Jon Lester had been slated to face the Reds yesterday, but with the game being rained out, he’ll now instead start tomorrow’s series opener in Milwaukee.
That means Kyle Hendricks, Yu Darvish, and Jose Quintana will round out that series, with Tyler Chatwood now getting the home opener on Monday against the Pirates instead of Lester. With a rotation like the Cubs’, there not a ton lost however you work the matchups, but it did seem like there was some strategic thinking involved in having Lester face the Reds rather than the Brewers, who have been among the most aggressive teams in stealing off of him in the Craig Counsell era. Sure, the Reds have Billy Hamilton, but the Brewers have attempted to make everyone Billy Hamilton when Lester is on the mound.
As for the home opener, I’m actually pleased it’ll be Chatwood. Nothing against Lester, it’s just that I’ve seen him a whole lot. I’m ready to see Chatwood in person.