Cubs vs Astros: Pitching Matchup, Broadcast Info
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Chicago Cubs Lineup:
Chris Morel, CF Dansby Swanson, SS Ian Happ, LF Seiya Suzuki, RF Patrick Wisdom, 3B Matt Mervis, 1B Trey Mancini, DH Yan Gomes, C Miles Mastrobuoni, 2B
It’s amazing how much better the Cubs lineup looks without Tucker Barnhart and Eric Hosmer in there, as both are riding the bench in favor of Trey Mancini and Yan Gomes. Unfortunately, Nico Hoerner and Cody Bellinger are both still out.
But on the bright side, Hoerner could come off the IL as soon as Friday (and that seems likely). And with the off-day tomorrow, Bellinger will get a nice long rest while missing only one more game. Ultimately, I’m okay with him sitting this one out too, if it means he’ll be that much healthier when he does return.
With Belli on the bench, Chris Morel sticks in center field and at leadoff. That opens up second base for Miles Mastrobuoni and third for Patrick Wisdom.
Houston Astros Lineup:
Jeremy Peña, SS Alex Bregman, 3B Yordan Alvarez, LF Kyle Tucker, DH Jose Abreu, 1B Chas McCormick, RF Yainer Diaz, C Jake Meyers, CF David Hensley, 2B
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Drew Smyly, LHP
Drew Smyly bounced back from his short outing against Miami with a quality start against the Minnesota Twins on May 12: 6.0 IP, 4H, 2ER, 1BB, 4K. That game featured more hard contact and elevation than we’re used to seeing from Smyly (including two barrels and seven hard hit balls), but he was able to navigate the game and ultimately get the job done. That said, the Astros have been beating up on Cubs pitching all week, including fellow southpaw Justin Steele yesterday. So frankly, I think the Cubs lineup is going to have to have one of those breakout games if they hope to bounce back into the win column.
Notable Matchups:
Abreu: 6-11, 2 2Bs, HR, 5K
Bregman: 3-9, HR, 3K
Houston Astros: J.P. France, RHP
Oh the Cubs lineup is scuffling? How about a matchup against a guy who has allowed one earned run in his first 11.2 IP this season! Will that help? This season, J.P. France is mixing in five different pitches at a significant level, including a 94 MPH fastball with a 96 percentile spin rate. Listen, he’s not some stud starting pitcher — he’s a 28-year-old who just made his big league debut two games ago — but we just haven’t seen this Cubs lineup completely HANDLE anyone in a full week. With an off-day tomorrow, we can certainly use it.
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (19-23) vs Houston Astros (23-19) at 7:10 pm CT on MARQ, 670 The Score
Source: bleachernation.com
