CHICAGO (AP) — Jon Lester pitched eight strong innings Saturday night and the Boston Red Sox got homers from Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis and three RBIs from Marco Scutaro in a 10-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
It was Boston’s first win in its last eight games against the White Sox.
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Lester (11-4), in his second start since coming off the disabled list (strained latissimus), allowed two runs and four hits with a walk and eight strikeouts to get his first victory since June 30. He lost the shutout in the seventh when Paul Konerko hit his 25th homer and also gave up a solo shot to Gordon Beckham in the eighth.
Boston put it away with five runs in the top of the ninth. The Red Sox finished with 15 hits.
Lester (11-4), in his second start since coming off the disabled list (strained latissimus), allowed two runs and four hits with a walk and eight strikeouts to get his first victory since June 30. He lost his shutout in the seventh when Paul Konerko hit his 25th homer and also gave up a solo shot to Gordon Beckham in the eighth.
Boston put it away with five runs in the top of the ninth. The Red Sox finished with 15 hits.
Gonzalez hit his 18th homer in the ninth, a two-run shot off reliever Brian Bruney, and now has 89 RBIs this season. Youkilis then followed with his 15th homer to push the lead to six. Jarrod Saltalamacchia added an RBI double and Scutaro a run-scoring single.
Boston broke a scoreless tie in the fifth with four runs against Phil Humber (8-7) as Carl Crawford singled, stole second and reached third on catcher A.J. Pierzynski’s throwing error. Saltalamacchia hit an RBI double, moved to third on a bunt single by Josh Reddick and scored on Scutaro’s sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead.
Jacoby Ellsbury followed with a single and stole second, putting runners at second and third before Dustin Pedroia hit another sacrifice fly for a three-run cushion. After Gonzalez was walked intentionally, Youkilis hit a broken-bat liner that went off third baseman Brent Morel’s glove for an RBI single that ended Humber’s night.
Scutaro added an RBI single to right center in the eighth as Reddick scored all the way from first when Beckham couldn’t handle a late throw from center fielder Alex Rios.
Humber, who was Chicago’s most consistent starter in the first half of the season, hadn’t pitched since July 17. He’d been assigned temporarily to the bullpen after a rainout forced the White Sox to rearrange their rotation and to give him some rest. He didn’t see any work as a reliever, and now has lost his last three starts, giving up 24 hits and 14 earned runs in 14 innings.
Humber surrendered six hits and the four runs in 4 2/3 innings.
Notes: White Sox general manager Ken Williams said it’s unlikely the team will be making any more trades before Sunday’s deadline. … The Red Sox announced they had signed catcher Jordan Weems, a third-round draft pick this year, and also third baseman Nick Moore, who was selected in the 30th round. … Konerko’s homer was the 390th of his career. It ties him with Graig Nettles for 53rd place on the all-time list. … Mike Aviles, acquired earlier in the day from Kansas City, played third for the Red Sox in the bottom of the ninth. … Frasor earlier made his White Sox debut by pitching two-thirds of an inning.
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