NEWSLETTER
CUBS LINEUP — How many rubber matches can one team have? After two wild games to start the series, the Cubs are looking to win their second-consecutive series this afternoon in Arizona. Jordan Wicks is on the mound for Chicago. And the Diamondbacks are countering with a 2023 villain (to only the Cubs), Brand Pfaadt.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Ian Happ, DH
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Cody Bellinger, CF
- Chris Morel, 3B
- Michael Busch, 1B
- Nico Hoerner, 2B
- Mike Tauchman, RF
- Yan Gomes, C
- Miles Mastrobuoni, LF
Well. There’s your Cubs lineup. No Seiya Suzuki (hurt). No Alexander Canario (because reasons). And a start for Miles Mastrobuoni in left field. Sigh. Let’s hope some of those slump-busting performances last night stick, because this is depressing.
I get that Pfaadt is a righty, but his career splits are nearly identical. And so on a day when you have not one, but two bench players starting, I really don’t see why it’s so hard for Alexander Canario to buy himself a start. He cannot serious be used only against lefties this entire time Seiya Suzuki is out, right?
Anyway … Michael Busch moves up to fifth. And Nico Hoerner moves up to sixth. Let’s see if he can keep the good times rolling and the Cubs lineup churning.
Arizona Diamondbacks Lineup:
- Ketel Marte, 2B
- Corbin Carroll, CF
- Lourdes Gurriel, LF
- Christian Walker, 1B
- Eugenio Suarez, 3B
- Randal Grichuk, RF
- Gabriel Moreno, C
- Blaze Alexander, DH
- Kevin Newman, SS
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Jordan Wicks, LHP
Despite continuing to get strikeouts and whiffs, Jordan Wicks had his first meh outing of the year last time out against Seattle: 4.0 IP, 5H, 4ER, 4BB, 6K. As I recall, he was a little too fine, nibbling around the edges and walking way too many guys. And with his elevated stuff this year (velocity and movement) and all those whiffs, I hope he gets more aggressive in the zone this time around. He’ll have to be careful, though, because the Diamondbacks have hit lefties really well this season: .309/.363/.455 (122 wRC+, 7th in MLB).
Arizona Diamondbacks: Brandon Pfaadt, RHP
For his career, Brandon Pfaadt has a 6.13 ERA over 20 games against the not-Cubs and a 3.18 ERA over 2 games against the Cubs. That really bugs me. And I need that nonsense to end today. It’s bad enough to have Randal Grichuk and Eugenio Suarez on one team. We don’t need another random, scrub, Cub-killer on the D-Backs. Pfaadt’s first start this season (against Colorado) went reasonably well, with just one earned run on five hits and no walks over 5.0 innings (6Ks). But he was lit up by the Braves and Cardinals thereafter (combined): 11.2 IP, 15H, 11ER, 3BB, 11K (3 HRs).
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (10-7) at Arizona Diamondbacks (9-9) at 2:40 pm CT – Marquee Sports Network, 670 The Score
