Tonight, the Chicago Cubs begin a three-game weekend series against the Cardinals, and I’m pretty amped up for it. Jon Lester is getting the ball tonight in Game 1, and here’s how they’ll line up behind him.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Albert Almora Jr., CF
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Willson Contreras, C
- Kyle Schwarber, LF
- Javy Baez, 2B
- Addison Russell, SS
- Ian Happ, RF
- Jon Lester, P
Probably the most notable lineup decision tonight is not just Kris Bryant’s presence after a day off on Wednesday and an off-day yesterday, but also his return to the two-hole. That’s probably where Bryant is most “comfortable,” based on familiarity, so hopefully he can shake out of this little slump (and homer-less slumber) with a big game against the Cardinals tonight.
Also of note is the absence of Jason Heyward tonight. However, the night off makes plenty of sense. For his career, Micael Wacha has been far tougher on lefties (.276 wOBA) than righties (.321 wOBA) and that’s even more true this season, as lefties are hitting just .181/.245/.204 off Wacha with a 23.1% strikeout rate and just a 7.7% walk rate.
Righties, of course, aren’t crushing Wacha either (.305 wOBA), but that’s a lot better odds than the alternative. So good luck to Kyle Schwarber and Anthony Rizzo tonight, because they figure to have a tough battle ahead of them.
Other than that, Addison Russell and Javy Baez are your double play combo up the middle, Willson Contreras is behind the plate, and Albert Almora is playing center and leading off. As usual, we’ll have your full Pre-Gamin’ closer to game time (7:15 CT).