Cubs Lineup vs Yankees
Jameson Taillon, it’s time for you to have a good game. Not an okay game. Not an improvement game. Not a step in the right direction game. A good game. Start to finish. You’ve pitched in Yankee Stadium before — and with plenty of success (3.38 ERA over 31 games). Do it again. Here’s a look at the Cubs lineup behind him tonight.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
Nico Hoerner, SS Seiya Suzuki, RF Ian Happ, LF Yan Gomes, DH Chris Morel, 2B Trey Mancini, 1B Cody Bellinger, CF Miguel Amaya, C Patrick Wisdom, 3B
I wonder how much worse, defensively, Miguel Amaya would be at first base than Trey Mancini. And I wonder how many more times we have to watch Patrick Wisdom start a game, despite his DEEP struggles. I know this team is lacking starters at first and third base (at least so long as Nick Madrigal is hurt and Matt Mervis is in Iowa), but it’s just so brutal (we KNOW Wisdom is a mess offensively and we KNOW Mancini is a mess defensively, and yet the Cubs just have no other options).
And all of this on a day when Dansby Swanson is still out with a heel bruise and Jameson Taillon is on the mound.
If I were the Yankees, I’d think this is a classic trap game. But from this perspective, it just feels like we’re starting from behind the eight-ball. I guess we can just hope that Carlos Rodon is especially shaky in his 2023 MLB debut and that the bombardment of right-handers can get the job done.
New York Yankees Lineup:
Anthony Volpe, SS Gleyber Torres, 2B Anthony Rizzo, 1B Giancarlo Stanton, DH Harrison Bader, CF Josh Donaldson, 3B Billy McKinney, LF Kyle Higashioka, C Franchy Cordero, RF
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Jameson Taillon, RHP
In 31 games at Yankee Stadium, Jameson Taillon has held batters to a .231/.279/.410 (.298 wOBA) slash line, featuring a 23.7% strikeout rate, a 5.3% walk rate, and a 3.38 ERA. That’s who the Cubs need him to be tonight. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been ANYWHERE CLOSE to that guy all season, and especially lately: 20 earned runs over his last five starts (26.2 IP). That’s a 6.75 ERA. By now, you know the story (lefties are absolutely destroying Taillon), and I don’t know if we *should* just magically hope something has changed. But that’s where we are. The magic hope phase. There’s not much left to hold onto.
New York Yankees: Carlos Rodon, LHP
This offseason, the Yankees signed Carlos Rodon to a six-year, $162 million deal. However, after suffering a forearm strain during spring training (and being delayed by back tightness), Rodon has yet to throw a pitch in Yankee pinstripes. He’s “in a good spot” now, but it’s going to be impossible for me to tell you what exactly he’ll look like tonight. All I can tell you is that he will be on a pitch count, but it’s already up in the 70-80 pitch range. And with the All-Star break coming up, the Yankees will be able to aggressively deploy their bullpen anyway. Good luck, Cubs!
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (40-46) vs New York Yankees (48-40) at 6:05 pm CT on MARQ, 670 The Score
Source: bleachernation.com
