May 31, 2009 -- Jon Lester picked a good time to revert to his 2008 form. Following back-to-back losses to the Jays that dropped the Sox out of first place, the boys were on the verge of getting swept for the first time this season. But Lester came up big with his best performance of the year, leading the Sox to an 8-2 victory.
"It started with Lester," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said after the game. "He was powerful." Lester (4-5) allowed one run, three hits and struck out 12 in six innings, lowering his ERA to 5.65. His 12 strikeouts were the most by a Red Sox pitcher this season and the most by a Boston left-hander since Bruce Hurst struck out 14 against Oakland on May 5, 1987.
Lester, who threw 115 pitches, said his only regret was not being able to go deeper in the game.
"I had a pretty good feel for my curveball today and threw a lot of change-ups," Lester said. "That's big with this team. You've just got to keep a good mix and you can't let them look for one area or sit on a fastball. When I did get behind, I was able to have enough soft stuff in the mix where they couldn't just gear up for a fastball."
Justin Masterson pitched two innings and Ramon Ramirez finished it off in the ninth.
Jason Bay also homered for the Red Sox, who tweaked their lineup to shake themselves out of a recent offensive slump. Nine of Boston's 11 hits were for extra-bases.
Batting leadoff for the first time this season, Pedroia homered off the left-field foul screen in the fourth inning, his second.
Pedroia was bumped up and outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury dropped to eighth as Francona tried to boost the offense after watching his team score just 13 runs in its previous five games.
"We need to have our on base guys (up high) for the guys in the middle of the order," Francona said. "It's important."
Francona wasn't sure whether he'd keep the same lineup when the Red Sox open a three-game series in Detroit on Tuesday night. As for Pedroia, the reigning AL MVP isn't concerned about where he hits.
"It doesn't really change my approach," Pedroia said. "Whatever they tell us to do, we're willing to do it. I don't get paid to make the lineup."
Youkilis hit a solo homer in the first off Toronto left-hander Ricky Romero, then hit another solo drive in the eighth off right-hander Brian Wolfe, the sixth multihomer game of his career. Bay followed Youkilis' second drive with an almost identical shot into the left-field bullpen, his 15th.
Trailing 1-0 on Youkilis' first homer, Toronto tied it in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly from Vernon Wells.
Pedroia put Boston ahead to stay with his two-out homer in the fourth. The homer was Pedroia's first since he went deep on his first at bat of the season, April 7 against Tampa Bay, a span of 190 at bats.
Boston's David Ortiz snapped an 0 for 12 streak with a double to center in the fourth and finished 1 for 5 with a strike out. Ortiz is batting .185. | 
