Jon Lester RUMORS & NEWS

Boston Herald "At this rate, the Red Sox are going to have to step up their overall game if they are going to keep ahead of this Baltimore Orioles team. And nobody’s got more room to improve than Jon Lester. Even though Lester thought he had some of his best command of his pitches all season long, made just..." June 17

Boston Herald "Clay Buchholz was pushed back again from a tentative Sunday start against the Orioles, but he will pitch on Tuesday. Maybe. The Red Sox cannot quite say for certain that Buchholz’ sore neck, which was feeling better yesterday, will improve enough to throw a full bullpen session on Sunday and..." June 14

Boston Herald "In offering up the customary post-start self-evaluation here last night, Jon Lester didn’t mince words. “Just terrible,” he said before adding, “unacceptable” and finally, “horse-(expletive).” And here’s the worst part: It wasn’t limited to only last night. It would have been easier for the..." June 12

Tampa Bay Times "Matt Joyce seemed a bit on the defensive, having to explain his actions that led to him being hit by a pitch and in the middle of a benches-clearing incident in Monday's marathon loss when he felt he didn't do anything wrong. So Tuesday night, he went on the offensive, hitting the longest, and..." June 12

Boston Globe "The Red Sox have changed their rotation again because of lingering shoulder soreness for righthander Clay Buchholz. Franklin Morales will start against the Phillies on Thursday with Jon Lester pushed up to Friday in New York against the Yankees. Felix Doubront is scheduled for..." May 30

Boston Globe "The Red Sox had stumbled into second place, losers of six of their last seven games after a hot start to the season. But they had the right man on the mound Friday night. Jon Lester came a pitch away from a perfect game against the Toronto Blue Jays in a 5-0 victory for the Sox. His only..." May 11

Boston Herald "Jon Lester had undeniably good stuff yesterday. He featured a 95 mph fastball, threw his best changeup of the season and found strikeouts when he needed them. Unfortunately, he also made two mistakes against the Texas Rangers. Mitch Moreland smacked the first to left field for a solo homer in..." May 06

CSN New England "As befits his status as the Red Sox' No. 1 starter, Jon Lester had previously drawn CC Sabathia and David Price as opponents and beaten them both. On Sunday, when he drew Yu Darvish, the results were different. Neither Lester nor Darvish factored in the decision, but the Sox lost..." May 06

Boston Herald "The Red Sox were very polite about yesterday’s offensive explosion. Balls flew out of the park, they said. With the Rogers Centre full, the ball carries in the humidity, they said. It was a great day to hit, they said. Unsaid? Why none of the above applied to Jon Lester. While the Red Sox..." April 08

Boston Herald "Jon Lester understands he has a long way to go to be in the same economic stratosphere as the Tigers’ Justin Verlander, but if he gets there it will be good news for everyone but the Red Sox accountants. “I’m happy for him and I’m happy for baseball,” the Sox’ Opening Day starter said..." April 01

Providence Journal "Jon Lester looked at times last season like a pitcher barely worthy of pitching in a major-league rotation. To new manager John Farrell, Lester this spring has looked like a pitcher worthy of starting Opening Day. Farrell made official Wednesday what has been obvious for weeks: Lester will..." March 27

CSN New England "The Red Sox may not be the power-hitting team that they've been in past years, but if the pitching staff pitches in the regular season like they have been in spring training, they won't need much hitting. The Sox starting pitchers have been great, and ace Jon Lester is leading the way after a..." March 18

NESN "A lot of Boston fans might wake up Monday morning not remembering Sunday’s Red Sox game, but those hungover St. Patrick’s Day partygoers will be happy to learn that their hometown team was damn near perfect against the Rays. Jon Lester really was perfect. He didn’t allow a baserunner in six..." March 17

NESN "It’s only spring training. Those words are muttered countless times year in and year out as some players thrive in camp while others fizzle out. The reason? It’s actually quite true. Spring training means a variety of things for a variety of players. For minor leaguers invited to major league..." February 25

Boston Herald "Will the real Jon Lester please stand up? After Wednesday’s picnic table manifesto in Fort Myers we can only wonder is this guy Bob Gibson Lite, as my colleague Steve Buckley suggests, or I-Don’t-Give-A-Hoot Gibson? Wednesday, Lester said his 2012 collapse was “solely on me . . . It’s not on..." February 15

Boston Herald "Jon Lester has always reminded me of Bob Gibson. And this is where you say, “What?” Look, I get it: Gibson is a right-hander, Lester is a left-hander. Gibson is black, Lester white. Gibson grew up in Nebraska, Lester grew up in Washington state. Gibson was a first-ballot Hall of Famer...." February 14

