Hopefully Lester’s Foot and Cutter Are Going to Be OK and Other Bullets

I don’t exactly know how to lay this out here, because I want folks to have a little context for why I may have schedule issues right now (for example, not being able to stay up for the game last night), but I also can’t really get into detail. I guess I’ll just say that our family is going through a challenging time right now. We’re all ultimately OK, and it’s going to *BE* OK, but it’s a tough time. I still very much dig my job, and appreciate being able to come here and do this – so, for me if nothing else, I’m not going anywhere. Just please excuse any disruptions of typical coverage for the next couple weeks, and send out those good vibes, if you don’t mind.

  • After his stellar start to the season, Jon Lester’s ERA is now up over 4 thanks to a 7.59 ERA over his last six starts. The good news is that last night was really the only stinker in the last three starts. But the less good news is that this stretch has seen him absolutely hammered (43.8% hard) in the air (42.2% FB rate).
  • As Jordan Bastian notes, one of the biggest problems has been Lester’s command of his signature cutter:
  • As is always the case with Lester, you bet against him at your own peril. His ability to make adjustments and utilize his repertoire in an effective way, even when everything isn’t clicking, is incredible. Is he in a decline phase at age 35? Of course. Does that mean he can’t still be a quality starter the rest of the way? No way. I think that’s far more likely than the alternative.
  • All that said, I hope his foot is OK:
  • That was a 98.4 mph liner that caught Lester pretty flush on the left foot (the one he pushes off of), and although there was no chance he was going to leave the game, he did get wrecked after that. He said after the game there was no impact (Cubs.com): “It’s sore now. It hurt at the time, but it is what it is. It didn’t affect the way I threw the ball after that.” We’ll have to keep an eye on this.
  • (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

  • Death, taxes, Addison Russell chucking his bat:
  • I know the ball is juiced, but this is still nuts:
  • I know what Javy must do on his next homer swing:
  • NICO HOERNER update at long last:
  • If Hoerner can be back in a couple weeks, that’d leave him about two months in the minor league season. Sucks that he’d have missed so much, but that’s not too bad. One word of caution: don’t freak out if his power/hard contact takes some time to return after the injury. Wrist stuff is problematic, though not necessarily permanent.
  • Obvious Shirts has a message:
  • Belts, protein powder, and tankless water heaters – stuff for dudes, apparently, are the Deals of the Day at Amazon today.
  • And the MLB Shop is doing an extra clearance today on Cubs gear.
  • Meanwhile, in other Chicago sports:
  • written by

    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.

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