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Poor guy - he's having a pretty good season except for the fact he can't get a win.  I think he needs to take the next off day and get the team together and buy them a milkshake or something.  Is there anyone else in MLB history who has gotten worse run support than he has?  I think they have scored him one run in the past 56 innings.

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. Thomas Jefferson

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Lester is an enigma so far this year.  Do I feel for the guy not getting any run support...sure, he deserves better.  As a long time Lester fan and Red Sox fan I'm seeing Lester in a vastly different light this year.  I love watching the guy pitch.  He's as smooth as Kentucky bourbon.  Very little effort and he lights up the "gun".  Incredible movement and location on his pitches.  A couple years ago, I sat behind home plate at Camden Yards and was just in complete amazement at how this guy pitches.  He had his swing and miss stuff that night, and just mowed the Orioles down.

 

Since the Cubs signing, I'm not sure if he is a MLB ace anymore.  His ability to hold runners has been exploited big time this year.  He's pitching in a different league with a new manager, pitching coach, and a new front office.  I loved the fact that he took the "Cubs Challenge" and signed for the money he did.  Again, I respect the guy for getting what he is worth, but something is "off" with him this year and I can't put my finger on it.  Maybe it is mental and he is trying to do too much because he isn't getting run support, I don't know but something is going on.  His ERA and FIP are high for him, and I hope he can turn it around after the all-star gamer.

Originally Posted by joes87:

Agreed. I was at the game last night. Not sure how many people realized he took a no hitter into the 7th inning.  pitched extremely well up until the rain started. 

 

I will ill say the place erupted when he got his first MLB hit.  Now he just needs to make a throw to first. 

He tried that back in May and put it about 15 feet wide of first.

Yes there is.In fact Lester wouldn't be a close 2nd.Fergie jenkins would have won 30 games playing for just about anyone else.I believe the year was 71.Fergie went 25-6 maybe 7.Lost all but 1 game without cubbies scoring.Or by 1 run.Doing this from memory.Mid july #31 gets to park early hides game bats takes batting practice bats to the track in CF.As the players come filling out ready for pregame.Fergie pours lighter fluid on bats and sets them ablaze.Players thinking they were thier game bats.Fergie states "If your not going to use them you don't need them"

Originally Posted by fenwaysouth:

Lester is an enigma so far this year.  Do I feel for the guy not getting any run support...sure, he deserves better.  As a long time Lester fan and Red Sox fan I'm seeing Lester in a vastly different light this year.  I love watching the guy pitch.  He's as smooth as Kentucky bourbon.  Very little effort and he lights up the "gun".  Incredible movement and location on his pitches.  A couple years ago, I sat behind home plate at Camden Yards and was just in complete amazement at how this guy pitches.  He had his swing and miss stuff that night, and just mowed the Orioles down.

 

Since the Cubs signing, I'm not sure if he is a MLB ace anymore.  His ability to hold runners has been exploited big time this year.  He's pitching in a different league with a new manager, pitching coach, and a new front office.  I loved the fact that he took the "Cubs Challenge" and signed for the money he did.  Again, I respect the guy for getting what he is worth, but something is "off" with him this year and I can't put my finger on it.  Maybe it is mental and he is trying to do too much because he isn't getting run support, I don't know but something is going on.  His ERA and FIP are high for him, and I hope he can turn it around after the all-star gamer.

I think he is going through and adjustment period from AL to NL, new team, team mates, coaches, etc.... but I also think you can chalk up his high ERA to a bad first 4 or 5 starts due to not getting a good spring training in.  I think he had a dead arm and didn't get much work in so he had to work through that at the start of the season.  I think by the end of the life of the contract he will have bounced back but I can see why some people have their eyebrows raised.

 

I also think once this lineup gets some seasoning they will be scary good.  They are going through some growing pains but their talent should eventually win out.  I think / hope Lester knew this coming in and was willing to suffer with them but maybe not to this extreme.  The funny thing is they are getting hits but just not when runners are in scoring position.  That can be chalked up to being young and inexperienced.  

 

This year will be interesting to see how it plays out with the Wild Card but next year the Cubs might be able to finally get over the hump.  Or possibly 2017 will be the year but everything Theo and Jed have done has been the right move......well except for maybe signing Edwin Jackson.

Originally Posted by proudhesmine:

Yes there is.In fact Lester wouldn't be a close 2nd.Fergie jenkins would have won 30 games playing for just about anyone else.I believe the year was 71.Fergie went 25-6 maybe 7.Lost all but 1 game without cubbies scoring.Or by 1 run.Doing this from memory.Mid july #31 gets to park early hides game bats takes batting practice bats to the track in CF.As the players come filling out ready for pregame.Fergie pours lighter fluid on bats and sets them ablaze.Players thinking they were thier game bats.Fergie states "If your not going to use them you don't need them"

..or Nolan Ryan in 1987....ERA champ, only starter under 3.00.  Struck out 270.  Only allowed more than 3 earned runs 3 times in 34 starts.  Went 8 - 16.

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