Chicago Cubs hope for some “magic” out of Lester vs. the Mets

Lester hopes to get back on track against struggling Mets

No matter what, you can’t fault Chicago Cubs‘ skipper Joe Maddon for trying to keep his guys loose and upbeat. After bringing in a magician–yes, that’s right–to lighten the mood, the Cubs got a stellar performance from their pitching staff as Kyle Hendricks and three relievers combined for the shutout of the New York Mets.

The issue is still the struggles with RISP, as the Cubs managed just one run on a Matt Szczur double to pull out the 1-0 win. With all the youth on this Cubs team, it’s the veteran Jon Lester (4-6, 4.03) that needs to find his way as he faces the Mets Bartolo Colon (9-6, 4.89). 

The Cubs (40-35) need the veteran lefty to do more than he has. Big contract aside, Lester knows he’s capable of better. He’s sandwiched a nice run in May between tow rough ones, including his last seven starts in which he’s gone 0-4. But he’s going to be facing a Mets (40-38) lineup that’s lacked any offensive punch as of late.

It’ll be the ageless wonder Colon on the other side, who is winless against the Cubs in his career with a 0-2 record and a 4.73 ERA. He’s never faced Kris Bryant or Addison Russell–and he’s old enough to be their father–as he didn’t pitch in the trip to Wrigley earlier this year. Bryant is 7-for-16 with two homers, five walks and four RBIs against the Mets.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. CT at Citi Field. WGN will have the television coverage while WBBM 780 has the radio broadcast.

Here are the lineups for tonight’s game:

Next: It's gut-check time for this young Cubs team