Jon Lester will start Game 1 of the National League Championship Series for the Chicago Cubs.
Manager Joe Maddon said the left-hander would be on the mound for the NLCS opener and tapped right-hander Jake Arrieta for Game 2.
The Cubs are awaiting the winner of Thursday’s National League Division Series finale between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets.
Arrieta was 22-6 in the regular season with a 1.77 ERA and won the National League wild-card game at Pittsburgh. He battled control issues in his only NLDS start, allowing four runs on five hits.
Lester is in the first year of a $155 million deal he signed as a free agent and had a record of 11-12 with a 3.34 ERA and 207 strikeouts in 205 regular-season innings.