NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Cubs have lost three-in-a-row and are only a half-game up on the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the NL Central.
Eeeep.
Here is the lineup that will get the Cubs back in the win column:
- Jon Jay, CF
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Willson Contreras, LF
- Ben Zobrist, 2B
- Alex Avila, C
- Jason Heyward, RF
- Javy Baez, SS
- John Lackey, P
The Cubs will see old friend Edwin Jackson taking the mound for the Washington Nationals, which could be why Alex Avila (8-for-23, .348 avg. against Jackson) is in the lineup today. Then again, I figured Avila’s addition would allow manager Joe Maddon to do something like give the red-hot Willson Contreras a day off from catching without removing his bat from the lineup.
Jon Jay is starting to become a mainstay at the top of the order. He is hitting .304 with a .429 on-base percentage in 56 plate appearances since the All-Star Break. Have you noticed that Jay has a ridiculously low 5.9 percent soft-hit rate since the break? It’s not as if his hard-hit rate (23.5%) is ridiculous, but his medium-hit rate of 70.6 percent stands out.
As usual, we’ll have your Pre-Gamin’ closer to first-pitch (1:20 CT).
