NEWSLETTER
Anecdotally, I felt like the Cubs had faced a disproportionately large number of left-handed pitchers this season. But according to FanGraphs, they’re actually middle of the pack. With that said, the Cubs 126 wRC+ vs. LHP this season is best in the NL and second best overall.
Here’s the Cubs lineup against left-hander Max Fried and the Atlanta Braves.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
1. Michael Hermosillo, CF
2. Seiya Suzuki, RF
3. Patrick Wisdom, 3B
4. Willson Contreras, C
5. Frank Schwindel, 1B
6. Yan Gomes, DH
7. Nick Madrigal, 2B
8. Ian Happ, LF
9. Nico Hoerner, SS
Of all current Cubs, Jonathan Villar has the most experience against Fried in his career, with four hits (including two 2Bs) in 11 at-bats, but perhaps his serious defensive issues have left him harder to start in games like this. Meanwhile, Yan Gomes (3-5, HR) and Ian Happ (2-2, HR) have also had some early success against Fried, though not in a sample size that’s worth anything.
Notably, Fried has been almost exactly split-neutral for his career and actually carried reverse splits last season. Righties may still prefer to face him (from their perspective), but he hasn’t had any special trouble against them in return. He’ll see nine of ’em tonight.
As usual, we’ll have your full Pre-Gamin’ post closer to game time (6:20 CT).
