NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Cubs have won 8 of their first 10 games, including 4 in a row. Tonight, they’ll go for the quick two-game sweep against the Royals … or is it the second win of a four-game series split between two series? Ah, anyway, here’s how David Ross will line them up against righty Brady Singer and the Royals:
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
1. Kris Bryant, 3B
2. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
3. Javy Baez, SS
4. Kyle Schwarber, DH
5. Willson Contreras, C
6. Jason Heyward, RF
7. Steven Souza Jr., LF
8. Jason Kipnis, 2B
9. Ian Happ, CF
In the second game of the series, the Cubs have drawn right-handed Brady Singer, who’s making just the third big league start of his career. He’s lasted 5.0 innings in each of his first two games, surrendering 2 earned runs a piece with 4 walks, 10 strikeouts, and 2 homers allowed combined. Without much of a big league track record, there aren’t many insights to glean from his history.
So let’s focus on the Cubs.
Immediately, you can see that Kyle Schwarber and Willson Contreras have switched back to their usual spots in the lineup after flip-flopping yesterday against a lefty. Meanwhile, Schwarber gets another crack as the DH as Victor Caratini gets another day off. His slash line has fallen a bit and he’s going to be out there with Yu Darvish tomorrow, so no issues here.
With Schwarber out of left field and Kris Bryant back at third base, Steven Souza Jr. gets what I expect will be a pretty rare early-season start against a right-hander (not exactly his strength). Meanwhile, Nico Hoerner takes a seat against the righty in favor of the southpaw Jason Kipnis. All in all, this is another quality lineup for David Ross, who’s done very little to rile us up through the first 11 games.
In case you missed it, we discussed the offensive starts of Heyward, Happ, and Hoerner earlier today:
Jason Heyward’s Offensive Start Has Been Rough, But Also Complicated https://t.co/3M5ifBjj57 pic.twitter.com/CDvcE9ArGy
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) August 4, 2020
Ian Happ Continuing the Very Positive Signs He Showed Last Year https://t.co/O2bSqcyI90 (via BN)
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) August 4, 2020
You all know how close an eye I’ve had on Nico Hoerner this year. Today I put my eyes and the numbers together, which led to a handful of thoughts on the super interesting second baseman. Check it out!https://t.co/yWah2pBaGM
— Cubs Prospects – Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) August 4, 2020
As usual, we’ll have your full Pre-Gamin’ post closer to game time (7:15 CT).
