Jon Lester says beers were consumed in the clubhouse during games, but
(Greg Fiume / Getty Images)
Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester defended himself and his teammates after a recent report about pitchers eating fried chicken, playing video games and drinking in the clubhouse during games.

“I’m trying to set the record straight,” Lester told ESPN Boston in one of a number of interviews. “It’s tough to sit back and let people bash your name, and that’s what they’re doing.

“You know what? We didn’t play good baseball. People are making us out to be a bunch of drunk, fried-chicken eating SOBs, playing video games. You can ask my wife, for the last 10 years I don’t think I’ve played a single video game and Josh [Beckett] and Lack [John Lackey] are the same way. But one person writes an article, and things have gotten blown way out of proportion, almost to another planet. We’re getting crushed.”

Responding to allegations reported by the Boston Globe last week, Lester told the Globe on Monday that drinking was confined to starters who weren’t pitching. “It was a ninth-inning rally beer,” he said. “We probably ordered chicken from Popeye’s like once a month. That happened. But that’s not the reason we lost.

“Most of the times it was one beer, a beer. It was like having a Coke in terms of how it affected you mentally or physically. I know how it looks to people and it probably looks bad. But we weren’t up there just drinking and eating and nobody played video games. We watched the game.”

The Red Sox went through an epic September swoon, one that helped speed the departure of manager Terry Francona and presumed departure of general manager Theo Epstein. The Epstein-to-Chicago move hinges on the Sox and Cubs agreeing to compensation; Boston reportedly sought Cubs starter Matt Garza, but Chicago refused.

With the upheaval continuing, Lester told the Globe that, while he hadn’t asked to speak for Beckett, Lackey or the other starters, he felt compelled to speak up.

“Consider us a unit when it comes to these accusations,” he said. “We either fall together or rise above it all together whether they like it or not. Things got magnified because we lost and sources started telling people what happened, which has me upset because if you’re going to say something, be a man to put your name to it. But we’re not bad people and we’re not a bad group of guys.

“Are there things I regret? Sure there are. But nothing happened that had me unprepared to pitch. I don’t blame people for wanting answers because we had a hell of a team and we lost. You can’t have a team that gets paid like we get paid and loses and not expect people to want answers.”

Lester pointed out that members of the 2004 Red Sox drank Jack Daniel’s whiskey before Game 4 of the American League Championship Series and before each game of the World Series, in which they swept the St. Louis Cardinals.

“Those guys were celebrated as ‘The Idiots,’ ” Lester said, “and they were drinking shots. What’s the difference? They won and we lost, so we’re devils, we’re bad people.

“I’m not making excuses for what we did. I’m owning up to what I did. But I can honestly tell you that I was prepared every five days — and so were the other guys — to go out and perform. We were physically prepared to perform. But I stunk, plain and simple. I’m not going to shy away from that. I stunk.”

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Can it get any more embarrassing for the once-mighty Boston Red Sox this offseason?

Beer-drinking and fried-chicken-eating in the clubhouse during games? Video-game playing, too? Players publicly dogging the now-fired manager by saying he was too loose with the troops, a pushover for the high-priced slackers on the roster?

Oh, my.

 Even the sad-sack Orioles never sank that low. No matter how badly they played, at least they had more respect for the game.

Red Sox starter Jon Lester defended the Red Sox’s sordid frat-boy hi-jinks the other day by saying he and others were doing all that beer-guzzling and Popeye’s-ordering even when the team was going good.

He told the Boston Globe and other media outlets that none of that behavior really contributed to the downfall of the 2011 Sox. Boston just played bad baseball in September, he said, adding “We stunk.”

Plus, he said, those were actually “ninth-inning rally beers” that he and John Lackey and Josh Beckett were guzzling in the clubhouse as the rest of the Sox were out on the field trying to win games.

Oh, so it was sort of like: this Bud’s for you, fellas? Go get ‘em?

 Say, that really is team spirit!

 Actually, the more Lester talked in these interviews, the more spoiled and selfish — and clueless — he and the 2011 Red Sox looked.

 ”I should have been on the bench more than I was,” Lester said to the Globe, admitting that the beer-drinking during games “was the wrong thing to do.”

