NEWSLETTER
The Cubs are in Atlanta today and are giving the ball back to Yu Darvish for the first time in over a week. Let’s see if he has what it takes to keep down one of the best offenses in baseball.
And here’s how the Cubs will line up behind him:
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Ben Zobrist, RF
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Willson Contreras, C
- Javy Baez, 2B
- Kyle Schwarber, LF
- Albert Almora, CF
- Addison Russell, SS
- Yu Darvish, P
I imagine this’ll be a very popular lineup this evening, as the Cubs are going with some fan-favorite decisions: Albert Almora in center field, Ben Zobrist in right (and leading off), Willson Contreras cleaning up, and Javy Baez in the middle.
Speaking of which, I was – at first – somewhat surprised to see Baez, not Kyle Schwarber, batting fifth tonight, given the lefty/right balance after Contreras, but with the righties Albert Almora and Addison Russell to follow anyway, this actually breaks things up a bit more than the alternative.
And speaking of those lefty/righty decisions, tonight’s Braves starter, Mike Foltynewicz, has been pretty darn split neutral this season. His career numbers paint a very different picture (lefties handle him better), but just keep that mind this evening.
Oh, and hopefully Anthony Rizzo can keep his big month going:
In the month of May, Anthony Rizzo is hitting .310/.400/.714 with 5 homers, 10 runs, 14 RBI, and a walk rate (12.0%), double his strikeout rate (6.0%).
That's about as locked in as it gets.
— Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) May 15, 2018
As usual, we’ll have your full Pre-Gamin’ closer to game time (6:35 CT)
