Before the Cubs Cardinals game was postponed due to additional positive testing of COVID-19, the rotation was set to continue as normal, with Jon Lester, Alec Mills, and Kyle Hendricks scheduled for the off-day, Monday. But with a chance, albeit unfortunate, to change the order, the Cubs have made some adjustments.
Starting Tuesday, the Cubs new rotation sequence sil Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Yu Darvish, Tyler Chatwood, Alec Mills.
This paired Hendricks and Lester – the two Game 7 boys – against the Indians in Cleveland this week (which is fun), while next weekend Darvish, Chatwood, Mills, and Lester lined up against Milwaukee.
Among the benefits of this new deal you will find that the Cubs have broken the back-to-back of Mills and Hendricks, two pitchers with a very similar appearance and game plan, and also ensure that Yu Darvish will get Milwaukee, with whom he has treated him well, while Kyle Hendricks will not (they have actually got him with him the last three years: 4.18 ERA against MIL in 2017, 3.91 in 2018, 4.00 in 2019). In contrast, this setup forces Hendricks to pitch on the road, not at home, where his numbers have been much better. There’s also the fact that the Brewers have been pretty much better this season against lefties (95 wRC +) than righties (75 wRC +) this season, although they get Lester instead of Hendricks, through whom they got their first game back .
