CUBS LINEUP — Tonight we’ll see an exciting battle of pitchers as Shota Imanaga and the Cubs take on Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yamamoto has a 2.92 ERA in his first 14 MLB starts, while Imanaga has a 2.99 ERA in his first 26 games.
Yamamoto is younger and seems to have more potential, but Imanaga has been the more reliable pitcher available this year. Tonight was a fun night. I wish it didn’t start so late. Anyway, here’s a look at the Cubs’ lineup for Game 2 at Dodger Stadium.
Chicago Cubs lineup:
- Ian Happ, LF
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Seiya Suzuki, DH
- Cody Bellinger, RF
- Isaac Paredes, 3B
- Michael Busch, 1B
- Nico Hoerner, 2B
- Pete Crow-Armstrong, C
- Miguel Amaya, C
So it seems we have the answer to yesterday’s question. The Cubs’ lineup now features Dansby Swanson batting second, not Michael Busch. This wasn’t just a one-night or one-matchup thing. Of course, we theorized that the switch was because of how well Swanson had been playing and how off Michael Busch looked… just like Swanson is 1-5 with a single and Busch is 4-5 with a double, a home run, and 3 RBIs. Baseball.
Here’s to a strong finish for both guys as they figure heavily into the Cubs’ plans for next season. Although, I guess that could be said about pretty much everyone in the Cubs’ lineup right now…
Los Angeles Dodgers lineup:
- Shohei Ohtani, DH
- Mookie Betts, RF
- Freddie Freeman, 1B
- Tommy Edman, CF
- Andy Pages, LF
- Miguel Rojas, SS
- Max Muench, 3B
- Enrique Hernandez, 2B
- Austin Barnes, C
Pitching duel:
Chicago Cubs: Shota Imanaga, LHP
Shota IManaga has a 2.68 ERA in his last six starts, although his FIP is significantly higher (4.29) due to the seven home runs he allowed. In fact, his last start was his first WITHOUT at least one home run since July 27. He has allowed 23 this year, which is 11th most in the MLB – his 1.35 HR/9 is among the 10 worst in the MLB). The Dodgers (115 wRC+) have the third-best offense against left-handed pitchers this season.
Imanaga faced the Dodgers earlier this season, but his game was interrupted by rain. His artificially shortened line: 4.0 IP, 2H, 0ER, 0BB, 3K.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, RHP
Yamamoto hasn’t pitched since June 15, but he’ll come off the injured list tonight to make his 15th start of the season. Yamamoto made two rehab appearances in Triple-A before returning tonight, but they only totaled 2.0 innings each. His second appearance included a walk on 17 (!) pitches and 11 foul balls. And that probably limited his use more than originally planned. Still, I can’t imagine them letting him throw more than 75 pitches tonight. Yamamoto already pitched against the Cubs this season, holding them scoreless with just three runs in this game and two walks in 5.0 innings (8Ks).
Broadcast info:
Chicago Cubs (74-70) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (86-58) at 9:10 p.m. CT – Marquee Sports Network, TBS (out-of-market only), 670 The Score
Chicago Cubs:
Los Angeles Dodgers:
