Best- John Lester SP Cubs – 5IP 0H 0ER 1BB 1K
The Chicago Cubs came into Cincinnati ready to make a statement. Despite the weather and sitting through a lengthy rain delay, Cubs’ Starting Pitcher, John Lester, dominated the Reds on Monday night. Lester’s stats do not do his night justice. The Reds always seem to play the Cubs hard, especially in their backyard, but Lester was in the zone giving the Cubs a 3-1 start to the season. Despite Lester is one of the older pitchers in the league, he has shown that he can muster some performances, making the lovable losers the team to beat in the NL Central.
Notable performances: Tyler Glasnow SP Rays – 4IP 1H 1ER 2BB 9K; Hunter Renfroe OF Rays – 3-5 2R 2HR 4RBI; Zack Godley P Red Sox – 4IP 4H 0ER 7K; Whit Merrifield 2B Royals – 3-5 3R 1HR 3RBI; Maikel Franco 3B Royals – 3-5 2R 2HR 4RBI.
Worst- Craig Kimbrel RP Cubs – 0.1 0H 2ER 4BB 0K 1BS
As good as Jon Lester was for the Cubs, the bullpen tried their hardest to blow their lead. Cubs Relief pitcher, Craig Kimbrel wins the prize for worst of the day, although the rest of the bullpen was not much better. Kimbrel, who was signed late last season, absolutely imploded in September and was a factor in the Cubs not making it to the playoffs. The Cubs did not make any moves offseason to shore up their shaky pen leaving Kimbrel to close for now. Kimbrel entered the game in the 9th inning with an 8-5 lead and added two earned runs. Kimbrel got saved by fellow reliever Jeremy Jeffress, who was able to salvage the victory for the Cubs and allowed Jon Lester to secure his well-deserved win.
After Monday’s performance, the Cubs should be calling every team to see who is available to bolster the pitching staff. Cubs need to address this bullpen before it blows up their playoff chances again.
Extra trash: Mike Trout OF Angels – 0-4 3K; CJ Cron, 1B Tigers – 0-4 4K; Shohei Ohtani DH Angels – 0-4 4K; Luke Weaver SP Diamondbacks – 3.1IP 7H 6ER 2BB 6k 1L; Mike Foltynewicz SP Braves – 3.1IP 4H 6ER 4BB 3K 1L.