NEWSLETTER
When we dove into this upcoming D.C. series in greater detail earlier today, I was hoping Anthony Rizzo would be back from his, er, back injury to face the tough righties tonight and tomorrow. And guess what … HE’S BACK.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Kyle Schwarber, LF
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Javy Baez, SS
- Willson Contreras, C
- Daniel Descalso, 2B
- Jason Heyward, RF
- Albert Almora Jr., CF
- Cole Hamels, P
God – the lineup just looks so much better with Anthony Rizzo at the heart of it – especially against a pitcher like Max Scherzer, who’s carrying some heavy lefty/righty splits this season:
Lefties: .287/.362/.479 (.361 wOBA)
Righties: .228/.245/.346 (.249 wOBA)
Those are about as big of splits as you’ll see for someone as established and dominant as Scherzer, which is why I’m happy to see Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward, and Daniel Descalso – not to mention Rizzo – in there tonight. Indeed, with Rizzo’s return to first base, Kris Bryant can move back to third and the thump of the Cubs lineup – Bryant to Rizzo to Baez to Contreras – is back in business.
Now, with all of that said – and despite how wonderful Willson Contreras has been at the plate lately – this sure seems like a good night to get Victor Caratini’s switch-hitting bat in there behind the plate. Contreras is one of the best hitters in baseball this season, I know, but he’s going to need breaks anyway and Caratini, who played first yesterday, is a fine hitter himself. And, of course, his ability to break out the lefty bat against Scherzer seems perfect for a night like tonight.
Perhaps the Cubs want to take it slow with him coming off the wrist injury (he did start yesterday, albeit at first base), but it does seem like a bit of a missed opportunity. Especially because tomorrow’s tough righty, Stephen Strasburg, actually has reverse splits. But oh, well. This group feels just fine on the whole.
As usual, we’ll have your full Pre-Gamin’ post closer to game time (6:05 CT).
