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Red Sox lead Rockies 1-0 after 2 innings

By JIMMY GOLEN -- The Associated Press

DENVER (AP) David Ortiz hit a run-scoring single after Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a double and Jon Lester cruised through the first two innings to give the Boston Red Sox a 1-0 lead over the Colorado Rockies in Game 4 of the World Series on Sunday night.

In a game featuring two starting pitchers who have battled back after life-threatening illnesses, the Red Sox were poised for their second Series sweep in four seasons after an 86-year drought.

Lester got the start less then a year after chemotherapy cured him of cancer that cut short his 2006 season and left his return in doubt. He sent the Rockies down in order in the first inning and worked around Todd Helton's leadoff double and a walk to Brad Hawpe in the second.

Colorado starter Aaron Cook left the mound at Coors Field in 2004 due to dizziness and a month later had surgery to remove a rib that was pressing against a vein and causing blood clots.

Cook got out of trouble in the first with an inning-ending double play before settling down with a 1-2-3 second.

The Red Sox have won seven straight World Series games for the first time in franchise history after sweeping St. Louis in 2004 to capture their first championship since 1918.

The 22 previous teams that took a 3-0 Series lead all went on to win, 19 with sweeps.

Coming into Game 4, Colorado has been outscored 25-7 and is batting just .222. Boston's batters have been bruisers, hitting .352 with 16 doubles.

The Rockies were the talk of baseball with 21 wins in 22 games coming into the Series, but they've gone into reverse, looking more like the fourth-place team they were in mid-September.