Pre-Split-Squad-Gamin’: Indians at Cubs (3:05 CT), Indians at Cubs (6:05 CT)

Over this past week, I purposefully refrained from drinking any coffee in an effort to dial back my ridiculous caffeine addiction (I was drinking multiple cups in the morning and night), and it mostly went alright – that is, until, this morning.

After downing a giant travel size mug of java while watching Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 my heart is racing and my hands are shaking. Maybe some of that is because this movie rocks my socks … or maybe this movie rocks my socks, because of the some of that. Either way, I’m having a caffeine overload. Clearly, I had built up a tolerance that has since dissipated. Anyway …

Later today, Eddie Butler and the half of the Cubs will host Trevor Bauer and the half of the Indians at Sloan Park at 3:05 – but this game will not be televised (you can catch the audio on Cubs.com).

Then, later in the day, the other half of both teams – staring Jose Quintana and Ryan Merritt – will be at Cashman Fields in Las Vegas, Nevada for a 6:05 start. That game will be televised on WGN and broadcast over the air at 670 The Score. If you’re looking for a St. Patrick’s Day sports besides basketball, Cubs baseball’s got you covered.

Because of the split-squad day, just about everyone is getting into action today (notable exclusions: Willson Contreras and Albert Almora) but the most notable starter is Javy Baez, who’s returning from a hamstring injury that’s kept him out for nearly 10 days. The hope is that we’ll see 4-5 healthy innings out of him today, so we can put this all in the rearview mirror.

Other than that, nothing really stands out to me, so just enjoy your baseball-filled Saturday, and remember to wear something green!

Here’s the Cubs lineup for Game 1:

  1. Ian Happ, CF
  2. Javy Baez, 2B
  3. Kyle Schwarber, LF
  4. Ben Zobrist, RF
  5. Tommy La Stella, 3B
  6. Efren Navarro, 1B
  7. Mike Freeman, SS
  8. Peter Bourjos, DH
  9. Taylor Davis, C

And the Indians:

Here’s the Cubs lineup for Game 2:

  1. David Bote, 2B
  2. Kris Bryant, 3B
  3. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
  4. Addison Russell, SS
  5. Jason Heyward, RF
  6. Chris Gimenez, C
  7. Mark Zagunis, LF
  8. Jacob Hannemann, CF
  9. Jose Quintana, P

And the Indians:

written by

Michael Cerami began covering the Chicago Cubs for Bleacher Nation as a part-time contributor in 2015. One year later, he joined Bleacher Nation full-time, covering the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball. Today, Michael runs Bleacher Nation, contributing as a writer (Cubs, MLB) and an editor for all sections of the site, including the Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks, as well as MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL. In 2019, Michael was the co-host of NBC Sports Chicago's Cubs Post-Game Show Outside the Ivy. You can find him on Twitter/X @Michael_Cerami

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