GOING GETS TOUGHER
Lackey outduels Lester as Cardinals again show they’re cream of crop
ST. LOUIS— The Cubs aren’t in Pittsburgh anymore.
Say what you want about Gerrit Cole, Andrew McCutchen and all the other young talent on that 98win Pirates team the Cubs swatted awayWednesday night.
On Friday night at Busch Stadium, it was John Lackey’s pitching, a mistake- free group of fielders and maybe even some October inertia that added up to a quick reminder that the Cubs’ road goes through St. Louis.
“We all know that,” said Jon Lester, who stared down Lackey, allowing only a first- inning run until the eighth in the Cubs’ 4- 0 loss in Game 1 of their National League Division Series.
“That doesn’t matter if you’re us or the Pirates or the Dodgers or the Mets. It’s gone through this city for a long time. You look at the banners up there in right- center field, and you know that. It’s like looking up at Yankee Stadium. You know you’ve got to go through those guys to get where you want to go.”
The last time Lester and Lackey were in this ballpark together in the postseason, they pitched in back- to- back victories for the Red Sox in the 2013 World Series, which they won.
Lackey was traded to the Cardinals last year. Lester was the first elite free- agent pitcher signed over the winter. The Cubs landed him with a six- year, $ 155 million contract with the vision of a Game 1 playoff start in mind.
“And potentially a Game 5 start,” general manager Jed Hoyer said Friday.
It looks like it might take that for the Cubs to win this best- of- five series, with untested Kyle Hendricks going in Game 2 on Saturday before they get a chance to send their Cy Young candidate, Jake Arrieta, to the mound at home onMonday.
“We’re not too frustrated,” said rookie right fielder Kyle Schwarber, who became the Cubs’ first baserunner when he walked in the fourth. “Obviously, we’re going to have frustration because we lost the game, but we’ve got to go in tomorrow with a clear head and approach it the same way we did today.”
Schwarber also singled Jorge Soler to third against Trevor Rosenthal in a ninth- inning rally that fell short.
“It’s not like it’s the wild card, where it’s one and done,” he said. “It’s a long run. We’re not too worried about it. It happened. We lost. But that’s why there’s four more games if we need them.”
The Cubs took issue throughout the game with home- plate umpire Phil Cuzzi’s strike zone.
“I’m going to get in trouble if I say anything,” said Chris Coghlan, who struck out twice on called third strikes, once against Lackey.
But only three other Cubs struck out against Lackey. And Lester struck out nine, going without a walk until his final batter in the eighth.
“I voiced my opinion a couple times, but apparently it was the same zone for both sides and I really can’t complain,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.
Regardless of Cuzzi’s GPS, this game was about two playoff- tested, veteran starting pitchers, a Cubs reliever ( Pedro Strop) who struggled again in St. Louis and a team that has played in the last four NL Championship Series, two of the last four World Series ( winning in 2011) and won more games this season ( 100) than any of those teams.
“They play really good, sound baseball,” Lester said. “They have really good, sound at- bats every night. They don’t give up pitches, on either side. It’s what makes it tough.
“But we’re right there with them. There’s no reason we can’t beat these guys.”