March 30--SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Chicago Cubs are expected to finalize the alignment of their starting rotation shortly after left-handed ace Jon Lester throws a minor league game Tuesday.
And they haven't ruled out the slim possibility that the left hamstring of outfielder Chris Denorfia will fully heal by the April 5 opener, although manager Joe Maddon listed Denorfia's status as "questionable."
But despite the struggles of free agent reliever Jason Motte, there are no concerns after Maddon spoke to pitching coach Chris Bosio about a potential flaw.
"Something that I'm not often into is mechanical adjustments," Maddon said of Motte, who has a 14.21 ERA in eight appearances. "It's something that Bos picked up on in a conversation. "I'm not worried about him. I think the velocity is very good. Just the shape of his pitches were different."
In another matter, the Cubs will depart Arizona on Saturday morning, hours before their final exhibition game against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The Cubs will field a team comprised mostly of minor league players in the final exhibition game.
The early departure by the Cubs will allow players to get settled in their in-season homes instead of arriving early Sunday morning without much time to rest before the season opener against the St. Louis Cardinals.
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