Playing some 'soft' ball

Lester does well with changeup in victory

Lefthander Jon Lester warms up yesterday before going five innings against the Phillies, allowing only one run while continuing to restore his changeup. (Kathy Willens/Associated Press)

CLEARWATER, Fla. - In Jon Lester's metamorphosis from highly regarded prospect to blossoming major leaguer to 20-something millionaire, something often gets overlooked.

"I love him, but he is still developing," Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek said yesterday at Bright House Field, where Lester and the Sox defeated the defending world champion Philadelphia Phillies, 3-1. "I know that and the [coaching] staff still knows that."

As such, opposing hitters may have more cause for worry than ever as the 25-year-old Lester continues to restore a changeup that, like neglected sterling silverware, had grown tarnished. Last season, Lester admitted, he all but abandoned his changeup, calling it his "ninth-best pitch" in a repertoire that generally consisted of a curveball and three fastball variations: four-seamer, two-seamer, and cutter.

The last of those is the pitch that has evoked comparisons to Yankees lefthander Andy Pettitte as it bit in on righthanded batters, but it was Lester's ability to command the two-seamer and four-seamer that led to his success. Once Lester proved he consistently could throw those pitches for strikes on the outside part of the plate to righties, opponents found themselves flummoxed.

If they cheated toward the inner half looking for his cutter, Lester went away. If they focused away, he came in.

The result: A 16-6 record and 3.21 ERA that actually produced a 15-4 record and 2.82 ERA over Lester's final 27 starts, leading into a postseason during which he posted a 2.36 ERA and was manager Terry Francona's most reliable starter.

Now Lester seems intent on incorporating his changeup, a pitch he estimated he threw "10-15" times against the Phillies, all to righthanded batters. The idea is to give him something soft that he can throw on the outer half of the plate to righties, adding another option to his arsenal in this age when versatility is paramount.

On those days when he cannot command his two-seamer, Lester now can use the changeup. On the days the change isn't working, he can use his two-seamer. And in a worst-case scenario, he always has that cutter to go with his curveball.

"I think it's going to be a pitch, like we used [yesterday], guys were cheating in and we drop a changeup on 'em and they're out in front [producing a] swing and miss or kind of a loopy foul ball," Lester said. "It just makes them honor that fastball in and it makes them not cheat so much to get there so I can get back to my strengths, that fastball [or] cutter in. And I think it just adds another pitch that they have to think about in the back of their head when they get up to the plate."

Said Varitek: "We've used it more this spring than we have probably in his entire career, to get him a feel for it, without falling away from some of those other pitches that are strengths. He's not necessarily going to be Jamie Moyer now, but it gives him another weapon."

What that will mean for Lester during the regular season is unclear, if only because spring training bags are stuffed with experiments that sometimes never really get unpacked. Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, for example, often has spoken about sharpening his slider so that he can more effectively control the outside half of the plate against righthanded batters. But when the games start counting, Papelbon relies almost exclusively on his fastball and split-fingered pitch, the latter of which even is in storage from time to time.

Yesterday, against a lineup that finished tied for second in the National League in runs, Lester threw 88 pitches in five innings and allowed just one run.

Early in the game, in the span of three at-bats, he got the righthanded-hitting Shane Victorino to swing and miss at a changeup and the lefthanded-hitting Ryan Howard to strike out on a two-seamer, both pitches on the same side of the plate that holds the key to Lester's success.

When all was said and done, Lester had a 2-0 spring record and 1.72 ERA with just one preseason outing remaining. Francona said before yesterday's game that Lester would have an abbreviated outing in his final spring game, scheduled for April 3 against the Mets at Citi Field, giving Lester one last chance to catch his breath before the marathon of the regular season.

That will put Lester in position to pitch the second game of the regular season April 8 against the Rays, the same club Lester last faced in a meaningful affair - in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, won by Tampa.

"I'm starting to feel like it's go time and get ready for the season," Lester said.

His objective, armed with a new pitch:

To pick up where he left off.

But to make a slight change at the end.

Tony Massarotti can be reached at tmassarotti@globe.com.