Cubs vs Padres: Pitching Matchups, Broadcast Info
The Chicago Cubs have a good shot to get back in the series win column tonight. Drew Smyly is on the mound for the Cubs, coming off his near-perfecto, and Michael Wacha returns to Wrigley Field, where he never pitches well. Here’s a look at the Cubs lineup for Game two of three against the Padres at Wrigley Field.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
Nico Hoerner, 2B Dansby Swanson, SS Ian Happ, LF Seiya Suzuki, RF Trey Mancini, 1B Eric Hosmer, DH Patrick Wisdom, 3B Yan Gomes, C Nelson Velázquez, CF
Today’s Cubs lineup is pretty similar to yesterday’s group, with one exception: Patrick Wisdom and Trey Mancini flipped spots … which I don’t entirely understand. Mancini has been hitting the ball better lately, and the strikeouts have started to come for Patrick Wisdom (9Ks in his last 4 games). But Wisdom has been the more trustworthy bat all season, while Mancini is 0-7 with 4Ks against Wacha lifetime. Shrug. I’m not sure it’ll make a huge difference, I just don’t really get it.
I also don’t really get why Mancini continues to draw starts at first base over Eric Hosmer, who, to my eye, has the better glove at the position. Their both still in the lineup, so whatever, but it’s strange. My early-season theory was that when Matt Mervis comes up, it’ll likely spell the end of the Hosmer experience, which could lead to continued opportunities for Mancini at first. So maybe the Cubs want to keep him fresh at first? But that’s just not all that convincing when there are games to win right now. For my money, if they’re both in the lineup, you should just roll with Hosmer at first. Neither guy is a stud there, but Hosmer seems better to me. Maybe the Cubs or the numbers disagree!
San Diego Padres Lineup:
Fernando Tatis Jr., RF Juan Soto, LF Manny Machado, 3B Xander Bogaerts, SS Nelson Cruz, DH Jake Cronenworth, 1B Ha-Seong Kim, 2B Austin Nola, C Jose Azocar, CF
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Drew Smyly, LHP
Drew Smyly flirted with perfection in his last start with the Cubs, but came up short. Still, it was an absolutely dominant performance at the end of an excellent three-game stretch: 18.1 IP, 7H, 2ER, 3BB, 20K. Now, we just have to see how he bounces back after nearly missing that monumental achievement.
Notable Matchups:
Bogaerts: 4-21, 2 2Bs, HR, 3BB, 7K
Machado: 6-18, 2 2Bs, 3BB, 3K
Soto: 1-9, HR, BB, 2K
San Diego Padres: Michael Wacha, RHP
We discussed it earlier in the week, but Michael Wacha has struggled MIGHTILY at Wrigley Field throughout his career. That said, this is obviously a very different team than the one he was facing as a Cardinal. Still, he’s seen Hosmer, Happ, and Swanson quite a bit throughout his career, and they’ve each had some success against him. By contrast, Wacha has had Mancini’s number so far in their matchups, with an 0-7, 4K performance to date. Wacha has reverse splits for his career, but they’re flipped this season.
Notable Matchups:
Hosmer: 6-22, 2B, HR, 2BB, 2K
Barnhart: 4-22, 4BB, 4K
Happ: 4-11, 3HR, 2BB, 3K
Swanson: 3-11, HR, 3K
Mancini: 0-7, 4K
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (13-9) vs San Diego Padres (12-13) at 6:40 pm CT on Marquee Sports Network, MLBN, 670 The Score
Source: bleachernation.com
