Levine: Cubs' Jon Lester Builds Up Pitch Count, Is Ready For Opener

By Bruce Levine--

MESA, Ariz. (CBS) -- Cubs ace Jon Lester put in a significant day's work Monday, throwing 84 pitches in a minor league game as he works his way back from left arm fatigue. Lester is scheduled to take the mound in MLB's Opening Night this Sunday against the Cardinals at Wrigley Field.

"At times," Lester said when asked if he had full command. "We threw a lot of balls inside. That is my strength anyway, but we did it more today than we would do in a live game. I got some balls to my arm side, which was good. I threw some backdoor cutters and threw some breaking balls for strikes. There were a lot of positives, but I wasn't overall happy with the sharpness of everything. Sometimes it takes me even into the season to get comfortable with everything."

Lester was making his way back from a dead arm syndrome that held up his pitching progress for 10 days this spring. Throwing close to 100 pitches (factoring in warmups) should prepare him for the first start of the season against Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals.

"Things are not always ideal," Lester said after his final outing in Arizona. "We will figure it out. I think this game is built on adjustments. It's not always ideal that you get five or six starts in spring training or you get your normal rest during the season. In this game, there are always things to overcome. Come Sunday, it will be fine. We will have a game plan, face guys you know and draw on that experience."

Against Cubs minor league players, Lester looked strong early, only to wear down and start leaving some pitches up in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. The pitch count really only indicates that Lester is pain-free and working on his full assortment of pitches after the lay-off two weeks ago.

"There will be adrenaline that should sharpen some things up," Lester said of Sunday's upcoming start. "I will go out here and try to execute pitches. It comes down to trying to slow the game down and do it over, over and over again. Hopefully at the end you will be on top."

Reacting to the biggest story of Cubs camp, Lester was candid about his feelings on star prospect Kris Bryant's demotion to the minor league after a big spring.

"It took me awhile to understand it when I was coming up," Lester said. "You must learn that this game is a business. The quicker you learn that, the better off you are. They can say development, development all that they want to, but again, this game is a business. I think everybody in the clubhouse understands it. As a player, it still sucks."

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.