LHP Jon Lester pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on six hits, with seven strikeouts and three walks. One of the runs scored on a 45-foot infield single and the other on a bases-loaded hit batter. "He wasn't at the top of his game, but he gave us a chance to win," manager Joe Maddon said.

LHP Jon Lester will make his fourth start of the postseason when he opposes Cleveland RHP Corey Kluber on Tuesday. Lester is 2-0 with three quality starts, a 0.86 ERA and an 0.76 WHIP in 21 innings in the playoffs this year. It will be Lester's third Game 1 start in this postseason. He threw eight shutout innings in a 1-0 victory over San Francisco in the first game of the NLDS and gave up one run in six innings while getting a no-decision in an 8-4 victory over the Dodgers in Game 1 of the NLCS. He gave up one run in seven innings in an 8-4 victory in Game 5 of the NLCS.

LHP Jon Lester was named co-Most Valuable Player with 2B Javier Baez after starting two games and going 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA. Lester, an NL Cy Young Award candidate, was 19-5 with a 2.44 ERA.

LHP Jon Lester struck out six, walked one and allowed a run on five hits in seven innings while beating the Dodgers in Game 5 of the NLCS. Lester improved to 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in three starts in Game 5s in his career.

LHP Jon Lester started for the Cubs but did not factor into the decision despite allowing just one run in six innings while retiring 12 of the last 13 batters he faced. He gave up just four hits, walking one and striking out three. Lester's last four postseason starts have all come in Game 1 of a series, tied with Don Gullett and Greg Maddux for the longest streak in big league history.

LHP Jon Lester is likely to make his 16th career playoff start in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series against the Nationals or the Dodgers. He won Game 1, 1-0 over the Giants, to open the playoffs for the Cubs. This is the fourth consecutive season ending in the postseason for Lester, who started one game for the Oakland Athletics in 2014 and four with the Red Sox in 2013. Lester was 0-2 in the postseason for the Cubs in 2015.

CHICAGO -- Somebody forgot to tell the Chicago Cubs that they are supposed to feel stressed.Where is the fear of failure? Where is the dread? What about the chewed fingernails and frayed nerves?After all, the Cubs are the odds-on favorite to win the World Series. The franchise has not won a title since 1908. Nursing homes around the city are filled with white-haired fans who never have witnessed a World Series winner.Yet the Cubs are playing loose and having fun as if it's a sunny day in May.The latest proof arrived Friday night as the Cubs outlasted the San Francisco Giants for a 1-0 win in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.The game was scoreless in the eighth inning when Javier Baez strolled to the plate, considered laying down a bunt -- he admitted as much afterward -- and instead launched a towering home run toward left-center field for the only run.Talk about staying calm under pressure."Obviously, everybody gets really excited," Baez said with a smile.Imagine the excitement... [More]

LHP Jon Lester won Game 1 of the National League Division series against the Giants on Friday night after allowing five hits while striking out five in an efficient 86-pitch outing in a postseason career-high eight innings. "I think the first three innings we had leadoff hits. ... But as the game got on, we started making better pitches and figuring out what guys were trying to do." Lester retired 13 straight between the fourth and eighth innings.

RHP Jon Lester fell short in his pursuit of 20 victories Saturday, allowing five runs on six hits with three walks and six strikeouts over 11 pitches. Lester (19-5) finished with 202 2/3 innings this season. "This will go down as one of the better, if not best years of my career," Lester said. "Hopefully, there's a couple more to come. Lots of personal satisfaction there. Now, we've got the real business to get down to."

LHP Jon Lester, who beat St. Louis on Sunday, is the first pitcher in Cubs history with eight starts in a row allowing one or no runs.

LHP Jon Lester allowed three hits in 6 2/3 scoreless innings to earn his league-leading 19th victory Sunday against St. Louis. Lester (19-4) struck out seven while lowering his ERA to 2.28, the second lowest in the majors.

LHP Jon Lester's 18th victory on Tuesday not only gave him the NL lead, it was also the most by a Cubs lefty in a single season since Dick Ellsworth's 22 wins in 1963. Lester has allowed two or fewer runs and two or fewer walks in each of his last 10 starts. Cub manager Joe Maddon said Lester will get two more starts, giving him a shot at his first 20-win season.

LHP Jon Lester (18-4) earned his National League-leading 18th victory after allowing one run on six hits, walking none and striking out five in a seven-inning outing against Cincinnati. It is his highest win total since he had a career-best 19 in 2010 with the Boston Red Sox. He also leads the major leagues with 25 quality starts and has gone 9-0 with a 1.46 ERA in 12 starts since the All-Star break. Lester was also 1-for-2 at the plate with an RBI double.

LHP Jon Lester (17-4, 2.40 ERA) owns the National League's second-lowest ERA as he makes his 30th start of the season, hitting that milestone for the ninth straight year. In his last start on Sept. 14 at St. Louis he worked eight scoreless innings in a 7-0 Cubs triumph and extended his winning streak to eight games. He has the National League's second-lowest ERA. He's 2-0 with a 3.02 ERA in seven career starts against Cincinnati and is 1-0 in three starts this season.

LHP Jon Lester continues to dominate hitters, giving up just three hits and a walk over eight scoreless innings Wednesday in a win at St. Louis. No runner even made it to scoring position against Lester, who in his last nine starts is 7-0 with a 1.02 ERA and has fanned 61 batters in 61 2/3 innings. Lester's 17 wins represent his highest total since he posted 19 for the 2010 Red Sox.

LHP Jon Lester makes the start Wednesday when Chicago wraps up its nine-game trip in St. Louis. Lester has been brilliant lately; he threw seven shutout innings Friday night in a 2-0 win at Houston that marked the fifth straight outing in which he had allowed one or no runs. Lester is 1-3 with a 2.62 ERA in seven regular-season outings against the Cardinals, which includes a six-inning no-decision last month.

LHP Jon Lester worked seven scoreless innings for his seventh consecutive win, the longest active winning streak in the National League. His career-long streak is eight games from April 28-June 16, 2010. Lester has allowed one run or fewer in each of his last five starts, a career-long streak. He is 4-0 with a 0.78 ERA during that span.

LHP Jon Lester (15-4) recorded his 14th career complete game, third with the Cubs and second this season as he gave up one run on three hits and no-hit the Giants into the seventh inning. Lester became a 15-game winner for the seventh time in his career and lowered his ERA to 2.61 over 169 innings. The Cubs have won 20 of his 27 starts this season, tied for the most wins in the majors and he is tied for the major league lead with 22 quality starts. Lester also had his 10th sacrifice bunt of the season, tied for second most in baseball and first among pitchers.

LHP Jon Lester (14-4, 2.70 ERA) makes his 27th start of the season. In his last outing, he allowed just three hits in six innings but had a no-decision in the Cubs' 1-0 loss. He finished August with a 3-0 record and 1.71 ERA in five starts. Lester is 3-1 with a 2.67 ERA in four career starts against the Giants. He has a team-leading 21 quality starts in 26 appearances.

LHP Jon Lester recording his sixth consecutive quality start and 21st of the season Sunday yet did not receive his 15th victory. Lester pitched six shutout innings, conceded just three hits and two walks and collected six strikeouts before the Cubs allowed an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth inning that led to a 1-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Since the All-Star break, Lester has compiled a 5-0 record and a 2.01 earned-run average while limiting opposing hitters to a .195 batting average.