BOSTON -- Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell waited until all of his players safely made it out of a simulated game on Wednesday before confirming what hed only hinted at before: Left-hander Jon Lester will start Game 1 of the AL division series. Cory Littleton Womens Jersey . "Hes been outstanding in the second half," Farrell said in the clubhouse. "The last couple of starts hes put together for us have been very strong." Lester was 15-8 with a 3.75 ERA this season, but he won his first six decisions and seven of his last nine. From May 20 through the All-Star break, he went 2-6 with a 6.27 ERA. Lester will be followed in the rotation by John Lackey and Clay Buchholz, with Jake Peavy ready to pitch Game 4 of the best-of-five series against Tampa Bay if necessary. The Rays advanced with a 4-0 victory at Cleveland in the AL wild-card game Wednesday night. The Red Sox have not played since finishing the regular season on Sept. 29 with a 97-65 record that tied the St. Louis Cardinals for the best in baseball. In order to stay sharp, the Red Sox held a workout on Tuesday and played a simulated game -- red vs. blue -- on Wednesday. "Today is part of doing what we can to ensure that were prepared, and not letting a four-day layoff affect us," Farrell said. "No ones looking at the layoff as a detriment." Almost 4,000 fans came to the ballpark to hear public address announcer Dick Flavin announce, "Welcome to todays game between the Boston Red Sox and the Boston Red Sox." Children lined up for balloon animals or to have their faces painted while former Red Sox infielder Ted Lepcio signed autographs on the concourse. The blue team, which included most of the regulars, won 1-0 on a first-inning double by Jarrod Saltalamacchia. "Obviously, it wasnt a real game atmosphere," infielder Will Middlebrooks said, adding that it was good to see live pitching after one day off and another with a more traditional workout. "Today we picked it up a bit. Two days off is a lot for us. You dont want to get too used to that." Lester did not pitch in the simulated game. Buchholz went three innings and allowed one run, Peavy pitched two scoreless innings and Lackey pitched one. "Im pretty glad Im on this side," outfielder Jonny Gomes said after facing his teammates. Most importantly, no one was hurt. Farrell has been reminded this week that in a scrimmage between the end of the 1946 season and the World Series that year, Ted Williams was hit on the right elbow by a pitch in a tuneup game and went on to bat 5 for 25 -- all singles -- in the Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Red Sox lost in seven games. No baserunners tried to break up double plays on Wednesday. And, except for a diving catch in right field by reserve Quintin Berry, nothing especially dangerous happened. "I think everyone understands the purpose of today," Farrell said before the game, adding after: "Our pitchers were cognizant of not trying to pitch inside. But we got our work in." Farrell also said on Wednesday that the team will carry 11 pitchers for the post-season. The roster decisions have mostly been made, he said without announcing them; the final rosters are due at 10 a.m. on Friday, the morning of Game 1. Cory Littleton Rams Jersey . - The RBC Canadian Open will return to Glen Abbey Golf Club next year, marking the 27th time that the national open championship will be played at the Oakville, Ont. Jared Goff Jersey . The 17-time Grand Slam champion, who lose three straight finals in Monte Carlo to Rafael Nadal from 2006-08, has not played in the tournament since 2011, when he lost to Jurgen Melzer in the quarterfinals. http://www.ramsrookiestore.com/ . -- The NFL cancelled its Hall of Fame game between St.BARCELONA, Spain - Kei Nishikori of Japan beat Colombias Santiago Giraldo 6-2, 6-2 to win the Barcelona Open on Sunday for his first career title on clay. Giraldo started well with an early break but an argument with the chair umpire about a line call seemed to rattle the unseeded player. Shortly afterward, Giraldo failed to reach Nishikoris drop shot before hitting a costly double-fault to cede back his serve. The fourth-seeded Nishikori went on to win eight straight games to claim the first set and take control of the match. He ended up converting five of seven break chances while Giraldo committed five double faults. Nishikori said he hopes his maiden win on clay will carry over to upcoming tournaments and the French Open. "This title and (my showing in) Miami helped my confidence, especially this week on clay,&quoot; said Nishikori. Robert Woods Jersey. "There are three big tournaments coming up in Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros so I hope I can do well and increase my (ranking) points. My next goal is to get to the top 10." It was Nishikoris fifth career title on all surfaces and his second of the year. This is the first time a non-Spaniard has won the tournament at the Real Club de Tenis since 1996. Rafael Nadal won the tournament eight times during that period. Nishikori is coached by former French Open winner Michael Chang and Dante Bottini. "I was good on clay when I was little," Nishikori said. "I was winning all the European juniors events. Now its much tougher than hard courts and I was struggling a bit, but Ive been playing well these past couple years so theres no fear to play on clay." 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