NEWSLETTER
They say you shouldn’t trust a man with two first names, but this afternoon the Cubs are starting against a man with two last names. What do we do with that?
Indeed, the Reds are sending the rookie right-hander Jackson Stephens to the mound today in his Major League debut. Stephens has not been very good in his 14 starts at Triple-A this season (4.97 ERA, 4.67 FIP), so, naturally, you can expect him to allow about 1-2 runs over about 7-8 innings.
He’s so lucky to have found such a soft place to land for his first Major League start (Ya, I’m talking about you, Cubs. Prove me wrong.)
Eddie Butler is starting opposite Stephens tonight, and he still hasn’t quite shown the consistency and promise that fellow starting experiment, Mike Montgomery, has shown. With that said, he did allow just four hits, no walks, and no runs in his latest start against the Washington Nationals, though he did it for just 5.0 innings and was pretty dependent upon some stellar defensive plays.
Just win this series, guys. For real.
Game Info
Chicago Cubs (40-40) at Cincinnati Reds (34-45) – 3:10 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): 3.71 ERA, 4.28 FIP, 5.27 xFIP; 1.24 K/BB
versus
Reds: Jackson Stephens (R): 4.97 ERA, 4.68 FIP, 4.45 xFIP; 1.82 K/BB
Cincinnati Reds:
- Billy Hamilton, CF
- Scooter Gennett, 2B
- Joey Votto, 1B
- Adam Duvall, LF
- Eugenio Suarez, 3B
- Scott Schebler, RF
- Jose Peraza, SS
- Tucker Barnhart, C
- Jackson Stephens, P
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Jon Jay, LF
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Willson Contreras, C
- Ian Happ, RF
- Addison Russell, SS
- Javy Baez, 2B
- Albert Almora, CF
- Eddie Butler, P
