NEWSLETTER
“You can never know when rock bottom will ultimately come, but you can always hope it was yesterday.” – Einstein, 2037.
I know the Cubs are scuffling right now and I know there’s no reason to be happy about it, but I can also not see any reason not to be optimistic about this team’s chances in the Central, and that’s really all that matters. Once you get your foot into the postseason door, a whole lot of chance takes over. And I can live with chance.
So be honest with yourself, if you had to bet – actually put money down on the table – which team in the NL Central will be the last one standing come October, who would you pick?
***
Eddie Butler starts for the Cubs tonight and we discussed his up and down early tenure with the Cubs earlier this week in the Series Preview. In short, he’s had one great start, one bad one, and one somewhere in between. Hopefully, he builds on the good tonight against the Padres and emerges as a legitimate starting option for the rest of this season and beyond.
Opposing Butler is Dinelson Lamet. He’s made just one start this season, but it was a fairly good one: 5.0 IP, 3H, 1ER, 2BB, 8Ks. A righty, Lamet will have to face five lefties tonight, which didn’t go well in his first start (.371 wOBA in the 14 plate appearances against southpaws). Let’s see if the Cubs can keep that up.
Also, please win.
Game Info
Chicago Cubs (25-25) at San Diego Padres (20-33) – 9:10 CT on CSN-C+, 670 The Score
Game Thread and Series Preview
Your game thread is down in the comments, so let’s have some good, clean (safe-for-work) fun today.
Starting Pitchers
Cubs: Eddie Butler (R): 1.93 ERA, 3.88 FIP, 5.10 xFIP; 0.90 K/BB
versus
Padres: Dinelson Lamet (R): 1.80 ERA, 3.62 FIP, 2.73 xFIP; 4.00 K/BB
San Diego Padres Lineup:
- Allen Cordoba, LF
- Yangervis Solarte, 2B
- Wil Myers, 1B
- Hunter Renfroe, RF
- Franchy Cordero, CF
- Cory Spangenberg, 3B
- Austin Hedges, C
- Chase d’Arnaud, SS
- Dinelson Lamet, P
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Ben Zobrist, RF
- Kyle Schwarber, LF
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Jon Jay, CF
- Jason Heyward, RF
- Willson Contreras, C
- Addison Russell, SS
- Eddie Butler, P
