Cubs boast ERA leaders after Lester’s gem

ST. LOUIS — In 1938, Cubs right-hander Bill Lee led the Major Leagues with a 2.66 ERA, and teammate Charlie Root was second at 2.86. On Wednesday afternoon, Jon Lester threw eight scoreless innings in the Cubs’ 7-0 win over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium to move up to second in the Majors behind teammate Kyle Hendricks, and the Cubs could have another pair of elite pitchers finish on top of the leaderboard.

Lester now has a 2.40 ERA — Hendricks is first at 2.03 — and the lefty joined another teammate, Jake Arrieta, on top of the National League ranks with 17 wins. Why do the Cubs have the best record in the Major Leagues? Just look at the rotation.

When Joe Maddon was with the Rays, he had to deal with Lester in the American League East. The Cubs’ manager is very happy to have the left-hander on his side now.

“When I saw him with the Red Sox really well, I might have seen 95, 96 [mph] sometimes,” Maddon said. “That’s the only difference, is maybe the velocity hasn’t topped out. He was throwing 94 [mph] today.

“I also believe what I’m seeing now is much better command of everything that he’s doing. He was always a command …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com