Cubs Adjust Rotation, Will Start Mike Montgomery On Tuesday

(CBS) The Cubs have tweaked their rotation at the start of a 10-game road trip.

Chicago will pitch left-hander Mike Montgomery on Tuesday at Tampa Bay instead of left-hander Jon Lester, who's been moved back a day and will get the ball Wednesday to conclude the short two-game series. Montgomery had been in the bullpen since the middle of last week but is getting another start after rookie Jen-Ho Tseng was hit hard in his debut last Thursday and as right-hander Jake Arrieta remains out for a few more days.

The Cubs haven't announced their rotation past Wednesday, but their hope is for Arrieta to return at some point in the four-game series at Milwaukee that starts Thursday. By inserting Montgomery into the rotation and pitching Lester on Wednesday, the Cubs can also line up more of their right-handed starters to face the Brewers, which they prefer to do for matchup reasons, and give Lester the ball to start at four-game series at St. Louis next Monday.

The Cubs lead the Brewers by four games in the NL Central and the Cardinals by six.