Cubs vs Phillies: Lineups, Pitching Matchup, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

May 19, 2023, by Michael Cerami Chicago Cubs

Are the Chicago Cubs going to use their much-needed day off to reset and bounce back off what we hope was a rock bottom loss on Wednesday? I hope so! The only concern is that the Phillies are YET ANOTHER opponent that has looked a lot worse in real life than they do on paper. The Cubs have been a doormat for those teams all season (Dodgers, Cardinals, Twins, Astros, etc.), so you’ll forgive me if I’m still nervous. Here’s a look at the Chicago Cubs lineup against the left-handed Ranger Suarez.

Chicago Cubs Lineup:

Nico Hoerner, 2B
Dansby Swanson, SS
Ian Happ, LF
Seiya Suzuki, RF
Patrick Wisdom, DH
Trey Mancini, 1B
Yan Gomes, C
Chris Morel, CF
Nick Madrigal, 3B

With a lefty on the mound (and Cody Bellinger to the IL), the Cubs lineup looks about as expected tonight. Nico Hoerner is back at second base and holding down the leadoff job, Trey Mancini is covering first for Matt Mervis (who definitely didn’t need to face a guy with Suarez’s lefty splits (see below)), and Patrick Wisdom is the DH.

With Belli out, Morel is covering center field, which he’ll probably do most of the next week the way he did for Hoerner/2B these past seven days. That leaves third base open for Nick Madrigal, who bats ninth.

My only “issue” with this lineup is batting Morel as low as eighth, but he’s definitely not going 1-4, which is locked into place and he’s not replacing Wisdom-vs-a-lefty. So really, he’d only ever go as high as sixth. I would’ve done that in a heartbeat, but it’s not like Mancini or Gomes are schlubs against lefties, either. It’s a fine Cubs lineup.

Philadelphia Phillies Lineup:

Bryson Stott, 2B
Trea Turner, SS
Bryce Harper, DH
Nick Castellanos, RF
Kyle Schwarber, LF
J.T. Realmuto, C
Alec Bohm, 1B
Brandon Marsh, CF
Edmundo Sosa, 3B

Pitching Matchup:

Chicago Cubs: Marcus Stroman, RHP

Marcus Stroman is coming off his worst start of the season (one of the worst starts of his career, really), but has otherwise been nails for the Chicago Cubs all year. And given his relatively extensive history of success against against this particular Phillies lineup, I feel good about him bouncing back tonight. But if the Cubs lineup wanted to go ahead and make his performance immaterial with an offensive explosion, that’d be cool too!

Notable Matchups:

Castellanos: 3-23, HR, BB, 2K
Realmuto: 7-20, BB, 3K
Bohm: 1-15, 4K
Harper: 1-13, 2B, 3K
Harrison: 4-12, 3B, 2BB, 2K
Schwarber: 3-12, 2B, 2BB, 5K
Turner: 2-10, 2BB, 2K

Philadelphia Phillies: Ranger Suarez, LHP

Ranger Suarez just made his return to the Phillies five days ago, following a rehab assignment for the elbow strain that sidelined him for the start of the season. That start didn’t go “well,” but it was his first game back, so he’s probably in a better rhythm today. Suarez, a lefty, has pretty significant lefty/righty splits throughout his career, but the Cubs lineup is well-suited to face left-handed pitching. That said, both Swanson and Happ have struggled against Suarez through their careers.

Notable Matchups: