G36: Mariners 5, Red Sox 4

Red Sox  - 112 000 000 - 4  8  0
Mariners - 000 014 00x - 5 11  2

Lester was hurt by the long ball again -- Ichiro Suzuki hit dongs in consecutive innings -- and the Red Sox bats came up empty against the Seattle pen, including last night's closer, David Aardsma.

In 47 innings this season, Lester has given up 10 home runs. He allowed only 14 in 210.1 innings last year.

Bright spots: Jacoby Ellsbury and J.D. Drew both went 3-for-5. Lyndon doubled, tripled and singled in the first four innings. Daniel Bard pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, getting out of a self-made jam in the seventh; he did not record a strikeout.

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Jon Lester (6.31, 79 ERA+) / Chris Jakubauskas (7.67, 60 ERA+)

After a nice game against the Yankees, Lester was pummeled in his last start, allowing eight runs and 10 hits to Tampa Bay in 4.1 innings.

Jakubauskas suffered similar abuse from the Twins in his last outing (4.1-8-9-3-0, 103). (It's a shame we can't hear Jerry Remy attempt to pronounce the rookie right-hander's name tonight.) Seattle has lost nine of its last 10 games.

As noted earlier, David Ortiz has the night off.

The Seattle area could be called Red Sox West:

Jason Bay (Trail, B.C.), Jeff Bailey (Longview, Wash.), Jon Lester (Tacoma, Wash.), and Jacoby Ellsbury (Madras, Ore.) all hail from the Pacific Northwest. Jed Lowrie (Salem, Ore.) would be on the list, but he's back in Boston rehabbing his left wrist.

Bailey lived in Seattle for a few offseaons, and Bay lives there now in the offseason; his wife is from Seattle.

Surprise! Javier Lopez cleared waivers and was sent to Pawtucket. I would have thought one team would take him.

Thanks to Center Field for this bit on Daniel Bard's ardent admirers.

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Also: Manny Ramirez had no traces of hCG in his system, but he is not in the clear (no pun intended) by any means. ... Jim Leyritz, awaiting trial on DUI manslaughter charges, reportedly threatened suicide and voluntarily checked himself into a psychiatric ward.