--OF Coco Crisp stole his 20th base, marking the fourth time he has reached that mark in his baseball career. It's also the third time Crisp has done so with the Red Sox, making him the first Sox outfielder to do it since former OF Ellis Burks from 1987 to 1989. Coco and the go-go Sox are third in the American League with 110 stolen bases.
--OF J.D. Drew was activated from the 15-day disabled list before Monday night's win but was again held out of the lineup. Drew took batting practice before the game and has been cleared by the medical staff to pinch-hit or act as a defensive replacement -- a set of circumstances that should lead to a return to the lineup within days. Drew has been out since Aug. 18 with a lower back strain and is hitting .280 with 19 home runs and 64 RBI this season. --LHP Jon Lester is undefeated in seven career starts against the Rays and has been untouchable with a 3-0 record and a 0.90 ERA in three starts vs. Tampa this season. While RHP Josh Beckett is still the unquestioned leader of this pitching staff, the 24-year-old Lester has a virtual lock on the No. 2 starter role and should form a potent trio with Beckett and RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka as the postseason approaches. One of the keys for Lester this season has been his ability to work deep into ballgames and become a workhorse. "It seems like now I'm more efficient and more consistent with what I'm trying to do, so I'm not wasting energy on bad thoughts or anything like that," said Lester.
--C George Kottaras and OF Chris Carter both were summoned to the Sox after Class AAA Pawtucket (R.I.) was eliminated from the International League playoffs. The 25-year-old Kottaras is making his major league debut after hitting .243 with 22 home runs and 65 RBI for the PawSox. Carter hit .300 with 24 home runs and 81 RBIs in 121 games at Pawtucket. Carter had a brief big league cup of coffee with the Sox and went 2-for-3 on June 5. The Sox have 32 players on their September active roster.
--RHP Michael Bowden has been shut down for the year and won't be returning to the Sox for any September outings, according to manager Terry Francona. The 22-year-old righty made his major league debut and was the winning pitcher in an Aug. 30 start against the White Sox, and it was originally believed that Bowden might be available for bullpen/starting depth over the season's final weeks. Instead, the Sox have opted to shut down Bowden for the season and let him get a head start on his winter program. Bowden was 0-3 with a 3.38 ERA in seven games for Class AAA Pawtucket (R.I.) this season. "His pitching is going to be done for the year," Francona said. "He's had a pretty good year. It's time to congratulate him, let him go about his winter, continue to get stronger, develop, things like that. He had a heck of a year."
BY THE NUMBERS: 455 -- Consecutive home sellouts for the Red Sox as of the Sept. 3 game at Fenway Park. The sellout streak tied the major league record set by the Indians from 1995-2001.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We're in a good position. I feel like if I can just play good baseball these last few weeks, hopefully we're in the playoffs, we can get hot and see if we can do something special again." -- 3B Mike Lowell.
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