A win! Woohoo! The Cubs won the first half of today’s double-header, putting a lot less pressure on Alec Mills for Game 2.
Speaking of which … For the second game today, the Cubs have drawn the righty, Tejay Antone, who’s spent most of his time in the bullpen for the Reds this season, most notably shutting down the Cubs in relief of Wade Miley back on July 27th: 4.1 IP, 1H, 1ER, 1BB, 5Ks. Let’s hope it goes better this time around. Here’s the lineup.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
1. Ian Happ, LF
2. Kyle Schwarber, DH
3. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
4. Willson Contreras, C
5. Jason Heyward, LF
6. David Bote, 3B
7. Jason Kipnis, 2B
8. Nico Hoerner, SS
9. Albert Almora Jr., CF
This is about as different of a lineup as we’ve seen from David Ross all year. Let’s discuss.
The most noticeable change tonight is the absence of Javy Baez, who’s being replaced by Nico Hoerner at shortstop. With Hoerner at short, it’s Jason Kipnis covering second base, leaving the DH spot open for Kyle Schwarber. With Schwarber out of the field, Ian Happ plays left, which opens up center for Albert Almora Jr.
In the meantime, Schwarber moves up in the lineup, bringing everyone else with him. Your full Pre-Gamin’ post is on the way (6:40 CT start time).