NEWSLETTER
CUBS LINEUP — Please, Cubs. Win a game. Score some early runs. Just be better.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Mike Tauchman, DH
- Christopher Morel, 3B
- Cody Bellinger, CF
- Seiya Suzuki, RF
- Ian Happ, LF
- Nico Hoerner, 2B
- Michael Busch, 1B
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Miguel Amaya, C
I understand that PCA won’t start every night right now, even if his defense offers a significant improvement. The offense simply has a higher floor with Michael Busch and Mike Tauchman in there, and PCA winds up coming into most games anyway. But I can’t quite figure out why Tauchman DHs most days, when both he and Suzuki are in there at the same time. Seems like a pretty easy switch to immediately improve the defense, right?
It’s not like I think Suzuki should DH every day — I don’t — but why not give him more time in that spot when Tauchman is also starting, especially considering his injury history and mediocre defensive capabilities. Just seems like a tiny advantage that keeps getting left unclaimed.
San Francisco Giants Lineup:
- Brett Wisely, SS
- Heliot Ramos, CF
- Patrick Bailey, C
- Matt Chapman, 3B
- Michael Conforto, LF
- Jorge Soler, DH
- Mike Yastrzemski, RF
- Thairo Estrada, 2B
- Trenton Brooks, 1B
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Javier Assad, RHP
Javier Assad’s last five starts: 25.1 IP, 30Ks, 15 BBs, 15 ER (5.33 ERA). Let’s hope he turns it back on tonight against a Giants offense that’s been about league average versus right-handed pitching this season.
San Francisco Giants: Jordan Hicks, RHP
This season, Jordan Hicks made the rare, but valuable conversion from established reliever to rotation-member, and it’s been pretty successful so far (3.01 ERA over 14 starts). However, he has started to slow down a bit lately (albeit against good teams). Over his last three starts (vs Yankees, D-Backs, and Astros), Hicks has allowed 9 earned runs 13.2 IP. The groundball rate is still quire high, though, so be prepared for some potential double plays this evening.
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (34-38) vs San Francisco Giants (35-37) at 7:05 pm CT – Marquee Sports Network, 670 The Score
