NEWSLETTER
Shockingly, the Cubs beat the Reds on the road yesterday. Maybe they can surprise us again with this group tonight.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Jason Heyward, CF
- Nicholas Castellanos, RF
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Javy Baez, SS
- Ian Happ, 2B
- Kyle Schwarber, LF
- Victor Caratini, C
- Yu Darvish, P
Unlike last night, the Cubs are getting a right-handed pitcher tonight, which means Albert Almora Jr. heads back to the bench and Player 2 (Kyle Schwarber) enters the game. Schwarber has been extremely hot here lately – and Trevor Bauer isn’t the guy he was last year – but this is still a tough matchup, so keep that in mind as your watching things unfold.
Speaking of the matchup, Nicholas Castellanos has actually faced Bauer a lot in his career (50 ABs), and he has been just so-so against him so far: .280/.308/.420 with four doubles (because of course) and a homer. He’s also struck out 10 times in those 50 ABs against just 2 walks.
Beyond that, it’s no surprise to see Victor Caratini back in the starting lineup with Yu Darvish on the bump, even after a nice Cubs debut from Jonathan Lucroy last night. Caratini handles Darvish well and is hitting quite well this season (116 wRC+), though that is a fair bit lower (but still above average) against righties (105 wRC+).
As usual, we’ll have your full Pre-Gamin’ closer to game time (6:10 CT).