But that was the closest thing to contrition that Red Sox fans heard out of Lester’s mouth. And this isn’t the last we’re going to hear about the goings-on in the Boston clubhouse, either.

Over the next few weeks, look for more juicy details to emerge as other Red Sox players come forward with their versions of the events that took place during the worst late-season collapse in baseball history.

For the Red Sox, now without both a field manager and general manager, it’s a PR nightmare that doesn’t figure to end anytime soon.

Only the Popeye’s chain comes out a winner in this one.

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The Boston Red Sox took
out their recent frustrations on Toronto by bashing the
Blue Jays 14-0 for an uplifting victory on Tuesday.

The Red Sox dominated at the plate and on the mound where
pitcher Jon Lester helped halt their slide in the American
League East and recover from an 11-inning 1-0 shutout loss to
the Blue Jays the previous night.

Boston ace Josh Beckett had to exit Monday’s loss with an
ankle injury, but Lester (15-6) picked up the slack with an
11-strike-out performance in his seven innings.

The Red Sox jumped on the Blue Jays (70-72) as they tallied
at least two runs in each of the first five innings to punish
the home team.

Marco Scutaro recorded four hits and four RBIs while David
Ortiz also added four of Boston’s 20 hits on the night.

The Red Sox (85-56), who had lost four of their previous
five coming in to the night, are now within two games of the
division-leading New York Yankees.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. —

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(Sports Network) – Not only was Tim Wakefield denied his 200th career win yet
again on Saturday, the Boston Red Sox also missed out on a golden opportunity
to move up in the standings in the American League East. Today at least the
team can give it another shot, taking on Kansas City Royals in the finale of a
four-game set at Kauffman Stadium.

Wakefield has been trying for nearly a month to reach the 200-win plateau, but
is winless in his last five starts since capturing victory 199 on July 24. He
was charged with four runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings on Saturday as the
Sox suffered the 9-4 setback on the road.

“I’m trying to take it like it’s a normal start and trying to go out there and
give us some quality innings, quality starts,” said Wakefield. “I had a bad
sixth inning.”

Wakefield didn’t figure into the decision, one that left the Sox still one-
half game behind the New York Yankees in the standings after the Bronx Bombers
were defeated by the Minnesota Twins. Instead, it was Matt Albers
who suffered his fourth setback of 2011 as he gave up five runs in the sixth
inning.

Dustin Pedroia, Carl Crawford and Ryan Lavarnway all registered two hits for
Boston as the squad saw a brief two-game win streak come to a halt.

The Royals sent 12 batters to the plate and had seven of their 14 hits during
the decisive sixth inning. Eric Hosmer’s two-run triple capped the big rally,
as Kansas City snapped a two-game slide but is still 16 games out of
contention in the AL Central and all alone in last place in the division.

Alex Gordon contributed three hits, including a two-run double in the sixth,
while Hosmer had both of his hits during the rally. Jeff Francoeur, Billy
Butler and Mike Moustakas also chipped in with a pair of hits as well

KC hurler Felipe Paulino benefited from the scoring burst by the Royals to
earn his first win in seven starts. He gave up four runs on eight hits in six
innings after going 0-3 in his previous six starts and just 1-5 in 14
appearances since being acquired from the Rockies for cash in May.

Heading back to the hill for the Red Sox today is lefty Jon Lester as he seeks
to post back-to-back wins for the first time since early June. The Washington
native has won just two of his last five starts, including a 3-1 triumph over
Tampa Bay earlier this week.

Against the Rays Lester lasted seven innings, allowing just one run on three
hits, walking one and striking out eight in his 12th victory of the campaign.

Lester has yet to defeat KC this season, although the hurler did not receive a
decision the last time he faced them, despite giving up one run on seven hits
over 5 1/3 innings of work. For his career Lester has a mark of 4-1 with a
minuscule 1.28 ERA.

As for the Royals, they have Danny Duffy penciled in as their starter this
time around. The lefty, in his first major league season, has been roughed up
of late and has suffered three straight defeats. On Tuesday the California
native was beaten up by the Yankees who scored eight runs on just as many hits
and a pair of walks over the course of three innings. Duffy walked two and
struck out three, in addition to hitting a couple of batters before Kansas
City eventually bowed in the 9-7 setback.

