Lester struggles and Cards close in on Cubs
Success in the short season has been dependent on starting pitching for the Cubs.
Jon Lester didn't have it Sunday and the Cubs saw their lead in the NL Central drop to 1½ games with a 7-3 loss to St. Louis at Wrigley Field.
“When your starter every five days puts you behind the eight-ball, it's hard to come back from those days,” Lester said after the game. “It's hard for these guys to grind when you're constantly putting them behind.”
There is some concern about the status of Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward, who left the game after two at bats and went to the hospital to get checked out.
“He had shortness of breath, little bit of lightheadedness,” manager David Ross said. “He said he felt a little lightheaded after the first at bat and just not being able to really breathe. He's not a guy that you ever have concerns about so when he says he is having trouble breathing and lightheaded, I just want to make sure everything's all right.”
The Cubs gave Lester a 3-1 lead with early home runs by Anthony Rizzo and Jason Kipnis. But Lester had a rough third inning, which included a 3-run, go-ahead homer by Paul Goldschmidt.
Overall, Lester gave up 5 earned runs, 6 hits and 2 home runs in 3⅓ innings. This was the veteran lefthander's fifth straight start without a victory, going back to Aug. 11 in Cleveland.
“I think he's just fighting himself right now trying to find his rhythm, trying to find some angle to his pitches, get the cutter back,” said Ross, who was Lester's preferred catcher for several years with the Cubs and Red Sox. “Just doesn't look like himself right now, the guy I've known for a long time.”
The Cardinals tacked on 2 more runs in the sixth off newcomer Josh Osich. Also of note, Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect seventh inning with 2 strikeouts.
With the wind blowing out, this looked like it could be a slugfest, but the Cubs were relatively quiet after Kipnis' home run in the second. They were outhit 12-6.
Of course, this is a strange pennant race. The Cardinals have played nine fewer games than the Cubs because of the COVID-19 outbreak on the team early this season and will be the league's busiest team down the stretch. There is one more game left in this series on Monday.
The Cubs (23-18) could still be built for October since they have arguably the hottest pitcher in the NL in Yu Darvish. They need to get Lester and Kyle Hendricks back on track.
“You guys have seen the linescores, there's not much confidence in that right there,” Lester said. “The work we're putting in on the side in between starts, obviously isn't translating into the starts so I don't know what that is. I try to take positives out of every five days, but there's not many.
“I pride myself on work and pitching innings and keeping my team in the ballgame and that frankly is not the story right now. It's very frustrating and when frustration comes in, obviously there's not a lot of confidence. So continue to work.
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