NEWSLETTER
The Cubs will play two games today, thanks to the weather last night, and because of that, we’re missing out on Max Scherzer v. Cole Hamels. That stinks.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Daniel Murphy, 2B
- Tommy La Stella, 3B
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Ben Zobrist, RF
- Albert Almora Jr., CF
- Willson Contreras, C
- Addison Russell, SS
- Jamie Garcia, P
- Ian Happ, LF
And instead we’re getting Max Scherzer versus Jamie Garcia … woohoo.
Against Scherzer in the first-half of this double-header, the Cubs are sitting both Kris Bryant and Javier Baez. You can expect both of them in the second game, I presume, but they’re getting a rest in the first one. To be honest, I’m not sure I love the decision of weakening the forces against Scherzer. Splitting the lineup into two slightly weaker groups instead of pushing all-in (as much as realistically possible) on one or the other seems like a way to improve your chances of … losing both. But, hey, they don’t pay me to make these decisions.
And to be fair, it’s not like Baez and Bryant are the only two good Cubs hitters. Ben Zobrist (RF), Daniel Murphy (2B), and Anthony Rizzo (1B) are all hot right now and all appear among the first four batters of the game. Tommy La Stella, who’s better against righties and can handle velocity well, is in there batting second. And Willson Contreras gets the go-ahead in this game.
The outfield has both Ian Happ and Albert Almora in there this afternoon and Addison Russell is covering short in Baez’s absence. Good luck to the Cubs, who today face one of baseball’s toughest starters.
As usual, we’ll have your full Pre-Gamin’ closer to game time (2:05 CT).
