John Lackey accomplishes rare feat at Coors Field

It’s no secret that Coors Field in Denver, Colorado is not a pitcher’s park. The Chicago Cubs turned in a poor performance in Game 1 of Tuesday’s double header against the Colorado Rockies, with starter Jake Arrieta lasting just 3 2/3 innings and giving up 5 earned runs.  Chicago had to go to its bullpen early with Dylan Floro going the rest of the way. But in Game 2, they got exactly what they needed from starter John Lackey. The right-handed pitcher John Lackey went 7 strong innings, giving up just 4 hits and no earned runs. He struck out 10 hitters and pitched the best game of his 2017 so far. With his performance, it allowed the Cubs bullpen to get some much-needed rest after a poor start from Brett Anderson on Saturday, an 18-inning marathon on Sunday and a short outing by Arrieta earlier in the day. Lackey also accomplished a rare feat. According to ESPN reporter Jesse Rogers, Lackey became just the second starting pitcher in MLB history to throw 7 scoreless innings while recording 10 strikeouts. The other? Pedro Martinez. https://twitter.com/ESPNChiCubs/status/862140299220443136 The Cubs offense finally woke up in Colorado and will now look to take the final game of the series on Wednesday afternoon before opening a big three-game set in St. Louis over the weekend. Kyle Hendricks will take the mound in Game 3 of the series between the two teams.