Chicago Cubs: Who is the ace of the Cubs’ staff?

Cubs’ pitching has fallen on tough times in 2017

A deep run into the postseason can wear down a starting staff. Jon Lester, for example, tossed 202 2/3 innings in the regular season in 2016. Tack on an extra 35 2/3 innings of postseason work and Lester recorded just shy of 240 innings pitched in 2016.

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Despite the increased work load, the numbers that have been put up by the Cubs’ staff are unacceptable. Through the first 62 games of this season, the Cubs have used seven different starting pitchers. The Cubs only used 11 different starting pitchers in 2016. This increase in pitchers is greatly due to injuries that have plagued the staff this season. Brett Anderson has been on the DL since May with a bad back, and was just transferred to the 60-day DL. Anderson is sporting an 8.18 ERA in six starts this season.

Also on the DL is Kyle Hendricks. Hendricks was placed on the DL last week due to tendinitis in his throwing hand. The 27-year-old has posted a 4.09 ERA in 61 2/3 innings this season.

Due to these injuries, Mike Montgomery and Eddie Butler have had to step in and pick up the slack. Butler, who has made six starts compared to Montgomery’s one, is sporting a 3-2 record with a 4.03 ERA in 29 innings pitched.

There is a great need for a true ace right now

Last season, the Cubs had a true ace of their staff. His name was Jon Lester, and he won 19 games to lead the staff. In addition to earning the most wins, Lester also led the staff with 32 starts made, and 197 strikeouts recorded.

So far this season, no pitcher has set themselves apart from the rest of the staff. Even though Lester leads the staff with a 4.13 ERA, he only does so because Kyle Hendricks and Eddie Butler do not have enough innings to qualify. Jake Arrieta and Lester have each made 13 starts for the Cubs this season, but Arrieta has recorded six wins to Lester’s three.

Unlike last year when the Cubs’ main core of starters posted an ERA south of three, this season has been a different story. The six Cubs starters with at least six starts are posting a 5.04 ERA in 2017. That is more than two runs higher than last season and is a contributing factor to the Cubs’ .500 record.

What the Cubs desperately need is one starting pitcher to find his groove, and hopefully, the rest of the staff will follow suit.

Jon Lester needs to be that guy

When the Cubs signed Jon Lester prior to the 2015 season, they knew who they were getting. They were getting a two-time World Series champion, three-time All-Star, and a pitcher who had finished in the top five in Cy Young voting twice. Moreover, they were getting a veteran workhorse who had recorded six 200 inning seasons, and who had made 30 or more starts seven times in his career.

Lester did not live up to the hype that surrounded the first year of his six-year, $155 million deal with the Cubs. Lester posted an 11-12 record but did record a solid 3.34 ERA in 205 innings pitched.

The 33-year-old south paw settled down in a big way last season, finishing second in Cy Young voting, and leading the Cubs to a World Series title.

If the Cubs hope to return to postseason play in 2017, they will need to get Lester going. There is no doubt that the 6-4 lefty is the bona fide ace of the Cubs’s staff. With Kyle Hendricks still trying to find his way in a league where he has only recorded 512 innings pitched, and John Lackey and Jake Arrieta free agents at the end of the year, Lester is the best option the Cubs have starting pitcher wise.

The time to get hot is right now

Lester, as well as the rest of the Cubs’ starting staff, is struggling right now. In 2016, Lester recorded a 3.79 strikeout-to-walk ratio. This season, that same ratio is 2.81. Right now, Lester is averaging nine strikeouts per nine innings; that is up from 8.7 last season. The southpaw is also averaging 3.2 walks per nine innings.

Even though Lester is striking out more batters, he is also walking more batters. In addition to walking more batters, Lester is also allowing more hits. Last season, Lester yielded 6.8 hits per nine innings. This season, that number has ballooned to 9.0.

These lackluster numbers can mean only one thing for Lester. He is due to break out of this rut any start now.

For a pitcher that has 149 wins, and over 2,000 innings of big league experience to struggle is normal. However, it is that experience that will help Lester break out of this slump.

Time to get things rolling

There is no doubt a large portion of the Cubs’ success hinges on whether Lester is effective. Lester is the Cubs’ best pitcher right now whether the statistics back that up or not. Other than John Lackey, Lester has the longest track record of success on the Cubs’ staff.

There is still much left in the tank for Lester. That was evident on May 23 against the Giants. In that game, Lester tossed nine innings of one-run ball, allowing just four hits, and striking out ten.

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Those starts are the kind the Cubs need if the hope to right the ship. Once Lester begins to get it together on the mound, expect the rest of the Cubs’ staff to follow suit.