ESPN.com "Pitcher Jon Lester, for one, hopes that John Lackey's days as Boston’s DH --designated heavy -- can come to an end after three years of being pilloried as a lousy pitcher and a worse person. “I’m always encouraged by Lackey,’’ Lester said. “People don’t understand how happy-go-lucky he..." February 12

Boston Herald "For all the offseason changes — from a new manager and his overhauled coaching staff to a different closer and seven free agent additions — the Red Sox' chances of turning around last season's 93-loss debacle ride primarily on the starting rotation. More specifically, they come down to Jon..." January 11

Boston Herald "Let's just get your first question out of the way: No, the Red Sox [team stats] could not have pulled off Sunday's Rays-Royals trade with Jon Lester [stats]. As good as Lester is (or has been), Kansas City valued the combo of James Shields and Wade Davis higher than him, since that's..." December 11

Over The Monster "Adding some fuel to the Jon Lester trade rumor fire, Rob Bradford has a source saying that the Red Sox and Lester have not begun to discuss an extension. With just two years left on Jon Lester's initial extension, signed back in the 2008-2009 offseason, now would typically be prime territory..." November 27

CSN New England "New Red Sox manager John Farrell was brought back to the Red Sox in hopes to fix the Sox pitching staff among other things. But what if the "ace" of that Sox staff is traded before Farrell even gets a chance? There's no reason to believe that anything is imminent, but Bob Dutton of the..." November 27

Boston Herald "Despite their need for another quality starting pitcher, the Red Sox [team stats] may be keeping the door open to dealing away their best starter, left-hander Jon Lester [stats]. According to a report in the Kansas City Star, the Red Sox are one of the teams that have discussed a deal with the..." November 27

Boston Herald "The circus has left town and has been replaced by a sheriff, and Jon Lester couldn't be happier. The Red Sox left-hander knew only clubhouse stability from his 2006 debut until September 2011, when things went haywire. He then endured a dysfunctional 2012 that saw the Red Sox post their worst..." October 23

Boston Herald "Jon Lester [stats] pitched five pretty effective innings last night and left Yankee Stadium with a no-decision in the 4-3, 12-inning loss. It figures. His season has been an inconclusive enigma. "Going into the game, I want to go through nine," said the left-hander, who allowed one..." October 03

CSN Baltimore "One by one, the Orioles have exorcised their past demons this season. The curses of Yankee Stadium and Fenway were the first to go. Then, the 14 straight losing season streak was finally ended. On Friday, the Orioles get another shot at a truly elusive target: beating Jon Lester. Lester has..." September 21

Boston Herald "Three batters into last night's game, Jon Lester [stats] was doing his finest imitation of Zach Stewart. Making his final start in a month in which he appeared to have turned around his season of underachievement, Lester gave up one walk and two hits, including Albert Pujols' two-run double, to..." August 31

Boston Herald "Better late than never, Jon Lester has morphed back into an ace. It took four months and a brutal beating by the Toronto Blue Jays last month at Fenway Park, but at last, Lester has regained his swagger. It was one thing to mow down the Indians last Sunday in Cleveland. It was quite another to..." August 19

ESPN.com "Here's the biggest fallacy of the 2012 Red Sox season: It's all, or even mostly, the fault of Jon Lester and Josh Beckett. It's the easiest way to explain the team's place in the standings, to cite the team's record in games started by the pair (16-27) and note that if the Red Sox had won even..." August 14

Boston Globe "Jon Lester went into Sunday's start against Cleveland tied for the second-most losses in the American League (10) and with an earned run average of 5.36, nearly two full runs higher than what his career mark had been. "You know what? It sounds bad but there comes a point where you just need to..." August 13

Boston Herald "The real Jon Lester finally stood up yesterday, and even if it ends up being too late for the 2012 season, it's reassuring to know that a pitcher's still in there. In what goes down easily as his most dominant outing of the season, Lester limited the Cleveland Indians to three hits and a run..." August 13

Boston Herald "For what it's worth, Jon Lester [stats] believes his last two starts have been among his best of the season. Of course, the Red Sox [team stats] lost both of them. It's getting a little late for consolation prizes, and Lester knows it. So last night, when the Red Sox managed one hit with..." August 08

Boston Herald "Jon Lester did not win in five tries in July and he kept up that trend in his first start of August last night. But there was a distinct lift to his voice after his eight-inning stint in the 5-0 loss to the Twins. Just as he did last week in his no-decision against the Yankees, Lester is..." August 03

WEEI Boston "It was a day that was thick with chaos. Bobby Valentine weaving in and out of explaining how he will handle Carl Crawford going forward. Last year's former Red Sox manager, Terry Francona, holding court in the team's clubhouse with the current manager, Bobby Valentine, across the way, sitting..." July 29

