With Game 1 of the Cubs’ NLDS matchup against the Washington Nationals only four days away, there are still some tough playoff roster decisions to be made. Last year, the Cubs chose to go with four starting pitchers for the playoffs and left Jason Hammel inactive. This year, Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, and Jose Quintana are all locks, which would indicate John Lackey might be the odd man out.
Maybe Lackey isn’t deserving of a playoff start, but a spot in the bullpen might not be out of the question. Let’s take a look at some of the numbers to see why the fifth starter is a good fit moving forward:
- 3.