NEWSLETTER
After another rough night at the plate for Patrick Wisdom, I had a feeling he might get the night off tonight, and that’s exactly what happened. Here’s the Cubs lineup for Game 2 in Colorado.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
1. Rafael Ortega, RF
2. Nick Madrigal, 2B
3. Willson Contreras, C
4. Ian Happ, LF
5. Frank Schwindel, DH
6. Jonathan Villar, 3B
7. Jason Heyward, CF
8. Alfonso Rivas, 1B
9. Nico Hoerner, SS
But it’s not just about Wisdom’s rough start last night/this season. It’s also about the opposing starter, Germán Márquez, who’s carrying pretty notable lefty/righty splits for his career:
Germán Márquez Splits:
vs. LHH: .273/.331/.431; 19.8 K%
vs. RHH: .233/.287/.409; 27.9 K%
And it also doesn’t hurt that Wisdom’s replacement at third base, Jonathan Villar, had a nice night at the plate yesterday (2-4, 2B) and is 5-12 with two doubles and a walk against Márquez.
Beyond that, Rafael Ortega is back atop the Cubs lineup, which is nice to see. I know there are some calls for a little more Clint Frazier (just, like … in general), but the parade of lefties lately is making that pretty easy to accomplish.
4/10 – RHP (but Frazier started)
4/11 – off-day
4/12 – LHP (Frazier started)
4/13 – RHP
4/14 – LHP (Frazier starter)
4/15 – RHP
4/16 – RHP
4/17 – LHP (Frazier will probably start)
That’s four starts over the course of seven games. I have no problem easing him into action and setting him up for success.
Note that Ortega is in right field tonight, giving Seiya Suzuki a rest. That opens up the DH spot for Frank Schwindel, who hit his first homer of the season last night, and first base for the lefty Alfonso Rivas. Overall, this is a pretty solid group. My only beef is continuing to hit Nick Madrigal in the two-hole (a questionable decision on a normal night, but especially against a guy who’s tougher on righties). But I’m guessing David Ross simply wants as many balls in play at Coors Field as possible.
As usual, we’ll have your full Pre-Gamin’ post closer to game time (7:40 CT).
