Cubs captain, first baseman and two-hole hitter Anthony Rizzo is back! If all goes well tonight, and feels good tomorrow, the Cubs may have avoided a big offensive problem to start the year (against the Brewers, no less). We hope to have the best health imaginable and not worry about the results.
Plus, here’s the rest of the Cubs’ lineup.
Chicago Cubs lineup:
1. Kris Bryant, 3B
2. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
3. Javy Baez, SS
4. Kyle Schwarber, LF
5. Willson Contreras, C
6. Jason Heyward, RF
7. David Bote, DH
8. Jason Kipnis, 2B
9. Ian Happ, CF
Another note about Rizzo: I’m glad to see him at first base, not as a designated hitter, because it would have been easy enough for the Cubs to get him back into action that way since he doesn’t need more. reps at 1B, you need more live at-bats. Point of being, I think it is a very good sign.
As for the rest of the lineup, this is a fairly standard group against righties, with the exception of the designated hitter / second baseman. Although Kipnis and Bote are perfectly reasonable options today, those two positions are basically the two variables for any given matchup. We’ll see mixes and mixes elsewhere, but for the most part, the Cubs have obvious headlines elsewhere. For what it’s worth, this is the first game Nico Hoerner is not starting at second base.
As usual, we’ll get your full Pre-Gamin ‘post closer to game time (6:05 CT).
