Making waste out of one of the National League’s best teams was as easy as taking hacks during batting practice for the Red Sox. Although they surrendered the first game of the series mainly because of starting pitcher Bartolo Colon (back) and his back stiffness, the Sox came back with a masterpiece that was conducted by Jon Lester, which was followed by another nice showing from starting pitcher Justin Masterson.

On the season, Lester is 6-3 with 62 strikeouts, 38 walks and a sweet 3.18 ERA in 96 1/3 innings. Over his last three starts, he has gone 3-0 with 13 whiffs, two walks and a 1.33 ERA in 20 1/3 innings. During Tuesday’s start against the Phillies, Lester threw a seven-inning shutout gem enroute to his sixth win of the season.

In Game 3 against the Phillies, Masterson allowed two earned runs on four hits in five innings of work for his fourth victory of the year, which pushed his record to a surprising 4-1 on the season.

Sox outfielder J.D. Drew continued his streak of nastiness by going 5-for-12 (.417) with two home runs, five RBIs and three runs scored. On the season, the once hated overpriced stiff is hitting a nasty .327, which places him fourth amongst American League hitters. In addition, he has a disgustingly awesome 1.033 OPS thus far, which truly signifies the impact he has had at the plate.

Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia finally turned up the heat while going 7-for-13 (.538) with one home run, one RBI, three runs scored and one stolen base. It’s about time the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year started hitting again.

Then there was good old Coco Crisp. In the three-game set, Crisp was 4-for-10 (.400) with two dingers, six RBIs, three runs scored and two stolen bases. Unfortunately, he left Wednesday’s game with discomfort in his left hand; he’s currently listed as day-to-day.

Next up, the Sox have a three-game set inside the friendly confines of Fenway Park against the Pujols-less St. Louis Cardinals.