I really do need to stop letting my mood be so strictly tied to how well the Cubs are doing at any given moment, but after offensive explosions like last night … it’s not so bad.
Here’s how the Cubs are lining up today.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Albert Almora, CF
- Javy Baez, 2B
- Kris Bryant, RF
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Willson Contreras, C
- Ian Happ, LF
- Addison Russell, SS
- David Bote, 3B
- Yu Darvish, P
With a lefty on the mound today, I don’t think it should be any surprise to see Albert Almora and Javy Baez (both of whom feast on southpaws) back up near the top … but I don’t know if it would’ve mattered anyway.
Sure, Joe Maddon is an extremely savvy, numbers-oriented guy – if certain matchups wouldn’t work he wouldn’t force it – but he’s also a big believer in the human side of the game, and the momentum the top of this lineup is carrying right now feels very real.
Point being, even if it were another righty out there today, I think I would’ve still expected to see Almora/Baez at the top. And I’m guessing that’d be fine with everyone.
Elsewhere, both lefties, Kyle Schwarber and Jason Heyward, are getting the day off, with a lefty on the mound for the Rockies. In their place, Kris Bryant moves out to right (and is, himself, replaced by recently called up David Bote (who took Ben Zobrist spot on the roster)) and Ian Happ who gets the start in left. I wouldn’t have hated to see Schwarber out there again, given how good he’s been, but I understand the desire (and value) to keep the good times rolling.
As usual, we’ll have your full Pre-Gamin’ closer to game time (7:10 CT).