G19: Red Sox 4, Angels 3

Red Sox - 001 201 000 - 4  5  0
Angels  - 000 000 120 - 3  9  2

Lester (6-4-0-2-8, 111) escaped jams in the second and third innings, and outdueled Haren (6-5-4-3-6, 109). Boston has won six of its last seven games, and is 3.5 GB the Yankees (and only one game out of second place).

Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a two-bagger with one out in the third and, with two outs, Jacoby Ellsbury doubled him home. With two outs in the fourth, Haren walked Jed Lowrie and allowed a double to J.D. Drew. Both runners scored when center fielder Peter Bourjos dropped and kicked Carl Crawford's routine pop fly to short right-center.

In the sixth, Lowrie doubled to left and kept running to third when Vernon Wells bobbled the ball on the warning track. Drew quickly knocked Lowrie in with a single, the only one of Boston's five hits that was not a double.

Matt Albers allowed a two-out run in the seventh and Bobby Jenks started the eighth by giving up a double to Howie Kendrick and an RBI single to Bobby Abreu. Abreu took second on a wild pitch and then advanced two bases on a passed ball (Salty had absolutely no idea where it went), crossing the plate unmolested, cutting the Sox's lead to 4-3. Jenks walked Albertio Callaspo, but then recorded the third out.

Hank Conger singled with one out in the ninth against Jonathan Papelbon, but the Boston closer retired Bourjos on an 0-2 fly to right and struck out Kendrick on three pitches.

Jon Lester / Dan Haren

Boston Starters

Games  1-12 - 6.71 ERA
Games 13-18 - 1.37 ERA

Haren has walked only two batters in 31 innings, while striking out 27 (1.16 ERA, 0.645 WHIP). Righties are batting .179 against him and lefties are at .155; on-base percentages for both groups are also below .200. He and Jered Weaver (who pitched on Wednesday and will miss this series) are dominating the AL Pitchers leaderboard so far this year.

Happy 52nd birthday to Terry Francona!

Two other April 22 anniversaries: 1876 - In the first National League game ever played, the Boston Red Caps beat the Philadelphia Athletics 6-5. ... 1914 - Babe Ruth, age 19, plays his first professional game, pitching a 6-0 for the Baltimore Orioles over the Buffalo Bisons.

AL East: Yankees/Orioles and Rays/Blue Jays at 7 PM.