With their (umpire-aided) win over the Cardinals yesterday afternoon, the Cubs live to fight another day. They also guaranteed that they won’t leave this series behind the Cardinals in the standings (if that’s worth anything to you). That said, if they want to keep pushing their coming fire-sale into the future, they’ll have to win-out. That’s just the reality. Let’s hope reliever Michael Fulmer (who’s your “starter” today) and the following Cubs lineup (now with 100% more Dansby Swanson) has what it takes against Miles Mikolas and the Red Birds.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Mike Tauchman, CF
- Nico Hoerner, 2B
- Ian Happ, LF
- Cody Bellinger, 1B
- Seiya Suzuki, RF
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Chris Morel, DH
- Yan Gomes, C
- Miles Mastrobuoni, 3B
Ooh! So close. If we had Miguel Amaya at DH and Chris Morel (or Nico Hoerner) at third base, this might be my favorite Cubs lineup of the year. That said, Mikolas is typically tougher on righties than lefties. And the lefty, Miles Mastrobuoni, has been hot lately with SEVEN hits in his last three games, including his first career home run.
So no real complaints here. Let’s see how it goes.
St. Louis Cardinals Lineup:
- TBA
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Michael Fulmer, RHP (Opener)
Michael Fulmer is the “opener” for the Cubs today, even though he’s a reliever … who threw 15 pitches yesterday. Drew Smyly would’ve been the regularly-scheduled starter.
St. Louis Cardinals: Miles Mikolas, RHP
Miles Mikolas has earned quality starts in two of his last three games. Though that’s misleading (in his favor), because the one game that did not register as a quality start was suspended because of weather … after Mikolas was literally perfect for three straight innings against the Nationals. So it’s safe to say he’s locked in right now. The Cubs have faced him once already this season, also at Wrigley Field, and they chased him after 4.1 innings, even though they managed to score just one run on four hits and three walks against seven strikeouts. I know Mikolas has slowed down a bit over the last 1-2 seasons, but he just always seems to be a frustrating matchup for the Cubs.
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (46-51) vs St. Louis Cardinals (44-54) at 1:20 pm CT on MARQ, 670 The Score
