The Cubs will try to avoid the sweep this afternoon, and it’ll be up to Chris Rusin to get it done. He won’t have all of the regulars behind him, as several guys are getting the day off.
In completely and totally unrelated news, pitcher Jake Arrieta will be coming back to join the Cubs on Friday, when he’ll start against the Cardinals. He’ll be taking the rotation spot of Carlos Villanueva, who heads back to the bullpen. I’ll have more thoughts on that move soon, but the short version is that I tend to like it, heading into the offseason.
Game Info
Cincinnati Reds (67-52) at Chicago Cubs (52-67), 1:20 CT on WGN.
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
Bronson Arroyo (10-9, 3.51 ERA, 4.12 FIP)
versus
Chris Rusin (2-1, 3.08 ERA, 3.68 FIP)
Cincinnati Reds Lineup
1. Chris Heisey, CF
2. Todd Frazier, 3B
3. Joey Votto, 1B
4. Brandon Phillips, 2B
5. Jay Bruce, RF
6. Ryan Ludwick, LF
7. Zack Cozart, SS
8. Ryan Hanigan, C
9. Bronson Arroyo, P
Chicago Cubs Lineup
1. David DeJesus, CF
2. Darnell McDonald, LF
3. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
4. Welington Castillo, C
5. Nate Schierholtz, RF
6. Donnie Murphy, SS
7. Logan Watkins, 2B
8. Cody Ransom, 3B
9. Chris Rusin, P