http://www.yardbarker.com/rss/player/1011 Recent articles about Jon Lester en-us The Red Sox are thinking of starting Jon Lester in game 4 at Fenway if they get that far. Terry Francona said: “Again, getting ahead of myself, but that would allow Beckett to pitch Game 5. That’s what we’re hoping to do. If not, we’ll throw Daisuke [Matsuzaka]. “That was kind of the thinking all along, [...] Sat, 10 Oct 2009 08:25:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Leaning_Toward_Lester/1342927 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Leaning_Toward_Lester/1342927 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Leaning_Toward_Lester/1342927 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/0/107d6c731c485fd352a36e747941c86345be6044/small/c6.jpg And this is how it goes, friends. The calendar flips to October and the Sox flip the switch to the "Full Ass Kicking" setting. It's just that simple. Jon Lester's six-and-a-third innings of two-hit ball not only ended the September swoon, it sent a message: the second season is about to begin.All of "the usual suspects" played a part in the win. And, yes, I include Alex Gonzalez in that group: 2-for-3 with a walk hitting in the 9-hole. Ellsbury swiped his 68th bas... Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:52:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Welcome_To_October/1292844 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Welcome_To_October/1292844 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Welcome_To_October/1292844 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/5/45f5b5fe02cd146b4ad7b45b0e81f55a21f4192a/small/0b.jpg Friday was a night where the Red Sox had a great chance to send their division rivals a message. Instead, they stumbled from the get-go, falling behind 5-0 before they broke the shutout (and no-hitter) in the fourth. The game was shaky from the beginning, as the Sox were retired in order in the first. Sox ace Jon Lester looked sharp for the first two frames; particularly in the first when Mark Teixeira chased an outside pitch for a strikeout. Still, the Yankees were able to manufacture a r... Sat, 26 Sep 2009 02:14:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/NYY_9_BOS_3_Sox_Lose_More_Than_Lester/1247688 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/NYY_9_BOS_3_Sox_Lose_More_Than_Lester/1247688 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/NYY_9_BOS_3_Sox_Lose_More_Than_Lester/1247688 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/7/a7bf6b3df465481c899c466837a1a6fc7e35c4fe/small/91160862.jpg NEW YORK -- Yankees center fielder Melky Cabrera smacked a pitch back up the middle in the third inning Friday and right off the inside of Boston pitcher Jon Lester's right knee. Lester went down for several minutes before gingerly... Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:29:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Boston_Red_Sox_pitcher_Jon_Lester_leaves_game_with_injured_knee/1245518 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Boston_Red_Sox_pitcher_Jon_Lester_leaves_game_with_injured_knee/1245518 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Boston_Red_Sox_pitcher_Jon_Lester_leaves_game_with_injured_knee/1245518 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/7/a7bf6b3df465481c899c466837a1a6fc7e35c4fe/small/91160862.jpg Today, Rob Neyer talked about the news that Jon Lester was going to be the No. 1 starter for the Sox in the ALDS. While he concedes that on some ends it makes sense, he gave more face time to making the case for Lester starting Game 2. I'm here to disagree. Neyer's two points: One, the Angels are predominantly right-handed. Two, by starting Lester in Game 1 (and theoretically game 2) you lose the chance to have Lester starting in Yankee Stadium twice. In a response to both point... Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:26:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Should_Jon_Lester_start_Game_1_or_2/1244681 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Should_Jon_Lester_start_Game_1_or_2/1244681 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Should_Jon_Lester_start_Game_1_or_2/1244681 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/0/107d6c731c485fd352a36e747941c86345be6044/small/c6.jpg The Cy Young Award campaigns are beginning to get heated this time of year. The baseball media has zeroed in on four prime candidates: Zack Greinke, C.C. Sabathia, Justin Verlander, and Felix Hernadez. Each of these pitchers has a great resume, but Jon Lester has had quite the season. Where does he stack up against the competition? ERA 1) Zack Greinke - 2.14 - 1st in AL 2) Felix Hernandez - 2.45 - 2nd in AL 3) C.C. Sabathia - 3.31 - 6th in AL 4) Jon Lester - 3.33 - 7th in AL 5) ... Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:13:22 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Lesters_Case_for_the_Cy_Young/1226789 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Lesters_Case_for_the_Cy_Young/1226789 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Lesters_Case_for_the_Cy_Young/1226789 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/7/17918404cd0f085827c24aa1974ce2dd6628a5a2/small/46.jpg Even an uninspiring performance by Jon Lester was enough to get the job done against an Orioles team that has all but thrown in the orange towel, as Boston beat Baltimore, 11-5, on Saturday. It was the Red Sox bats that locked up the 12th consecutive series win against the Orioles, behind a shaky outing six inning stretch where Lester gave up ten hits. But as he continued to miss his spots (only 62 strikes over 102 pitches), the offense was busy at work against an already depleted Orioles ... Sat, 19 Sep 2009 23:01:03 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/BOS_11_BAL_5_Less_than_Lester_Still_Good_Enough/1205624 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/BOS_11_BAL_5_Less_than_Lester_Still_Good_Enough/1205624 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/BOS_11_BAL_5_Less_than_Lester_Still_Good_Enough/1205624 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/7/17918404cd0f085827c24aa1974ce2dd6628a5a2/small/46.jpg With Sunday's extension of the wild card lead to four games on the back of the doubleheader sweep [Jon Lester is the beast of all beasts], Boston's entrance into the playoffs as the wild card winner is all but assured. (But at seven games behind New York, it ain't over!) This is problematic. Don't get me wrong, making the playoffs is great, and I'd pick that over missing the playoffs. But the Red Sox don't seem as well-equipped to advance far in the playoffs as m... Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:33:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Red_Soxs_road_record_cautions_playoff_success/1165786 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Red_Soxs_road_record_cautions_playoff_success/1165786 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Red_Soxs_road_record_cautions_playoff_success/1165786 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/7/a7bf6b3df465481c899c466837a1a6fc7e35c4fe/small/91160862.jpg GAME NOTES: Jon Lester takes the mound. Let's hope he starts off better than the canceled Friday affair, when he got the bases drunk in the first and only had one out before the torrential rain come. He'll go against 'Big Game James' Shields, who is looking to move to .500 on the season, given his 9-10 record. Sun, 13 Sep 2009 16:39:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/613_G2_Evening_delight/1162773 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/613_G2_Evening_delight/1162773 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/613_G2_Evening_delight/1162773 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/7/17918404cd0f085827c24aa1974ce2dd6628a5a2/small/46.jpg GAME NOTES: Jon Lester is in the midst of a rain delay against James Shields. The Rays are down and out, essentially, but you can bet they'd love to play spoiler against the Sox. Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:14:29 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/911_Rays_here_to_play_spoiler/1153821 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/911_Rays_here_to_play_spoiler/1153821 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/911_Rays_here_to_play_spoiler/1153821 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/7/17918404cd0f085827c24aa1974ce2dd6628a5a2/small/46.jpg What to Do With Daisuke? As the Boston Red Sox get set for their weekend series against Tampa Bay, embattled starter Daisuke Matsuzaka gets prepared for a return to the Red Sox rotation. Under any normal circumstances, the answer would be simple: bench him. But these are not normal circumstances. The dream of sending Daisuke to the pine, alive and kickin' since his horrifying yet successful 2008, is D.O.A. due to the size of his contract. Players who earn as much as Dice does... Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:29:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/What_to_Do_With_Daisuke_The_Transformation_of_Lester/1143577 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/What_to_Do_With_Daisuke_The_Transformation_of_Lester/1143577 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/What_to_Do_With_Daisuke_The_Transformation_of_Lester/1143577 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/5/45f5b5fe02cd146b4ad7b45b0e81f55a21f4192a/small/0b.jpg F@#king Jon Lester.That's what I said. Yesterday. When the game ended.F@#king Jon Lester. But I said it in the good way. The way we always speak of Lester in this house. Because he makes things happen. And I said it because he did it again. In Chicago, with SG Secret Agents Curtis and Amy and Boots in the house. At a time when every game is precious. When we were teetering precariously on the brink of dropping our third straight, the AL East's taillights fading faster and faster from ... Mon, 07 Sep 2009 09:15:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/I_Was_Your_Silver_Lining_But_Now_Im_Gold/1127295 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/I_Was_Your_Silver_Lining_But_Now_Im_Gold/1127295 For the Boston Red Sox having the lefty Jon Lester on the mound was just what the club needed.  Plus it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Red Sox, as Lester helped snap their two game losing streak.  With a 6-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox, this afternoon.  His performance on [...] Sun, 06 Sep 2009 19:32:37 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Lester_amp_Company_Provided_The_Pitching_8230/1127931 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Lester_amp_Company_Provided_The_Pitching_8230/1127931 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Lester_amp_Company_Provided_The_Pitching_8230/1127931 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/7/a7bf6b3df465481c899c466837a1a6fc7e35c4fe/small/91160862.jpg GAME NOTES: Jon Lester is suddenly the Sox's new ace with Josh Beckett having given up a horrifying 10 home runs in his last three starts. This is a crucial series, as the outcome of the series will likely dictate the Rays' playoff chances the rest of the way. Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:28:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/91_Lester_takes_the_hill/1095338 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/91_Lester_takes_the_hill/1095338 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/91_Lester_takes_the_hill/1095338 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/7/17918404cd0f085827c24aa1974ce2dd6628a5a2/small/46.jpg Jon Lester just became the most important man in the Red Sox rotation. Not by design, of course, but out of necessity. Five and a half games is a strong lead. Not impenetrable, mind you, but strong enough where the Red Sox need to consider what life may be like in the Wild Card. Could we play Chicago? Texas? Detroit even? What about the Yankees? No team in the MLB has the home field advantage the Yankees do. While the wind tunnels do not exclusively carry Yankee fly balls over the ri... Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:55:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Attention_Tito_Start_Lester_in_New_York_ONLY/970289 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Attention_Tito_Start_Lester_in_New_York_ONLY/970289 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Attention_Tito_Start_Lester_in_New_York_ONLY/970289 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/7/a7bf6b3df465481c899c466837a1a6fc7e35c4fe/small/91160862.jpg