Jon Lester 'could give two flying you-know-whats' about WC start
Cubs lefty Jon Lester said he "could give two flying you know whats" about whether he is selected to start a potential wild-card game.
By
Mike Axisa
•
2 min read
Coming into Friday, the Cubs are 80-58, which is the third-best record in the NL and fourth best record in MLB. It's also the third-best record in the NL Central, so Chicago is sitting in the second wild-card. They're nine games up on the Giants, 2 1/2 games back of the Pirates and seven games back of the Cardinals.
There are only 24 games left in the season, so while winning the division is not out of the question, it is unlikely. The Cubs are almost certainly going play the Pirates in the NL wild-card game in a few weeks. Manager Joe Maddon will have to pick a pitcher for the wild-card game and will likely go with either Jon Lester or Jake Arrieta.
On one hand, Lester is a two-time World Series champ with a ton of postseason experience who signed a $155M contract this past offseason. On the other, Arrieta is the better pitcher right now, statistically. Other things like specific matchups -- the Pirates hit righties a tiny bit better than lefties, for example-- and clubhouse politics come into play.
Some would consider selecting Arrieta for the wild-card game a slight against Lester. After all, Lester's the been there, done that guy. The pitcher the Cubs signed to win a big game. But, as far as Lester is concerned, he doesn't care who Maddon chooses for the wild-card game.
"I could give two flying you-know-whats who gets picked," said Lester to ESPN Chicago's Jesse Rogers on Wednesday. "Everybody has an ego and everyone wants to be that guy, but when it comes down to it, if (Arrieta) gives us the best chance to win that one-game playoff I'll be on the top step cheering my butt off for him to do well. He's the best pitcher on this team right now. He's probably the best pitcher in the league right now."
Arrieta is 18-6 with a 2.03 ERA (194 ERA+) this season while Lester is 9-10 with a 3.50 ERA (112 ERA+). Arrieta also has the edge in WHIP (0.92 vs. 1.18), FIP (2.46 vs. 3.01), strikeout rate (9.3 vs. 9.1 K/9), walk rate (2.1 vs. 2.2 BB/9) and ground ball rate (54.0 percent vs. 49.2 percent). He's the better pitcher right now.
The way I see it, Maddon is in a no-lose situation. He should feel comfortable sending either guy out to the mound in the wild-card game. Arrieta is the superior pitcher right now though Lester would be the obvious wild-card game starter for most other teams. Having two great pitchers is quite the luxury.
"We're always considering that stuff," said Maddon to Rogers. "I've talked to [pitching coach Chris] Bosio about all that stuff. We're very much aware of that but our goal is to catch the Cardinals."