Boston Herald "The decline and fall of Jon Lester this season has been the single saddest sight to behold of this already sad Red Sox team. This afternoon, then, is Lester's best, and possibly last, shot at redeeming a team and his own season. Especially after last night's poorly pitched and overall limp 10-3..." July 28

Boston Herald "The root of Jon Lester's struggles may go back to last season. During an extended bullpen session yesterday, in which three batters stood in against him but didn't take swings, Lester aimed to correct a flaw in his delivery that he believes existed at times last year. According to pitching..." July 26

Boston Herald "For now, at least, the Red Sox decided to allow Jon Lester to make his start Saturday in New York. And one American League scout believes the struggling ace is hardly a lost cause. "He's not far from being very good," said the scout, who watched Lester implode Sunday at Fenway Park against..." July 24

Boston Globe "Jon Lester's self-immolation on the mound in Sunday's 15-7 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park was in keeping with his self-immolation in the clubhouse afterward. His confidence was at its lowest after he suffered the worst loss of the worst season of his career, alllowing 11 runs and..." July 23

Boston Herald "John Farrell has seen Jon Lester at his absolute best. Yesterday, the ex-Red Sox pitching coach watched his former pupil hit rock bottom. Even after compiling an advanced scouting report that suggested Lester had more chinks in his armor than at any other point in his career, Farrell didn't..." July 23

Boston Herald "After setting a bunch of career lows in his start yesterday, Jon Lester said he's "not a big fan of sucking." He's got company there, all right. Red Sox Nation is not generally comprised of fans who support a team and pitcher that currently fall in the "sucking" category, especially after..." July 23

Boston Herald "In an attempt to improve Jon Lester's terribly underwhelming season, Red Sox pitching coach Bob McClure has pinpointed a subtle mechanical adjustment that the ace lefty will implement today against the Toronto Blue Jays. More likely, though, the biggest thing Lester must change is his..." July 22

Boston Herald "Strip away the booing, and the "Yoooooouk"-ing, and all the other background clatter that filled Fenway Park in the fourth inning last night, and only one thing remained — Jon Lester laid another egg. If Kevin Youkilis has been reborn since his June 24 liberation from the Red Sox (and four home..." July 18

Boston Herald "Something's wrong, very wrong, with Jon Lester. And nobody associated with the Red Sox seems to have a clue about how to fix it. What could possibly be taking so long? Lester is 28 years old with a marvelous pedigree. He should be entering the prime of his career, he should be getting..." July 18

WEEI Boston "Jon Lester, perhaps in response to a radio appearance by Peter Gammons in which the Hall of Fame writer suggested Lester was "so unhappy" in Boston, posted the following on his Twitter page late Wednesday night: "Guys, I love Boston, very happy here. Nothing better than playing for the @RedSox,..." July 12

CSN New England "Jon Lester's first half ended as fruitlessly for the Red Sox as it began. With a loss. Sunday night in the first-half finale against the Yankees at Fenway Park, Lester lasted just 4 1/3 innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on nine hits and two walks with six strikeouts. He took the..." July 09

Boston Herald "Jon Lester will get the next eight days off. Last night, he looked like he could use every one of them. The purported ace of the Red Sox [team stats] staff got himself lacerated once again, this time by the AL East-leading New York Yankees. Lester allowed nine hits and five runs (four earned)..." July 09

Boston Herald "Jon Lester got what he needed most at Fenway Park yesterday and so did his teammates. They got him runs and he got them outs. Keep this up and the burial plot may prove to have been purchased a bit prematurely for these maddening Red Sox. Lester had his moments both good and bad — as has..." June 28

Boston Herald "In the continuation of his utterly confounding season, Jon Lester did just enough to lose again last night. But Lester wasn't the Red Sox' problem. Go ahead and pin a 4-1 loss in the opener of a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves on Lester's iffy curveball, which got tagged for..." June 23

Boston Herald "Jon Lester's words don't align with his mood. Asked before Sunday night's game at Wrigley Field for a self-assessment of his season, Lester expressed general satisfaction with his mix of four pitches. Physically, he said he feels strong, and there isn't any evidence to the contrary. He hasn't..." June 19

Boston Herald "Red Sox starter Jon Lester felt like he was living in a Bill Murray comedy film following yesterday's 4-3 loss to the Washington Nationals at Fenway Park. Lester threw 107 pitches and gave the Red Sox a quality start only to get his third straight no-decision and second during his team's..." June 11

Boston Herald "Red Sox starter Jon Lester didn't want to come out of last night's series opener against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park, even though he agreed with the decision. Lester gave up a leadoff single to Baltimore right fielder Endy Chavez in the top of the seventh. The soft hit to left..." June 06