Red Sox silence Yankees
After Lester pitched a sharp five-hitter and Boston stopped a five-game losing streak with a 7-0 victory Thursday night, Girardi closed the clubhouse for a 30-minute meeting.
"I think everybody is embarrassed," losing pitcher Andy Pettitte said. "We walked through it tonight. It was extremely disappointing.
"Absolute, horrible game," he said.
It looked a little better from the Boston side.
Lester (7-3) made his most impressive start since pitching a no-hitter against Kansas City on May 19. That was his only complete game in the majors until this gem.
"Stuff-wise, I don't think it was any different," he said.
A throwing error by shortstop Derek Jeter gave the Red Sox a quick lead. Coco Crisp came back from a five-game suspension to score twice, and it was 6-0 by the fifth inning.
That was plenty for Lester to send the Yankees to their fourth loss in five games. He struck out eight, walked two and used three double plays for his fourth straight win.
Lester became the first Boston pitcher to throw a complete-game shutout against the Yankees since Pedro Martinez in 2000. And, this came in Lester's first appearance at Yankee Stadium.
American League
ATHLETICS 3, WHITE SOX 2: At Chicago, Justin Duchscherer pitched seven solid innings and Jack Cust and Donnie Murphy homered as Oakland snapped Chicago's seven-game winning streak. Duchscherer (9-5), the major-league leader with a 1.96 ERA, allowed five hits while striking out four and walking two. Javier Vazquez (7-7) took the loss despite pitching his first complete game in nearly a year, allowing four hits and striking out 10.
ROYALS 10, ORIOLES 7: At Baltimore, Mark Grudzielanek went 4-for-5 and played a key role in a seven-run sixth inning for Kansas City. The Royals overcame a four-run deficit and two homers by Aubrey Huff to earn a split of the four-game series. The last time the Royals scored more than six runs in an inning was June 14, 2007 — an eight-run second against St. Louis. Joakim Soria worked a perfect ninth for his 23rd save for the Royals, who had lost nine of their last 10 at Camden Yards.
TIGERS 8, MARINERS 4: At Seattle, Justin Verlander threw six strong innings, Michael Hollimon hit his first big league home run and Detroit hung on to beat the Mariners. Matt Joyce, promoted from Triple-A Toledo on May 5 and recalled Sunday, had a pair of doubles among his career-high four hits. Ivan Rodriguez added three RBIs as the Tigers pounded out 15 hits.
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