The Chicago Cubs put lefthander Jon Lester on its Wild Card roster earlier this week in case ace Jake Arrieta faltered against the Pirates. He didn’t, and the Cardinals get the former Red Sox number-one in the first game of the Divisional Series on Friday.
That’s better than the alternative. Ask the Pirates. Facing Arrieta would have been a tone-setting
disaster for the series. The guy has looked downright Bumgardian for about a month now, and nothing suggests that will change.
Lester is no slouch, he’s just not Arrieta.
That said, Lester has been as advertised for the Cubs this year, even with the hype and distractions he’s put up.