NEWSLETTER
If you haven’t gotten a chance to read Brett’s post on the last time the Indians were at Wrigley Field, I strongly encourage you check it out. It was a fun trip back in time to a crucial game that probably gets overlooked too often (at least, in my mind).
But in any case, the Indians are back at Wrigley Field for a brief two-game set. If you recall, the Cubs split their set with them in Cleveland earlier this, beating Josh Tomlin, but losing to Trevor Bauer (tonight’s starter). Bauer has been pretty dang good this season, so hopefully the Cubs remember what they saw and can get to him early on.
We’re Going Streaking
The Chicago Cubs (25-19) just won three of four from the Cincinnati Reds after dropping two of three to the Braves. They’re in third place in the NL Central, but have the same number of losses as the first-place Brewers.
The Cleveland Indians (22-23) have not gotten off to a roaring start, and remain one game below .500… but are in first place. They just dropped back-to-back series against the Astros (understandable) and Tigers (eh …), after beating the Royals in 2 of 3.
Game Times and Broadcasts Info
Chicago Cubs
Probable Pitchers:
Active Depth Chart:
Cleveland … Blew a 3-1 Lead
Probable Pitchers:
*Triple-A Stats
Active Depth Chart:
Keep an Eye Out For …
Cubs Pitcher: Jon Lester has been far outperforming his peripherals this season, and while that’s not uncommon for him, the degree to which his ERA outpaces his FIP is quite staggering. He’s been getting by so far, but a 10.1% walk rate, 35.0% hard-hit rate, and 39.0% ground ball rate is such a recipe for disaster. Hopefully, he can keep the free passes to a minimum, because batters have been doing a lot of damage in the air.
Cubs Player: Willson Contreras has just been quietly going about his business at the plate this year, currently posting the best slash line of his young career: .276/.357/.487 (129 wRC+). If you stretch back to just April 6 (last 144 PAs). that production bumps up to 138 wRC+. May 6? 205 wRC+. Contreras is good *and* heating up.
Indians Pitcher: Trevor Bauer annoys me, and he’s dang good now.
Indians Player: Francisco Lindor is one of my favorite non-Cubs (right there with Adrian Beltre) and he’s having a career year at the plate (148 wRC+) and, quite possibly, in the field. He’s been worth 2.6 WAR already this year, which ranks fifth best in baseball. He’s currently riding a bit of a cold streak (3-23 with three singles and four walks), but that was immediately preceded by an absolute tear. We’ll see which version we get tonight, but I’m betting on the good one (and not just because he’s on my fantasy team).
