NEWSLETTER
Amid the swirl of Jorge Soler heading to the DL with an ankle injury, and word that Javy Baez would be playing third base tonight for the Iowa Cubs, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s at stake tonight in the series finale against the Marlins.
The Cubs are in a stretch where they won’t play too many weak teams for a long, long time. Tonight they’ve got a chance to do what you’d want to see them do against the Marlins: win a series. Jon Lester takes the ball, and here’s hoping he’s at his best. The Cubs’ offense hasn’t been lighting it up lately.
They’ll face Dan Haren, who isn’t the guy he was five years ago, but can still work a young lineup over if they don’t punish him in the zone. Haren doesn’t walk anybody these days, and those have been the types to give the Cubs fits so far this year. Pound the zone, let the Cubs’ patience and swing-and-miss tendencies work against them. I keep feeling like one of these games, that approach is going to yield four or five Cubs homers. Haren gives up a ton of fly balls and a ton of homers, so maybe tonight’s the night.
Game Info
Chicago Cubs (27-23) at Miami Marlins (21-32), 6:10 CT on WPWR (or your local affiliate) and on MLB.tv.
Game Thread and Series Preview
Your game thread is down there in the comments, so have fun.
The Series Preview lives here.
Starting Pitchers
Jon Lester (3.30 ERA, 3.48 FIP, 3.21 xFIP; 3.59 K/BB)
versus
Dan Haren (3.03 ERA, 4.44 FIP, 4.27 xFIP; 3.58 K/BB)
Miami Marlins Lineup
1. Dee Gordon, 2B
2. Martin Prado, 3B
3. Giancarlo Stanton, RF
4. Jeff Baker, 1B
5. Marcell Ozuna, CF
6. Ichiro Suzuki, LF
7. J.T. Realmuto, C
8. Adeiny Hechavarria, SS
9. Dan Haren, P
Chicago Cubs Lineup
1. Dexter Fowler, CF
2. Kris Bryant, 3B
3. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
4. Junior Lake, RF
5. Starlin Castro, SS
6. Chris Coghlan, LF
7. David Ross, C
8. Jon Lester, P
9. Addison Russell, 2B
