No DL, but Lester could be skipped

Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine told reporters in Arlington, Texas, prior to his team's contest against the Rangers, that he saw no reason to place left-hander Jon Lester on the disabled list after he was pounded for a career-high 11 runs in four-plus innings on Sunday.

"He’s not hurt, that’s for sure. He says he feels fine," Valentine told reporters on Monday.

Even so, the manager left open the possibility that Lester could be skipped in his next scheduled turn in the rotation if he feels that would be helpful in getting back on the right track. Valentine said that he was did not expect such a measure. ("I don't think so. Maybe, [but] I don’t think so," he told reporters about the possibility of being skipped.) Even so, he suggested that he would talk to the pitcher in order to figure out how best to proceed amidst the worst stretch of his career.

"It’s not anything that has to get deep. We have to talk, figure it out. we’re not solving the world corn crisis," Valentine said of his conversation to help restore the pitcher's confidence. "Just let him know that if you’re that far down, there’s only one way to go and that’s up. I believe in him. Nobody else [among the reporters] in this room does but I do. So that’s a good start. Maybe if he’s sitting in here, it will be two of us by the time he leaves."

Lester is now 5-8 with a 5.46 ERA.

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