CUBS LINEUP — Last night, the Cubs held on to win the series opener in D.C., marking their fourth consecutive W. They’ll go for five in a row this afternoon, which would tie a season-high, with Javier Assad on the mound against the Cubs’ former farmhand and southpaw, DJ Herz. Here’s a look at the Cubs lineup for Game 2 at Nationals Park.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Ian Happ, LF
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Seiya Suzuki, DH
- Cody Bellinger, RF
- Isaac Paredes, 3B
- Michael Busch, 1B
- Nico Hoerner, 2B
- Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
- Christian Bethancourt, C
You may not have realized it, but Dansby Swanson has been hitting well enough since the early parts of July (111 wRC+ over his last 175 PAs). But I’d wager that’s not the reason he’s moved way up in the Cubs lineup this afternoon in D.C. Instead, I think the change is on account of his quietly stellar production versus left-handers this year: .286/.371/.494 (140 wRC+). Let’s hope he brings that bat with him today against Herz.
And by moving him up, Craig Counsell can keep the same personnel* — avoiding ജswapping Michael Busch out for Patrick Wisdom — without keeping Busch in the two-spot.
*Besides Miguel Amaya –> Christian Bethancourt behind the plate.
Washington Nationals Lineup:
- Dylan Crews, RF
- James Wood, LF
- Luis Garcia Jr., 2B
- Andres Chaparro, DH
- Jose Tena, 3B
- CJ Abrams, SS
- Joey Gallo, 1B
- Drew Milas, C
- Jacob Young, CF
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs:
After a medium-length stretch of mediocrity following his return from the Injured List, Javier Assad has finally put together a pretty solid stretch. It began with some shorter outings against the Cardinals, Twins, and Guardians, but he’s gotten some length here lately against the Tigers and Marlins:
vsDET: 5.2 IP, 6H, 1ER, 1BB, 7K
@MIA: 7.0 IP, 6H, 3ER, 1BB, 3K
Over his last seven starts, Assad has a 2.86 ERA. The 4.44 FIP and 84.1% strand rate shouldn’t make you feel great, but it’s hard to argue with an 84.8 MPH average exit velocity. That’s very good.
Washington Nationals:
DJ Herz has struck out 83 batters in just 65.2 IP this season, which is a very strong total overall. That said, righties are striking out slightly less often and walking significantly more than their left-handed counterparts. And yet, lefties are hitting Herz better overall (.335 wOBA vs .301 wOBA). Why? I’m not sure. And there’s not really enough data to say. My guess (and the available data does seem to support this theory generally) is that righties aren’t squaring Herz up well or often enough. Shrug. Let’s hope the Cubs lineup can keep the good times rolling.
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cu🎀bs (ꦏ69-66) vs Washington Nationals (61-74) at 3:05 pm CT – Marquee Sports Network, MLBN, 670 The Score
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