NEWSLETTER
CUBS LINEUP — The Chicago Cubs have still not lost more than two games in a row this season. But that streak is at risk tonight, with Mets starter Luis Severino on the mound for the series opener at Citi Field. Here’s a look at the Cubs Lineup for Game 1 (of 4) against the Mets.
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
Once again there is literally no change to the Cubs lineup outside of who’s behind the plate. Nico Hoerner is still leading off, Mike Trout Tauchman is batting second, the struggle bus is in the middle (Happ-Morel-Busch-Swanson-Mervis) and Pete Crow-Armstrong rounds out the bottom of the order.
This group has scored just four runs over their last two games combined, and three of those runs came on one swing of Mike Tauchman’s bat.
They looked good on Friday night, though, grinding at-bats and scraping together runs. Let’s see some more of that.
New York Mets Lineup:
- Brandon Nimmo, LF
- Francisco Lindor, SS
- Pete Alonso, 1B
- J.D. Martinez, DH
- Jeff McNeil, 2B
- Tyrone Taylor, RF
- Mark Vientos, 3B
- Harrison Bader, CF
- Tomas Nido, C
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Jameson Taillon, RHP
Jameson Taillon has made two starts so far this season, and both have been good. He’s allowed just two earned runs total across his 10.2 IP with eight strikeouts and just two walks. More importantly, Taillon worked his way up to 89 pitches his last time out, so I suspect he’s fully stretched out at this point with no limitation. With Hayden Wesneski moving into the rotation until at least Justin Steele returns, the Cubs can use some length out of their starters right now.
New York Mets: Luis Severino, RHP
Luis Severino represents the toughest matchup for the Cubs lineup this series. He’s been really good so far this year, keeping everything on the ground (58.2%) while walking only 7.8% of the batters he’s faced. Severino has a 96.5 MPH fastball he throws 43.1% of the time, but he’s got a pretty wide pitch-mix: Slider (19.4%), Cutter (14.4%), Sinker (14.2%), and changeup (8.8%).
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (17-11) at New York Mets (14-13) at 6:10 pm CT – Marquee Sports Network, 670 The Score
