Jon Lester’s Bounce-Back Season, Avoiding the Wild Card Game, Rally Rat, and Other Bullets

Sep 28, 2018

Social Media Night was awesome once again – thanks to everyone I saw and met for the great chats, the good beer, and the very good baseball.

Jon Lester was more or less at 50 pitches through two innings last night, managing to keep the Pirates off the board if not off the bases. And then somehow he still completed six scoreless innings. It has been an incredible, bounce-back year for Lester, who defied his peripherals all season to get better results that it seemed he deserved (but I suspect he *DID* deserve them), and finishes the season with a 3.32 ERA, currently the 20th best mark in all of baseball. If the Cubs play in the Wild Card Game, it’ll be Lester getting the ball to start.

Not that anyone wants to play in the Wild Card Game. From Lester (Cubs.com): “We’ve made the playoffs, and nobody in the clubhouse is satisfied with that. I don’t think that’s an arrogance – we all expect to win the division. That’s not a knock on the other teams in our division. We feel that’s one of our goals. Hopefully, that comes to fruition this weekend, and we’ll celebrate then.”

As Kyle Schwarber put it in the same piece: “The Wild Card Game can maybe take a couple years off your life. It’s an exciting game and a very good game for the game of baseball, but to actually be in it, it’s very high stress. We’d definitely rather be in the [Division Series] right away.”

The Cubs infield celebrated the win with a selfie on Social Media Night. Appropriate. Even if they didn’t have a camera, they made it work:

Very glad it didn’t end up mattering, but the Cubs put the first FIVE batters who came to the plate in the 4th inning on base, and they managed … one run. A caught stealing and a bad send at third base cost the Cubs a lot of runs. Like I said, it didn’t wind up mattering, but it was kinda ugly nonetheless.

Jon Lester, who singled that inning, was the guy who scored the lone run on a Daniel Murphy single. I actually love how thoughtfully and in control Lester appears to be running on this play – bonus points for carrying your gloves in your hand:

.@JLester34: speed demon. #SeptemberBaseball pic.twitter.com/UTedDkeGIV

— MLB (@MLB) September 28, 2018

How about Anthony Rizzo helping out Carl Edwards Jr. when he was losing himself again:

Your browser does not support iframes.

The real reason the Cubs won last night – David Bote’s triple came in the Cubs’ first half inning after this:

OMG THE RALLY RAT IS HERE #CUBSSOCIAL pic.twitter.com/UndxG7jfCs

— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) September 28, 2018

Enjoy that Bote triple, while we’re at it:

David Bote has been known to get clutch hits. pic.twitter.com/1aNPxAg5Zs

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 28, 2018

John Lackey was in the house last night. Cheers:

An absolutely ridiculous Macbook deal at Amazon today (38% off, which is insane for an Apple product), so if you’ve been in the market for a computer, you’ll definitely at least want to check that one out.

The MLB Shop has a 20% off sale going on today, so check that out, too.

written by

Brett Taylor

Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

more cubs news

Chicago Cubs

MLBits: Paul Skenes Could Make His MLB Debut Any Day (But Probably Won’t), Red-Hot Orioles, Houck’s Maddux, More

If you're into tracking young pitchers with star potential like I am—as I watch Jack Leiter's debut while typing this column—then you're probably itching to see Pirates top prospect Paul Skenes make his way to Pittsburgh sooner than later. While...

Patrick K. Flowers

Apr 18, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Back to Wrigley: Cubs vs Marlins – Series Preview

Cubs vs Marlins — Whew! The Cubs got through their first West Coast road trip of the year, and did so with a winning record (5-4) against the Padres, Mariners, and Diamondbacks. They definitely let a couple games slip out...

Michael Cerami

Apr 18, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Taillon Coming Back, Busch’s Integrity and Success, Bad News for the White Sox, Wicks, Hendricks, and Other Cubs Bullets

As the father of a toddler who was sick for an entire week — the same week Brett was out from his back surgery and the Cubs were playing almost exclusively late-night ballgames on the West Coast — I was...

Michael Cerami

Apr 18, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Cubs Farm Report | April 18, 2024: Caissie, Alcántara Go Yard, South Bend and Myrtle Beach Smoked, More

Kevin Alcántara hit his first home run of the season for the Tennessee Smokies last night, and Owen Caissie hit his first Triple-A home run for the Iowa Cubs as Iowa and Tennessee secured victories. The same can't be said...

Patrick K. Flowers

Apr 18, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Cody Bellinger Sticking With Scott Boras

Given the way the offseason played out for super agent Scott Boras's top available clients - Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, Blake Snell, and Jordan Montgomery - you wouldn't be shocked to see some unhappiness behind the scenes. Did Boras overplay...

