Three-time World Series champion and 200-game winner Jon Lester announced his retirement on Wednesday after a 16-year career. The 38-year-old made 30-plus starts in a season 12 times, including 28 starts in his final season with the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals last year. The southpaw made five All-Star teams and had a 2.51 career postseason ERA. Lester will be known for a nasty cutter, and he is one of only nine modern left-handers with 200 wins, a .600 winning percentage and a career ERA under 4.00. Six of the other eight southpaws are all in the Hall of Fame. From 2016 to 2018, Lester had a sparkling 1.93 ERA in 10 playoff outings. "I never wanted fans to leave a game and ask, 'Was the effort there?'" Lester said. "I think I always gave it."
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jon Lester allowed four runs in five innings of work on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs. Lester gave up six hits and four walks while striking out four. He ended up with a no decision in a game the Cardinals ultimately lost. The veteran lefty will head into the postseason with a 4.71 ERA.
Jon Lester Has His Best Start As A Cardinal On Monday
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jon Lester had his best start since being traded on Monday against the Cincinnati Reds. Lester earned a win and a quality start, pitching 6 1/3 innings, allowing just one run on one hit (a solo home run) and two walks while striking out five. Kyle Farmer hit a solo shot in the second inning, and it was the only damage against Lester, who improved to 5-6 and lowered his ERA to 5.05. He hasn't been great as a Cardinal, but he's still Jon Lester and certainly seems to have some good starts left in him. He's an okay streaming candidate against weaker opponents.
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jon Lester struggled in his first start with his new team on Tuesday. It was Lester's first appearance since his last Nationals start on July 24. On Tuesday, he pitched five innings, allowing six runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out four. He gave up five runs in the first inning but was ultimately able to settle in and give his new team a little bit of length. It was definitely not the start Lester wanted to start his Cardinals career, but he'll take a combined 3-6 record and 5.38 ERA into his next outing.
Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jon Lester has been traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. There's no word yet on the return for Washington, but this is now the second starting pitcher St. Louis has acquired after getting J.A. Happ from Minnesota earlier this afternoon. Lester has gone 3-5 with a 5.02 ERA, 1.593 WHIP and 14.9 percent strikeout rate over 75 1/3 innings of work. He's looked a little better in July where he's gone 1-2 with a 4.00 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 18 innings of work, but his value is still limited to being a matchup-dependent streaming option.
Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jon Lester was pressed into duty a day early on Saturday after fellow starter Max Scherzer was scratched, and once again he did not seem to have his best stuff. Corbin gave up three runs on three hits and a walk in five innings to take the loss against the Baltimore Orioles. He struck out two batters, and two of the three hits against him went for home runs. Lester now has a 5.02 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, and 51 strikeouts in 75 1/3 innings on the season. He doesn't belong on fantasy rosters.
Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jon Lester had his best game of the year against the Miami Marlins Monday, throwing seven shutout innings with just six hits and no walks allowed while striking out seven batters. As if that wasn't enough, Lester also went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and two runs scored at the plate. Lester lowered his ERA to 4.99 after this outing, with a 1.65 WHIP and 49 strikeouts in 70 1/3 innings. He's still not usable in most formats, but fantasy managers who happened to have him active for this one will certainly be pleased with their good fortune.
Jon Lester Gets The Start Saturday Against The Giants
Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jon Lester will get the start against the San Francisco Giants on Saturday. The veteran lefty continues to have difficulty pitching deep into games, only going 3 1/3 innings in his last start on July 5 while giving up six hits, including one home run. Lester has had a down season in general, as he is rocking a 5.34 ERA with 41 strikeouts, a 1.63 WHIP and 26 walks. Fantasy managers should search for higher-upside arms on Saturday.
Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jon Lester will start against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday. Lester limited the Milwaukee Brewers to one earned run on four strikeouts and no walks in four innings in his last time out, but the veteran left-hander will be a very risky option for those looking to stream an arm on Wednesday. The 37-year-old isn't a candidate to go deep in the ball game, and he's sporting a 4.91 ERA on the year with 22 strikeouts, a 1.46 WHIP and 10 walks in his six starts over 29 1/3 innings. Lester faced these same Braves back on May 6 at home and allowed three earned runs on four hits while walking two and striking out five in his five innings of work to take the loss. There are better, higher-upside streaming candidates to look at for Wednesday's slate.
Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jon Lester (COVID-19) will get the start on Friday night against the Marlins, according to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post. Lester was one of the players involved in the Nationals' early season COVID-19 outbreak, as Friday will be his first appearance since finishing Spring Training with a 3.60 ERA and five strikeouts in 10 innings of work. He could be an interesting streaming option against Miami, as he faces a Marlins squad that is without rising star second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. and also currently has the fifth-highest strikeout rate in the majors at 26.8 percent.