Duffy faced Boston once before during the season and while he failed to factor
into the decision, he and the Royals suffered a 13-9 loss on the road at
Fenway in late July as the hurler again failed to make it through four
innings, giving up six runs on six hits and three walks.

Boston, which has won the season series against the Royals in each of the
previous three seasons, now leads the squad by a 4-3 mark in 2011.
contests in this series.

The Sports Network

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Updated Aug 6, 2011 3:19 AM ET

BOSTON (AP)

Bases loaded. Two out. Already trailing by two runs in the fifth inning, New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi decided he couldn’t wait any longer.

Out went starter Bartolo Colon and in came Boone Logan, the only left-hander in the Yankees bullpen, to face Red Sox All-Star Adrian Gonzalez.

“That’s a big situation,” Logan said Friday night after striking out Gonzalez, who leads the majors with a .356 batting average and 91 RBIs, to end the scoring threat. “You can’t think of it like, ‘It’s Adrian Gonzalez.’ That’s where you can get into trouble.”

Five New York relievers combined to throw 4-1/3 shutout innings after Colon couldn’t make it out of the fifth, and the Yankees scored three in the top of the sixth to win 3-2 and take over the lead in the AL East. It was the eighth straight win for the Yankees, who had beaten Boston just once in nine previous meetings this season.

“They are human,” right fielder Nick Swisher said. “They can be beat. It was a big lift for us.”

Swisher had two hits, including an RBI double off Jon Lester (11-5) to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth for his 29th save, striking out Josh Reddick for the final out as the Yankees took over the top spot in the division for the first time since July 6.

The Red Sox led 2-0 after four and loaded the bases against Colon in the fifth. With Gonzalez up, Girardi brought in Logan (3-2).

“Bases loaded; there’s no room for error on Boone’s part. That’s a huge statement,” Girardi said. “It’s a big win, To be able to come from behind when Lester was dealing; to be able to scratch three runs across by some great at-bats, that was a big win for us.”

Lester, who had won five consecutive starts against the Yankees, allowed three runs on five hits and four walks, striking out seven in six-plus innings. David Ortiz homered and Reddick had a pair of hits for Boston, which had been a season-high three games in front of New York on July 24.

They still led by 2-1/2 games on the morning of July 30 before the Yankees swept the Orioles in a doubleheader to start their winning streak. But the teams came into the three-game series at Fenway Park tied for the best record in the AL, both 68-42.

“It’s probably going to be close,” Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford said. “A photo finish.”

The game brought out the stars, with Seinfeld co-creator Larry David and Spike Lee rooting for the Yankees and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and Peter Farrelly, of the filmmaking brothers, pulling for the home team. It was a pleasant 71 degrees for the first pitch, and the crowd of 38,006 was the 688th consecutive sellout at Fenway Park.

The fans saw Lester outlast Colon, but only long enough to run into trouble himself in the sixth.

The Red Sox left-hander walked No. 9 hitter Eduardo Nunez and gave up back-to-back singles to Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson to score one run before Mark Teixeira walked to load the bases. The Yankees tied it on Robinson Cano’s 4-6-3 double-play, and then took a 3-2 lead on Swisher’s double down the third-base line.

Colon was pulled after throwing 94 pitches in 4-2/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk. He gave up Jacoby Ellsbury’s RBI double in the third and Ortiz’s solo homer in the fourth, then loaded the bases in the fifth before Boone Logan (3-2) struck out Adrian Gonzalez on a checked swing to end the threat.

“I just wasn’t able to hold back,” Gonzalez said. “They (the bullpen) did a good job. You’ve got to tip your cap to them.”

Logan pitched one inning in all, giving up one hit while striking out one.

Notes: Yankees RHP Mark Prior struck out two and hit a batter during a scoreless inning in the Gulf Coast League, where he is rehabbing from a strained groin and back soreness. … Game 2 of the series will feature CC Sabathia against John Lackey. Sabathia is 16-5 with a 2.55 ERA this season, but he is 0-3 with a 6.16 ERA against Boston. Including the playoffs, he is 6-10 with a 4.40 ERA against the Red Sox in his career, most of it with Cleveland. Lackey has won four straight decisions. He is 7-9 with a 4.33 ERA against the Yankees in his career. Lackey has faced the Yankees once this year, getting a win on April 8 despite allowing six runs in five innings. … Jeter was thrown out trying to steal second in the third inning and Nunez was thrown out in the seventh, just the fourth and fifth time in the last 53 attempts a Yankee has been caught stealing. Nunez did break up a double play by upending Dustin Pedroia and forcing a high throw to first. … Boston SS Jed Lowrie, who has not played since June 16 because of a damaged nerve in his left shoulder, was the DH for Pawtucket on a rehab assignment on Friday. He was scheduled to play shortstop Saturday, take Sunday off and be activated on Monday.

