Jon Lester: Pirates, Not Cardinals, Are Cubs' Top Rival
By Bruce Levine--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The series between the rival Cubs and Cardinals is over with for the 2016 regular season.
The Cubs narrowly won the season series, 10-9. The games were hard-fought, with the usual full house in both cities.
Currently tied for the second NL wild-card spot with a week to go in the season, the Cardinals could be the Cubs' opponent in the NLDS. Some Cubs fans may dread the Cardinals matchup one season after Chicago beat St. Louis in the NLDS in 2015.
But likely Game 1 starter Jon Lester has a different take on who the Cubs' top division rival is.
"I don't know, I am still feeling myself around this whole thing," Lester said about the Cubs-Cardinals rivalry. "For some reason, I feel it is the Pirates who are our rival. That is just my observation from the short time I have been here. I feel those series always turn into something. They are always heated. They are always good games. I think they are always fun to be a part of."
It isn't hard to understand Lester's two-year view of the division. The Cubs had to go through the Pirates in 2015 in order to win the wild-card match up and move on.
"With the Cardinals, I feel we just plod along and play good baseball against them," Lester said. "We just see where we are at in the end. I don't think anything eventful happens when we play those guys. I do think anyone in the division is fun to play against. They all seem to bring it every time."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
