NEWSLETTER
Kyle Schwarber is returning, Jon Lester is returning, Starlin freakin’ Castro is returning, even catcher Alex Avila is a former north-sider making his way back to Chicago tonight. It’s a Cub-reunion at Wrigley Field this week, as the Nationals arrive for four games (three at night, and one afternoon tilt this Thursday).
The Cubs are getting another two lefties in this four-gamer, which doesn’t hurt quite as much now that Javy Baez and Nico Hoerner are fully healthy, but I do wish Jake Marisnick was not out. I liked the way this lineup operated against southpaws with him in it. Alas. At least, Joc Pederson and Ian Happ are back and looking stronger – each actually hit really well against lefties this weekend.
Tonight’s matchup should be a good one, with the ghost of Cubs past (Lester) versus the hopeful arm of the future (Adbert Alzolay), but you’ll forgive me if my eyes drift away from this one and towards Scherzer v. Arrieta on Wednesday. That’s not the matchup it would’ve been 5 years ago, but that’s still really fun.
After this series, the Cubs hit the road for the weekend to finally take on the Cardinals for the first time in 2021, and then there’s an off-day. The Pirates and Reds follow and then it’s June! Time to start winning, because otherwise, the trade rumors are just around the corner.
We’re Going Streaking
The Chicago Cubs (19-20) are flirting with .500, but haven’t quite stayed over the hump for any meaningful time this year. They are 8-5 in May, however, with games against the struggling Washington Nationals (16-20) and Pittsburgh Pirates left this month.
Game Times and Broadcasts Info
• Monday, May 17th at 6:40 CT on MARQ, 670 The Score
• Tuesday, May 18th at 6:40 CT on MARQ, 670 The Score
• Wednesday, May 19th at 6:40 CT on MARQ, MLBN, 670 The Score
• Thursday, May 20th at 1:20 CT on MARQ, MLBN, 670 The Score
Pitching Matchups
Game 1: Jon Lester (L) vs. Adbert Alzolay (R)
Game 2: Patrick Corbin (L) vs. Zach Davies (R)
Game 3: Max Scherzer (R) vs. Jake Arrieta (R)
Game 4: Joe Ross (R) vs. Trevor Williams (R)
Chicago Cubs
• C – Willson Contreras
• 1B – Anthony Rizzo
• 2B – Nico Hoerner
• 3B – Kris Bryant
• SS – Javy Baez
• LF – Joc Pederson
• CF – Ian Happ
• RF – Jason Heyward
*Matt Duffy will also work in regularly at third base, pushing Kris Bryant to any of the three outfield spots. Some might even say he’s the starting third baseman at this point.
Unavailable: Trevor Megill, Shelby Miller, Rowan Wick, Austin Romine, Jake Marisnick, Alec Mills
Washington Nationals
• C – Yan Gomes
• 1B – Josh Bell
• 2B – Josh Harrison (also a former Cubs prospect!)
• 3B – Starlin Castro
• SS – Trea Turner
• LF – Kyle Schwarber
• CF – Victor Robles
• RF – Juan Soto
Unavailable: Stephen Strasburg
By the Numbers:
Run Differential:
Cubs: -2 (14th)
Nationals: -9 (17th)
Runs Scored Per Game:
Cubs: 4.54 (11th)
Nationals: 3.94 (25th)
Runs Allowed Per Game:
Cubs: 4.59 (21st)
Nationals: 4.19 (15th)
Keep An Eye Out For …
Jon Lester’s Curtain Call. Although it was mostly because of the pandemic, but also because we didn’t know if he was going to retire or re-sign or what, Lester never really got the send-off he deserved last season. So I suspect there’ll be quite an ovation from the limited capacity crowd tonight. Lester, 37, has made three starts so far this season, allowing just 4 earned runs over 16.0 IP. His peripherals say he’s been worse than that, but we all know how good he is at getting results despite not having the same stuff as his earlier years.
Kyle Schwarber. Schwarber’s overall numbers aren’t particularly strong (he’s walking way less than ever and striking out about as much as you remember), but he has had 3 multi-hit games in his last four starts and 8 multi-hit games this season. That’s already more than he had in 2020 (7). He, too, will get plenty of love from the fans at Wrigley.
Ian Happ. Although a IL stint came in-between, Happ actually has two 3-hit games in his last three starts, with a home run in each of them. His overall production is still down, but perhaps now that he’s healthy – and likely with some more selective starts, given the success of Matt Duffy and the flexibility of Kris Bryant – he can be more consistently productive.
Joc Pederson. Talk about multi-hit games. Joc Pederson has five multi-hit games in his last 8 starts. But with ANOTHER two lefties in this series, I do wonder if he’ll take at least one game in from the bench this week. Either way, he’s heating up. It’s still mostly singles, but you just know the homers are coming, because the timing is back.
