NEWSLETTER
With YET ANOTHER one-run loss, the Chicago Cubs have drifted back below … wait a minute. LOOK AT THE CUBS LINEUP! MATT MERVIS IS HERE. ALSO MIGUEL AMAYA IS STARTING! Season starts today, my friends. Let’s go.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Nico Hoerner, 2B
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Ian Happ, LF
- Seiya Suzuki, RF
- Cody Bellinger, CF
- Trey Mancini, DH
- Matt Mervis, 1B
- Patrick Wisdom, 3B
- Miguel Amaya, C
In case you missed the initial news, the roster move, or what you should expect out of the Cubs rookie first baseman, those are your useful links. I’ll let you click over for all your requisite background. For now, we’ll just note that Mervis is finally in the Cubs starting lineup, batting seventh, which is a nice, lower-pressure way to start. I am so excited.
Take note, however, that today’s Marlins starter, Edward Cabrera, who throws his changeup 33% of the time, is a particularly tough matchup for Mervis (and all the lefties in the Cubs lineup):
Those splits are even more pronounced in the early going this season, so let’s not overreact to Mervis’ performance this afternoon. Unless it’s awesome, in which case, yes, he’s probably going to be the 2023 NL Rookie of the Year and MVP.
With Mervis in the game and at first base – and given Cabrera’s splits – no one should be surprised to see Eric Hosmer on the bench. That’ll likely happen even more often, though it’s important to note that he was not the odd man out to make room for Mervis. So the Hosmer experience isn’t quite over yet.
I also can’t believe Miguel Amaya is starting again, though it is absolutely the right call given Cabrera’s splits. Ditto Seiya Suzuki batting cleanup over Cody Bellinger (they’ve basically been flip-flopping depending on the handedness of the pitcher, but David Ross is treating this like a lefty on the mound).
Miami Marlins Lineup:
- Jon Berti, SS
- Jorge Soler, DH
- Luis Arraez, 2B
- Yuli Gurriel, 1B
- Jean Segura, 3B
- Jazz Chisholm Jr., CF
- Bryan De La Cruz, CF
- Jacob Stallings, C
- Garrett Hampson, RF
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Justin Steele, LHP
To put it plainly, Justin Steele has been one of the best starting pitchers in baseball this season. He’s averaging over 6.0 innings per start and has never allowed more than 2 earned runs in any outing. His strikeout and walk rates are both just slightly better than average, and his contact management is elite. That said, Steele just faced the Marlins last weekend. And while it went well for him (6.0 IP, 7H, 2ER, 1BB, 3K), it’s not usually a good thing to face the same lineup twice in short order. Think about the advantage hitters have the third and fourth time through the order. It’s kind of like that. But the Cubs lineup has been struggling lately, so they’ll need Steele at his best.
Miami Marlins: Edward Cabrera, RHP
Like Steele, Edward Cabrera faced this Cubs lineup last weekend. Also like Steele, it was pretty darn successful, with just two earned runs over 5.0 innings. Oh, there’s also the TWELVE (12) strikeouts from Cubs batters. Five innings provides for only 15 outs total. So. Yeah. That’s not great. That said, Cabrera also walked five batters and gave up Patrick Wisdom’s 10th home run. And he’ll also have face MATTHEW MERVIS THIS TIME AROUND. Be warned.
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (15-16) vs Miami Marlins (16-16) at 1:20 pm CT on Marquee Sports Network, MLBN, 670 The Score
