In May, Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester will look back on the previous month and yell “April Fool’s!” or at least Sox fans hope.
Lester had another rough outing on the mound Monday as the Twins cruised to a 5-2 victory in their opening game at Target Field. Lester was wild again, throwing 48 of his 107 pitches for balls. When he wasn’t wild he was hittable, allowing nine hits and four runs over five innings.
History shows that Lester likes to turn April Fool’s Day into an entire month. He has started 14 games in April throughout his career and is 2-5 with a 5.08 ERA. Fantasy owners beware of selling this guy cheap. While he might cost you a few points in the beginning, Lester tends to breakout in the months following. The past two years he has went 28-10 in the months following April.
The Sox two runs came from a deep double (which was almost caught) to left field, scoring Kevin Youkilis from second. The other was a sacrifice fly by Dustin Pedroia. Overall, the atmosphere of the new outdoor stadium propelled the Twins to a big victory over a struggling pitcher.
Don’t be the fool, Lester will find his control and push 15 wins wins 200 strikeouts once again.
