Chicago Cubs News: Chatwood’s first start; Lester’s velocity a concern?

The first start for the Chicago Cubs’ Tyler Chatwood was an unusual one–but not all that surprising. And how about Jon Lester’s drop in velocity? Should the Cubs be concerned about it?

The Chicago Cubs‘ Tyler Chatwood put together a mixed bag of results that lead to a 1-0 loss. His six walks were a concern. But to be honest, not unexpected. Chatwood seems to come up with his best pitches when under stress. Not, would it be ideal for him to not walk that many batters? Of course. But other than an RBI groundout to Adam Duvall, Chatwood held the Reds in check for six innings. That’s more than we can say about most of the starter the first time through the rotation.

We dealt with this last year when the Cubs’ Jake Arrieta lost a few miles off his fastball. Now, there are concerns that Jn Lester might be having the same issue. Should we be concerned? In short, no. Lester is in his mid-30’s, and he’s got some miles on his arm. Moreover, he’s not a power pitcher like Arrieta was. It’s possible that he’s making adjustments to it as we speak, we just don’t know what they are just yet.

Last offseason, the Cubs had a few names on the burner during the Hot Stove. Most of them were the marquee guys–Russell, Schwarber, Baez–but what about the little guys? After having some issues two years ago, Tommy La Stella has come back and become a vital part of this team. And honestly, he should probably get the opportunity to play more frequently. But on this roster, that might not happen. So is there a chance that La Stella could be on the block? That’s a maybe. And it depends what the Cubs can get for him.

These and other stories you might have missed:

‘Chatwood’s start odd, but expected’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Should we be worried about Lester’s decline in velocity?’ – Cubbies Crib

‘How valuable a trade piece might La Stella be?’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Miami brings many positives for Russell’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Sho-off! Ohtani goes yard in first home AB’ – MLB.com

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