Chicago Cubs blast St. Louis Cardinals as Lester wins No. 17
ST. LOUIS - Catcher David Ross had the big blow early - a two-run blast to center field in the fifth inning - but Jon Lester had a bigger day, shutting down the Cardinals for 8 innings as the Cubs claimed a 7-0 win Wednesday at Busch Stadium.
Anthony Rizzo also blasted a pair of home runs, giving him 31 homers and 101 RBI on the season, matching his totals for last season.
The win drops the Cubs' magic number to 1, meaning they can clinch the NL Central Division with a win against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field on Thursday or with a Cardinals' loss at San Francisco on Thursday night.
Lester (17-4) surrendered just 3 hits to go with 8 strikeouts against the Cardinals. The win moved the Cubs to 93-52 on the season with 17 games to play
Cubs open 2017 in St. Louis:
The Cubs will visit Fenway Park in Boston next season and welcome the New York Yankees to Wrigley Field.
Those are two highlights in the tentative 2017 season schedule, which features interleague games against the American League East and a home-and-home set against the White Sox.
The Cubs open the season on Monday, April 3, at St. Louis. After playing three against the Cardinals, the Cubs head to Milwaukee for three before coming home for the Wrigley Field opener on Monday, April 10, against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It will be the first home opener against the Dodgers since 1963.
The games against the White Sox will be July 24-25 at Wrigley Field and July 26-27 at Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side.
The Cubs travel to Boston April 28-30, and the Yankees come to Wrigley Field May 5-7. The Toronto Blue Jays play at Wrigley Aug. 18-20. The Cubs play two against Tampa Bay in Chicago (July 4-5) and two in Florida (Sept. 19-20) as manager Joe Maddon renews acquaintances with his former team.
The Cubs will play the Orioles in Baltimore July 14-16.
Walking the fine line:
Joe Maddon says he's fully aware he'll have a balancing act once the Cubs clinch the NL Central. He also knows there are possible pitfalls awaiting teams that clinch early. The Cubs can clinch the division during the four-game series against the Brewers, which begins Thursday night at Wrigley Field.
"I really believe it's in the approach," Maddon said Wednesday. "You can have all these different plans mapped out, but it's up to the individual. A lot of it's conversational. You've got to talk to them. Observationally, you've got to watch what they're doing.
"I do know that once we get to a point where we have clinched, we will settle into a routine that I want to believe is going to keep them sharp and rested at the same time."
Rotation roulette:
Lefty Mike Montgomery starts Thursday night's series opener against the Brewers. Montgomery has been the team's sixth starter lately, as Joe Maddon tries to keep his top 5 pitchers fresh.
The Cubs may stick with this approach.
"It's possible, maybe one more time," Maddon said. "We're discussing that. It's definitely possible."