Tanaka, Tanaka, Tanaka.
Tanaka.
TANAKAAAAAAAA!
Ok. There. You’ve heard it enough.
Today the Cubs kick off their interleague slate with a doubleheader in New York with Jason Hammel on the mound as bridesmaid, opposing the bride. Masahiro Tanaka has pitched well for the Yankees in two starts so far, and there’s very little reason to doubt he’ll do it again today – he has fantastic stuff, a wide range of pitches, and the advantage of facing guys who’ve never seen him before. Hammel will have to keep things close.
It’s tough to win both legs of a doubleheader, so a split today is a pretty safe bet (and a pretty OK outcome for the Cubs, given that they’ll be facing two dominant pitchers).
On the offensive side, the Cubs get to use a DH today, and the honor goes to Mike Olt in the first game. Otherwise, it’s a mix of righties and lefties, which is what you’d expect on a doubleheader day against two righties. Can’t quite do the same lineup in both games.
Game Info
Chicago Cubs (4-8) at New York Yankees (7-6), 12:05 CT on CSN.
Game Thread and Series Preview
The Game Thread lives here. And, of course, for those who aren’t into message board-style game threads, please feel free to use the comments on this post for your in-game commentary/outbursts.
The Series Preview lives here.
Starting Pitchers
Jason Hammel (2.63 ERA, 4.82 FIP, 3.74 xFIP; 5.50 K/BB)
versus
Masahiro Tanaka (3.21 ERA, 2.63 FIP, 1.80 xFIP; 18.00 K/BB)
New York Yankees Lineup
1. Brett Gardener, LF
2. Carlos Beltran, RF
3. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
4. Alfonso Soriano, DH
5. Brian McCann, C
6. Yangervis Solarte, 2B
7. Kelly Johnson, 1B
8. Dean Anna, SS
9. Scott Sizemore, 3B
Chicago Cubs Lineup
1. Emilio Bonifacio, 2B
2. Justin Ruggiano, CF
3. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
4. Nate Schierholtz, RF
5. Starlin Castro, SS
6. Junior Lake, LF
7. Luis Valbuena, 3B
8. Mike Olt, DH
9. John Baker, C