NEWSLETTER
The last competitive, regular season pitch Yu Darvish threw for the Chicago Cubs was all the way back on May 20th, 2018. That night, he allowed just one earned run over 6.0 innings against the Reds in Cincinnati. Tonight, in Texas, he’ll complete the comeback that started last May, and I can’t wait to see what he’s got.
As for this Spring, Darvish had a mixed 12.0 innings, complete with a ton of strikeouts (14), plenty of walks (9), and just 3 earned runs. He also dealt with a blister issue that seems to have been addressed, though it’s not entirely clear if he’ll be pitching with a bandaid tonight.
Starting opposite Darvish is Edinson Volquez. Volquez, 35, did not make a start last season as he rehabbed from Tommy John surgery, and made only 17 starts the year prior (4.19 ERA, 4.35 FIP). That injury-shortened season, however, was actually a step up from his 2016 campaign, when he earned a 5.37 ERA and 4.57 FIP over 189.1 IP.
Volquez is a fastball (primarily a sinker), curveball, changeup guy, and routinely works around 93-94 MPH – or, at least he did before surgery. The changeup is his best pitch and despite the recent struggles, actually ranks as one of the better changeups in baseball, when he’s healthy. I’m not sure how hard he’ll be throwing tonight, but if Tommy John surgery has sapped his velocity even a little, the effectiveness of his changeup might be neutered. That’ll probably be the key for Cubs hitters.
Let’s see if Chicago can remain undefeated. Go Cubs.
Game Info
Chicago Cubs (1-0) at Texas Rangers (0-1) – Saturday, March 30th at 7:05 CT on CSC, 670 The Score
Starting Pitchers
Rangers: Edinson Volquez (R): 0.00 ERA, 0.00 FIP; 0.00 K/BB
versus
Cubs: Yu Darvish (R): 0.00 ERA, 0.00 FIP; 0.00 K/BB
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Ben Zobrist, 2B
- Kris Bryant, LF
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Javy Baez, SS
- Kyle Schwarber, DH
- Willson Contreras, C
- Jason Heyward, RF
- David Bote, 3B
- Albert Almora Jr., CF
Texas Rangers Lineup:
- Shin-Soo Choo, DH
- Rougned Odor, 2B
- Elvis Andrus, SS
- Nomar Mazara, RF
- Joey Gallo, LF
- Asdrubal Cabrera, 3B
- Ronald Guzman, 1B
- Isiah Kiner-Falefa, C
- Delino DeShields, CF
