Chicago Cubs News: Lester homers, Cubs blow out D-backs

It was a perfect night for the Chicago Cubs Jon Lester. Well, almost perfect. Lester hit his first career home run, struck out number 2,000–but could qualify for the win as his pitch count had crept over a 100+ in the fifth. But it was still a great day for Lester and the Cubs.

The Chicago Cubs got off to a quick start against the Arizona Diamondbacks and never looked back. The Cubs scored eight in the first three innings, one of those being a two-run home run from Jon Lester. Before he was done for the night, he would also strike out his 2,000. Lester is fourth among active leaders in strikeouts. The Cubs homered five times, including two by Anthony Rizzo as they went on to crush the D-backs, 16-4.

Jason Heyward isn’t “back” quite yet as an offensive threat, but he’s getting there. The average is up, and the clutch hits are there. Heyward isn’t walking or getting on-base as much, but after last year, do we mind? While he continues to improve at the plate, his defense continues to be Gold Glove caliber. So I think we can let him work on it a little more.

The Cubs made some roster improvements ahead of the deadline, but they weren’t the only ones. The Dodgers got Yu Darvish, while the Yankees added Sonny Gray. The Cubs had already added Jose Quintana before getting Justin Wilson and Alex Avila. Will it be enough for the Cubs to beat the Dodgers? Only time will tell.

These and other stories you might have missed:

‘Cubs crush D-backs as Lester hits first home run’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Is Heyward back as an offensive threat?’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Breaking down the top moves of the deadline’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Jax the flipper: Play of the year, game of the year’ – MLB.com

‘Longoria hits for the cycle‘ – MLB.com

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