NEWSLETTER
The Cubs won the first half of the double-header earlier today, which means they’re just one W away from claiming this five-game series a day early. HOWEVER, that all takes a backseat to the debut of top pitching prospect Caleb Kilian. I will gladly trade a team win for a dominant Kilian performance. Here’s the lineup playing behind him tonight.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:Â
1. Christopher Morel, 2B
2. Willson Contreras, DH
3. Ian Happ, LF
4. Frank Schwindel, 1B
5. Patrick Wisdom, 3B
6. Rafael Ortega, CF
7. P.J. Higgins, C
8. Jason Heyward, RF
9. Andrelton Simmons, SS
SP: Caleb Kilian, RHP
I’m glad to see Willson Contreras sticking in there at DH, after catching this morning’s game. I think with that we can officially put his HBP and any associated injury concern behind us. But with him at DH and no way to sit Frank Schwindel at the moment (he’s red hot), that means Alfonso Rivas is once again on the bench.
Also on the bench is Nico Hoerner, who’s time on the field has been very actively managed this season, and Nick Madrigal, who’s still ramping back up from his injury and trying to find his footing at the plate. That leaves room for Andrelton Simmons at short and Christopher Morel at second, which also opens up center field for Rafael Ortega.
Unfortunately, the bottom of the Cubs order looks fairly weak, but that tends to happen on double-header days … especially for fourth place teams. So we’ll just hope the top 5-6 guys can get the job done.
They should only need about one run with Kilian on the mound, though, right?Â
