Chicago Cubs 2015 MLB Playoffs: Jon Lester Starting Game 1 Is the Right Decision by Joe Maddon

The Chicago Cubs 2015 MLB Playoffs have been surprising so far and Jon Lester starting Game 1 is the right decision by Joe Maddon to open up the NLCS.

Lester is a big game pitcher and showed that throughout the Boston Red Sox years. He was a huge part of breaking the curse that they had and pitched some key games in that postseason run as well. Theo Epstein made him the Cubs' top priority during last offseason, signing him to a massive contract to be the Cubs' ace.

Jake Arrieta ended up being the ace, but Lester has dropped perfectly into the No. 2 rotation role. It seemed a bit surprising that Maddon would go with Lester over Arrieta to start the series, but it makes more sense after seeing the way that Arrieta struggled his last outing against the St. Louis Cardinals at home in Game 3.

Maddon talked about how excited he is for Lester to start the game and why he has confidence in his starting pitcher.

"Jon Lester in a big game is always tasty," Maddon said. of the left-hander, who has a career 6-5 record and 2.66 ERA in 15 postseason games. "You'll always take that. I have no problem with that. I know he's very confident. I think the extra rest will help, too."

The last time that Lester pitched was Game 1 of the NLDS against the Cardinals. That extra rest will have him prepared to take the mound to start the series. Giving Arrieta some extra rest and starting him in Game 2 could set their superstar ace up to pitch a Game 6 or 7 late in the series should things get to that point.

At 31 years old, Lester has been one of the rock solid veteran leaders for the young Cubs all season long. He finished the regular season with an 11-12 record to go along with a 3.34 ERA. It wasn't quite the first season that he wanted to have for the Cubs, but he has a chance to end things very well with big wins here in the postseason.

Chicago is going to put up a major fight in the NLCS, especially if their offense can step up and club home runs like they did last series.

Expect to see Lester come through with a big game in Game 1 and to give his team a chance to pull out a huge win. He may have a lot of quirks and issues, but the Cubs can rally around him and make the plays necessary to pick up a big win. Setting the tone in Game 1 is a major key for the Cubs and Lester is the right guy to help his team do just that.