34 Jon Lester SP

Lester (17-6) picked up the win in Saturday's 8-3 victory over the White Sox, giving up three runs (two earned) on eight hits over five innings while striking out four.

The veteran southpaw is putting together an impressive finish to the regular season, going 5-1 with a 1.96 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 41:8 K:BB through 41.1 innings over his last seven starts. Lester will make one more trip to the mound before the playoffs when he takes on the Pirates at Wrigley Field on Thursday.

Lester (back) is listed as Chicago's starting pitcher for Saturday's game against the Reds, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports.

As expected, it looks like Lester will be capable of making his upcoming start after leaving Monday's outing with lower-back tightness. During that game, he allowed three earned runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out seven in 5.2 innings versus Milwaukee. On the year, Lester has logged a 3.57 ERA and 1.34 WHIP with a 7.3 K/9 across 29 starts.

Lester (14-5) pitched 5.2 innings of one-run ball to record the win Wednesday against the Tigers. He allowed seven hits and a walk, while striking out three.

Lester barely missed out on his 12th quality start of the year, but he still managed to grab a win despite not having dominant stuff in this one. The veteran lefty needed 100 pitches to retire his 17 hitters and struck out only three Tigers after recording eight punchouts in his last start. Nonetheless, Lester reached the 14-win plateau for the eighth time in his career, and he'll go for No. 15 against a subpar Mets lineup on Monday.

Lester threw five innings Sunday, yielding five runs on eight hits and two walks in the 10-6 loss to San Diego. He struck out just one batter and allowed two home runs in the no-decision.

Lester's summer struggles continue as his season ERA has jumped from 2.18 to 3.44 since the end of June. During that same span, the 34-year-old lefty has also posted an abysmal 26:19 K:BB ratio in 35.2 innings. Lester allowed a pair of solo homers Sunday, coming from Freddy Galvis and Franmil Reyes, as well as a two-run triple from Eric Hosmer. Things won't get easier in his next start as Lester will take on the Nationals in Chicago on Saturday.

Lester (12-4) allowed four earned runs on seven hits and three walks over five innings to take the loss Tuesday against the Pirates. He struck out three.

After shutting down the Diamondbacks in his last start, Lester was much more hittable in this one. The veteran lefty ran into trouble in the third inning, when he allowed a run-scoring double followed by a two-run home run by Francisco Cervelli. Lester gave up another run in the fifth before departing having thrown 101 pitches. The 34-year-old still carries a solid 3.22 ERA and will look for better results in his next outing, which is scheduled for Sunday against the light-hitting Padres.