Jon Lester was cruising through two innings Monday afternoon, holding the Pirates off the board with four strikeouts and just one walk. He even helped his own cause yet again, doubling in the bottom of the 2nd to plate the Cubs’ first run. Lester scored on an ensuing Ben Zobrist single, but his time on the bases may have cost him.
After allowing a pair of singles to open the 3rd inning, Lester was examined by trainers and then walked off the mound without assistance. He went back to the clubhouse and eventually returned to the dugout, and the Cubs are saying it’s a case of left hamstring tightness.