97 wins. The Rays finished two games ahead of Boston to win the division title and will meet the Red Sox in the next round.
