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It seems to go hand-in-hand for the Chicago Cubs. When the pitching struggles, the offense tends to fall flat. It happened again on Wednesday night as Jon Lester struggled in an 8-1 loss.
Things had been rolling along nicely for the Chicago Cubs. The seven-game win streak seemed in good hands with Jon Lester taking the mound. But then, baseball happened. Lester struggled, unable to put anyone away. Two failed pickoff throws didn’t seem to help matters much, but the offense was shut down by Rays’ started Blake Snell. The Cubs finally got on the board on a Jon Jay single in the eighth. On the night, the Cubs were 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
If you were a believer in Theo Epstein’s plan when he took over in Chicago, you need to keep that faith. Often times this year, fans have been ready to throw just about everybody on this team under the bus because of poor play. Yes, they’ve been frustrating at times. But baseball is a game of averages, and the Cubs have leveled out and are in first-place with 11 games to go. Have faith Cubs’ fans. He brought a World Series to Chicago. Let’s not get ridiculous with expectations.
The Cubs will get a needed boost in the rotation as Jake Arrieta will return on Thursday for the opener against Milwaukee. Before the hamstring injury, he had been the Cubs hottest pitcher in the second half. They’ll need more of that down the stretch, especially with Lester’s poor showing yesterday. It’s unsure if the Cubs will have him on a pitch count as he returns from the injury, but I would expect him to pitch somewhere around five innings for the Cubs.
These stories and more you might have missed:
‘Lester struggles, Cubs streak snapped at seven’ – Cubbies Crib
‘You’ve got to trust in the plan, even now’ – Cubbies Crib
‘Arrieta to return Thursday’ – Cubbies Crib
‘Pirates walk-off against Crew’ – MLB.com
‘Sale hits 300 K’s‘ -ESPN
#Cubs on Twitter
Since Joe Maddon took over in 2015, #Cubs have played 162 regular-season games in August, September and early October and gone 109-53.
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) September 19, 2017
What’s wrong with Jon Lester? And is there enough time for #Cubs to fix it? https://t.co/thIYoPLhk8
— NBC Sports Chicago (@NBCSChicago) September 21, 2017
(@CSNMooney) pic.twitter.com/G7mFH7klk1
ICYMI - CI Recap (9/20/17) – Rays 8, Cubs 1: Lester Hit Hard as Winning Streak Ends https://t.co/D4fOq0KfI1 #Cubs Insider
— Cubs Insider (@realcubsinsider) September 21, 2017
Next: Schwarber's season in perspective
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