I hate to make every lineup post about the Cubs players that are still here, but the truth is that’s the most important thing going on in our world right now. So tonight, yes, Ian Happ, Willson Contreras, and even Drew Smyly are all in the starting lineup.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Rafael Ortega, CF
- Willson Contreras, DH
- Seiya Suzuki, RF
- Ian Happ, LF
- Nico Hoerner, SS
- Patrick Wisdom, 3B
- Yan Gomes, C
- Alfonso Rivas, 1B
- David Bote, 2B
SP: Drew Smyly, LHP
I did expect Happ to be in the lineup tonight, but I wouldn’t have been shocked to see Willson Contreras held out (this is the second to last game before the deadline). As for Drew Smyly, we thought this would be something of a soft deadline to get a deal done — and I guess there’s still time (especially with Mark Leiter Jr. coming up) — but it does look like it’s Smyly’s game for now.
In any case, with Contreras at DH, Yan Gomes slides in behind the plate. And with a righty on the mound, Rafael Ortega is leading off/playing center field. Chris Morel is getting the night off in favor of David Bote, and Alfonso Rivas is your first baseman.
As usual, we’ll have your full Pre-gamin’ post closer to game time (8:05 CT).