NEWSLETTER
CUBS LINEUP — Tonight on ESPN, the Cubs have a chance to win back-to-back series for the first time since they took two of three from the Mariners and Diamondbacks back in mid-April. That is, uh, further back than I thought. Let’s get it done.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Nico Hoerner, 2B
- Michael Busch, 1B
- Cody Bellinger, RF
- Seiya Suzuki, DH
- Ian Happ, LF
- Chris Morel, 3B
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
- Miguel Amaya, C
Pretty straight forward Cubs lineup for Ryne Sandberg Day, including Nico Hoerner back up top, Michael Busch in his new spot (batting second against righties) and PCA in center field. Turns out, with Mike Tauchman out, it’s pretty easy to coordinate the other guys. Win this one for Ryne, fellas.
New York Mets Lineup:
- Francisco Lindor, SS
- Brandon Nimmo, LF
- J.D. Martinez, DH
- Pete Alonso, 1B
- Francisco Alvarez, C
- DJ Stewart, RF
- Mark Vientos, 3B
- Jeff McNeil, 2B
- Harrison Bader, CF
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Javier Assad, RHP
Javier Assad had a pretty rough stretch there from the end of May through the beginning of June, allowing 13 earned runs in just 20.2 IP against the Braves, Cardinals, and Reds (2x). But to be fair, during that stretch, he faced the Braves and Reds twice in a row, handling them fine the first time and struggling the second:
Braves #1: 6.0 IP, 3H, 0ER, 1BB, 7K
Braves #2: 4.2 IP, 4H, 2ER, 5B, 4K
Reds #1: 5.1 IP, 5H, 2ER, 3BB, 7K
Reds #2: 5.2 IP, 7H, 5ER, 2BB, 4K
So I’m not really sweating that too much. It’s never easy for pitchers to face the same lineup twice in a row. And in the two starts since, he’s allowed just 3ER over 9.2 IP, with 11 strikeouts.
Assad has faced the Mets once already this season (5.0 IP, 5H, 1ER, 0BB, 1K), but that was in New York back at the end of April. So I think enough time has passed for that not to be a problem. Still, the Mets offense (109 wRC+ overall, 104 wRC+ vs righties) has been surprisngly good this season and even hotter over the last two weeks: .275/.350/.464 (135 wRC+, 4th best in MLB). So it won’t be an easy one.
New York Mets: Luis Severino, RHP
Luis Severino’s last start was a bit of a blowup against the Rangers, with six earned runs on eight hits and a walk over 6.1 IP with only one strikeout (and two homers). But in the two starts before that, he allowed just 2 earned runs total over 14.0 IP. He also kept the Cubs lineup to just one earned run on ONE hit and two walks over 8.0 innings back in April. And that’s when the bats were hot. Severino is historically much tougher on righties than lefties.
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (37-40) vs New York Mets (36-39) at 6:10 pm CT – ESPN, 670 The Score
