The Cubs have an extremely-late game against the Padres tonight (9:10 CT), and a lot of ground to make up in the NL Central. Let’s see if this group from Joe Maddon can work against the righty, Cal Quantrill.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:Â
- Ben Zobrist, 2B
- Kyle Schwarber, LF
- Nicholas Castellanos, RF
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Victor Caratini, C
- Nico Hoerner, SS
- Jason Heyward, CF
- David Bote, 3B
- Kyle Hendricks, P
Obviously, the biggest news out of tonight’s lineup is the inclusion of (one of the) Cubs big-four prospects, Nico Hoerner!
Fortunately, Hoerner has speed and up-the-middle defense to spare, as well as a good ability to make contact, walk, and avoid striking out. Unfortunatly, he’s starting WAY ahead of schedule thanks to injuries to Addison Russell (concussion) and Javy Baez (fractured thumb), and the power hasn’t yet come around fully – then again … he hasn’t played in Triple-A yet (let alone the big leagues), where the balls are juiced. Maybe that’ll help.
In any case, he’s starting at shortstop tonight, in place of both Russell and Baez, with David Bote acting as the primary backup at the position.
Speaking of Bote, he’s in there at third base tonight instead of Kris Bryant, who’s dealing with knee issues, and Victor Caratini is grabbing another start instead of Willson Contreras.
Beyond that … everything’s great.
As usual, we’ll have your full Pre-Gamin’ post closer to game time (9:10 CT).