NEWSLETTER
CUBS LINEUP — The Chicago Cubs won the opener at Fenway last night behind a strong starting effort by Shota Imanga and a grinding offensive approach by the entire Cubs lineup. Let’s see if they can do it again with Ben Brown on the mound this afternoon.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Nico Hoerner, 2B
- Mike Tauchman, RF
- Ian Happ, LF
- Chris Morel, 3B
- Michael Busch, 1B
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Matt Mervis, DH
- Yan Gomes, C
- Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
Today’s Cubs lineup looks very similar to the one that played yesterday. In fact, it’s identical aside from the catcher, Yan Gomes, replacing Miguel Amaya. And why not? That group scored seven runs on 14 hits and a walk against just six strikeouts. Let’s run it back.
Boston Red Sox Lineup:
- Jarren Duran, CF
- Rafael Devers, 3B
- Tyler O’Neill, LF
- Wilyer Abreu, RF
- Connor Wong, C
- Masataka Yoshida, DH
- Enmanuel Valdez, 2B
- Bobby Dalbec, 1B
- Ceddanne Rafaela, SS
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Ben Brown, RHP
If Justin Steele really is coming back as soon as has been reported, this may be the second-to-last start for Ben Brown in the rotation for a stretch. His last two appearances actually came out of the bullpen, but that was probably circumstantial/a way to get him between-start work while still contributing to real games. His last actual start came against the Diamondbacks on April 15 and was pretty darn good: 6.0 IP, 1H, 1ER, 2BB, 4K. The Red Sox are just slightly below average offensively vs RHP this season (99 wRC+), so we’ll see if Brown can keep the good times rolling.
Boston Red Sox: Josh Winckowski, RHP
Josh Winckowski is nominally a long-man in the Red Sox bullpen, but he’s been forced into the rotation after some Boston injuries. He’s made only one start so far this year, his last time out vs Pittsburgh, and it was short, but moderately effective: 3.1 IP, 3H, 1ER, 0BB, 1K. Generally speaking, Winckowski works in the mid-90s, mixing in a four-seamer, a cutter, a slider, and a changeup. He can strike guys out and he gets ground balls, but he can also be wild and allows a lot of hard contact. The Cubs lineup can definitely get to him.
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (17-9) at Boston Red Sox (14-13) at 3:10 pm CT – Marquee Sports Network, 670 The Score
