Jon Lester Is A Lost Cause In 2012, Might As Well Put Him On Ice Until Next Season

2012 has been a nightmare for Jon Lester (5-10) not to mention his employers. Even when he pitches decent like his last two starts, he can't get the run support from his teammates. The bottom line remains that he is 0-5 in his last five starts at Fenway Park after a 6-3 loss to the Rangers tonight in the middle game of a three-game series.

Texas (64-45, 30-24) received a great outing from Ryan Dempster (1-0) who picked up his first win a Rangers uniform (2nd start). He went 6.2 innings and allowed three runs (0 earned) on six hits with six strikeouts and one walk. Dempster likely wouldn't have given up any runs except that Ian Kinsler kept the seventh inning alive for the Red Sox (55-56, 29-33 home) with a gift error. Pinch hitter Will Middlebrooks delivered a clutch pinch-hit home run (his 14th of the season) which cut the Rangers lead to 4-3.

Lester matched zeroes with Dempster through five innings but as it usually does for him, he became unraveled by allowing two runs in the sixth and being charged with two more in the seventh. In 6.2 innings, he gave up four earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks.

Kinsler and Josh Hamilton (2 hits, walk, run) broke the deadlock with RBI singles in the sixth. David Murphy had a sacrifice fly in the seventh and Kinsler added another run-scoring single in the frame. Nelson Cruz's RBI single in the eighth made it 5-3 and Elvis Andrus rounded out the scoreline with an RBI single in the ninth.

Texas was 5-for-11 with runners in scoring position while Boston went 1-for-6. Cody Ross and Jarrod Saltalamacchia (run) each had two hits in the loss.

Mike Adams struck out the side in the eighth for his 20th hold which was bullshit because Dustin Pedroia was called out on one of the worst calls (checked swing) that I've ever seen in MLB. Joe Nathan picked up his 22nd save in 23 chances for Texas; I thought his career was over a few years ago but it's funny what a change of scenery to an outstanding team can do to a player's career.

The Red Sox are 4-5 on their longest homestand of the season which ends tomorrow afternoon (1:35 p.m., NESN) with the Texas Toughguy (5-9) facing Matt Harrison (13-6). I could pretend that Boston a chance but unless Beckett gets hurt in pregame warmups (always a possibility), this has loss written all over it.

UPDATE 8/8: Vicente Padilla was put on the 15-day DL with a bicep strain, Clayton Mortensen was recalled from Pawtucket.

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