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MLB

Lester Can't Dodge Ball, but He and Red Sox Do Dodge Bullet

Posted Sep 26, 2009 12:17AM By Ed Price (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Red Sox, Yankees, MLB Playoffs

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Boston Red Sox Jon Lester Terry FranconaNEW YORK -- With this weekend's Red Sox-Yankees series serving as a possible ALCS preview (although it would be folly to assume that), Boston came in with the edge in the category that matters most: starting pitching.

Friday's game may have closed the gap some, and nearly did dramatically.

As Joba Chamberlain turned in his best effort since July, giving the Yankees reason to believe they have a capable No. 4 starter if they reach the second round, the Red Sox had to spend a few moments wondering if power lefty Jon Lester will be available for the playoffs after he was writhing on the mound in the third inning.

But Boston "dodged a big blow there," as left fielder Jason Bay said after the Yankees' 9-5 victory.

Lester could be Boston's Game 1 playoff starter and certainly at least its No. 2.

"He's a huge, huge part of our team," Bay said. "It was scary, yeah."

Lester, struck on the inside of the knee by a Melky Cabrera liner, has only a bruised quadriceps and may not miss a start. X-rays were negative; Lester got lucky because the ball caught a meaty part of the quad near the knee and not bone.

"It hurt," he said. "It hit off my knee going about Mach 7.

"It hit me in a good spot where it didn't do any damage that hopefully won't make me miss any time. I guess we're thankful for that."

Manager Terry Francona was.

"When it first happened," Francona said, "it looked terrible. It sounded terrible. He was in a lot of pain.

"He was laying there moaning, laying there in pain."

But he insisted on walking off the field without assistance (but with a limp).

By the end of the game, the limp was gone. In fact, after pulling on his boots with no visible problem, he was insisting he wants to make his next start so he's sharp going into the playoffs. Perhaps that shouldn't be a surprise, considering Lester in his career has already overcome chemotherapy for a form of blood-cell cancer.

"When you get hit like that," he said, "the pain and everything -- you're hoping that it's not a serious injury.

"Everything right now is fine and everything as far as I know is in line for my next start."

And if Lester is indeed OK, it means the Red Sox won't have to go to Paul Byrd or Tim Wakefield in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Yankees postseason rotation has, not quite question marks, but definite blemishes. CC Sabathia owns a career 7.92 ERA in the playoffs (but just five starts). A.J. Burnett has never pitched a postseason game. Stalwart Andy Pettitte had to skip a start this month to rest his shoulder.

And then there's Joba, who in his previous six starts had not gone more than four innings as part of the Yankees' plan to protect his 23-year-old arm.

Chamberlain -- who all year had struggled to find the rhythm, aggressiveness and velocity that made him a dominant set-up man in 2007 -- seemed to respond poorly to the reining in. Over his previous eight starts, he was 1-4 with an 8.25 ERA, 21 walks in 36 innings and a .327 batting average allowed.

The Yankees will be able to choose the AL Division Series with an extra off day, meaning they will need just three starters for the first round. But if they want to win the World Series, they will need a fourth.

"This is an important time of year," manager Joe Girardi said. "We told him that we needed him to step up, and he did tonight. ... We told him that we know he's capable of pitching better, and we need him to do it, basically the gist of the conversation.

"I think it's important to have conversations from time to time with your players and tell them what you expect from them."

So Friday's outing gave reason to believe Chamberlain could contribute next month. He didn't show the first-inning lethargy that crops up at times, retiring the first 11 batters he faced. Overall, he gave up three runs on five hits, struck out five, walked one and -- significantly -- showed much improved command, needing just 86 pitches for six innings.

"He just went out and threw the ball like he was capable of throwing," Girardi said. "He attacked, he attacked, he attacked."

Chamberlain did allow two homers and throw just 11 of 24 first-pitch strikes, but he showed good tempo and got out of a fifth-inning jam.

"We need to see him pitch well," Girardi said before the game when asked how Chamberlain fits into the postseason plans. "Our plan is that he is supposed to be a starter and compete at a high level."

Tags: joba+chamberlain, JobaChamberlain, jon+lester, JonLester

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