NEWSLETTER
CUBS LINEUP — Opening Day didn’t fall the Cubs’ way, but it was one hell of a game. If it wasn’t for Justin Steele’s injury, I might even have been inclined to enjoy it despite the blown save and Game 1 loss. But that Steele injury, man … that’s a tough one. Even Ben Brown’s subsequent promotion doesn’t soften the blow. But there are 161 games remaining, including tonight’s matchup against Cody Bradford and the Texas Rangers. Here’s a look at the Cubs lineup versus lefties, with Kyle Hendricks on the mound.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Nico Hoerner, 2B
- Seiya Suzuki, RF
- Cody Bellinger, CF
- Chris Morel, 3B
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Ian Happ, LF
- Garrett Cooper, DH
- Yan Gomes, C
- Michael Busch, 1B
What a perfectly executed Cubs lineup for Game 2.
With a lefty on the mound, we’re immediately seeing the appropriate changes around the diamond and in the batting order. For one, Nico Hoerner takes over the leadoff role for the switch-hitting Ian Happ, who moves way down to sixth. For another, Garrett Cooper is in there at DH, allowing Christopher Morel to get his first start at third base this season.
And finally, the lefty-hitting 1B Michael Busch is not being platooned out of the Cubs lineup, but is being stashed all the way down in the ninth hole, where he can more comfortable get his feet underneath him. Later in the year, you’ll hope to see him somewhere in the middle of the order day-in and day-out, but for now, I love how Counsell is managing his time.
Texas Rangers Lineup:
- Marcus Semien, 2B
- Corey Seager, SS
- Evan Carter, LF
- Adolis Garcia, RF
- Josh Jung, 3B
- Wyatt Langford, DH
- Jared Walsh, 1B
- Jonah Heim, C
- Leody Taveras, CF
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Kyle Hendricks, RHP
I’m guessing you’re pretty familiar with Kyle Hendricks, with what he can do, and how he does it. If he’s feeling really good today, he’ll probably sit in the 87-89 MPH range with his four-seamer and sinker, working his changeup to both sides of the plate, while occasionally dumping in a curve. We didn’t know which Kyle Hendricks we’d get back last season after the injuries ended his 2022 campaign early, but he was quietly quite excellent: 3.74 ERA. And with injuries to Justin Steele and Jameson Taillon, the Cubs will need more of that this year, especially in the first half of the season.
Texas Rangers: Cody Bradford, LHP
Cody Bradford made his big league debut with the Rangers last season, starting eight regular season games while appearing in another 12 out of the bullpen. And while it’s all an insanely small sample size, I am happy to report that he was FAR better out of the bullpen (2.82 ERA over 22.1 IP) than he was as a starter (6.95 ERA, 33.2 IP). Indeed, he never made it more than 5.0 innings, and allowed at least 6 ER in three of his eight starts. This is where all those Rangers’ pitching staff injuries can start to work in the Cubs favor (Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, Tyler Mahle, Michael Lorenzen are all on the shelf).
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (0-1) vs Texas Rangers (1-0) at 6:05 pm CT – MARQ, 670 The Score
