Jon Lester carried a heavy load Wednesday for a short-staffed pitching corps.
And a willing Lester came through, throwing a season-high 119 pitches in leading the Cubs to a 4-0 victory over the Dodgers.
“At that point, what’s 15 or 20 more pitches?” said Lester, who didn’t need to convince manager Joe Maddon to let him pitch another inning after throwing 106 through six.
Now the Cubs will need contributions from all facets through at least an eight-game trip that starts Thursday night in Cincinnati with Brandon Morrow, Yu Darvish and Carl Edwards out with injuries and Tyler Chatwood’s next start somewhat in question because his wife Veronica is expecting their first child.
Highlight-caliber defense and timely hitting allowed the Cubs to survive without Morrow after the closer was placed on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to Sunday, because of back stiffness and won’t be eligible to return until Wednesday.
“It would have taken two or three days, but then we’re down an arm,” said Morrow, who disclosed he experienced similar discomfort after throwing a pitch in spring training. “It didn’t lock me down as much (then).”
The Cubs haven’t listed starters for Saturday or Sunday and will assess their options. The Cubs may use Luke Farrell or their entire bullpen for Saturday.
For his part, Darvish believes he will need only one minor-league rehab start — which could come as soon as Monday — after throwing 51 pitches in a simulated game Wednesday in front of President Theo Epstein, general manager Jed Hoyer, manager Joe Maddon and pitching coach Jim Hickey.
“It turned out to be better than expected,” said Darvish, who hasn’t pitched since May 20 because of tendinitis in his right triceps.
Nevertheless, Darvish won’t rejoin the Cubs until they return from their trip at the earliest. Edwards, who is recovering from right shoulder inflammation, is awaiting word on when he can resume throwing off a mound or start a rehab assignment.
Meanwhile, left-handed reliever Brian Duensing could return from the bereavement list by Friday.
Lester acknowledged he might get an extra day of rest before his next outing but knew he had to stretch his limits because of the bullpen usage in Tuesday’s doubleheader, the team’s first games with Morrow unavailable.
“Jon gave us what we need,” Maddon said.
Lester (9-2) was the beneficiary of numerous fine defensive plays and managed to lower his ERA to 2.10 while winning his fifth consecutive start. Lester is 8-2 with a 1.67 ERA over his last 12 games and improved to 4-1 with a 1.25 ERA in seven home outings.
The offense provided enough timely hitting against Ross Stripling (6-2), whose six-game winning streak was snapped.
Ben Zobrist’s perfectly executed hit-and-run play set up Anthony Rizzo for his 48th RBI in the first inning, and Kyle Schwarber muscled a home run to center in the fourth (his third in six games) despite a stiff breeze blowing from the northwest. Slugger Kris Bryant, batting leadoff for the third consecutive game, had an RBI single in the fifth, and Javier Baez scored the game’s final run in the seventh after he tripled and came home on Tommy La Stella’s pinch single.
“I love it,” Maddon said of the “swarming” offense that included 12 hits and one walk. “Don’t you love it? That’s what everyone is looking for. We put the ball on the line.”
Twitter @MDGonzales
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