CUBS LINEUP — Last night, after a bumpy start on the pitching side, Justin Steele hung on (and the bullpen shut things down) long enough to give the Cubs their first series win of the year, pushing them to .500 for the first time this season. Another win today can give the Cubs both their first series sweep of the season AND bring them above water for the first time this year.
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Ian Happ, LF
- Seiya Suzuki, RF
- Kyle Tucker, DH
- Justin Turner, 1B
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Nico Hoerner, 2B
- Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
- Matt Shaw, 3B
- The Man, the Myth, the Legend: Carson Kelly, C
The first thing you’ll notice about the Cubs lineup this afternoon is Seiya Suzuki playing the field. To date, those right-field starts have been reserved for Kyle Tucker. But today, they’re flipping the two, giving Tucker a half-day of rest in the process. Suzuki’s defense is considerably worse than Tucker, a Gold Glover, but hopefully, that doesn’t come into play.
The next thing you’ll notice is that Justin Turner is once again getting the start against a lefty in place of Michael Busch (like he did over the weekend against D-Backs lefty Eduardo Rodriguez). Like I said then, I don’t think there will be a strict platoon this season (and it’s a bit of an odd choice given the reverse splits of today’s southpaw (more on that below)). But that’s two for two, so I guess we’ll see.
For what it’s worth, Busch was a tick above league average against lefties last season (103 wRC+), but Turner was even better (119 wRC+). So even though the starter has reverse splits, the batters’ splits matter too.
Athletics Lineup:
- Lawrence Butler, RF
- Brent Rooker, DH
- JJ Bleday, CF
- Shea Langeliers, C
- Tyler Soderstrom, 1B
- Jacob Wilson, SS
- Seth Brown, LF
- Luis Urias, 3B
- Max Muncy, 2B
Pitching Matchup:
Chicago Cubs: Jameson Taillon, RHP
Jameson Taillon’s first start of the year was a bit of a dud, as the Diamondbacks scored six runs on nine hits including two homers. Unlike the rest of the Cubs pitching staff, Taillon didn’t walk anyone, but he also struck out only one of the 22 batters he faced. That ain’t gonna cut it. Worse, the Diamondbacks were absolutely crushing him all night: 93.3 MPH average exit velocity, 47.6 hard%, 14.3 barrel%. He’ll have to be a whole lot better this afternoon – and this season.
Only three A’s batters have ever faced Taillon:
- Seth Brown: 2-5, 2B, K
- Shea Langeliers: 2-3, HR, K
- Gio Urshela: 1-3, BB
Athletics: Jeffrey Springs, LHP
In 2022, Jeffrey Sprigs broke out as a starter for the Rays, earning a 2.46 ERA over 135.1 IP. Unfortunately, he made just 10 starts in the two following seasons because of Tommy John surgery in 2023. But he’s back now and has already gotten off to a great start throwing six scoreless innings against the Mariners, including nine strikeouts against just three hits and one walk. That said, his velocity was down 2+ MPH compared to where he was, so he might not be all the way back just yet — although, that’s not totally unusual for a TJS recoveree (or for any pitcher at the outset of a new season).
Although Springs is a lefty himself, lefty batters have consistently hit him better throughout his career: .272/.330/.450 (.335 wOBA), including more homers and far fewer strikeouts (15.3 K% vs lefties, 21.3 K% vs righties).
Broadcast Info:
Chicago Cubs (4-4) vs Athletics (2-4) at 2:35 pm CT – Marquee Sports Network, 670 The Score, WRTO 1200
Cubs vs Athletics – Key Injuries:
- Javier Assad, RHP
- Tyson Miller, RP
- Vidal Brujan, UT
- Ryan Brasier, RP
- Brett Harris, 3B
- Zack Gelof, 2B
- Brady Basso, SP
- Michel Otañez, RP
- Ken Waldichuk, SP
- Luis Medina, SP
Cubs vs Athletics – Sutter Health Park Weather Report
Location: Sacramento, California
Temperature: 61 degrees
Wind: 8 MPH NW, with gusts up to 15 MPH
