The Cubs continue their push to the playoffs at noon today. Here’s the lineup for the finale against the Sox.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:Â
- Daniel Murphy, DH
- Ben Zobrist, 2B
- Javy Baez, SS
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Albert Almora Jr., CF
- David Bote, 3B
- Willson Contreras, C
- Kyle Schwarber, LF
- Ian Happ, RF
For his career, Carlos Rodon has been far tougher on fellow southpaws (.278 wOBA) than he has against righties (.329 wOBA). But this season, those stats are flipped (.313 wOBA versus lefties, .280 wOBA versus righties). I can’t be sure without digging deeper, but I’m guessing it has something to do with the increased use of his changeup – a pitch he’s used more and more every season in the big leagues.
2015: 9.3%
2016: 10.5%
2017: 12.3%
2018: 14.5%
Indeed, through four September starts, he’s used his changeup an average of 16.2% of the time and it was 22.6% of the time his last time out! So I guess … beware of changeups today, Cubs.
As for the lineup, Kris Bryant is getting the day off with David Bote covering third in his place. Javy Baez continues to be the Cubs shortstop but Ben Zobrist will be his double-play combo today, as Daniel Murphy is the team’s DH.
A win drops the Cubs magic number down to five – and, as usual, we’ll have your full Pre-Gamin’ closer to game time (1:10 CT).