BOSTON - Jon Lester didn’t figure in yesterday's decision, and by game’s end it was difficult to remember that the left-hander had started yesterday’s action-packed seesaw game.

Lester, though, turned in another excellent outing, working 7 1/3 innings. He gave up only two runs on nine hits, and while he lost his command a bit in the latter stages of his outing, Lester was working quickly and throwing strikes.

Over his last nine starts Lester, who threw a no-hitter against Kansas City on May 19, is 4-1 with a 2.22 earned-run average. Overall he is 6-3 with a 3.13 ERA.

“He threw the ball today as well as he has,” said catcher Jason Varitek. “He has gotten his strength back. He really wants to learn and get better and he competes.”