Can managers rely on Jon Lester going forward?
Colin Henderson breaks down why fantasy managers should only use Washington Nationals P Jon Lester as a streaming option when he pitches at home or against lefties.
Video Transcript
COLIN HENDERSON: Jon Lester turned back the clock over the weekend, throwing a seven inning jam against the Marlins, scattering six hits while striking out seven. He even got in on the offense becoming the oldest pitcher, since Bartolo "Big Sexy" Colón, to hit a home run in a game. This outing, his longest of a year, improved his season line to 3 and 4 with a 4.99 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, and 49 strikeouts to 28 walks across 70 innings pitched.
While the 37-year-old looked excellent over the weekend, this was the first time since April 30 that he was able to hold the opposing offense scoreless. And the first time all year he was able to pitch seven innings. In fact, he had yet to record an out in the sixth inning of a game so far. He now has just two more strikeouts than earned runs allowed, and is on pace to post his highest WHIP since his rookie season back in 2006.
All of this is to say that fantasy managers should not read into the strong start against the depleted Marlins offense or get too excited about a familiar name who was once a fantasy ace. Lester remains only in the streaming category, preferably in home games where he is 3 and 1 with a 3.83 ERA or against lefty heavy lineups, where he has a 2.41 ERA against lefties.
