Game One of the kinda-sorta-almost-but-not-really-playoff series against the Giants went to the Cubs last night, and now the Cubs have Jon Lester going against fill-in starter Ryan Vogelsong, who steps in for injured started Mike Leake (hamstring). Anything can happen in baseball – and frequently does – but I do like that match-up.
The Cubs’ lineup has been juggled quite a bit, too, with Miguel Montero back on the roster (though not in the lineup today), Kyle Schwarber making another start in left field, and Chris Coghlan starting in place of Starlin Castro (by way of second base, with Addison Russell shifting to shortstop). The move is not a temporary one with respect to Castro, who may now only start when the match-up indicates it’s the best for that day. We have entered a brave new world where the Chicago Cubs are very much “going for it.”
Game Info
San Francisco Giants (59-49) at Chicago Cubs (59-48), 3:05 CT on WGN-9 (or your local affiliate), MLBN and 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
Ryan Vogelsong (4.16 ERA, 4.90 FIP, 4.61 xFIP; 1.74 K/BB)
versus
Jon Lester (3.26 ERA, 2.94 FIP, 2.99 xFIP; 4.25 K/BB)
San Francisco Giants Lineup
1. Angel Pagan, CF
2. Kelby Tomlinson, 2B
3. Matt Duffy, 3B
4. Buster Posey, C
5. Hunter Pence, RF
6. Brandon Crawford, SS
7. Brandon Belt, 1B
8. Justin Maxwell, LF
9. Ryan Vogelsong, P
Chicago Cubs Lineup
1. Dexter Fowler, CF
2. Kyle Schwarber, LF
3. Chris Coghlan, 2B
4. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
5. Kris Bryant, 3B
6. Jorge Soler, RF
7. David Ross, C
8. Jon Lester, P
9. Addison Russell, SS