The Chicago Cubs begin the NLCS tonight against the Los Angeles Dodgers with an increasingly familiar crew.
Chicago Cubs Lineup v. Los Angeles Dodgers (Kenta Maeda):
- Dexter Fowler, CF
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Ben Zobrist, LF
- Addison Russell, SS
- Jason Heyward, RF
- Javy Baez, 2B
- David Ross, C
- Jon Lester, P
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Look familiar?
That’s the same lineup the Cubs used in Game Four of the NLDS, and, hey, if it ain’t broke, right?
Although, to be fair, that lineup didn’t really do much damage until a furious comeback in the 9th inning, which was partly fueled by a key knock by Willson Contreras, who didn’t start.
Then again, Matt Moore was simply fantastic, so I’m not sure how much of that performance goes to the offense.
Besides, this is a defensively-inclined crew, especially up the middle. It’s impossible to move Javy Baez off of second base right now, though it’s at least arguable that the best defensive alignment with this group is having Baez at third, Bryant in left, and Zobrist at second. I’m not sure the difference is significant enough to worry about, though.
We’ll have a full Pre-Gamin’ for you close to game time.