Not perfect enough: Lester, Sox take loss

Red Sox starter Jon Lester had the stuff to make history on Saturday, retiring the first 16 Mariners hitters he faced, 10 of them by way of the strikeout. But his bid for perfection was ended with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning, when a line drive to left-center by Seattle shortstop Jack Wilson clanged off the glove of center fielder Eric Patterson for an error. Wilson reached second, and against the next batter, Lester -- pitching out of the stretch for the first time of the game -- hung a curveball to Michael Saunders, who crushed it into the right field stands for a two-run home run.

The Mariners later rallied for three more runs in the eighth against Lester (11-5) and reliever Manny Delcarmen. Those additional runs proved unnecessary against a Sox team that could produce no offense of its own en route to a startling 5-1 loss.

On a night when Lester was given no margin for error, he set a new career high with 13 strikeouts. The only two balls that the Mariners hit in the air through the first seven innings, in fact, were Wilson's liner and Saunders' homer.

The Sox managed just one run on five hits against the Mariners. David Ortiz gave his team a 1-0 lead by lining a homer into the stands in right-center on the first pitch of the fourth inning against Seattle (and ex-Sox) starter David Pauley. But the Sox otherwise were silent, as Pauley allowed just one run over 5 2/3 innings, while the bullpen combination of Chris Seddon (1-0), Jamey Wright and Garrett Olson did not allow a hit over the final 3 1/3 innings.

The loss dropped the Sox seven games behind the Yankees in the AL East, and four games behind the Rays in the wild card. For more on the game, click here to read Closing Time. For complete Red Sox coverage, visit www.weei.com/redsox.