Obviously, the big story today is the return of Jon Lester. The Red Sox did not announce it until yesterday, having listed Julian Tavarez as the starter.

Lester's promotion meant a move for one of the Red Sox relievers, so the Red Sox waited until Sunday to make the move.

Joel Pineiro, once thought to be a potential closer before Jonathon Papelbon returned, was let go. But the Red Sox bullpen marches on. That's another big story.

Last year's bullpen was thin and when the relievers were ineffective, the Red Sox were sunk (especially with an injured rotation).

This year, Theo Epstein brought in a busload of relievers, including Pineiro, J.C. Romero and Brendan Donnelly.

Romero, signed for $1.6-million, was the first to be let go. He could not command the strike zone and he is not doing much better with that in Philadelphia.

Donnelly, who came cheap in a trade for minor leaguer Phil Seibel, is on the disabled list. Some reports have him back by mig-August. But there are doubts. Seibel, by the way, made two starts in Triple-A and then had season-ending forearm surgery.

Now Romero is gone. The Red Sox have to eat the rest of his $4-million salary.

How is the bullpen still so strong? For starters, the obvious big move was ending the idea of Papelson as a starter ... Then came the surprising "other" pitcher from Japan, Hideki Okajima ... Kyle Snyder has converted well from a starting role ... Mike Timlin is making the Comeback of the Year after it looked like he was done ... Manny Delcarmen has emerged with confidence ... and Javier Lopez is the lefty specialist that Romero could not be.

Meanwhile, Craig Hansen gets tme to develop in Triple-A. If his improvement continues, he should help next year.

All eyes will be on Lester tonight. Hopefully, the video board at Hadlock Field will show some highlights during the Dogs game with New Hampshire. Tonight marks the last home series with the Fisher Cats. Good series with the Sea Dogs currently one game ahead of New Hampshire, for second place in the standings (and second is good enough for a playoff spot).

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