Lester, Red Sox Lose Temper, Lose Game to Rangers

By Jeff Miller in Featured, Red Sox, Top Story ⋅ August 8, 2012 at 12:46am ⋅ Post a comment

The Boston Red Sox lost 6-3 to the Texas Rangers in a pitchers duel early on between Jon Lester and new Ranger Ryan Dempster. The loss snapped the team’s small two-game winning streak and drops them below .500 once again.

Red Sox starter Jon Lester (5-10) took the loss after dominating the Rangers bats through the first five innings and only allowing two hits. After a questionable non-strikeout call against David Murphy in the 6th inning that led to a double, Lester seemed to let his emotions get the best of him and began to unravel. Lester gave up RBI singles to Ian Kinsler and Josh Hamilton later in the inning and Lester left the mound after the inning jawing at home plate umpire Lance Barrett. Lester ended the night going 6 2/3 innings giving up 4 runs on 6 hits with 4 strikeouts.

Rangers starter Ryan Dempster also went 6 2/3 IP, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits and 6 strikeouts while picking up his first win in a Ranger uniform since being dealt at the deadline from the Chicago Cubs. Dempster, in two starts against the Red Sox this season, had gone 13 2/3 innings of shutout baseball until giving up a pinch-hit three-run home run to Will Middlebrooks, his 14th, and was pulled right after. Middlebrooks hit a first pitch hanging slider into the first row of the monster seats that was reviewed but upheld.

That is as close as the Red Sox would come as the Rangers added insurance runs in the eighth and ninth innings on RBI singles by Nelson Cruz and Elvis Andrus respectively. The Rangers scored their six runs on five singles and a sacrifice fly.

Sox Hot Under the Collar

Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia was livid after first base umpire Paul Bauert after being rung up on a check swing. Pedroia would eventually be ejected by Bauert in the top of the ninth after David Murphy was hit in the stomach on a check swing but was given first base. Pedroia was nose to nose with Bauert, until manager Bobby Valentine got in the middle and let his voice be heard but was not tossed, even though it appeared he was trying to. Lester was also very heated after the top of the sixth inning and gave the home plate umpire an ear full.

The Red Sox will try to end the 10-game home stand at 5-5 when they pitch Josh Beckett (5-9) against Rangers lefty Matt Harrison (13-6) at 1:35 PM Wednesday. The start will be Beckett’s first start since leaving his start against the Detroit Tigers with back spasms and hearing boos from the Fenway Faithful.

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Graduate of Suffolk University with a BS in Broadcast Journalism. I love all the four major sports and have been a diehard Boston sports fan my whole life.

Tags: Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, David Murphy, Dustin Pedroia, Elvis Andrus, Ian Kinsler, Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Josh Hamilton, Matt Harrison, Nelson Cruz, Ryan Dempster, Texas Rangers, Will Middlebrooks