The Cubs lost last night, which means they’ll have to beat Zach Wheeler today to guarantee themselves at least a series split against the Mets this weekend (you don’t want to bet on beating Jacob deGrom tomorrow).
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Kyle Schwarber, LF
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Javy Baez, SS
- Willson Contreras, C
- Jason Heyward, RF
- Albert Almora Jr., CF
- Victor Caratini, 1B
- Jose Quintana, P
- Addison Russell, 2B
I didn’t realize until this exact moment how weird the Cubs lineup looks without Anthony Rizzo – at least, when he’s not hurt. When his back flares up a bit and he has to miss a few games, it’s obviously noticeable, but it’s somewhat expected.
But when the batting order came out today and Rizzo wasn’t in it, it really hit me just how accustom to seeing him at first base we’ve become. He’s been the Cubs first baseman for, what, nearly a decade (8 years)? That’s a long time. I like him there at first. Hopefully, he and the Cubs get around to that extension, eh?
In any case, it’s Victor Caratini replacing Rizzo at first base today (it’s so nice to have a switch-hitting, multi-positional back-up catcher), which leaves the catching duties to Willson Contreras. Albert Almora Jr. is in center field and Addison Russell is at second base, but other than that it’s business as usual.
And as usual, we’ll have your full Pre-Gamin’ post closer to game time (1:20 CT).