The things I want to tell you aren’t things you’re supposed to say out loud about your team.
For example, I want to tell you that this looks like a great match-up on paper for the Cubs, but I’m not going to. I want to tell you that with the way Anthony Rizzo, Willson Contreras, Addison Russell and Chris Coghlan have been hitting, the Cubs have a great opportunity to score a lot of runs tonight. But I won’t say that either.
I want to tell you that even the (recently) “struggling” Cubs top-of-the-order trio of Ben Zobrist, Jason Heyward, and (to an extent) Kris Bryant are still some of the better or best hitters in baseball. But you won’t read those words from me.
I’d like to tell you that the difference between Jake Arrieta and Dan Straily is so immense and the Cubs fortune over the past couple weeks has been so unsustainable that the Cubs are the clear favorites in tonight’s game (to the extent that baseball allows that sorta thing) based on probability alone.
But I won’t say any of that.
Instead, I’ll just say the Cubs are trying to right a pretty annoying skid of poor play that led to six loses in seven tries. Jake Arrieta will take the mound for Chicago, pitching to Miguel Montero; while Dan Straily toes the rubber for Cincinnati, throwing to Tucker Barnhart. The Cubs will try their best, but they might lose.
Hopefully, they don’t.
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Game Info
Chicago Cubs (48-26) at Cincinnati Reds (20-47), 6:10 CT on WGN, 670 The Score.
Game Thread and Series Preview
Your game thread is down there in the comments, so have fun. But keep it “safe for work” type fun, all right?
The Series Preview lives here. The Lineup Discussion lives here.
Starting Pitchers
Cubs: Jake Arrieta (R): 1.74 ERA, 2.51 FIP, 3.13 xFIP; 3.06 K/BB
versus
Reds: Dan Straily (R): 3.83 ERA, 4.34 FIP, 4.83 xFIP; 1.95 K/BB
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Cincinnati Reds Lineup:
1. Zack Cozart, SS
2. Billy Hamilton, CF
3. Joey Votto, 1B
4. Jay Bruce, RF
5. Adam Duvall, LF
6. Eugenio Suarez, 3B
7. Jose Peraza, 2B
8. Tucker Barnhart, C
9. Dan Straily, P
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
1. Ben Zobrist, 2B
2. Jason Heyward, CF
3. Kris Bryant, 3B
4. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
5. Willson Contreras, LF
6. Miguel Montero, C
7. Addison Russell, SS
8. Chris Coghlan, RF
9. Jake Arrieta, P