The Cubs dropped the first game against the Brewers last night – another quiet night for the offense – but they got a solid performance from Jon Lester and Craig Kimbrel, both of which may have been more important than a win. But now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s win this series starting with the game today, eh?
Chicago Cubs Lineup
1. Ian Happ, CF
2. Kris Bryant, 1B
3. Willson Contreras, C
4. Kyle Schwarber, DH
5. Javy Baez, SS
6. Cameron Maybin, LF
7. Jason Heyward, RF
8. David Bote, 3B
9. Nico Hoerner, 2B
With a lefty on the mound for the Brewers today, I’m not surprised to see Nico Hoerner at second base instead of Jason Kipnis, but I am STILL anxious to see if Kipnis starts tomorrow – just wanted to get that out of the way up top.
Obviously, the most noticeable changes to the lineup today include a breather for Anthony Rizzo, who’s replaced at first base by Kris Bryant, who is, himself, replaced at third by David Bote. With Rizzo out of the lineup, Willson Contreras bats third and Kyle Schwarber, at DH, bats fourth. Javy Baez, returning to the lineup after an off-day of his own yesterday, has finally been moved down in the lineup to 5th, which, when Rizzo returns, is really more like batting sixth (though we’ll see if that actually happens tomorrow).
As usual, we’ll have your full Pre-Gamin’ post closer to game time (6:10 CT).
