Cubs Lineup — If the Cubs offense doesn’t get their sh*t together today, they’ll allow the Arizona Diamondbacks to tie them in the Wild Card standings, a brutal outcome when they could’ve put Arizona away in that race this weekend. Kyle Hendricks is on the mound for Chicago. I sure hope we don’t see another great pitching performance wasted.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Chris Morel, DH
- Nico Hoerner, 2B
- Seiya Suzuki, RF
- Cody Bellinger, CF
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Ian Happ, LF
- Yan Gomes, C
- Jeimer Candelario, 1B
- Nick Madrigal, 3B
Finally, David Ross has made a change to his batting order, moving Ian Happ down from third to sixth and Seiya Suzuki up ahead of Cody Bellinger. I had generally been fine with Happ’s production (.351 OBP, 121 wRC+) ahead of Belli *against righties*, but it was never ideal once Suzuki started hitting again.
Mike Tauchman is also not in this lineup after batting .163/.302/.188 (49 wRC+) in nearly 100 plate appearances since August 9. And that includes his recent four-hit game against the Giants. With him out, Bellinger takes over center, Candelario plays first, Madrigal is at third, and Christopher Morel is the leadoff man and DH.
Arizona Diamondbacks Lineup:
Game 144. #ArizonaBornhttps://t.co/k9Xjx1ui6d pic.twitter.com/9rle4X5mQP
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) September 10, 2023
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Kyle Hendricks, RHP
Kyle Hendricks last start against the Giants wasn’t great (5.1 IP, 4ER, 5R), but the wind was howling out at Wrigley Field, so I’ll cut him some slack. Striking out five batters and walking none is still good. So is generating 11 whiffs (10 on the changeup). I think he’s probably just fine.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Brandon Pfaadt, RHP
Sometimes, the old, traditional stats tell you plenty: This season, Pfaadt is 1-8 with a 6.27 ERA over 15 starts. He’s not Merrill Kelly. He’s not Zac Gallen. He’s not even Ryne Nelson. There are no excuses for the Cubs lineup this afternoon. They simply have to score runs. Ideally a lot of them.
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (76-67) vs Arizona Diamondbacks (75-68) at 1:20 pm CT on MARQ, 670 The Score
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