NEWSLETTER
CUBS LINEUP — The Chicago Cubs were able to escape yesterday with a win, which gives them a chance for a series victory today in the rubber match at Wrigley Field. Unfortunately, to get there, the Cubs will have to go through Freddy Peralta, whose suspension nearly made him miss this start, but didn’t (that damn appeal process…).
We’ll get into it more down below, but suffice it to say that Peralta has been pretty darn good this season (and we know the Cubs offense isn’t close to full-strength). That said, Javier Assad has been an ISSUE … for the rest of the league, himself. So maybe the Brewers are the ones who should be scared? Yeah, let’s go with that. Here’s a look at the Cubs lineup for the finale at Wrigley Field.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Nico Hoerner, 2B
- Mike Tauchman, RF
- Ian Happ, LF
- Chris Morel, 3B
- Michael Busch, 1B
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Patrick Wisdom, DH
- Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
- Miguel Amaya, C
Although Freddy Peralta is a right-handed pitcher, he’s pretty close to split-neutral for his career and righties are hitting him a lot better than lefties this season. But that’s mostly just a fun fact for today, because Craig Counsell can’t take full advantage of any splits or matchups while Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki are still out. Good news is that they’re coming back as soon as this week!
So, yeah, this is effectively the best Cubs lineup he can muster at the moment, and it leaves the bench relatively thin in terms of potential pinch-hitting pop: Alexander Canario, Miles Mastrobuoni, Nick Madrigal, and Yan Gomes.
All we can do is hope some of the tides that have been turning lately continue to progress:
Milwaukee Brewers Lineup:
- Sal Frelick, RF
- William Contreras, C
- Tyler Black, 1B
- Willy Adames, SS
- Brice Turang, 2B
- Rhys Hoskins, DH
- Oliver Dunn, 3B
- Blake Perkins, CF
- Jackson Chourio, LF
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Javier Assad, RHP
Javier Assad has averaged 5.1 innings over his six starts this season, never surrendering more than 2 earned runs total. Do that again today, and we’ll all be thrilled. All together, that effort has earned him a 1.97 ERA over 32.0 IP, continuing the great work he began last season. And he’s arguably getting even better, having walked just one batter over his last 10.2 IP (2.4 BB%), after posting an 11.3 BB% in the three starts prior. Take heed, however: The Brewers (123 wRC+) have been the second best offense in baseball against right-handed pitching this season. Only the Dodgers have been better.
Milwaukee Brewers: Freddy Peralta, RHP
Freddy Peralta’s ERA leans more “really good” than “elite,” but his underlying numbers are more the latter – particularly the Ks. Over his six starts (33.2 IP), Peralta has struck out 45(!) batters while walking only nine. That’s among the best K/BB ratios in baseball. And if it weren’t for one, seemingly random bout of wildness against the Pirates (5 walks in 4.2 IP), that split would look even nuttier.
3/29: 1BB, 8Ks @NYM – 1ER
4/05: 1BB, 7Ks vsSEA – 3ER
4/12: 0BB, 11Ks @BAL – 1ER
4/19: 2BB, 7Ks @STL – 0ER
4/25: 5BB, 5Ks @PIT – 5ER
4/30: 0BB, 7Ks vsTBR – 2ER
Basically, he’s been lights out for five starts and bad in one start. Even if they weren’t banged up and scuffling, I’d think Cubs lineup would likely have a tough time today.
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (20-14) vs Milwaukee Brewers (20-12) at 1:20 pm CT – Marquee Sports Network, 670 The Score
