It took 12 games, but this team is finally starting to look more like the team that went to the ALCS last year instead of the one that started the season 2-6. Problem is, that’s a good thing and a bad thing. Jon Lester finally looked like an ace pitcher deserving of a large extension. He went seven shutout innings, striking out nine and generally made the Orioles look terrible. The flipside is that we may just have to accept the fact that Josh Beckett will never regain his 2007 form. That he’s never going to have the ability to will himself to a win. Because the Josh Beckett of 2007 would never have let the Orioles turn a 6-0 lead into a tight ballgame. Of course, in 2007 I often felt like handing Beckett a 2-0 lead was putting a game out of reach, so it’s all about perception.

Oh, and even though Saito gave up a run today, he did still get the save. So that’s 21.1 innings pitched, earning 3 saves while giving up only 2 runs for the pen. For a little comparison, the MFY pen pitched 7.2 innings yesterday and allowed only 14 runs.

And your daily PSA: don’t forget that tomorrow’s Patriots’ Day game starts at 11 Eastern, 8 Pacific and for those of you in Hawaii, make sure to get that wake-up call for a 5AM.