Lester to start against Cleveland!

[fair catch fryar]

Just saw on Herald sports. Francona announced that Lester will be starting the first game against the Indians.

[dr]

Great for him! Lucky to be alive let alone continuing a professional athletic career.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7048798?MSNHPHMA

[Foley]

He can't be any worse than Tavarez has been, but he really hasn't been all that impressive this season in AAA so I can't see him making a significant impact. But still, I obviously wish him the best and hope that he pitches great.

[BradyManny2344]

Originally Posted by Foley

He can't be any worse than Tavarez has been, but he really hasn't been all that impressive this season in AAA so I can't see him making a significant impact. But still, I obviously wish him the best and hope that he pitches great.

His inconsistency at AAA is disconcerting, but I'm guessing this is just a spot thing until Schilling has come back. For now, Gabbard has earned a spot in the rotation.

It's going to be very exciting no matter. I only wish it were at home, so the kid could get the ovation he deserves.

[patriotspride]

Originally Posted by BradyManny2344

His inconsistency at AAA is disconcerting, but I'm guessing this is just a spot thing until Schilling has come back. For now, Gabbard has earned a spot in the rotation.

It's going to be very exciting no matter. I only wish it were at home, so the kid could get the ovation he deserves.

i agree .lester has been struggling to throw strikes for a very long time now.when schill comes back i would stick with gabbard over lester in the 5 spot in the rotation .

[PressCoverage]

he was fantastic tonight against arguably the best offense in baseball... incredibly tough, battling out of several jams... kid was nails...

there are 28+ teams in baseball who wish they had our pitching "problems"

[TomBrady'sGoat]

Originally Posted by PressCoverage

he was fantastic tonight against arguably the best offense in baseball... incredibly tough, battling out of several jams... kid was nails...

there are 28+ teams in baseball who wish they had our pitching "problems"

"fantastic" may be a stretch fueled by emotions. I'll stick with "very good."

The Lester we saw last night was the same Lester we saw last year; a 5-6 inning pitcher. Maybe I'm greedy but I want to see him eliminate the regular innings where he walks a few guys and has to pitch out of jams.

His ability to pitch out of jams is clearly superior to that of many pitchers, and will allow him to have a good career. His strength minimizes the damage done by his weakness.

If pitching in AAA allows him to work on his control issues better than pitching in the majors, I want to see him back in AAA. If not you might as well let him work on it with the major league club and pencil him into the rotation to start next year.

[frankiesfly]

It wouldn't have mattered how he pitched. Just to see him to take the mound is awesome.

[DarrylS]

Great job by Lester, welcome back to the bigs.. what a problem we have in this rotation 5 quality deep and Bucholz in the wings in Pawtucket.. this may be Theo's legacy, rebuilding our farm teams.. what will we do with Gabbard when Shilling returns, oh if we could only start hitting consistently.. this team is very deep.