NEWSLETTER
CUBS LINEUP — The Cubs are opening up a new series tonight in Arizona, and they’ll do it without their ace, Justin Steele, their No. 3, Jameson Taillon, one of their top relievers, Julian Merryweather, and, their most important hitter. In case you missed the news, Seiya Suzuki has bee placed on the IL and replaced by Alexander Canario. Here’s the first Cubs lineup in a post-Suzuki world.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Ian Happ, LF
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Cody Bellinger, CF
- Chris Morel, 3B
- Michael Busch, 1B
- Garrett Cooper, DH
- Nico Hoerner, 2B
- Mike Tauchman, RF
- Miguel Amaya, C
Okay, so the Cubs lineup without Seiya Suzuki. What do we got, here?
Because Swanson moved up in the lineup and wasn’t back-filled, Michael Busch is actually moving up a spot too (fifth). All in all, this group makes sense. But hopefully, as soon as tomorrow, we start seeing more Canario. We’ll give Counsell a pass since today was likely an unexpected travel day for Canario.
Arizona Diamondbacks Lineup:
- Ketel Marte, 2B
- Corbin Carroll, CF
- Lourdes Gurriel, LF
- Christian Walker, 1B
- Joc Pederson, DH
- Eugenio Suarez, 3B
- Gabriel Moreno, C
- Jake McCarthy, RF
- Kevin Newman, SS
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Ben Brown, RHP
It’s nothing more than a guess, but if Jameson Taillon is coming back this week as reported, then tonight might be Ben Brown’s last start for a while. I say that because while Brown has shown plenty of promise, Javier Assad has had more success, has more experience, and won’t have as strict of a limit on his pitch count/inning limit for the season.
Brown is better long-term bet to be a rotation contributor and has the prospect pedigree. But right now, on a one-to-one decision, I think the Cubs would go with Assad in the rotation. And, hey, Brown can stay up with the Cubs and IMMEDIATELY help out in the bullpen. So that’s all good. In any case, enjoy tonight, because we might not see another Brown start for a while.
Brown’s last two times out: 8.2 IP, 6H, 1ER, 2BB, 10K
Arizona Diamondbacks: Merrill Kelly, RHP
Merrill Kelly has put together a solid few seasons for Arizona, getting out on the mound as often as anyone in baseball (555.2 IP since the start of 2021, 11th most in MLB). He was really solid in 2022 (3.37 ERA, 3.2 WAR, 33 starts) and followed that up with another good season last year (3.29 ERA, 3.2 WAR, 30 starts). He’s made three really strong starts this season so far, but two of three were against the Colorado Rockies’ anemic offense, so that’s not quite as impressive. Of course, in the third, he held the Yankees to 2ER on 5H and 1BB in 7.0 innings. So he’s definitely got it in him.
Kelly doesn’t throw particularly hard, but he’s got a good cutter and a good change-up to neutralize the lefties. Plus, the Cubs lineup tonight (and for the foreseeable future) will be missing Seiya Suzuki. So that doesn’t help.
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (9-6) at Arizona Diamondbacks (8-8) at 8:40 pm CT – Marquee Sports Network, 670 The Score
