Otto: Chicago Cubs adjust nicely to help out Lester
Jon Lester might be one of the toughest players to ever put on a big league uniform.
Lester's performance on Friday against the Atlanta Braves is an example of just how mentally strong he is.
With men on first and second, nobody out, and a tie ballgame in the seventh inning, Lester fielded a bunt right back at him. What ordinarily is an easy toss to first base for most pitchers, looks to be pure anguish for him to execute. To use a baseball term, Lester instead "ate" the baseball, and did not make a throw to first base.
In post-game comments, Lester mentioned he did not have a good handle on the baseball. Regardless, if he did not feel confident about making that toss, he probably would've launched it over first base, and one run, maybe two runs would have scored on the play.
Instead Lester was faced with a bases-loaded situation. His reaction to that situation defines how tough he is. Instead of crawling into a hole, Lester attacked the next three hitters, getting 2 strikeouts and one weak groundball out to first.
Amazingly, no runs scored, and Lester kept the Cubs in position to win the ballgame, which they ultimately did.
So how can a pitcher throw a baseball 60 feet 6 inches to home plate with pinpoint accuracy, yet struggle making a simple toss to one of the bases?
The simple answer is, it happens. It might be one of the greatest mysteries in the game and there are many players that have gone through what is commonly referred to as the "thing."
One theory is that pitchers spend most of their time on the pitcher's mound either competing or practicing. Their pitching motion is fine-tuned through years of hard work, and they can practically pitch blind-folded. Lester is one of those truly gifted pitchers … on the mound.
Off the mound, when throwing to a base or making a pickoff attempt, that is where Lester looks awkward.
What's impressive is how this Cubs team has adjusted and worked on helping him get through this.
Every opposing team is well-aware, and will continue to exploit with bunt attempts, big leads on the bases, or anything else that will force Lester to make a throw.
When a bunt is a possibility, Joe Maddon and the Cubs have aligned their infield in a way that has minimized Lester's exposure to fielding a bunt. Sure, you might be giving up a few base-hits by playing further in at third than you normally would, but with the first baseman and third baseman charging on bunts there is a better chance that one of them could field that bunt. From the second base and right field position, Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward are doing their part by hustling to back up on plays.
As for controlling the running game, Lester has an extremely quick delivery to the plate, which gives Cubs catchers a better chance of throwing out a would-be basestealer.
David Ross chipped in Friday by gunning down Daniel Garcia from Atlanta at second base. Anthony Rizzo also does his part by screening base-runners on first base by constantly moving and playing off the bag when holding a runner on.
As a former pitcher who went through something similar, it can be brutal on a player's psyche. Yet, it appears that Lester is unfazed, and the seventh inning in Friday's game is a prime example.
In the bizarre world of baseball, Lester will discover or learn something, and this problem of throwing to the bases will gently slip away. Until that time comes, Jon Lester and his teammates will continue to adjust, because on the mound he remains one of the best in the business.
• Dave Otto, a standout athlete at Elk Grove High School, pitched from 1987-1994 for four MLB teams, including the Cubs. A former analyst for WGN Radio, FoxSportsNet and Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Otto also is a member of the University of Missouri Hall of Fame.