NEWSLETTER
Hey. There’s a win. It took the Cubs best starting pitcher and their best two relievers (and they still only won by a single run), but a win’s a win. Hopefully, they can keep the good times rolling this evening on FOX. Here’s a look at the Chicago Cubs lineup for the second of three game against the Giants. As a reminder, the Cubs have to sweep to leave this road trip .500. Here we go.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Mike Tauchman, CF
- Nico Hoerner, 2B
- Chris Morel, RF
- Ian Happ, LF
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Trey Mancini, DH
- Matt Mervis, 1B
- Miguel Amaya, C
- Nick Madrigal, 3B
Yesterday, Nico Hoerner got a day off for rest. Today, it’s Seiya Suzuki. So once again, we can’t quite tell what direction David Ross is REALLY planning to go with his starting lineup, once all his regulars (non-Cody Bellinger edition) are back in there. Nonetheless, it seems likely Nico Hoerner will no longer be the leadoff man, though he’ll still feature prominently near the top of the Cubs lineup.
NOTE: Seiya Suzuki is getting the night off despite reaching base FOUR times yesterday and despite an off-day on Monday. I really don’t get that. Maybe he’s feeling something. Always possible. But if he’s not, this is just a wild time to sit your hottest hitter.
Yesterday, Nick Madrigal led off. Today, he’s batting ninth and Mike Tauchman gets the honors. Miguel Amaya is also back in the Cubs lineup, but Yan Gomes remains on the bench with Trey Mancini taking the DH role.
The one similarity today’s lineup has with yesterday’s group is Ian Happ and Dansby Swanson batting fourth and fifth. I just really wish the Cubs were at full strength, they still need to sweep this series to preserve any sense of anything close to a successful roadtrip.
San Francisco Giants Lineup:
- LaMonte Wade Jr., 1B
- Thairo Estrada, 2B
- Joc Pederson, DH
- Jodi Davis, 3B
- Michael Conforto, RF
- Mike Yastrzemski, CF
- Mitch Haniger, LF
- Blake Sabol, C
- Brandon Crawford, SS
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Kyle Hendricks, RHP
Kyle Hendricks has now made three starts since returning to the Chicago Cubs from a long stint on the injured list dating back to last season. And so far, the results have been mixed. While Hendricks has *looked* pretty good, and says he feels as good as ever, he has allowed 8 earned runs in his first 15.1 IP. That said, his last time out, the strikezone was so bad David Ross was ejected, and Hendricks finished the game very strong. He was also called for three pitch clock violations and had a couple of bloop singles come around to score. We’ll see what happens today, but I actually think Hendricks is in a pretty good place.
San Francisco Giants: John Brebbia, RHP
John Brebbia is “starting” this game, but that’s a mislead, as he’s just the opener. So the Cubs lineup will face a different pitcher once he exits, likely after just one inning pitched (hopefully). The last time he did this (June 6), he was followed by Ryan Walker for an inning and then Sean Manaea for the bulk of the game. But Walker pitched against the Cubs last night. So maybe they’ll go right into Manaea? Manaea is striking out a ton this year, but the results so far have been terrible (6.10 ERA). Hopefully the Cubs lineup can take advantage.
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (27-36) vs San Francisco Giants (32-31) at 6:35 pm CT on FOX, 670 The Score
