Woo hoo for Miguel Montero’s return, and the Cubs are wasting no time in getting him right back into the lineup. It’s good not only to see his bat back in there – with all appropriate love and appreciation for Tim Federowicz stepping in, Montero offers an above-average bat (not just for a catcher, for anybody) – but also to see his glove back in there. Although Federowicz caught Jake Arrieta acceptably, and David Ross caught Arrieta’s no-hitter, it just seems like Arrieta works best right now with Montero. Given Arrieta’s command hiccups of late (obligatory: he’s still really good!), maybe Montero’s return helps smooth that out.[adinserter block=”1″]
The lineup:
Dexter Fowler, CF
Jason Heyward, RF
Kris Bryant, 3B
Anthony Rizzo, 1B
Ben Zobrist, 2B
Jorge Soler, LF
Addison Russell, SS
Miguel Montero, C
Jake Arrieta, P
That’s right, Jorge Soler is right back in there in left field. Are the Cubs renewing their commitment to giving him more time? Or is it just a matter of a lefty (Jeff Locke) taking the mound for the Pirates and the Cubs wanting to match-up a bit? Well, to the latter, that would explain why Tommy La Stella sits today, but Javier Baez also bats from the right side, and he could have been in there instead of Soler.[adinserter block=”2″]
Whatever the case, it’s Soler in there, and Baez and La Stella will work off the bench. Each is more likely than not to see some action today, even if they aren’t starting.
And, for the first time in what feels like a very long time, the Cubs are fielding a lineup that more or less looks like what you would have expected in the immediate wake of Kyle Schwarber’s injury. Hopefully the bats keep up the good work from yesterday.