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John Farrell sees the difference in Jon Lester from a year ago 03.01.13 at 11:18 pm ET
By Alex Speier

Jon Lester threw three scoreless innings on Friday. (AP)

FORT MYERS, Fla. — It’s only been two spring training starts, but Red Sox manager John Farrell says that the difference between Jon Lester this spring and last year has been very apparent. Lester, coming off a year when he went 9-14 with a 4.82 ERA, has now logged five scoreless innings this spring, including three against the Pirates on Friday night. While the left-hander incorporated his full pitch mix — including his curveball, changeup and cutter against Pittsburgh — it was the location of his fastball that Farrell considered the most telling sign of Friday night.

“With each time Jon gets on the mound, whether it’s in side work or in game action, he’s been down in the zone consistently. That was the case again tonight,” Farrell said. “When you look at the lower half in his delivery, he’s working downhill much more consistently. If you look at video, any time mid-season last year till now, you’ll notice a very different lead leg. That’s been able to allow him to work from kind of a high to low type trajectory through the strike zone rather than collapsing on the backside and pushing the fastball through the zone. Probably the quickest way I could explain it. And that’s what’s allowed him to throw the ball down at the bottom of the zone.”

Of the nine outs Lester recorded on Friday, five were on groundballs, two were on strikeouts and two were on flyballs. Given that he is coming off a year in which he permitted a career-high 25 homers, the idea of getting Lester’s mechanics to a point where his arm is swinging overhead — thus permitting him to leverage the ball downhill — has been an emphasis. To date, at this very early stage of the spring, the left-hander has been successful in the undertaking.

“I was able to do the same things we’ve talked about early on — staying tall and driving the ball downhill,” said Lester. “I’m becoming more comfortable with the adjustments that we’re making. Anytime you make changes and you get good results from those changes, it reinforces them and you keep working on them. That was the thing last year. We’re trying to make changes and not getting good results, so it’s hard to stick with those and ride them out. Spring training is a great time to do it and really work on it because results don’t matter, but at the same time you still want to go out and have good results.”

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  • Salty

    It begins……..

  • Boring Media Hype

    yeah yeah

  • innovator

    I spoke till I was blue in the face and posted more stats than anyone on here about how last year was an aberration for Lester…He was a #1 from 2008 til sept 2011…He’s 29,and he can do it again…

  • ChiefKeef

    Yeah you are just wrong there.  Lester had a terrible September in 2011, but he had a down year even before that…good, but definitely a down year by his standards, and not close to #1 production, not even good #2 production.  

    As far as stats go, Lester’s strikeout rate has dropped for three years in a row now.  His walk rates were crazy high in 2010 and 2011.  He really has been in steady decline, he went from elite to good to below average.  I hope he can rebound but you can’t tell me he was even close to an ace in 2011, even ignoring September.  Ace’s don’t walk 3.5 guys per 9 innings (especially with steadily declining strikeouts).

  • innovator

    Lester was 15-6 with a 2.93 era on September 6 2011..Did you just actually refer to that as “good”?! ..Chief Keef,on what planet is that not a #1 starter? He was about a strikeout per inning in 2011,and struck out  225 the two previous years…If you are striking out 1 per inning(10 in kper9) ,you are not “declining”..Again,if you are under peak,in no way can you vaguely associate that with being in decline..he was extremely effective,and very effective against tough lineups in 2011…Striking out 200 can’t be referred to as declining,and considering he was top ten,it shouldn’t be…As for 2012,he was absolutely in decline.HE SUCKED!!! Got it….His strikeouts were 8.5 and his walks were 3.5 for a very good 2.44 BB/K ratio in 2011….I’m showing positives..So many of  YOu out there listen to way too much talk radio,because ignoramus’ like Mike Felger and Tony Mazzarotti constantly yap about Lester never being anything more than a #3….They are poisonous!!..because you don’t strike out 225 in a season,does not mark you as a player in decline,under any circumstances…

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_WW4SUGV5J6Y7R5MVPAWVIWAJFU Dennis

    Up until sept of 2011 Lester was an ace.Please stop it.People today put to many stats into it.Grounball outs strike outs,just as long as he adjusts to the situation.Even though his fast ball decline’s a little does’nt mean you are not an ace.He seems to have more pitches and probably needs them.,

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_WW4SUGV5J6Y7R5MVPAWVIWAJFU Dennis

    Of course he can,thats the nature of Red Sox fans.He had a bad year coming off a collapse in 2011 and it went into 2012.The whole franchise was screwed up and Lester was part of it.Its 2013 look for a rebound.

  • Fab4ever

    I think the point anyone can make about Lester is it appeared that his velocity was down…that’s not an opinion, it’s based on facts…notice I said the word “was”….there are also many who believe he can return to that place if he stops and uses his brain…stop the pissing and moaning, throw strikes. Farrell has alluded to this. I was at the game last night. Lester looked sensational. I don’t care if it was the Pirates. He would have dominated any team with his stuff last night. You could see his confidence build after the first batter. His mechanics contribute to his velocity and he hasn’t had those mechanics for a while now…
    You cannot argue the fact that he was awful, just a complete bust after 9/6/11….but I hardly think he’s trash like some say….Boston is a tough place…we laugh at Rick Pitino and his tirade but he was dead on…and yes, Felger and Mazz are the worst thing to ever hit the airwaves of Boston…they troll for ratings, they create controversy for the sake of controversy because they KNOW there are fools out there who will take the bait…

  • innovator

    Good points….Also Fab,,believe it or not,Lester hit 96 mph in his last start last year….That encouraged me to the point knowing he is healthy….He also pitched 6 plus innings in almost every start the last two months of the season with a sub 4 era under the horrific watch of Bobby Valentine and Randy Niemann…..Having David Ross and John Farrell will be a huge blessing For Jon this year…I take major issue with those that say he ws never a number one starter….Sure he’s not  a Verlander or a King Felix,,but how many are?

  • Sinestos’ Slipper Sock

    well really….. what else were they going to say?

  • tragsoldbag

    Your brain is really big. Big Papi’s gonna party with a monster year then flame out in ’14.

  • Pahpy22

    Don’t think Lester ever was a number one, nor do I think he will be a number one.  Hope I am wrong, but reality backs me up.  To me, the Lester of 2011 and 2012 was nowhere near the pitcher he was prior to that.  The major difference has been control and pitch count.  In both 2011 and 2012 his control has not been good and his pitch count was quite high, so much so that most times out he was very high into the 6th inning.  He gets a grip on that, I think he can regain his earlier effectiveness, but that is not as a number one starter.

  • Dee-fense, dee-fense!

    Reality or history?  There’s a difference.  I don’t care if he’s 1,2 or 3, as long as he wins 17 games including some big ones. 

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