Lester returns to Fenway as Red Sox continue series with Rays

Baseball Betting Lines

08/14/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jon Lester returns to the Fenway Park mound for the first time in nearly a full year when the Boston Red Sox resume a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays this evening.

Lester hasn't pitched in Boston since a start against the rival New York Yankees on August 18, 2006. Shortly afterward, the 23-year-old was diagnosed with a treatable form of lymphoma that cut short his rookie campaign.

The young lefty underwent chemotherapy treatments during the winter and began this season at Triple-A Pawtucket before being recalled by the Red Sox on July 23. Lester has made four starts since his promotion, all of which have come on the road, and is 1-0 with a 6.43 earned run average over that span.

Lester's most recent start was the shakiest of his comeback outings. Against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim last Wednesday, he was tagged for five runs and eight hits before departing after 3 1/3 innings. He wound up with a no decision in Boston's 9-6 victory.

The former second-round draft pick faced the Devil Rays in St. Petersburg back on July 28 and allowed four runs on six hits, including two homers, in a 6 2/3-inning no decision.

While tonight's game will certainly be meaningful for Lester on a personal level, it's also an important one for the Red Sox, who have been feeling the heat from the scorching Yankees lately. Boston's once-sizeable lead atop the American League East has dwindled to four games over second-place New York, which has won 12 of its last 14.

The Red Sox maintained their current advantage, however, with Monday's 3-0 triumph over Tampa Bay. Tim Wakefield took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and twirled eight scoreless frames to lead the way.

Wakefield (14-10) yielded just two hits and a pair of walks to improve to 18-2 lifetime against the Devil Rays. The knuckleball specialist did not allow a hit until Carl Crawford singled through the right side of the infield to lead off the seventh.

Jonathan Papelbon finished the shutout with a scoreless ninth and recorded his 28th save.

Julio Lugo went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored to pace Boston offensively, while David Ortiz and Mike Lowell also knocked in runs on the evening.

James Shields (9-8) was dealt a hard-luck loss for the Devil Rays, who have dropped three of their last four games. The right-hander permitted just one run on five hits and did not issue a walk through the first six innings.

Tampa Bay has now lost all four meetings with Boston in Fenway this season and is a woeful 5-28 in Beantown since the start of the 2004 campaign. The Red Sox have also won six of the seven overall encounters between the divisional foes in 2007.

Scott Kazmir will attempt to reverse that disturbing trend when he takes the hill tonight for the Rays. The hard-throwing lefty has been superb over his last three starts and has given the Red Sox fits over the course of his brief career.

Kazmir has surrendered only one run over 19 combined innings in back-to-back victories over Baltimore and Detroit plus a no decision against the Red Sox on July 29. He has also racked up 24 strikeouts over that impressive stretch.

The 23-year-old limited Detroit to three hits and fanned seven over six shutout frames in his most recent mound trip, leading Tampa to an 8-1 decision last Thursday.

Kazmir also delivered six scoreless innings against Boston in that July 29 start, but did not factor in the decision of a 5-2 Rays win at Tropicana Field. He owns a 5-3 record and an outstanding 2.55 ERA in 13 previous starts versus the Red Sox.

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Huskers' Lucky hospitalized for undisclosed reason

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence.

The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night.

MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds.

A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family.

A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital.

Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.

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