It is raining heavily in Cincinnati right now, and it is expected to continue throughout the night. So we’ll see if the Cubs and Reds can find a way to sneak in, but I’m not optimistic. If launched, however, here is the lineup that David Ross has chosen for the final game in the four-game series.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
1. Kris Bryant, 3B
2. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
3. Javy Baez, SS
4. Kyle Schwarber, LF
5. Willson Contreras, DH
6. Jason Heyward, RF
7. Victor Caratini, C
8. Nico Hoerner, 2B
9. Ian Happ, CF
Luis Castillo is standing on the mound in front of the Cubs tonight, after a very good 2020 debut against the Tigers, during which he allowed just 1 earned run with 6 hits and 1 walk against 11 strikeouts in six innings. As for lefties / righties, he has had traditional divisions throughout his career, although he is pretty good against everyone. That said, right-handers have had a particularly difficult time rising up against Castillo (56.8% dirtball speed), so take a look at lefties for power tonight (there are five of them, including change hitters).
As for the order itself, the only notable change is Nico Hoerner moving to eighth place and Ian Happ returning to ninth. This helps split Hoerner and Bryant’s right-handers in a row when the lineup flips, and also prevents two hitters from switching to a left-hander. In other words, with a minimum of three hitters, the Reds won’t be as quick to go right later in the game, and Castillo won’t be able to take on three lefties in a row at first, which could help him throw him out in the margins.
As expected, Victor Caratini is behind the plate to catch Yu Darvish when Willson Contreras slips into the role of DH. And that, by the way, is the beauty of universal DH for Cubs. On any given night, Chicago keeps its sweet rolling catcher, Contreras, in the lineup, even when Darvish is shooting with a personal catcher. And seeing that Caratini is a solid and active force, I would say that this works quite well for the Cubs.
As usual, we’ll get your full Pre-Gamin post closer to game time (5:10), but remember … rain.
