Since Bobby Valentine said his Red Sox hit “rock bottom,” Boston has ripped off six straight wins, all on the road, to get back to .500 on the season at 10-10.
Saturday night’s game was perhaps the most encouraging of all as Jon Lester hurled his best game since the middle of the 2011 season and the Red Sox beat the White Sox, 1-0.
Lester allowed just five hits, going seven innings on 122 pitches.
Ryan Sweeney scored on an Adrian Gonzalez single for the Red Sox lone run.
Alfredo Aceves pitched a clean ninth to pick up the save.
In off-field Red Sox news, Boston said it would consider having Aaron Cook throw out of the bullpen.
Patriots: In the seventh round, with the 224th overall pick, New England selected Nebraska cornerback Alfonzo Dennard Saturday. The Pats also grabbed Northwestern wide receiver Jeremy Ebert with the 235th pick.
NBA: The Celtics path to an NBA title got decidedly easier Saturday afternoon as reigning league MVP Derrick Rose tore his left ACL late in the Bulls first round Game 1 win over Philadelphia.
The Celtics are poised to meet Chicago in the second round, if they can defeat Atlanta. That series begins Sunday night (7 p.m., TNT).
Friday: The Patriots got even more defensive on Day 2 of the NFL Draft, selecting safety Tavon Wilson out of Illinois with the 48th overall pick.
After trading away the 62nd overall pick to Green Bay, the Patriots selected Arkansas defensive end Jake Bequette in the third round (90th pick).
