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CUBS LINEUP — Are you ready? The regular season begins TONIGHT on ESPN! Check out Craig Counsell’s first-ever Cubs lineup for their Opening Day matchup against Nathan Eovaldi and the Texas Rangers.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Ian Happ, LF
- Seiya Suzuki, RF
- Cody Bellinger, CF
- Chris Morel, DH
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Michael Busch, 1B
- Nico Hoerner, 2B
- Nick Madrigal, 3B
- Yan Gomes, C
So there it is. The first Cubs lineup of the year. There are not TOO many surprises, especially with the top-3 of the batting order, as expected. But there obviously is one big thing to discuss here: Christopher Morel is not playing third base.
I expected to see this defensive alignment and batting order (i.e. Nick Madrigal at 3B, batting eighth or ninth) against lefties, but against a righty like Eovaldi? The Cubs could have gone with Morel at third, like they discussed all winter and practiced all spring, and Mike Tauchman at DH. Instead, they’re going with Madrigal at third and Morel at DH.
In a vacuum, on any given day, if these are the nine BATTERS you want to have in the lineup, this is the correct way to go. Madrigal’s defense is simply superior to Morel’s, so why wouldn’t you? But this season is also supposed to be about Morel’s development as a third baseman over the course of the season. So color me a little surprised, that’s all. I’m sure Morel will still get plenty of time at third, and it’s not like I’m absolutely dying to get Tauchman’s bat in the lineup, for however much we otherwise like him as the first man off the bench.
For what it’s worth Tauchman is 1-7 with 3Ks against Eovaldi lifetime. Madrigal is 1-3 with a 3B and a K.
Beyond that the only thing I notice is that Michael Busch is batting sixth, not seventh as it seemed near the end of Spring Training. Eventually, you hope he hits his way up over at least Swanson, but sixth is a nice low-pressure spot to break in.
GOD I miss talking Cubs lineups.
Texas Rangers Lineup:
- Marcus Semien, 2B
- Corey Seager, SS
- Josh Jung, 3B
- Adolis Garcia, RF
- Wyatt Langford, DH
- Jonah Heim, C
- Ezequiel Duran, 1B
- Evan Carter, LF
- Leody Taveras, CF
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Justin Steele, LHP
Justin Steele had an absolutely phenomenal 2023 season, during which he was among the front-runners for NL Cy Young. As a reward for that effort, he’s been named the Opening Day starter for the 2024 Chicago Cubs. He’s the ace of this staff and he’s got a big season ahead of him. Still just 28, Steele is in the thick of his prime and had a nice spring training, including a 28.9% strikeout rate and a 4.4% walk rate. It’s just the first game of the year, so I wouldn’t expect him to go TOO deep, but he should be perfectly fine for 90+ pitches if he’s cruising.
Texas Rangers: Nathan Eovaldi, RHP
Nathan Eovaldi made it to the mound only 25 times last year (during the regular season) and 20 times the year before, but when he does pitch, he’s usually quite good. And, of course, he made six postseason starts for the Rangers on their way to winning the World Series, featuring a 2.95 ERA (2.98 FIP) over 36.2 IP. That is very, very impressive. Hopefully, the World Series hangover lingers on and the Cubs can take advantage. Though hopefully not Ian Happ, at least not on the first AB of the game:
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (0-0) vs Texas Rangers (0-0) at 6:35 pm CT – ESPN, 670 The Score
