Jon Lester shows the Cubs something they needed to see
The veteran lefty may no longer be the obvious No. 1 in Chicago's postseason rotation, but Monday's turn gave them hope he's getting back in gear.
2017 ScheduleAll times ET
2017 Schedule
88-68, 1st in NL Cent
David Schoenfield ESPN Senior Writer
The Dodgers reach 100 wins for the first time since 1974. The Cubs are one win away from the NL Central title. The Rockies fail to increase their lead on the Brewers and Rockies. The magic number update: Cubs 1; Twins 2 (to clinch wild card); Red Sox 3 (to clinch AL East); Rockies 5 (to clinch wild card); Dodgers 2 (to clinch No. 1 seed in NL); Indians 5 (to clinch No. 1 seed in AL).
Russell: 'You don't get in front of a man and his nachos' (0:40)
Jesse Rogers ESPN Staff Writer
Jon Lester, on Nacho Man: "A guy (A.Russell) fell into him and got nacho cheese on his arm and now he's taking pictures and signing autographs so I guess that shows you where our society is at right now with all that stuff."
Jesse Rogers ESPN Staff Writer
Watch Javier Baez discuss taking a foul ball off his knee. He says he thinks can play tomorrow.
Jesse Rogers ESPN Staff Writer
Watch Jon Lester discuss his improved outing on Monday.
Jesse Rogers ESPN Staff Writer
Watch Addison Russell discuss his encounter with "Nacho Man" during Monday's game.
Cubs roll past Cardinals (1:13)
Jesse Rogers ESPN Staff Writer
Watch Joe Maddon discuss Jon Lester's outing on Monday. It was better but there's still room for early improvement.
Russell brings nachos to Cards fan, Cubs near Central clinch
Addison Russell hit a three-run double in the first inning, then made a food run for fans in enemy territory while the Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 10-2 Monday night to move within a win of cinching a second straight NL Central title.
Jesse Rogers ESPN Staff Writer
The Cubs beat the Cardinals 10-2 clinching at least a tie for the division as Jon Lester had a nice bounce back start giving up just a run and five hits over six innings. Kris Bryant and Javier Baez both homered while Jon Jay and Tommy La Stella added RBI hits late in the game as the Cubs pulled away. A win tomorrow OR a Milwaukee loss against Cincinnati will secure the Cubs a second consecutive division title.
Bryant extends Cubs' lead with his 29th HR (0:21)
Baez 's 3-run homer strengthens Cubs' lead (0:26)
Jesse Rogers ESPN Staff Writer
Coming off several rough outings in a row, Jon Lester did his job on Monday, holding the Cardinals to a run over six innings on 5 hits and 4 strikeouts. He gave up some hard hit balls, including a HR, but he never gave in, proving himself playoff capable. Or as close to it as he can be this late in the year after some struggles.
Jesse Rogers ESPN Staff Writer
Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina left Monday's game against the Cubs after taking two foul balls off his face mask on consecutive pitches in the seventh inning. Kris Bryant fouled both back causing Molina to go down to the ground twice. At that point he left the game.
Nacho average foul ball (0:46)
Jesse Rogers ESPN Staff Writer
Watch Joe Maddon discuss the situation with Jon Lester who has struggled most of the year.
Jesse Rogers ESPN Staff Writer
Jon Jay leads off for the Cubs again while Ben Zobrist bats fifth and plays left field. Willson Contreras will catch Jon Lester who is coming off several rough outings in a row. The Cubs magic number is 2.
Vote: Cubs Confidence Meter
The Cubs are on the verge of clinching the Central. Is a dynasty in the works at Wrigley? Or is there an outbreak of agita on the North Side? Vote now!
Cubs' Jose Quintana opens eyes with 'career-altering' performance
The Cubs' starter kept the Brewers off balance, as he reduced his team's magic number to two and forced some questions about the postseason rotation.
Power Rankings: Cubs climb to top five
Guess who's warming up for October? The Cubs are on the verge of clinching the NL Central, and midseason acquisition Jose Quintana has a lot to do with that.
Real or not? Cubs all but wrap up NL Central
It was a riveting four-game series in Milwaukee between the Cubs and Brewers, with the first three games all going 10 innings. But Chicago ended up taking three of four and is two games away from clinching.
David Schoenfield ESPN Senior Writer
We're getting close to finalizing our 10 playoff spots, as the Diamondbacks have clinched a wild card, the Twins have all but clinched the second AL wild card, and the Red Sox and Cubs are close to wrapping up division titles. Our magic numbers: Cubs 2 (to win NL Central), Red Sox 3 (to win AL East), Twins 3 (to clinch wild card), Rockies 5 (to clinch wild card).
Cubs: It'd be nice to clinch division in St. Louis
The St. Louis Cardinals have long been a thorn in the Chicago Cubs' side, and with a third consecutive postseason in sight, the Cubs are hoping to clinch the Central Division in St. Louis against their archrivals.
Jesse Rogers ESPN Staff Writer
Watch Willson Contreras discuss pitcher Jose Quintana's complete game shutout on Sunday.
2017 NL Central Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 88 | 68 | .564 | - | W2 |
| Milwaukee | 82 | 74 | .526 | 6 | L1 |
| St. Louis | 81 | 75 | .519 | 7 | L3 |
| Pittsburgh | 71 | 85 | .455 | 17 | W2 |
| Cincinnati | 66 | 90 | .423 | 22 | L6 |
Team Leaders 2017
- Batting
- Pitching
Home Runs
Batting Average
Runs Batted In
Earned Run Average
Wins
Strikeouts
Team Stats
- Batting
- Pitching
Runs7837th
Batting Average.25616th
On Base Percentage.3392nd
Slugging Percentage.4398th
Earned Run Average4.0310th
Quality Starts75Tied-8th
WHIP1.2810th
BAA.2394th