MUST WIN!!! Cubs Game 2 Lineup – Some Changes Could Bring Bigger Changes
PEORIA, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 24: Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs waves to fans during the MLB spring training game against the Seattle Mariners at Peoria Stadium on February 24, 2020 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Welp Cubs fans, we’re here. Some of you have been predicting an early exit for the Chicago Cubs for some time, others have been in a “let’s wait and see and try to enjoy the ride.” I teeter between the two worlds, where some of my baseball sensibilities are offended by what I see on the field, but the fandom persists and I get sucked into the games and cheering and having crazy meathead fan thoughts.
There’s nothing wrong with either, and really, however, you fan is how you fan. I try not to live in the negative, but I have seen a great many things in my day and understand this game. In the postseason, the pitching is far too often strong and when you have an offense that is struggling to put scoring innings on the board, October begins to be extremely tough to win in.
The Cubs have scored 1 run, 1 run, 1 run, 3 runs, 1 run, 1 run, and 2 runs in their last seven playoff games. That’s 1.5 runs a game in their LAST SEVEN PLAYOFF GAMES.
We saw that Cubs offense struggle again against the Miami Marlins in the first game of their three-game series. Hopefully, some Cubs changes will result in more runs against rookie Sixto Sanchez.
- Ian Happ, CF
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Willson Contreras, C
- Kyle Schwarber, LF
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Jason Heyward, RF
- Javier Baez, SS
- David Bote 2B
- Victor Caratini, C
The Cubs will throw Yu Darvish today against the Marlins’ Sanchez. We of course have seen Darvish at his best over the past year and a half. You might not know Sanchez (who has one of baseball’s best first names). His fastball averages 99-MPH, and he supports that big fastball with an insane changeup (90-MPH), a slider (89-MPH), and a sinker (97-MPH).
Sixto finished the season with a 3.46 ERA and a 1.205 WHIP. If there’s a blessing in disguise here, he’s given up 9 runs in his last two starts (5 on Sept 18th and 4 on Sept 23rd) with a combined 7 IP. He’s only made it past the sixth inning three times in 2020 and has never gone further than the 7th. Even with his big fastball and a hard slider, he strikes out less than a batter an inning.
If the Cubs don’t find offense today, this can be the last time you see several Cubs stars. There is a growing thought that two or three of the Cubs core players could be gone in the offseason, if they’re blowing it up you will not see Jon Lester back, and I would assume the front office will look to make other moves to get their 2021 payroll under $170 million.
Who can be on the move? Unfortunately guys like Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber. Perhaps the Cubs believe Baez is closer to his 2017 version of himself and not the 2018 version, and don’t want to commit to a player that has been mostly average offensively throughout his career. Someone like Willson Contreras can fetch a ton in the trade market, and with Victor Caratini, Contreras can be dealt for several prospects. In these four players alone the Cubs can free more than $50 million from their 2021 commitments.
I don’t hope for this, but if the Cubs cannot find some green and if they cannot get runners to cross the plate, this will be a very long offseason.
