NEWSLETTER
Happy Father’s Day to everyone out there, including my own dad! Hopefully, the Cubs can bring home a win for you today!
Here’s the Kris Bryant-less group that’ll try:
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Ian Happ, 2B
- Willson Contreras, C
- Jason Heyward, RF
- Albert Almora Jr., CF
- Tommy La Stella, 3B
- Javy Baez, SS
- John Lackey, P
- Jon Jay, LF
Well, Kris Bryant is out of the lineup once again, but according to Jesse Rogers he is not hurt. Apparently that mini-slum Brett referenced in the bullets early today was the impetus for his second day off of the weekend. But I have to say, if Bryant is really not hurt … I don’t think I really get this.
Bryant almost always has the shortest slumps because he’s so good at adjusting on the fly. There could be a thousand things we don’t know, of course, and if any one of those is a legitimate reason, I’d gladly eat my hat. But if he’s not playing today simply because he’s struck out in his last five at-bats, I’m not sure I get it. Tommy La Stella is covering third for Bryant, but other than that, let’s put a pin in it for now.
Anthony Rizzo is leading off again, and has reached base safely in all four of his leadoff appearances. Ian Happ remains in the two-hole, which is fine for now, especially considering a lineup without Bryant, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber, or Ben Zobrist (or anyone else hitting like they should), and Jason Heyward’s back at cleanup.
It’s so weird to see a lineup without so many of the Cubs’ preseason “starters,” but that’s the reality of a team with some injured players and some slumping players hovering around .500 in the second half of June. What a year, man. Yeesh.
As usual, we’ll have your full Pre-Gamin’ closer to game time (12:35 CT).
