First with the thing that catches your eye immediately: in the midst of serious trade rumors and the front office discussing possible options with Alfonso Soriano, he is not in tonight’s lineup. Before you run wild with conclusions (though some wondering is warranted), consider that the Cubs face a righty tonight, and David DeJesus is back. That means that, unless Junior Lake was going to be benched, one of Soriano, DeJesus, or Nate Schierholtz was going to have to sit. Given everything going on, Soriano probably made the most sense regardless of a trade. Soriano has good career numbers against Ian Kennedy, apparently, but sample size and all that. The official word is that this is just a day off for Soriano.
Should you be on alert for a trade? Maybe. But, even if Soriano sitting is tied to a possible deal, that doesn’t mean the deal will actually get done. (But, you know, Bro Hug Alert.)
Not to be lost in the above: David DeJesus is back, and he’s back a little earlier than expected. Obviously his shoulder strain was feeling good, and it’s nice to see him back in the lineup. Junior Lake stays up, as expected, and Dave Sappelt has been sent back to Iowa (again, as expected).
Game Info
Chicago Cubs (44-54) at Arizona Diamondbacks (52-48), 8:40 CT on CSN+.
Game Thread and Series Preview
The Game Thread lives here. You should participate in the madness. 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 for this series lives here.
Starting Pitchers
Jeff Samardzija (6-9, 3.91 ERA, 3.66 FIP)
versus
Ian Kennedy (3-7, 5.29 ERA, 4.62 FIP)
Arizona Diamondbacks Lineup
1. Adam Eaton, CF
2. Gerardo Parra, RF
3. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
4. Eric Chavez, 3B
5. Martin Prado, 2B
6. Jason Kubel, LF
7. Wil Nieves, C
8. Didi Gregorius, SS
9. Ian Kennedy, P
Chicago Cubs Lineup
1. David DeJesus, CF
2. Junior Lake, LF
3. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
4. Nate Schierholtz, RF
5. Starlin Castro, SS
6. Luis Valbuena, 3B
7. Darwin Barney, 2B
8. Welington Castillo, C
9. Jeff Samardzija, P