Well, being that today could be the last day of the season, and being that my tickets for tomorrow’s game might soon become paper, I hopped in the car this morning and drove to Chicago so that I could go to the game tonight. I’ll be in center field thanks to Adam and his rapid perusing of StubHub. Turns out that secondary prices get mighty reasonable, even for an NLCS, when the team goes down 0-3.
And this is the lineup we’ll see tonight facing young Mets lefty Steven Matz:
Preview: https://t.co/WuQccfrQED #FlyTheW pic.twitter.com/dtIMse5hpj
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) October 21, 2015
The Cubs go righty-heavy, plus Kyle Schwarber (because how could you take him out?), which actually runs counter to Matz’s splits this year, but … he’s thrown 35.2(!) big league innings this year. That’s it. The splits don’t really mean anything at that scale, and you mostly just want to have your best hitters out there. You can make an argument for Miguel Montero over David Ross, but I’m fine with them swapping for today. Doesn’t Ross just seem like the kind of guy who would hit a legendary playoff home run?
Matz, 24, is an excellent pitcher, but is still very green. He made just one other postseason start, going five innings against the Dodgers, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks. He struck out four.
Is it bad if I hope that the moment’s too big for him? That he feels the pressure of trying to clinch for the Mets at Wrigley Field?
No. It’s not bad. I very much hope that happens, because, damn it, I want to see the Cubs play again tomorrow.