NEWSLETTER
CUBS LINEUP — For the first time in four days, the Cubs actually have a different looking lineup. And that’s because they’re going up a lefty, Sean Manea, tonight at Citi Field. Here’s a look at Craig Counsell’s group for Game 2 against the Mets.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Nico Hoerner, 2B
- Patrick Wisdom, 1B
- Ian Happ, LF
- Chris Morel, DH
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Mike Tauchman, CF
- Nick Madrigal, 3B
- Miguel Amaya, C
- Alexander Canario, RF
Sean Manea is a lefty with traditional lefty/righty splits:
vRHH: .260/.317/.435 (.324 wOBA)
vLHH: .208/.266/.328 (.262 wOBA)
And the gap is even more pronounced this season, with lefties hitting just .111/.273/.111 (.209 wOBA) off Manea. So with that in mind, the Cubs lineup is predictably more right-handed than usual tonight.
That means Michael Busch, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Matt Mervis are all are on the bench in favor of Patrick Wisdom, Alexander Canario, and Nick Madrigal. Wisdom is covering first for Busch. Canario takes over right field, pushing Mike Tauchman to center. And Nick Madrigal is in at third, giving last night’s hero, Christopher Morel, a night off his feet.
In Busch and PCA, Craig Counsell has a good pinch hitter and a good pinch-runner/defender at his disposal. I wouldn’t be surprised to see one or both of them tonight, as soon as righty comes in.
New York Mets Lineup:
- Brandon Nimmo, LF
- Francisco Lindor, SS
- Pete Alonso, 1B
- J.D. Martinez, DH
- Jeff McNeil, 2B
- Tyrone Taylor, CF
- DJ Stewart, RF
- Brett Baty, 3B
- Omar Narváez, C
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Javier Assad, RHP
Can he keep doing it? Can Javier Assad really keep pitching like one of the best pitchers in baseball? We’ll find out tonight, but I’m really not exaggerating. This season, Assad has a 2.00 ERA over five starts. And if you go all the back to June 27 of last season, Assad’s 2.15 ERA leads ALL OF BASEBALL (min. 100.0 IP).
He doesn’t have a good groundball rate, he doesn’t have elite stuff or velocity, and he’s benefitted from good luck on balls in play and his sequencing. But he’s also got a 24.5% strikeout rate and is generating a TON of weak contact. In fact, his 86.3 MPH average exit velocity allowed and 27.1% hard-hit rate are both among the top-10 in baseball. He’ll have a clunker eventually, everyone does, but he really has done everything you could want and more.
New York Mets: Sean Manaea, LHP
Sean Manea has gotten decent results so far this season (3.33 ERA), but his outings have been short and the walk rate is elevated (13.1%). He can still strike guys out, though, so this Cubs lineup, even as right-handed as can be, isn’t in for a cake walk. His last time out, he went just 4.2 IP against the Giants, but he kept them scoreless with just 4 hits and 6 strikeouts. Four walks, though.
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (18-11) at New York Mets (14-14) at 6:10 pm CT – Marquee Sports Network, 670 The Score
