Joe Maddon has made it official, announcing the 2018 Chicago Cubs rotation order.
The veteran of the staff, Jon Lester, will make his seventh career Opening Day start and he'll be followed by Kyle Hendricks, Yu Darvish, Jose Quintana and Tyler Chatwood.
Lester is making his third Opening Day start with the Cubs and second in a row. The Cubs begin the year on March 29, on the road against the Miami Marlins. Lester is also lined up to start the home opener at Wrigley Field against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 9. The Cubs have three pitchers in their rotation to start on opening day in 2017, as Darvish and Quintana had the honor with the Texas Rangers and White Sox, respectively, along with Lester. So, along with Lester Hendricks and Quintana, Darvish will pitch against the Marlins, making March 31, his official debut with the Cubs. Fellow newcomer, Chatwood, will make his first start April 2, against the Cincinnati Reds. The Cubs have April 4, off so if Maddon chooses not to skip anyone, Lester is lined up to pitch the home opener, which means Darvish's first start as a member of the Cubs at Wrigley Field will be on April 12, against the Pirates. It's an odd start to the season for the Cubs, who begin with a 10-game road trip at Miami, Cincinnati and Milwaukee, before coming to Wrigley Field for series against the Pirates, Braves and Cardinals. Hendricks will pitch in a spring training game for the first time Wednesday, while Darvish and Quintana get their first Cactus League action the next two days for the Cubs.
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