Unbelievable: Boston wins a road game!

The Boston Red Sox have struggled mightily on the road all year long, posting a abysmal 22-32 record, including a recent 5-game losing streak away from Fenway Park. After being swept by the Angels in Anaheim, Boston ventured north to Seattle, hoping that a poor Mariners team would be the cure for their woes. They were. Jon Lester pitched 7 1/3 shutout innings, and Jason Varitek got back on the right track with a 2-run homer. Lester continued his stellar pitching as he didn’t walk a batter, allowed 8 hits while striking out 6 in a 4-0 win.

Varitek finally did something productive offensively, which was great to see. Even with his 2 hit game his average is still .218, horrible for someone who has a “C” for Captain on his jersey. Even though he does everything else to deserve the label of captain, he needs to hit, at least, respectively. Maybe this was the start for a good second half of the season. His hitting is a necessity because during the teams struggles on the road the 7-8-9 hitters have been predominately easy to get. He anchors the bottom of the order. When he comes through, others like Coco Crisp and Jed Lowrie produce as well, which was evident in this particular win.

Coco Crisp, hitting a measly .255, broke out of a 2-22 slump by getting on base four times, via three walks and a single. He desperately needs to start hitting if the teams’ offense wants to gain some sort of consistency. The top and middle of their order is capable, and will be get even more dangerous when slugger David Oritz comes back, but for the team, as a whole, to be successful long-term, players like Crisp and Varitek need to continue to contribute like they did in this win.

Jed Lowrie will also been pivotal in the rest of the teams’ games because of his obvious talent and versatility. With the injury to starting shortstop Julio Lugo, Boston’s depth is Lowrie and oft injured Alex Cora at that position, making him that much more valuable. He is a great defensive shortstop, and can play both second and third as well, giving the Red Sox the chance to give Dustin Pedroia and Mike Lowell a day off if necessary. His bat is probably the best part of his game however, and he showed why with a two-run single to give his team insurance, and a four-run lead. Since he was recalled on July 12th, he has continued to impress his manager Terry Francona, who has admired his poise and maturity at such a young age of 24. Francona compared him to a young Billy Mueller, a great player in his day, and a valuable asset to a World Series team. If Lowrie continues to come up big like he did in this game against the Mariners, that comparison won’t be far off from being true.

If Varitek, Crisp, and Lowrie continue to put up numbers like 5-9, the Red Sox offense will be a dangerous one top to bottom.