It’s appropriate that the season of redemption was capped off by John Lackey, the man who needed it most.

Lackey hurled a complete game, two-hitter in the Red Sox’s 3-1 win over the Orioles last night. The Red Sox have clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2009. Their magic number to clinch the division is down to one game.

Series By The Numbers

Tuesday: L 3-2 (Danny Valencia leads off the ninth inning with a triple, ending Koji Uehara’s streak of 37 consecutive batters retired. Matt Wieters knocks him in with a sacrifice fly. Dustin Pedroia hits his second home run since July 31, and Ryan Dempster tosses six innings of two-run ball.)

Wednesday: L 5-3 (Chris Davis hits a two-run single in the 12th to give the Orioles the lead. The Red Sox go 1-7 with runners in scoring position and leave nine men on base.)

Thursday: W 3-1 (Red Sox clinch a playoff berth behind a complete game from Lackey. Stephen Drew blasts a two-run homer, and Pedroia doubles in Jackie Bradley Jr. to give him more than enough run support.)

Lackey Is A Warrior

Few players embody this season’s turnaround more than Lackey does, who was one of the poster boys for chicken and beer and pretty much everything that went wrong with this team for an 18-month period.

Following a historically bad 2011, in which he posted a franchise worst 6.41 ERA in 28 starts after pitching through a severe elbow injury, Lackey missed all of 2012 to recover from Tommy John surgery.

He chose to travel with the team despite not being able to play last year, a decision that drew the ire of many Red Sox fans. Last August, it was reported Lackey was double-fisting beers in the clubhouse following yet another loss.

Lackey reported to Spring Training this year supposedly in the “best shape of his life.” He returned to the mound April 6 to face the Blue Jays, and exited the game after 4.1 innings with a strained right arm.

It was a tough break for Lackey, who showed arguably the best stuff he ever had in a Red Sox uniform in that outing. He returned to the hill three weeks later to face the Astros, and has been a stalwart of consistency since.

Lackey may have pitched his best game in a Red Sox uniform on Thursday night, and has lowered his ERA to 3.44 on the season. It is the second lowest ERA Lackey has ever had in his career. He’s averaging 1.9 walks per nine innings this season after walking 3.2 batters per nine innings in 2011.

Actions speak louder than words, and after years of being vilified by the fans and media, Lackey has posted a terrific comeback season. His teammates have always loved him, and now the fans do as well.

Lackey will start game two or three of a playoff series in a couple of weeks. It’s exactly how everyone drew it up … or maybe not.

Stephen Drew Has Been The Best Red Sox Shortstop Since Nomar

That is not hyperbole. In addition to providing above average defense at shortstop, Drew has belted 13 home runs and has a .771 OPS. Since August 1, Drew is hitting .284 with an .865 OPS.

It may have taken nitwit talk radio callers a few months to come around, but there’s no denying the Red Sox made the right decision bringing Drew aboard on a one-year deal last offseason. Jose Iglesias had hit like a little leaguer at every level in the organization, and Drew was a bona fide major league caliber shortstop. He missed two months in 2011 and the start of 2012 after fracturing his ankle sliding into home plate. If that makes him “soft,” so be it.

There is still plenty of room to jump aboard the Drew fan club. But space is limited, so get on while you can.

John Farrell’s Managerial Blunder

Though Drew was the recipient of some well-deserved man love above, he shouldn’t be hitting against left-handed pitching in crucial spots.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia led off the 11th inning of Tuesday night’s game with a single. Quintin Berry, who has never been caught stealing in his major league career, pinch-ran for him.

Instead of allowing Berry to steal, Farrell chose to to take the bat out of Daniel Nava’s hands and had him bunt Berry over to scoring position.

With the lefty T.J. McFarland on the mound, Orioles manager Buck Showalter opted to walk Will Middlebrooks so he could face Drew with two on and one out. Predictably, Drew grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Farrell, much like Terry Francona, shows faith in his veteran players. However, there comes a time when loyalty needs to be cast aside in favor of rationality. Drew is hitting .183 against left-handed pitching this season. Xander Bogaerts is hitting .500 against lefties in the big leagues this year.

Come the playoffs, Bogaerts should pinch-hit for Drew against left-hander relievers in late game situations. Farrell all but acknowledged that would be the case in October, too.

 “We Want More, We Want More”

It was a tempered celebration at Fenway Park last night, with the Red Sox acknowledging they’ll really celebrate when they clinch the division over the weekend.

Jon Lester, who has regained his position as the ace of the pitching staff, will pitch for the division title against the Blue Jays tonight. Awesome.

Photos via Comcast SportsNet New England and Jim Rogash/AP

 

 

 

 

 

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