Jon Lester took his second loss today, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks over five and a third, but he's improving some! Much has been made of Lester's inability to throw over to first on pick-off plays, so he's putting the training wheels back on. In the second inning in Chicago, Lester got the ball caught in his glove on a come-backer from Clint Barmes and after trying to fuss with it—and missing a chance for a double play—he just lobbed the whole mess over to Anthony Rizzo at first base.While not, strictly speaking, a pick-off play, it's the muscle memory and confidence that count. A few more practice throws like that and maybe we can progress to a regular underhand toss, and then, the world. Bonus points to Rizzo for dropping his own glove to make it easier to catch; that's teamwork.The Padres beat the Cubs 5-2.[MLB]
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