David Ross has not been messing around with his lineup decisions this season. He’s been playing the matchups all year, and is acting quickly to separate struggling bats like Frank Schwindel and Patrick Wisdom in the heart of the order. Nick Madrigal is even getting the day off today, which I wasn’t necessarily expecting, even against a big righty. If it wasn’t for the continued deployment of Jason Heyward, I’d have almost no issues with his choices so far. Good start.
But the Pirates are trying to game the system, too. Today, they’re starting five left-handed hitters plus two switch hitters against Kyle Hendricks (lefties hit Hendricks a heck of a lot better than righties last season, though the numbers are far closer for his career). That said, if his changeup is working half as well today as it did in his regular season debut, Hendricks will be just fine. Let’s see if the Cubs can complete the sweep.
Game Info
Chicago Cubs (3-1) at Pittsburgh Pirates (1-3) – Wednesday, April 13 at 11:35 CT on Marquee, 670 The Score
Bet of the Day:
DraftKings is giving Hendricks -160 for over 3.5 strikeouts. I like the bet, but I don’t like the odds, especially after seeing the Pirates put a ton of balls in play yesterday. It’s a different group/pitcher combo today, but they seemed anxious to make contact of any kind. If the Cubs/Hendricks noticed that, they may be less inclined to play for the Ks. Maybe if you want to Parlay the K’s with a Cubs win or something you can get a little more bang for your buck, but I’m not seeing an obvious bet today. That’s okay.
Starting Pitchers
Pirates: Zach Thompson (R)
versus
Cubs: Kyle Hendricks (R)
Chicago Cubs (Lineup Discussion):
1. Rafael Ortega, DH
2. Frank Schwindel, 1B
3. Willson Contreras, C
4. Ian Happ, LF
5. Seiya Suzuki, RF
6. Jason Heyward, CF
7. Patrick Wisdom, 3B
8. Jonathan Villar, 2B
9. Nico Hoerner, SS
Pittsburgh Pirates:
1. Daniel Vogelbach, DH
2. Bryan Reynolds, CF
3. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B
4. Yoshi Tsutsugo, 1B
5. Ben Gamel, LF
6. Kevin Newman, SS
7. Josh VanMeter, 2B
8. Andrew Knapp, C
9. Hoy Park, RF