NEWSLETTER
The way I see it, the Cubs have two more chances to get one more win in Colorado. If they do, you can call this series a success. Believe it or not, splitting at Coors Field is just never a bad outcome.
Unfortunately, grabbing a win tonight won’t be easy.
Not only are the Cubs using a fill-in starter (Mark Leiter Jr.) in MLB’s most hitter-friendly park, they’re going up against Antonio Senzatela, who’s been among the most extreme groundball pitchers since his debut in 2017 (50%, 14th highest in that stretch). I bring that up because the Cubs have been the most extreme groundball offense in MLB this season (52.9%), which has led to a league-leading ten (10!) rally-killing double-plays.
So long story short, if they don’t start elevating soon, they’re going to end up with more nights like last night, when they managed just 5 runs despite recording 13 hits and 6 walks.
As for Leiter Jr., he gets the honor of being the first-man up to fill out the rotation in the absence of injured starters Wade Miley, Adbert Alzolay, and Alec Mills. Leiter made one start for Triple-A Iowa so far this season, and it went pretty well: 4.0 IP, 4H, 1ER, 1BB, 7Ks.
According to Statcast, Leiter Jr. features a pretty even mix of changeups, sinkers, and four-seamers (all around 25-27% usage), while mixing in a cutter and a curveball 10% of the time each. If he follows Justin Steele’s lead, however, we might see fewer breaking balls against the Rockies/in Colorado.
The game starts a little bit earlier tonight (7:10 CT), and you can catch it on Marquee or MLBN. Go Cubs.
Game Info
Chicago Cubs (4-3) at Colorado Rockies (5-2) – Saturday, April 16 at 7:10 CT on Marquee, MLBN, 670 The Score
Bet of the Day:
Nada from me tonight. Lost 3 in a row. Need a break. Also, just not sure what to expect out of the offense tonight with the groundball pitcher on the mound. Ditto Mark Leiter Jr. Too many unknowns.
Starting Pitchers
Rockies: Antonio Senzatela (R)
versus
Cubs: Mark Leiter Jr. (R)
Chicago Cubs (Lineup Discussion):
1. Rafael Ortega, DH
2. Jonathan Villar, 2B
3. Willson Contreras, C
4. Ian Happ, LF
5. Frank Schwindel, 1B
6. Seiya Suzuki, RF
7. Jason Heyward, CF
8. Patrick Wisdom, 3B
9. Nico Hoerner, SS
Colorado Rockies:
1. Connor Joe, RF
2. Charlie Blackmon, DH
3. Kris Bryant, LF
4. C.J. Cron, 1B
5. Ryan McMahon, 3B
6. Brendan Rodgers, 2B
7. Sam Hilliard, CF
8. Alan Trejo, SS
9. Dom Nunez, C
