NEWSLETTER
What a crazy morning we’ve had, eh?
Things were expected to be a bit crunched with the early game – which Brett is at, by the way – but news kept on breaking. You didn’t miss anything right? First, we got an official look at the Cubs Opening Day 25-man roster, then news broke that the Cardinals had finally signed Greg Holland as expected, and finally, the rumors appear to be true: Chris Coghlan is back with the Cubs on a Minor League deal.
And lost in the shuffle of all that noise was Brett’s post on the feelings we all share for this season versus 2017, and my look at how the Cubs’ rotation figures to be the best in the National League. Woof.
And none of that is even about the game that’s about to start! It’s madness, I tell you! Madness.
Speaking of which, the Chicago Cubs open things up against the Marlins today, with Jon Lester on the mound. The Cubs veteran southpaw had a great spring (2.81 ERA, 15Ks, 5BBs) and looks ready to bounce back from an uneven 2017 season.
Starting opposite him is Marlins righty Jose Urena, who wasn’t even in the starting rotation on Opening Day last season, but is getting the ball first just one year later. Urena’s spring stats were ugly (6.10 ERA, 8BBs, 8Ks), but he can definitely bring the heat and will not be an easy matchup.
I think the Cubs have the clear edge in this series, but let’s see if they can get off to a hot start.
IT’S BASEBALL TIME, yo.
Game Info
Chicago Cubs (0-0) at Miami Marlins (0-0)Â – 11:40 CT on WGN, ESPN (out-of-market only), 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: Jon Lester (L):Â 4.33 ERA, 4.10 FIP; 3.00 K/BB (2017 stats)
versus
Marlins: Jose Urena (R):Â 3.82 ERA, 5.20 FIP; 1.77 K/BB (2017 stats)
Miami Marlins
- Lewis Brinson, CF
- Derek Dietrich, LF
- Starlin Castro, 2B
- Justin Bour, 1B
- Brian Anderson, 3B
- Garrett Cooper, RF
- Miguel Rojas, SS
- Chad Wallach, C
- Jose Urena, P
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Ian Happ, CF
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Willson Contreras, C
- Kyle Schwarber, LF
- Addison Russell, SS
- Jason Heyward, RF
- Javy Baez, 2B
- Jon Lester, P
