After 11 straight starts where he gave up three earned runs or less, Jon Lester learned a little baseball reality last night: sometimes you’re the hammer, sometimes you’re the nail. The Astros teed off on Lester, tagging him with six earned, including two homeruns, in just five innings.
Every pitcher is going to have these games. What made me a little nervous were Lester’s postgame comments:
“I felt great,” said Lester, who threw a season-low 76 pitches. “I thought I threw better than the line. When I went out and looked at the scoreboard, I thought I threw a hell of a lot better than the score said.”
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“You’ve got to tip your hat to Loretta,” Lester said.
It’s this type of nonsense that we used to hear from guys like Derek Lowe when he was going bad. I don’t get it. They hit everything you threw over the plate, just say “I didn’t feel like I had my best stuff” and move on. And don’t tip you’re friggin‘ cap to the other team for tattooing your pitch. Please.
Lester and Delcarmen put a damper on great nights by Youk, Pedroia and Mikey-Mike. A combined 10-for-14 with seven RBI. Then you had Tek and Lugo going 0-for-7 with four K’s and four runners stranded. Tek is now down to .228 and showing no signs of busting out of his funk.
Nothing cures a loss like that than a Josh Beckett start. See y’all at 2:05.
