The Cubs are back at Sloan Park today (and at a reasonable hour, no less) with a 3:05 tilt against the Diamondbacks.
Our old friend Zach Davies is taking the mound for Arizona, after last week signing a one-year deal that guarantees him at least $1.75M (plus another $2.5M in incentives) in 2022. Which, good for him, because it extremely did not work out with the Cubs.
But today’s matchup won’t be an easy one for Davies. The Cubs are loading up their lineup with regulars at pretty much every position besides DH (Alfonso Rivas) and shortstop (Ildemaro Vargas). Both guys have an outside shot to make the team, but I don’t currently expect either to break camp with the big league Cubs. Vargas is out of options, Rivas is not.
More importantly, you’ll notice Ian Happ is not only back in the Cubs lineup, but he’s actually taking the field for the first time since undergoing elbow surgery in February. We already expected him to return to the field by Opening Day, but it wasn’t exactly clear when that was going to happen (so far, he has only DH-ed). This season could potentially be career-defining for Happ, who’s got just two years of team control before hitting arbitration.
Happ is also playing in an outfield with Rafael Ortega in center and Seiya Suzuki in right. That is my 1-A preferred outfield alignment against right-handed pitching this season, though some recent pairings have implied a little more Jason Heyward in the mix than we’d like.
Today’s group also features Willson Contreras behind the plate, Frank Schwindel at first, and Nick Madrigal leading off. This has some real “regular season lineup” vibes, so I’ll be watching this one closely. Go Cubs.
Game Info
Arizona Diamondbacks (5-6) at Chicago Cubs (6-4-3) – Tuesday, March 29 at 3:05 CT on Marquee
Starting Pitchers
Diamondbacks: Zach Davies (R)
versus
Cubs:Â Justin Steele (L)
Chicago Cubs:
1. Nick Madrigal, 2B
2. Seiya Suzuki, RF
3. Willson Contreras, C
4. Frank Schwindel, 1B
5. Ian Happ, LF
6. Patrick Wisdom, 3B
7. Rafael Ortega, CF
8. Alfonso Rivas, DH
9. Ildemaro Vargas, SS
Arizona Diamondbacks:
1. Ketel Marte, 2B
2. Pavin Smith, RF
3. Cooper Hummel, LF
4. Seth Beer, 12B
5. Matt Davidson, 3B
6. Jake McCarthy, DH
7. Alek Thomas, CF
8. Geraldo Perdomo, SS
9. Jose Herrera, C