As had been the case on Friday, a reporter asked John Lackey if he was concerned at all about the number of hitters who have been getting on base against him lately. The free agent has allowed 31 hits and 16 walks in his last 24 1/3 innings pitched -- a WHIP of 1.93 -- and has had to pitch with runners on base lately just about as often as not.

Lackey, though, brushed aside the question as ridiculous.

"You guys are pretty negative after a sweep," he said.

Lackey, actually, saw it exactly the other way.

"Honestly, that's probably the best I've thrown the ball," he said with an incredulous chuckle. "I made a lot of big pitches in some tough spots against a pretty good team."

The bottom line was that Lackey allowed just two runs in 6 1/3 innings, in the process lowering his ERA from 5.07 to 4.84. But as he had last Friday in Philadelphia, the 31-year-old veteran pitched in and out of trouble throughout.

Two of the first three hitters he faced in the first inning singled, and John Jaso hit a two-out fastball that Darnell McDonald hauled in at the warning track. Both of the first two runners Lackey faced in the second inning reached base, too, and it took a couple of impressive defensive plays from Adrian Beltre (charging a Sean Rodriguez bunt) and Marco Scutaro (throwing out Jason Bartlett from deep in the hole) for him to escape without a crooked number on the scoreboard.

And in the bottom of the third, Carl Crawford ripped a leadoff double into center field, and Lackey had to strike out Evan Longoria en route to stranding Crawford at third.

All in all, the Rays went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position against Lackey.

"A couple of his two-strike pitches, he didn't execute -- and then he was able to with the runners in scoring position," catcher Jason Varitek said. "It was big that one inning, when Crawford led off with a double, that we were able to hold that one off."

"The one thing that's consistent every time he pitches is the way he battles," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "You're pitching in and out of trouble, and with their lineup, we were trying to navigate through. He just never gives in."