Jon Lester is scheduled to start for the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, and you can sense the wheels spinning in the heads of Dodgers fans who are thinking, “Let the track meet begin.”
Not so fast.
The veteran left-hander has not cured his well-known case of the “yips,” a mental block that prevents him from making pickoff throws and throwing accurately to bases on bunts and grounders, but that doesn’t mean the Dodgers can run wild on him.
Of the 14 baserunners who have attempted to steal off Lester in 62 innings over 10 games this season, eight have been gunned down, a 57% caught-stealing rate.