The Chicago Cubs are in the middle of an extremely important nine-game stretch against the Brewers and Cardinals. Tonight marks the first of three in St. Louis, and the lineup shakeups from over the weekend continue:
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Robel Garcia, 2B
- Jason Heyward, RF
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Javy Baez, SS
- Victor Caratini, C
- Kyle Schwarber, LF
- Ian Happ, CF
- Yu Darvish, P
Among the recent lineup shakeups, you’ll find Kyle Schwarber down in the batting order and Robel Garcia up top. I agree with the former, but still have a ton of questions about the latter. I still want Garcia in the lineup (I’ve said this before, haven’t I?) but I have no idea why you’d want someone with a ton of power and almost no on-base skills up to bat (most likely) with the fewest people on – leading off the game and following the pitcher.
It just doesn’t make much sense to me. Put him fifth or sixth if you really want him to get extra at-bats, so at least his strikeout-or-homer approach will pay double when it hits. Shrug. There’s probably no right answer at the moment.
In any case, the new lineup quirk tonight is Jason Heyward in the two-hole. I actually don’t mind this decision, so long as Heyward is comfortable with it. The move allows Bryant to remain in a more comfortable three-spot with Anthony Rizzo and Javy Baez to follow.
Beyond that, Victor Caratini is behind the plate for another Yu Darvish start and Ian Happ is getting another start in center field. I’m glad to see they’re really letting him loose after his promotion, and I hope he starts hitting again soon (to go with all those walks). For what it’s worth, he’s 2-6 with a walk, a double, and 3Ks against tonight’s starter, Adam Wainwright, in the past.
As usual, we’ll have your full Pre-Gamin’ post closer to game time (7:15 CT). And after the (post-)game, you can catch Luis and I on another episode of Outside the Ivy on NBC Sports Chicago!