Boston, MA – Cliff Lee worked eight effective innings, while Michael Young and Dominic Brown each provided a solo homer as the Philadelphia Phillies managed a 3-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox in the second game of a brief interleague set from Fenway Park.
Lee (6-2) scattered four hits and one run, striking out eight without issuing a walk, and former Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon shut the door in the ninth to pick up his 10th save in his first Fenway appearance on the mound as an opposing player.
"I would say it was more fun than strange," Papelbon said of playing against his former club. "For me, those guys are some of my best friends in the world, but at the same time it was fun."
Erik Kratz contributed two hits and drove in the other run for the Phillies, who return home to face these same Sox in a two-game set starting Wednesday having earned a split.
Dustin Pedroia's first-inning RBI single was all the offense for the Red Sox, who lost for just the second time in their last nine home games against Philadelphia.
Ryan Dempster (2-6) pitched well in defeat, yielding six hits and two runs with three walks and four strikeouts.
"I threw the ball a little bit better tonight, but just got outpitched by the other guy," Dempster admitted. "Cliff Lee is tough."
With the game tied at 1-1, John Mayberry singled to start the seventh, was sacrificed to second by Freddy Galvis and scored on a Kratz hit to center to give Philly the edge.
Brown then provided an insurance run with his leadoff shot to the left side of the bullpen against Junichi Tazawa in the top of the ninth. The visitors' offense couldn't push across another run despite hits from Kratz and Ben Revere, but Papelbon put his former club to rest.
He fanned Jonny Gomes swinging, then retired Pedroia and David Ortiz on groundouts.
Young's blast over the Green Monster with one out in the first was countered in the home half by Pedroia's one-out single that scored Jacoby Ellsbury.
Lee followed by setting the side down in order in the second, third and fourth innings and working around a leadoff hit by Daniel Nava in the home fifth. He retired 11 straight until a Jose Iglesias infield hit with two down in the eighth, and finished his outing by striking out Ellsbury.
Meanwhile, the Phils failed to provide any assistance during the middle frames. They wasted a two-on, one-out situation in the sixth after Jimmy Rollins walked and Ryan Howard singled, but the game remained deadlocked after Young and Brown both flied out to right.
Game Notes
Coming in, Lee sported a 3-5 record and 3.81 ERA in 12 previous starts against the Red Sox, but the left-hander posted his first victory at Fenway since May 12, 2004 with Cleveland ... Philadelphia improved to 3-6 vs. American League competition this year ... Boston fell to 14-8 all-time at home against the Phillies, and Tuesday's loss snapped a string of four consecutive home series wins against them since Philadelphia took two of three in July of 1999 ... On this date 30 years ago, Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt struck out in his first four at-bats on 12 pitches, then crushed a two-run homer in the last of the 9th inning to beat Jeff Reardon and the Expos, 5-3 ... Prior to the game, the Red Sox activated pitcher Franklin Morales from the 15-day disabled list and optioned pitcher Alfredo Aceves to Triple-A Pawtucket.
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