Cubs vs Dodgers – Lineups, Pitching Matchup, Broadcast Info, Game Thread
With a loss yesterday, the Cubs won’t be able to maintain their series win streak this weekend. But they can still split this four-gamer with the Dodgers *and* clinch the season-series 4-3. In that sense, it’s a rubber match. Fortunately for the Cubs, Marcus Stroman is on the mound in the middle of one of the most dominant stretches of his career. Unfortunately for the Cubs lineup, Clayton Kershaw is starting opposite Stroman. And he’s been good this year.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Nico Hoerner, 2B
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Cody Bellinger, CF
- Seiya Suzuki, RF
- Patrick Wisdom, LF
- Eric Hosmer, 1B
- Luis Torrens, DH
- Yan Gomes, C
- Nick Madrigal, 3B
Big changes to the Cubs lineup today, with days off for Ian Happ and Trey Mancini against Clayton Kershaw. Obviously, it’s always possible either guy tweaked something we don’t know about, but I think it’s a little simpler than that.
For Happ, he hasn’t had a day off yet this year and he hasn’t gotten off to a great start as a right-handed batter (vs LHP). It definitely feels like it’s been moving in a better direction lately, so maybe avoiding the Kershaw buzzsaw is a big-picture move from David Ross.
Mancini is a little tougher to explain, especially because he’s been hitting better lately. But I guess it’s worth pointing out that today’s (left-handed hitting) first baseman, Eric Hosmer, does have some legitimate success against Kershaw in the past (12-38, 2 2Bs, HR, BB, 4K). I don’t think that would convince me to start him over Mancini, but who knows. Maybe it was just one small part of the calculus.
In any case, those absences allow David Ross to get Nick Madrigal and Luis Torrens into the lineup, by way of moving Patrick Wisdom to left field (he’s being such a trooper this year, starting games at 3B, DH, right, and now left field). Madrigal has also been hitting the ball better and the Cubs clearly like Torrens’ bat against lefties.
Los Angeles Dodgers Lineup:
- Mookie Betts, SS
- Freddie Freeman, 1B
- Max Muncy, 3B
- J.D. Martinez, DH
- James Outman, CF
- Jason Heyward, RF
- David Peralta, LF
- Miguel Vargas, 2B
- Austin Barnes, C
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Marcus Stroman, RHP
Marcus Stroman has begun his season with four consecutive quality starts, each exactly six innings long. And with only two earned runs TOTAL across all four. Only Shohei Ohtani (0.64) has a better ERA than Stroman. And this stretch of dominance really dates back to August of last season. Unfortunately, Stroman’s opponent this afternoon is right there with him.
- Betts: 9-39, 2B, BB, 9K
- Martinez: 2-14, 2B, BB, 5K
- Freeman: 1-10, 5BB, K
Los Angeles Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw, LHP
Clayton Kershaw has had a nice start to the season (2.52 ERA over 25.0 IP), and his last outing was particularly impressive: 7.0 IP, 3H, 0ER, 0BB, 9Ks against the Mets. Basically, he’s still Clayton Kershaw.
- Hosmer: 12-38, 2 2Bs, HR, BB, 4K
- Swanson: 3-11, 2B, 5K
- Gomes: 2-9, HR, K
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (12-8) vs Los Angeles Dodgers (11-11) at 1:20 pm CT on Marquee Sports Network, 670 The Score
