Lester's gem leads reeling Red Sox past Giants 5-1

[June 28, 2010]  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Jon Lester pitched a five-hitter, David Ortiz splashed a home run into McCovey Cove and the Boston Red Sox beat Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants 5-1 Sunday.

Lester put the Red Sox ahead for good with a sacrifice fly in the second inning. Adrian Beltre also homered and Marco Scutaro and Bill Hall each hit RBI singles as Boston took the series.

The Red Sox finished up a rocky, six-game road trip that included several injuries and lots of lineup shuffling.

Lincecum (8-3), the two-time reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, was done after a season-low three innings having already thrown 79 pitches. He had a three-start winning streak snapped.

Lester (9-3) gave Boston a big boost a day after the Red Sox relied on relievers for all but one inning because starter Clay Buchholz hyperextended his left knee.

Lester struck out nine and walked one.

Hall, filling in while second baseman Dustin Pedroia recovers from a broken left foot, also doubled and scored a run.

J.D. Drew tripled off the wall in right leading off the sixth, a positive sign for the Red Sox as the right fielder returned to the starting lineup for the first time since leaving a June 18 game with a strained right hamstring.

Lester's career-high eight-game winning streak was snapped Tuesday at Colorado but he was on from the start in this one. He got a nice early lift from Big Papi's bat, then rolled. Lester retired 17 of the final 18 batters he faced in order, including the last 10 in an efficient 103-pitch performance. He pitched his sixth career complete game and second of 2010.

Ortiz's home run ball was quickly snatched up by a kayaker in San Francisco Bay.

It was the 72nd time a homer reached the water at 11-year-old AT&T Park and the 20th by an opponent. Arizona's Miguel Montero was the last to do so on Sept. 29, 2009.

Home run king Barry Bonds has 35 of them. Aubrey Huff, who drove in San Francisco's lone run on a groundout, has two splash-hit homers this season.

Ortiz, playing first base for the fourth time this season and first start of the series, was called out on strikes in his next at-bat and he had an earful for home plate umpire Mike DiMuro afterward. The slugger struck out swinging against Dan Runzler to start the fifth.

Lincecum was trying to finish an unbeaten June after allowing only four earned runs over 22 innings for a 1.64 ERA in winning his previous three starts. He allowed that many alone in his three innings Sunday, giving up five hits, striking out four and walking one.

Beat-up Boston's off-days on Monday and Thursday will come at a good time.

Mike Cameron was off for the Red Sox a day after hitting his first homer of the year and making a clutch late-game catch at the wall in center. He missed 34 games from April 20 to May 24 with a lower abdominal strain. Cameron had hoped to play Sunday but told manager Terry Francona in the morning he was sore.

"We appreciated his honesty," Francona said. "We're going to have to use some caution with him."

San Francisco rookie Buster Posey went 0 for 4 in his first career game in the cleanup spot.

NOTES: Lincecum threw only 44 strikes. ... The Red Sox have some flexibility with the off-days to push back Buchholz, who arrived at the ballpark feeling pretty good a day after leaving his start after only one inning because of the knee he hurt while running the bases after a second-inning single. ... The Giants held a pregame ceremony to honor their pitchers who have thrown no-hitters: Ed Halicki, Gaylord Perry, Juan Marichal, John Montefusco and current LHP Jonathan Sanchez, whose no-no came last July 10 vs. San Diego. ... RHP John Lackey, Boston's Tuesday starter, enjoyed his rare pinch-hit appearance Saturday -- a groundout. He thought he might be called upon to bunt, but not actually swing. "It was fun," Lackey said. "That's probably the first and last time." ... The game drew 41,528 for the Giants' third straight sellout and 11th of the year.

[Associated Press; By JANIE McCAULEY]

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