The Cubs have another big series against a tough team tonight, and here’s how they’ll line up for the first of three games at Wrigley Field.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Jason Heyward, RF
- Ben Zobrist, 2B
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Ian Happ, CF
- Kyle Schwarber, LF
- Addison Russell, SS
- Chris Gimenez, C
- Tyler Chatwood, P
The world’s second greatest leadoff hitter rides again!
If you recall, Bryant has led off twice already this season, and he’s got three hits and a walk to show for it. Bryant also recorded three hits (including a homer) and a couple walks over the weekend, but went hitless in his four games before that, so maybe Joe Maddon is trying to shake him loose. Given the way the All-Star game voting has gone, now would be as good a time as any to make one final push for the Mid-Summer Classic.
After Bryant, Jason Heyward continues to bat second and is followed by Ben Zobrist and Anthony Rizzo. If those four guys are the players they’ve always been, it’ll be one heck of a grind to get through them in the batting order. They all see a lot of pitches, are accepting of walks, and (usually) rarely strikeout.
As expected, Javier Baez is not in the lineup tonight after taking on off the elbow last night. Even if he was feeling good enough to play, giving him a breather makes plenty of sense. We got an update earlier today, but I think we’ll have a better sense of how long he’ll be out tomorrow.
Albert Almora Jr. is on the bench tonight, as Ian Happ takes over center and Chris Gimenez, not Willson Contreras, takes up his spot behind the plate. This is the third time in the last four starts that Gimenez has caught Chatwood. We’ll see if his command is actually any better though.