Lester pitches 2 innings, returns from gland removal surgery

Jon Lester was back on a mound Thursday, wearing a Washington Nationals uniform while facing opposing batters for the first time in spring training and striking out a couple during his two innings, less than two weeks after surgery to remove a parathyroid gland.

“Baseball, for me, is an escape. I come to the field, I’ve got stuff I need to do. I forget about this,” Lester said, pointing to the scar on the front of his throat, after Washington’s 3-1 victory against the New York Mets at Port St. Lucie, Florida.

“You dive into that routine,” the 37-year-old left-hander said.

Wearing a red Nationals No. 34 uniform, Bryce Harper’s old number, along with a green hat the day after St. Patrick’s Day, Lester allowed one run and one hit while throwing 31 pitches, 21 for strikes.

He went to 0-2 counts on each of the first three Mets hitters, getting the first two out before walking J.D. Davis and giving up a first-pitch RBI double to James McCann. Then Lester pitched a 1-2-3 second inning, and that was that.

His operation was March 5 for hyperparathyroidism, which can affect the amount of calcium levels in the bloodstream and lead to someone tiring easily.

Kyle Schwarber hit his second home run and Josh Bell hit his third. Marcus Stroman was stellar in his fourth start for New York, allowing one run on two hits in five innings, striking out six.

CARRASCO HURT

New Mets pitcher Carlos Carrasco strained his right hamstring during conditioning after throwing one inning of batting practice and seems certain to miss the start of the season. New York was waiting for an MRI for an indication on how long Carrasco will be sidelined.

“He was running sprints and he felt a pull,” said Mets manager Luis Rojas, who said he spoke with Carrasco while the pitcher was face...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Lester-pitches-2-innings-returns-from-gland-16037167.php