Kevin Youkilis launched a solo-homerun to dead center field and finished the day with four RBI’s in the Red Sox 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Jon Lester (2-2) earned his second win of the year while keeping his undefeated streak going when starting day games (4-0).
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Lester did well for the 2nd outing in a row. I can only hope he’s turned a corner after his dreadful start.
Same with me Sean O. I really like this kid and want to see him tear it up. Maybe this will be the beginning of that.
Lester did look better today, but when he’s missing, he’s still missing pretty badly, and his breaking ball looks like meat half the time. I also hope he becomes a solid #3 starter, but I’m not sure he’s going to be any more than a #4.
I know I have been obnoxious in calling for respect for Jon Lester, and hope I haven’t offended anyone. I simply believe he deserves the same support as his fellow 24 year olds Buchholz, Hansen, Ellsbury, Lowrie, Moss. This may be his 3rd year, but he still hasn’t completed a full year’s work, was brought up early, and is still learning.
IMO, the Sox and we would be happy with Lester as a reliable #4+, with a minus-4ERA, and 13 – 15 wins each year. However he seems to be trending to #3+, resolving his issues with more good first pitches, fewer walks and earned runs, still increasing velocity, more confidence. His high pitch count today came on alot of good pitches fouled off, as he didn’t have his best stuff, despite velocity. He will get beyond that.
None of Becket, Buchholz or Lester matched their last games, but they all pitched well enough to get the wins. Lester needed little run support. If the trend continues, perhaps we will wind up with two #2’s (Daisuke and Buchholz) and two #3’s (Lester and Colon), with Wake as swingman. That’s a solid future.
I think Lester is going to be a consistently inconsistent starter for the rest of his career … Some nights he can dominate for 7 as we have seen but some nights he’ll get roughed up and wont make it thru 5
Now I’m sure he’ll get alot of wins and be a solid 3-4 guy because he’s a gutsy fighter and he does have good stuff … but without the control I don’t see him being able to command games regularly enough for him to be counted on as the front of the rotation guy we had hoped for
Still just because he’s not all we wanted doesn’t mean we should ship him off … as long as we understand who he is and just let him pitch he should be alright … Easily as good as any other 3-4 guy we might find out there
Gerry I am right there with you but Sam is right. If he becomes more consistent then he will get that praise. We strive for that in this town.
It was nice to sit down and watch this game. Lester can be infuriating but you can see why he’s so highly billed. You see that check swing Pena put that completely sawed his bat off on that cutter? Wow. Mariano-esque.
If he actually does become more consistent … I will be pleasantly surprised … until then I’m just gonna try and be happy with him as our up and down #3 man
I’d have to agree with Sam in that he’ll be a #3 and a #4 at times with his shaky command. His fastball is rarely in the mid-90s like he touched periodically in the minors pre-cancer, and his weak command means high pitch counts, walks, and 5-6 inning outings. He’s still very young and has many years to work on the issue, but until then he’s a mid-rotation guy whereas Buchholz can be a #1.
Shawn, I too agree with Sam, except predicting inconsistency, as the 2007 sample size is still too small, and taken too early. (Similar early readings could be made for Buchholz, Becket, Matsuzaka, Wake, Papi, Youk, JD, Mikey). If it works out that way, let’s hope his range of inconsistency is between brilliant and a solid #3. That, too, is too early to predict.
Lester continues to make noticeable, albeit incremental, progress, and his status as a solid #3-4 has been established (ERA, K’s, 14 -2 record, etc.). Like his team-mates, he is still getting traction. Yet he recently outpitched two formidable opponents who, it is true, are also still getting traction. But we watched him go toe-to-toe, fearlessly, against two Aces, and two good teams, and win. That’s above the call for #3’s, so we can still hope for better.
He is finally in a good place to consistently work on his game, implementing the changes he knows are necessary. He deserves our full support as he does this. It is in his and our own interest to offer this support, as the fanbase plays a role in the success and failure of young players (see Hughes, Kennedy, Joba)
If his progression stops before achieving greatness, that’s OK. We will have a talented young #3, who is part of the family, who we can be proud of for what he has accomplished, and who will be around like Wake and Timlin, winning 15 games for years to come. If he improves, we will take that too. It’s a win-win.
I meant 2008 sample size, but it also applies to 2007 and 2006.