NEWSLETTER
We are less than one week away from Opening Day! And we’ve got not one, but two Cubs games on tap. Here are the lineups for matchups against the Rangers and Guardians.
Cubs Lineup vs Rangers
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Ian Happ, LF
- Cody Bellinger, CF
- Trey Mancini, 1B
- Eric Hosmer, DH
- Yan Gomes, C
- Nick Madrigal, 3B
- Miles Mastrobuoni, RF
- Luis Vazquez, 2B
With Nico Hoerner on the shelf (bicep), Luis Vázquez is filling in at second base today, while Nick Madrigal stays at third. In the regular season, without split lineups, I’m guessing we’ll see Madrigal fill in for Hoerner on occasion. Also related to Hoerner’s absence, Dansby Swanson is leading off. That’s not a sign of anything other than opportunity to get him maybe one extra at-bat in a spring that has been extremely underwhelming (he’s got two hits! that’s it!).
I’d also note Miles Mastrobuoni’s presence in this group, but we’re just spinning our wheels trying to figure out the final spot on this roster. We’ll learn soon enough.
Cubs Lineup vs Guardians
- Chris Morel, RF*
- Tucker Barnhart, C
- Patrick Wisdom, 3B
- Edwin Rios, 1B
- Luis Torrens, DH
- Mike Tauchman, CF
- David Bote, 2B
- Nelson Velázquez, LF
- Zach Mckinstry, SS
*The official lineup on MLB.com says Rafael Morel, but…I think that’s maybe a mistake.
Pitching Matchups:
Cubs: Marcus Stroman, RHP
Rangers: Andrew Heaney, LHP
Marcus Stroman is back from the World Baseball Classic and starting for the Cactus League Cubs. He’s also the Opening Day starter, in case you missed that news.
Cubs: Adrian Sampson, RHP
Guardians: Zach Plesac, RHP
Adrian Sampson has likely already lost the battle for the fifth starter job to Hayden Wesneski, who was nasty again yesterday. But he continues to get his work in, knowing full well he’ll see time at the big league level this year.
How to Watch:
Both games will be on Marquee today, so that’s neat.
