Boston 4, NY Yankees 1

Red Sox 4, Yankees 1: Jon Lester turned in his second straight strong performance and Adrian Gonzalez hit a two-run homer as Boston evened the series at New York.

Pedro Ciriaco continued his dominance of the Yankees with a 4-for-4 effort and Nick Punto doubled in a run for the Red Sox. Ciriaco, whose double in the eighth set up the fourth run, is batting .517 (15-for-29) against New York this season.

Lester (7-10) allowed one run on five hits in seven innings while striking out four and walking a pair. The left-hander has won two straight starts after going 0-5 with an 8.73 ERA in his previous six turns.

Boston did the bulk of its damage in the first inning off rookie right-hander David Phelps. Carl Crawford reached with a one-out single and stole second base before Gonzalez took a 2-1 fastball the other way into the seats in left for his 14th homer and a 2-0 lead.

The Yankees halved the deficit in the fourth when Curtis Granderson sent a solo home run - his 32nd - out to center, but Boston got that run back in the fifth on Punto’s RBI double.

Phelps (3-4) lasted a season-high 6 2/3 innings and struck out seven while allowing three runs on seven hits without a walk.

Scott Podsednik scored from third on a wild pitch in the eighth. Alfredo Aceves picked up his 25th save with a scoreless ninth for Boston.

GAME NOTEBOOK: LHP Felix Doubront (arm/knee) became the 26th player placed on the disabled list by the Red Sox this season. INF Mauro Gomez was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket to take Doubront’s place on the roster. … Boston first-round draft pick LHP Brian Johnson was hit in the face with a comebacker in a minor league game at Fenway Park on Saturday and suffered multiple fractures of the orbital bones on the left side of his face. … Yankees DH Derek Jeter went 0-for-3 to snap his hitting streak at 13 games. … Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia went 1-for-5 to extend his streak to 13 contests. … The first all-Yale University battery since 1883 to appear in a game came in the eighth inning, when Boston LHP Craig Breslow pitched to C Ryan Lavarnway.

• NY Yankees will play their next game at home against Boston. The Yankees have a W/L % of .611 after a win and .562 after a loss.
• Boston will play their next game on the road against NY Yankees. The Red Sox have a W/L % of .492 after a win and .484 after a loss.