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CLEVELAND -- The Chicago Cubs lavished Jon Lester with a $155 million contract in the winter of 2014 precisely for moments like the one he faced Tuesday night.On the road. Under the lights. In Game 1 of the World Series, with a chance to take a big step toward ending 108 years of franchise futility.And for the first time on baseballs biggest stage, Lester faltered. While his performance in Chicagos 6-0 loss to the Indians was hardly a meltdown, the left-hander managed just 5 2/3 ordinary innings when something significantly more was required to keep up with Cleveland ace Corey Kluber.Jonny pitched -- wasnt on top of his game, but really gave us a chance to win, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.The Indians didnt so much knock Lester around while sending him to his first World Series setback in four starts so much as they took advantage of the limited opportunities he gave them during a shaky first inning. Cleveland opened a two-run lead that felt considerably larger the way Kluber was dealing.When youre going against a guy like Kluber whos locked in from pitch one, to give up two in the first, its tough, Lester said.Lester took the mound having allowed just one run in 21 innings in the World Series during a career that includes a pair of championship rings he earned with the Boston Red Sox. By the time he got the final out of the first, Cleveland had doubled that total.Things began innocently enough. He struck out Rajai Davis and Jason Kipnis before Lesters postseason dominance briefly vanished.Francisco Lindor singled and took a massive lead off first, knowing all about Lesters inability to hold runners due to a tic that prevents him from making pickoff attempts with any kind of consistency or accuracy. At one point, Lester stepped off and Lindor found himself a good 25 feet off the bag. Yet rather than throw over, Lester stood and watched as Lindor scampered back to safety.It was hardly the first time opposing runners have toyed with Lester. Yet it seemed to be one of the rare occasions when it rattled him. He had trouble working out of the stretch and walked Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana to load the bases. Jose Ramirezs swinging bunt then brought Lindor home to stoke an already electrified crowd. When a 1-1 pitch hit Brandon Guyer on the leg, Chicago trailed 2-0.The first inning was tonights game, Lester said.Though he settled down -- thanks in part to catcher David Ross throwing out Lindor trying to steal in the third -- Lester again ran into trouble in the fourth when No. 9 batter Roberto Perez lined a solo shot that clanged off the railing above the wall in left field for the first of his two home runs.Yet its not the home run but the walks that are going to stick with Lester regardless of how comfortable -- or uncomfortable -- he felt when pitching with runners on base.I just didnt execute some things out there tonight, he said. Maybe if they get out of the first with nothing, maybe things are different.Lester, who came in 2-0 with a 0.86 ERA during the 2016 playoffs, handed the ball to manager Joe Maddon with two outs in the sixth and trudged to the dugout after giving up three runs on six hits with three walks and seven strikeouts.And when Perez clocked a three-run shot off reliever Hector Rondon in the eighth, the Cubs found themselves turning to Jake Arrieta for Game 2 on Wednesday night hoping to avoid heading back to Wrigley Field down 2-0 following a rare stumble by their ace who typically oozes October cool.Tomorrow we can get right back in it, Lester said. Everybody counted us out after Game 3 (of the NLCS) and called us the worst best team in baseball. ... Ill look to Jake to pick us up. Wesley Matthews Bucks Jersey .S District Court against Major League Baseball, the Office of the Commissioner and his own union, the MLBPA. 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Forward Chandler Parsons and the Dallas Mavericks will definitely part ways after two seasons together, a source told ESPN.No chance, the source said when asked if there were any possibility that Parsons re-signs with the Mavs.The divorce comes after the Mavs made it clear they had no intention to offer a maximum contract to Parsons, whose two seasons in Dallas both ended prematurely due to surgeries on his right knee.?Parsons expects to sign a max deal and said as much during a recent question-and-answer session with fans on Twitter. A max contract for Parsons with the Mavs, who own his early Bird rights, would have been worth $98.8 million over four years. Other teams can offer him $94.8 million over four years.Parsons will meet with a Portland Trail Blazers contingent including Damian Lillard in Los Angeles when free agency officially begins at 12:01 a.m. ET Friday, according to league sources. The Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic are among suitors for Parsons, sources said.Mavs owner Mark Cuban attempted to talk Parsons, his partner in last summers ultimately unsuccessful attempt to recruit center DeAndre Jordan to Dallas, into opting into the final season of the three-year, $46 million deal the forward signed after spending his first three seasons with the Houston Rockets. Sources said Parsons never seriously considered picking up the option, confident that he would receive a significant raise and long-term deal this summer, with versatile, playmaking forwards in high demand and short supply.The Mavs responded by planning to put Parsons on the back burner to begin free agency, which made Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley and Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside their top targets. The Mavs will meet with Conley and Whiteside on the first day of free agency, according to sources.The Mavs have a meeting scheduled with Charlotte Hornets small forward Nicolas Baatum, a source told The Undefeateds Marc J.dddddddddddd Spears. Batum is high on the list of Dallas contingency plans if the team doesnt sign Conley or Whiteside, though his price tag could be higher than Parsons, as Batum is eligible for a higher tier of max contract (five years, $153 million from the Hornets or four years, $113.6 million from other suitors).Cuban had consistently described Parsons as a foundation piece, but sources said Dallas decision-makers reached a consensus that they werent willing to offer him a max deal.Parsons averaged 14.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game during his two-year tenure in Dallas but was able to play in only one playoff game because of his knee injuries.Parsons, 27, had hybrid microfracture surgery on the knee in spring 2015, and the rehab from that operation lasted well into the 2015-16 season. The arthroscopic operation Parsons underwent to address a torn meniscus in the knee this spring wasnt nearly as serious as the previous surgery.Sources said multiple renowned orthopedic specialists have given Parsons clearance to resume full basketball activities and expressed optimism that his knee will not prevent him from having a long, productive NBA career.Parsons averaged 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 61 games last seasons, statistics skewed by a slow start as he dealt with strict minutes restrictions. He had the best statistical stretch of his five-year career in the two months before his season ended, with averages of 18.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 51.9 percent from the floor and 47.7 percent from 3-point range and proving he could thrive at power forward in addition to small forward.ESPNs Marc Stein and The Undefeateds Marc J. Spears contributed to this report. ' ' '