A few years ago, I decided to prank my wife for her birthday. She’d been complaining about how bad her camera was (a previous gift from yours truly—and most definitely not a prank) and she wanted something that took better pictures. Which meant—hint, hint—a new camera. So her birthday rolled around and she opens her card […]
Tag: Jon Lester
Cubs Player Profile: Jon Lester
2015 Stats 205.0 IP, 3.34 ERA, 3.89 DRA, 25.0% K%, 5.7 BB% Year in Review On the morning of May 6th, the Chicago Cubs were not reeling, but they were in a funk. They were losers of four consecutive games, including the first two of a four-game set in St. Louis. It was just the first […]
This Cubs-Mets Series Is Different
This piece, by friend of the site Alex Walsh (@ajwalshCubs), features some great analysis of Jon Lester’s performance against the Mets, past and present. We hope you enjoy. If the announcers for this 2015 NLCS implore you to “throw out the regular season stats” at any point during the broadcast of Game 1, take heed—it’ll be […]
Jon Lester Over Jake Arrieta as Cubs’ NLCS Game 1 Starter: The Right Call for a Reason
Jake Arrieta started on four days’ rest three straight times on three different occasions during the regular season. Until Monday night at Wrigley Field, though, he hadn’t done it four straight times since June 2012. Like most modern starting pitchers, Arrieta is accustomed to an extra day of rest at least every few turns through […]
Now Scouting: Jon Lester versus the St. Louis Cardinals
Give me the (four-seam) fastball and I watch what I do with it — Lil Bow Wow, paraphrased On Opening Night, Jon Lester struggled to find a rhythm against the St. Louis Cardinals. In failing to make it through five innings, Lester allowed eight hits, all on his four-seam and cut fastballs, while Cardinals left-handed […]
Been There Before: The Brilliant Postseason Consistency of Jon Lester – Playoff Experience on the 2015 Cubs, Part II
Part I of this series focused on the rest of the Cubs roster. This piece, which looks at Lester’s postseason career in general, will set up Part III: a preview of Jon Lester’s Game One start in St. Louis, which will run tomorrow. October legends are created a myriad of ways—in a few signature at-bats (David Freese and Reggie […]
The 2015 Ballad of Jon Lester: Start No. 32
Date: September 30, 2015 Opponent: Cincinnati Reds Location: Great American Ballpark Introduction Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end Since April, my greatest hope was that one day this feature would be to baseball analysis what Semisonic is to music. Today, with the regular season now complete, I have decided this hope has been realized. […]
That’s So Cub: A Look at the Top September Contributors and Moments
It’s the beginning of October, which not only means that Halloween is around the corner and you might even hear the first ominous tinkle of mall Christmas music, but also that I, as I have since the beginning of time the beginning of the season, will sit down and write about the top Cubs’ contributors and moments from the previous […]
The 2015 Ballad of Jon Lester: Start No. 30
Date: September 20, 2015 Opponent: St. Louis Cardinals Location: Wrigley Field Introduction Chris Rock followed Bigger & Blacker with Down to Earth. The Office followed its first six seasons with its final three seasons. Pearl Jam followed the 1990s with the first half of the 2000s. This is a convoluted, perhaps unnecessarily snarky way of […]
The 2015 Ballad of Jon Lester: Start No. 29
Date: September 15, 2015 Opponent: Pittsburgh Pirates Location: PNC Park Introduction Jon Lester opened June by surrendering 11 earned runs and 21 baserunners in 9 1/3 innings pitched at the Miami Marlins and Detroit Tigers. Those two teams are now a combined 31 games under .500, and will both probably be looking for new managers […]