Feb. 22--Beyond the Arizona surroundings, left-hander Jon Lester spoke expansively Sunday of the comfort factor in his second season with the Cubs.
"There always are ways to get better," said Lester, aiming to improve on his 11-12 record and 3.34 ERA in his first season with the Cubs after nine seasons in the American League.
Lester pointed specifically to pitching in the National League, which doesn't have the designated hitter.
"It was a little bit different, learning you don't have to continually attack hitters all the time," Lester said. "You have that ninth spot or eighth spot, depending on where the pitcher hits. But you have those spots in the lineup you can dictate more than in the AL, where you don't want to give free baserunners.
"Here, you can pick your spots to go around certain guys who are swinging well (to) get to the bottom off the lineup."
Lester responded quickly to a suggestion that he was "unlucky."
"You make your own luck," Lester said.
Toned Tommy: Infielder Tommy La Stella reported with a much leaner physique after medical tests suggested a change would be beneficial.
"The biggest emphasis was the nutrition aspect of it," La Stella said. "I got some blood work done and it showed intolerance to certain foods that are good for you but I was happening to eat on a regular basis that weren't reacting well to my body. So we eliminated those, and it's making a big difference."
La Stella didn't disclose the foods he now avoids.
Battery pack: Kyle Schwarber handled Kyle Hendricks' bullpen session, but manager Joe Maddon was careful not to commit to that combination.
"We've talked about it, but then that would be at the expense of (Miguel) Montero," Maddon said. "You got to be mindful of how we do this because David (Ross) is going to catch when (Lester) pitches. That's 30-something games right there.
"That's plenty of rest for Miggy, and you're still going to give Miggy possibly a day (off) against a lefty once in a while and several times on a day game after night game. I don't know the answer to it."
