NEWSLETTER
CUBS LINEUP — The Cubs were just a couple outs away from sweeping the double-header, but they came up short after another blown save by Adbert Alzolay in Game 1. But because they won on Friday, they still have a chance to secure a series victory with a win today. Kyle Hendricks is taking the mound for a pivotal start in his season. If The Professor doesn’t show up today, the Cubs might have a tough decision to make.
In any case, the Marlins are countering with the right-handed Edward Cabrera. And here’s a look at the Cubs lineup for the finale at Wrigley Field.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Nico Hoerner, 2B
- Cody Bellinger, CF
- Chris Morel, 3B
- Michael Busch, 1B
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Garrett Cooper, DH
- Mike Tauchman, RF
- Miguel Amaya, C
- Alexander Canario, LF
Although Cabrera is a righty, he actually has pretty significant reverse splits for his career.
vsLHH: .186/.291/.313 (.274 wOBA)
vsRHH: .230/.373/.417 (.353 wOBA)
Righties strike out a little more, but they also walk more, hit fewer grounders, and make more hard contact. Even still, the Cubs lineup has three lefties today. Notably, of those three, Cody Bellinger takes over the “best hitter” spot in the lineup with Seiya Suzuki out and Happ still sidelined. And Michael Busch gets another crack at batting cleanup. Given the way they’ve both been swinging it lately, I’m happy to see them both in bigger roles.
I’m less happy to see Ian Happ is still out, but with an off-day coming tomorrow and this being a re-injury, I’m not all that surprised. Alexander Canario will get his third consecutive start in his place, after homering yesterday. Let’s just all hope for some calmer routes in left field, and maybe a little more situational awareness when he’s at the plate. There’s obviously plenty of talent there, he’s just a little green.
Mike Tauchman continues to draw most of the right field starts in Seiya Suzuki’s absence, and we’re still getting a healthy dose of Garrett Cooper. To my eye, Cooper’s at-bats haven’t looked particularly comfortable, and he’s striking out quite a bit. But he’s technically still producing, and the Cubs don’t really have an obvious alternatives at the moment (Bench: Patrick Wisdom, Nick Madrigal, Yan Gomes, and an injured Happ).
Miami Marlins Lineup:
- Luis Arraez, 2B
- Bryan De La Cruz, DH
- Jazz Chisholm Jr., CF
- Josh Bell, 1B
- Jesus Sanchez, RF
- Tim Anderson, SS
- Nick Gordon, LF
- Emmanuel Rivera, 3B
- Nick Fortes, C
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Kyle Hendricks, RHP
We’ve discussed Kyle Hendricks brutal start a lot already, so suffice it to say, he’s been as bad as he’s ever been. And if he can’t succeed today – at home against a weak Marlins lineup – then the Cubs will probably have to make a really tough decision about what comes next. Ben Brown could help out in the bullpen, like he did yesterday, but he might need to stay in the rotation if Kyle Hendricks keeps getting lit up. Either way, Justin Steele can’t return soon enough (here’s the latest on Steele, by the way).
Miami Marlins: Edward Cabrera, RHP
Edward Cabrera got a late start to his season after working through some shoulder problems in Spring Training, but boy did he come back strong. In his first and only start of the year so far, Cabrera struck out 10 Giants batters in 6.0 innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits and one walk. His velocity is as strong as ever (96-97 MPH) and he’s had plenty of success before this year. The Cubs lineup will have a tough one today.
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (13-8) at Miami Marlins (5-17) at 1:20 pm CT – Marquee Sports Network, 670 The Score
