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How will Chicago Cubs decide postseason pitching rotation? It starts with health, Maddon says

The question came up to Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon about the starting rotation: Does he feel as good about it as he did last year?

"Woof," Maddon said, before giving it several seconds of heavy consideration.

It's a question worth asking and one worthy of a "woof" from Maddon. Last year the Cubs' rotation pretty much cruised into the postseason and to a World Series title in fine form and in good health.

Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks wound up 2-3 in Cy Young balloting, and Jake Arrieta won 18 games a season after dominating baseball and earning the Cy Young.

There have been more fits and starts this year among the starters. Lester and Hendricks spent time on the disabled list, and Arrieta suffered a hamstring injury on Labor Day, but he looks fully recovered.

John Lackey has been doing what a No. 5 starter usually does, and Jose Quintana tossed a complete-game shutout Sunday at Milwaukee.

Lester started Monday night's series opener at St. Louis, as the Cubs reduced their magic number to 1 for clinching the National League Central with a 10-2 victory. Arrieta will pitch tonight, when the Cubs will have their first chance to clinch.

Still, the question persists. How do things compare?

"You've got to make sure that Jake's well," Maddon said. "You've got to make sure Jonny Lester's OK coming out of this, too, because last year Lester and Hendricks were pretty much Cy Young candidates.

"I would say Jonny Lester getting back to normalcy and that Jake is well because I think Q is throwing the ball great.

"Johnny Lackey didn't have a great start (Friday), but he's been good. Hendricks, to me, is throwing the ball as good as I've seen. He really is. That last game was the best stuff I've ever seen."

Lester experienced shoulder fatigue, which put him on the DL from Aug. 18-Sept. 2. His September ERA heading into Monday was 5.91, and his ERA since the all-star break was 5.11 going into the start.

The Cubs say there are no signs that Lester is injured. But he has pitched extensively in the postseason in recent years, and the fatigue factor could be real.

"There's nothing wrong with him," Maddon insisted over the weekend. "If there was, I'd be concerned, but I'm not getting that at all.

"There's been nothing new. He has not come to me with anything new. I've not talked to Bos (pitching coach Chris Bosio). Bos hasn't brought any kind of epiphanies to me. I really anticipate better.

"I just think he has to work through coming off his injury. Physically he's well. There's nothing unwell about him. I have so much faith in the guy. I'm anticipating good.

"We need that from Jon. That's who Jon is. And he expects that from himself also."

Arrieta has looked fine in his starts since resting the hamstring. He pitched the Cubs to victory in the 2015 wild-card game at Pittsburgh.

The extended workload may have caught up to Arrieta last year, but he said he's ready to once again pitch the Cubs into the postseason.

"It's just good to be back out there," he said. "These are big games. I want to be a part of as many as I can, especially to try to clinch the division as quick as possible and kind of line things up for us in October. But we've got to get there first."

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