MESA, Ariz. (670 The Score) -- An early mandate by the Cubs front office has pushed the starting rotation's schedule up by a full week this spring.
Contrary to past seasons when they were eased along, the Cubs' starting pitchers are building up at the start of exhibition games. The adjustment is another move in the quest for the Cubs to approach 2019 with more urgency after 2018 came to a disappointing end with a loss in the National League wild-card game.
Left-hander Jon Lester was the first to be extended, getting through two scoreless innings against the Padres on Monday afternoon without much of a sweat. Lester faced seven batters without allowing a hit, striking out three and walking one.
Lester commanded both sides of the plate while using a nasty cut fastball to induce weak contact. To no surprise given his consistency in seasons past, he plans to move forward with the same arsenal as always.
"No new pitches," Lester said. "It's about the execution of pitches. Every five days, you must execute pitches. I try to compete better than the other team. You see plenty of guys that throw harder. You see guys with better stuff that don't last as long. Then you have guys that just know how to execute. Sometimes they play a long time. As I have gotten older, I have to rely more on the execution. I can't get away with a middle-middle 90 mph now. I feel I am more of a complete pitcher than I was five or six years ago."
There could be one change on the horizon for Lester and all MLB pitchers. A 20-second pitch clock is being tested in spring training, and it's possible that could be unilaterally implemented by commissioner Rob Manfred for the regular season as he looks to address pace-of-play issues.
Lester isn't a fan of that idea.
"Sure I get it, whatever makes people feel better," Lester said sarcastically. "I kind of always said baseball is baseball. You are not going to speed it up. You are not going to change it. Even with a pitch clock, the game is going to flow the way it flows. If you have a 6-5 game, it will be three-and-a-half hours. If it's 2-1, it will be 2:50. I think we must get over the mindset of changing the pace of play as opposed to the product on the field. If you have a good product on the field, the fans will show up and stay for three-and-a-half hours."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