Brett Taylor

Apr 18, 2024

Chicago Cubs

You’ll Be Even More Impressed with Hayden Wesneski, When You Hear What it Took to Get Him to Arizona

Hayden Wesneski was the hero of yesterday's finale and series-win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, coming in to clean up Jordan Wicks' (little) mess in the 5th ... and then tossing 4 shutout innings to save an over-used bullpen and help...

Michael Cerami

Apr 18, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Offseason Cubs Target Robert Stephenson Now Out for the Year

Hand up, I really wanted the Cubs to sign reliever Robert Stephenson this offseason. I felt like they could use one more impact arm (accurate), and I felt like Stephenson was one of the best available (about that ... )....

Brett Taylor

Apr 18, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Rays Closer Pete Fairbanks With a Wonderful and Brutally Honest Line About His Performance

Rays closer Pete Fairbanks has been an extremely effective reliever the last four years, posting a 2.66 ERA from 2020 through 2023, with a 34.8% K rate and worth 4.1 WAR. But things have started out much more rough for...

Brett Taylor

Apr 18, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Still Thinking About That Incredible Christopher Morel Play

I don't want to overreact to a relatively brief stretch of success, and I certainly don't want to jinx anything. But Christopher Morel has looked pretty darn solid at third base the last couple weeks, hasn't he? Maybe some of...

Brett Taylor

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Enhanced Box Score: Cubs 5, Diamondbacks 3 – April 17, 2024

UNCLENCH. They did it. There was 9th inning drama, because of course there was, but Drew Smyly was able to get the job done, pitching for the third consecutive day. Cubs win the game, Cubs win the series. Cubs win...

Michael Cerami

Apr 17, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Back to Wrigley: Cubs vs Marlins – Series Preview

Michael Cerami

Apr 18, 2024

NFL

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1st Round Mock Draft: Exploring Potential Picks at 26th Overall

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter the 2024 NFL Draft in a familiar position – contenders with a need to retool. Baker Mayfield solidified the quarterback position sans Tom Bracy, and while the Bucs boast a talented roster, key departures and...

Brian Twining

Apr 18, 2024

NFL

New England Patriots 3-Round Mock Draft: Exploring Potential Picks After Selecting Jayden Daniels in Round 1

New England Patriots 3-Round Mock Draft - The curtain has closed on the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era in New England. The Patriots, once a dynasty of consistency, now find themselves at a crossroads. With the number three pick in the 2024 NFL Draft,...

Ryan Noonan

Apr 18, 2024

Picks

Giants vs. Diamondbacks Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, April 18, 2024

The Arizona Diamondbacks (9-10) will look to Joc Pederson, with homers in two straight games, to pull off an upset win over the San Francisco Giants (8-11) Thursday at Oracle Park. The Giants are -149 moneyline favorites for the game,...

Data Skrive

Apr 18, 2024

Chicago Cubs

MLBits: Paul Skenes Could Make His MLB Debut Any Day (But Probably Won’t), Red-Hot Orioles, Houck’s Maddux, More

Patrick K. Flowers

Apr 18, 2024

NFL

New York Jets 1st Round Mock Draft: Exploring Potential Picks at 10th Overall

The pressure is on for the New York Jets. With the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the team faces a crucial decision that could define their future. Years of rebuilding have yielded progress, but the playoffs remain...

Brian Twining

Apr 18, 2024

NFL

Las Vegas Raiders 3-Round Mock Draft: Exploring Potential Picks For The Silver and Black

Las Vegas Raiders 3-Round Mock Draft - It's a new era in Las Vegas, and while they still have questions surrounding the most important position on the team, there's a lot of discussion about what the Raiders will do with their first-round selection....

Ryan Noonan

Apr 18, 2024

MLB Prop Bets

Giants vs. Diamondbacks Probable Starting Pitchers – April 18

The San Francisco Giants (8-11) host the Arizona Diamondbacks (9-10) on Thursday to kick off a four-game series at Oracle Park. The matchup starts at 9:45 PM ET.This contest's pitching matchup is set, as the Giants will send Logan Webb...

Data Skrive

Apr 18, 2024

Chicago Blackhawks

You Can Buy IceHogs Playoff Tickets Starting Friday!

Hey Blackhawks fans! Wanna see playoff hockey with some players who might be part of the future in Chicago? The IceHogs are heading to the Calder Cup Playoffs, and some tickets go on sale Friday morning! The final schedule for...

Tab Bamford

Apr 18, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Jon Lester’s Bounce-Back Season, Avoiding the Wild Card Game, Rally Rat, and Other Bullets

Read More

more cubs news

Latest News

more cubs news

Most Popular

Most Popular

Latest News

Most Popular

Most Popular