NEWSLETTER
Happy Hayden Wesneski Day!
One of the Cubs top starting pitching prospects is making his first MLB start this afternoon, though his first two outings were sufficiently start-adjacent:
vsCIN: 5.0 IP, 2H, 0ER, 1BB, 8Ks
vsSFG: 3.2 IP, 4H, 3ER, 1BB, 3K
One thing to keep an eye on – between the nastiness – is the volume of hard-hit balls in play. Wesneski has allowed more than his fair share of hard contract over these first two outings (42.9%) and you’ll want to see that drop in his first start today, even as the strikeout stuff continues to play.
Random observation: Wesneski was also getting the Reds to chase WAY more pitches out of the zone than the Giants did, so we’ll see if he finds a way to keep the Rockies equally off balance this afternoon. He dropped his slider usage against the Giants and I’m guessing that’s a big factor.
Because this, my friends, this is the pitch:
Jose Ureña is on the mound opposite Wesneski this afternoon, and you might remember him as the guy that Ian Happ homered off on the first pitch of the 2018 season (the pitch that sent me into Lake Michigan).
Ureña, 31, has not seen his career head in a particularly productive direction: 5.81 ERA (5.07 xERA) this season over 13 starts. He also had a 5.81 ERA last year over 18 starts, a 5.40 ERA in 202, and a 5.21 ERA in 2019. He sort of proves the theory that a hot fastball is not enough to succeed at the big league level.
Go Cubs.
Game Info
Colorado Rockies (62-82) at Chicago Cubs (62-82) – Saturday, September 17 at 1:20 CT on Marquee, MLBN, 670 The Score
Starting Pitchers
Rockies: Jose Ureña, RHP
Cubs: Hayden Wesneski, RHP
Chicago Cubs (Lineup Discussion):
- Zach McKinstry, 2B
- Ian Happ, LF
- Patrick Wisdom, 3B
- Alfonso Rivas, 1B
- P.J. Higgins, C
- Michael Hermosillo, CF
- Jared Young, DH
- Nelson Velázquez, RF
- Chris Morel, SS
Colorado Rockies:
- Ryan McMahon, 2B
- Yonathan Daza, CF
- C.J. Cron, 1B
- Charlie Blackmon, DH
- Elias Diaz, C
- Michael Toglia, RF
- Elehuris Montero, 3B
- Sean Bouchard, LF
- Alan Trejo, SS
