Hours before the Cubs’ 8-1 victory Monday against the Angels, a pitcher walked into the clubhouse and noticed a scrum of reporters crowding a player’s locker.
‘‘We sign [free-agent reliever Craig] Kimbrel yet?’’ he cracked as he walked past the group.
Not exactly.
The Cubs are expected to be on the fringes of the pursuit of Kimbrel, whose market was unleashed when draft-pick compensation was removed from process with the start of the draft.
Whatever happens with Kimbrel, the Cubs were content on this day to embrace the return to form of ace left-hander Jon Lester, who snapped a streak of three short, brutal starts.
After allowing 16 earned runs in 14 innings in his previous three starts, Lester dazzled for seven innings against the Angels, retiring 17 of the first 19 batters he faced before allowing a run in the seventh.
‘‘It was just nice to get past the fourth with no runs and pitch into the seventh,’’ said Lester (4-4), who won for the first time since May 12. ‘‘I would have liked for that to have gone a little bit different at the end, but a W’s a W.’’
Lester had a 1.16 ERA in seven starts before his skid.
‘‘I don’t think he’s been throwing badly,’’ said teammate Jason Heyward, who had a two-run double in the Cubs’ five-run sixth. ‘‘But when you’re throwing well like he was to start, teams are going to pay a little more attention to you. You’ve got to adjust, and that’s what he’s done.’’
Lester said he thought he had better stuff after his last start, even though he got clobbered for seven runs against the Astros.
‘‘I just tried to carry that over to today,’’ he said. ‘‘Today was better — a lot better.’’
Lester downplayed the effect an extra day of rest afforded by the Cubs’ day off Thursday might have had on his performance, but manager Joe Maddon said he looked ‘‘fresh’’ and ‘‘sharper.’’
NOTES: Interim closer Pedro Strop was back in Chicago, one day after his third minor-league rehab appearance, and he was expected to be activated from the injured list Tuesday. He has missed 26 games.
• Since the start of 2015, the Cubs are 56-35 (.615) in interleague play, the best record in the National League and the third-best in the majors. They’re 6-5 this season.