Jon Lester ran his career record against Baltimore to 8-0 with Monday's win.

AP photo / Nick Wass

BALTIMORE -- The Red Sox wasted little time settling back into the American League.

After going 4-2 against the Nationals and Braves as interleague games concluded for 2009 on this road trip, Boston arrived at Camden Yards ready for an A.L. opponent and dismissed the Orioles, 4-0.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona decided to tweak the top of his batting order just a bit, and it worked. He replaced Dustin Pedroia in the leadoff spot with J.D. Drew and dropped the second baseman to the No. 2 in the order. Drew finished the night 3-for-5, including a triple, homer and single - just a double shy of the cycle.

"It seemed to work out alright," he said jokingly after the victory. "I had a couple of hits, so it’s all good."

He said he was aware he was a double away from the cycle when he stepped into the batter’s box in the bottom of the eighth inning. Drew grounded out to second.

"Absolutely," he said. "There’s not a player alive who would say he didn’t know he needed a double in that situation. I got a ball down and away, swung through it. Then I think I hit a changeup. I was trying to hit a double. It just didn’t quite work out. I was going to hit the ball and run straight to second if I had to. Yup, right through the middle of the infield."

Drew lead off with a triple and scored on Pedroia’s RBI single for a quick 1-0 lead. After Jason Varitek drove in the Sox’ second run with a RBI single in the fourth inning, Drew later provided a two-run homer to deep right field to give Boston a 4-0 advantage.

That’s all the Sox needed.

Jon Lester did the rest.

The left-hander worked seven scoreless innings and allowed only five hits with eight strikeouts to improve to 7-6 in 16 starts.

Varitek said it best about Lester.

"Everybody forgets that he’s only 25," he said. "He’s still developing. He may still go into a rut and do different things, but that’s part of his maturity."

Lester has come to own the Orioles. Not literally, of course, but when he pitches against them they haven’t been able to figure him out. With Monday night’s victory he improves to 8-0 in career starts against Baltimore with a .218 ERA.

"He was good. That’s a very good hitting lineup - period," said Varitek. "He was real good. He used both sides of the plate. He was able to pitch backwards at times, he mixed in some changeups, backdoor cutters and he had a really good curveball late. He was good."

It was clear from the start the Sox’ southpaw was in very good rhythm, especially with his curveball that Francona called "explosive." Lester was able to throw work it on both sides of the plate and just out of the zone, keeping the Orioles batters off balance all night.

"I don’t pitch different against them as I do any other team," he said. "I was fortunate enough to get some runs early on and that’s biggest thing."

Lester is a humbling pitcher and likes to put his focus on the one-pitch-at-a-time philosophy. It works for him and he proved it again Monday night.

"It was a good game. J.D. swung the bat great," said Pedroia. "It seems like every time [Francona] mixes it up, we do something good for him. It was nice win. Jon Lester was great and we need to keep it going."

jmcdonal@projo.com