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CBSSports.com wire reports
July 6, 2011

BOSTON — Another Red Sox pitcher goes on the disabled list, and Tim Wakefield just keeps trotting out to the mound.

The oldest active player in the majors — he’ll be 45 in less than a month — Wakefield earned his 198th career victory on Wednesday night, scattering nine hits over seven innings to lead Boston to a 6-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

“He was pitching the best I’ve seen him so far,” said catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who chased three of Wakefield’s knucklers to the backstop for passed balls. “He’s definitely a guy that deserves to be in the rotation.”

Jacoby Ellsbury and Kevin Youkilis had three extra-base hits apiece as the Red Sox won for the sixth time in seven games. Wakefield (5-3) allowed three runs, struck out seven and walked one, providing the team a boost as it tries to cobble together a rotation without Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester and Daisuke Matsuzaka.

“He stepped in and pitched professionally,” manager Terry Francona said. “It’s sure nice to have a guy like that.”

The longest-tenured member of the Red Sox, Wakefield started the season without a spot in the rotation but has made 20 appearances, including 11 starts, because of injuries to other Boston starters. The latest was Lester, who went on the DL before Wednesday’s game, a day after leaving after four innings with a strained muscle in his back.

The day before that, John Lackey lasted just 2 1/3 innings.

“I know I had to go deep in the game tonight because the bullpen had been taxed lately,” Wakefield said. “As a starting pitcher, it’s something you take a lot of pride in.”

The Red Sox said after the game that Lester had an MRI that confirmed a strained latissimus muscle; he will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break. Doctors also confirmed Buchholz’s strained lower back can be treated with rehabilitation.

Francona said the news on both was good.

“Yeah,” he said. “Really good.”

Ricky Romero (7-8) gave up six runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings for Toronto. He surrendered leadoff homers in the first two innings, to Ellsbury and Youkilis, and allowed five straight hits — three of them doubles — as Boston scored four times in the fourth inning.

The game was delayed by rain with two outs in the top of the eighth inning, Boston leading 6-3 and Aaron Hill coming to bat. After a 40-minute delay, Dan Wheeler struck Hill out, then Jonathan Papelbon gave up one run in the ninth but earned his 19th save.

Yunel Escobar had four hits, including an RBI single in the ninth, for Toronto, which went homerless for the first time in 14 games. Jose Bautista and Travis Snider had two hits apiece.

Romero had allowed just 17 runs in his previous 75 2/3 innings, but he has struggled against the Red Sox. In 11 career starts vs. Boston, he is 2-6 with an 8.08 ERA — his worst numbers against any team.

“This is not the way I wanted to end the first half, like this,” Romero said. “I know I’m good enough to pitch against any team. … I’m looking forward to facing them next time and hopefully I’m successful.”

The solo homers gave Boston a 2-1 lead before the Blue Jays made it 3-2 in the third on a sacrifice fly by Bautista and Adam Lind’s RBI single. But with two out in the fourth, J.D. Drew doubled, then Darnell McDonald and Saltalamacchia singled and Yamaico Navarro and Ellsbury doubled to give Boston a 6-3 lead.

Youkilis left Monday’s game after being hit by a pitch in the fourth inning and rested Tuesday night. He returned to the lineup on Wednesday and started at first base for the first time this season, filling in for Adrian Gonzalez, who got his first day off of the season because of a stiff neck.

Notes

• RHP Scott Atchison was called up to replace Lester on the roster; he’ll work out of the bullpen.
• Bautista’s 28 home runs before the All-Star break is one short of the Blue Jays’ record set by George Bell in 1987.
• Toronto fell to 29-30 on the road this season.
• Papelbon hit J.P. Arencibia with a pitch in the ninth. He was replaced by pinch-runner Mike McCoy.

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