Tonight, the Cubs will go for another series win, and they’ll do so with their regular right fielder back in his usual spot!
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Daniel Murphy, 2B
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Javy Baez, SS
- Ben Zobrist, LF
- Willson Contreras, C
- Jason Heyward, RF
- Mike Montgomery, P
- Ian Happ, CF
Although I’m glad to see Heyward back in there (for many reasons), the Cubs are facing another reverse split-guy tonight, Matt Andriese. A reliever by trade, Andriese has made a handful of starts this season and has been tougher on southpaws than he has fellow righties (the same goes for his career).
And it’s pretty significant:
Versus lefties: .296 wOBA
Versus righties: .342 wOBA
But like I said yesterday, hitters have splits too, and most guys like facing pitchers throwing from the opposite side. So, in addition to Heyward, the Cubs are also welcoming Dan Murphy back into the lineup and leadoff role.
Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Ben Zobrist all manage to get in this game, as Javy Baez covers short tonight. Ian Happ is in center, as he has been a lot over the past month, and everything else falls into place. A win tonight drops the Cubs’ magic number down to single digits, regardless of what the Brewers do. Let’s see it.
As usual, we’ll have your full Pre-Gamin’ post closer to game time (8:40 CT).