Given (1) the steady contributions of Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson, Ian Happ, and Seiya Suzuki, (2) the more recent hotness of Trey Mancini, Cody Bellinger, and Yan Gomes, (3) the upside of Patrick Wisdom, particularly against lefties (like tonight’s Marlins starter), and (4) how good Nelson Velázquez has looked in his short time with the Cubs this season … is it fair to say this is the best Cubs lineup we’ve seen in almost two years?
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Nico Hoerner, 2B
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Ian Happ, LF
- Seiya Suzuki, RF
- Trey Mancini, 1B
- Cody Bellinger, CF
- Patrick Wisdom, 3B
- Yan Gomes, C
- Nelson Velázquez, DH
It sure feels like it’s the best overall group the Cubs have cobbled together since Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Willson Contreras, and Javy Báez were still together in 2021. And it was made possible – most recently – by the Luis Torrens DFA.
With an extra active roster spot, Velázquez gets to stick around and force Eric Hosmer to the bench against left-handed pitching. That’s huge! I love to see it. It’s about time.
The Cubs have Marcus Stroman on the mound today, so maybe they won’t need a ton of offense in Miami, but I would love to see them just pop off, particularly Velázquez, to continue encouraging David Ross to sit Hosmer against lefties. Maybe righties, too. 🙂
Miami Marlins Lineup:
- Jazz Chisholm Jr., CF
- Garrett Cooper, 1B
- Jorge Soler, DH
- Luis Arraez, 2B
- Avisail Garcia, RF
- Jean Segura, 3B
- Jesus Sanchez, LF
- Nick Fortes, C
- Jon Berti, SS
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Marcus Stroman, RHP
Marcus Stroman’s last start against the Dodgers was his worst start of the season, including 5 earned runs on 3 homers over 5.0 IP. But I just remember feeling like he didn’t quite pitch as badly as the final line suggested. Maybe that’s just my bias of what was an otherwise brilliant start to the year. Or maybe it was because two of his three homers allowed (and 3 of his 4 runs allowed) came in his final frame against Max Muncy and J.D. Martinez. Shrug. Sometimes you leave a meatball. My instinct is that he’s just fine and looks closer to the guy who tossed four straight quality starts to begin the year.
- Segura: 6-24, 6K
- Garcia: 5-10, 2B, BB
- Chisholm: 2-9, 3K
Miami Marlins: Jesús Luzardo, LHP
The Marlins are .500 to start the season, and Luzardo has definitely been a part of that success. His first three starts of the year were especially good considering the opponents (Mets, Twins, Phillies): 18.2 IP, 15H, 4ER, 6BB, 20K (1.93 ERA). But the cracks started showing a bit in his last two outings: 8.2 IP, 14H, 7ER, 3BB, 12K. Still, he’s been a steady-to-good overall pitcher since the start of last season, and has been especially tough on left-handers for his career (.290 wOBA, 28.1 K%). The Cubs lineup does have some experience with Luzardo, but their biggest lefty-masher, Patrick Wisdom, has struggled.
- Wisdom: 1-8, HR, BB, 5K
- Swanson: 3-7, 2B, 3 BB, 2K
- Happ: 1-7, 2BB, 4K
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (14-10) vs Miami Marlins (13-13) at 5:40 pm CT on Marquee Sports Network, 670 The Score