CUBS LINEUP — In the bottom of the seventh inning last night, the Cubs were seemingly on the doorstep of their seventh straight win, with Justin Steele on the mound for an attempted eighth in a row tonight. Instead, they blew that lead, lost the game, and Steele was scratched with elbow soreness.
Then, Kyle Hendricks was announced as Steele’s replacement vs Paul Skenes, who has generally been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season. The vibes have never crashed so quickly.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Ian Happ, LF
- Michael Busch, 1B
- Seiya Suzuki, DH
- Cody Bellinger, RF
- Isaac Paredes, 3B
- Nico Hoerner, 2B
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
- Christian Bethancourt, C
Obviously, the Cubs were able to win this exact pitching matchup just last week, so it’s hardly impossible. But it did take a miraculous comeback, with most of the damage getting done after Skenes left the game.
Pittsburgh Pirates Lineup:
- Isiah Kiner-Falefa, SS
- Bryan Reynolds, LF
- Oneil Cruz, CF
- Andrew McCutchen, DH
- Rowdy Tellez, 1B
- Nick Gonzales, 2B
- Connor Joe, RF
- Yasmani Grandal, C
- Jared Triolo, 3B
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs:
Kyle Hendricks’ last start, which came against these very Pirates last week, was beginning to look like it may have been his last (start) in a Cubs’ uniform. If not because of Jordan Wicks’ successful return from the Injured List, then because of just how horrible it was (1.2 IP, 8H, 6ER, 3BB, 2K). But the injury to Steele has called Hendricks back into action, and all we can do is hope things go better this time around. It’s not like he hasn’t had his moments this year. Then again, two of his four worst starts this season came against the Pirates, so ….
Pittsburgh Pirates:
The Cubs lineup actually got to Paul Skenes early last week, with three runs scoring (two earned) within the first two innings. But then he shut them down, with just a single and two walks over the next three innings combined. Theoretically, it should help the Cubs to face Skenes twice in short order (though, the same goes for Hendricks …), but they did that earlier in the year, and he carved them up to the tune of six hitless innings with 11Ks and one walk. So … yeah.
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (71-67)💖 vs Pittsburgh Pirates (64-73) at 6:40 pm CT – Marquee Sports Network, 670 The Score
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