Cubs' Joe Maddon: No Thought Of Moving John Lackey To Bullpen

(CBS) Cubs manager Joe Maddon isn't considering a move of right-hander John Lackey to the bullpen despite his inconsistencies.

"Right now, it's not," Maddon said in an interview with Matt Spiegel and Barry Rozner on 670 The Score on Tuesday afternoon. "I'm being sincere with you. It's not. That's not been discussed at all. I have a lot of faith in John Lackey. Even if the start tonight wasn't exactly what you're looking for, this guy, the word is 'compete.' I think that word is not utilized enough anymore in sports in general. Everything is always reduced to numbers and math and streaks and whatever. I like the word 'compete' a lot. I think John Lackey competes as well as anyone in the big leagues still to today. That's what I look for with John."

Lackey is 5-9 with a 5.20 ERA and 1.33 WHIP this season. His season has been marked by inconsistency, as he registered an ERA above 5.00 in the respective months of April, May and June. He's allowed 24 homers, the most in the National League and second-most in all of baseball.

With the acquisition of Jose Quintana from the White Sox last week and the impending return of right-hander Kyle Hendricks to the rotation after a long stint on the disabled list, the Cubs will have a fortified rotation. And from the sounds of it, that will include the 38-year-old Lackey serving as the team's No. 5 starter, with Maddon praising his pedigree as a three-time champion.

"We've seen some slow starts out of the gate in games, but if you watch the game in progress, he makes adjustments, he competes and he gets you to the sixth inning," Maddon said. "So I have a lot of faith in John Lackey.

"At the end of the year, man, when it really counts, August and September, when it matters, those guys that have been there, done that are really important to have and guys that know how to compete."

Listen to Maddon's full interview below.