Chicago Cubs Lineup (7/13/24, Game 1): Consistent Order, Wesneski Starting
The Cubs head into Saturday’s doubleheader winners of five straight with just three runs allowed across those contests, giving almost everyone the warm fuzzies. I say “almost” because some folks actually seem to be unhappy about this sudden burst of strong play. Alas, things could still go awry with three games remaining this weekend. Until that happens, though, let’s just enjoy the hell out of what the Cubs are doing.
Hayden Wesneski was on the bump when this streak started, tossing over six shutout innings against the Angels at Wrigley. It was his second scoreless start this season and came after he’d allowed eight runs in nine innings over his two previous outings. Interestingly enough, Wesneski only struck out two Angels after notching seven punchies in those other starts. The key is that he didn’t allow any homers.
Keeping the ball in the yard this afternoon should allow Wesneski to have success again, especially given the matchup. Ol’ hoss Lance Lynn is on the bump for the Cards and he’s not nearly the pitcher he was back in his first go-round with them. His four-seam velocity is down to around 92 mph and he still throws it with about the same frequency with good results, but his sinker has dropped off appreciably in usage and effectiveness.
Once over 40% of his repertoire, that two-seamer is now under 20% and creates very little value. Lynn’s cutter has likewise been rough and his slider, which was never much of a weapon, isn’t very good either. He can still miss bats because he’s a big donkey of a dude who knows how to pitch, but a glance at his Baseball Savant page tells you his stature is the only thing intimidating about his game at this point.
The infographic of his results is all blue with a little gray because his best stat is a 24.8% whiff rate that sits in the 47th percentile among his peers. We’ve seen the Cubs fall prey to middling starters in the past so it’s not inconceivable to see the Brownsburg, IN native author a vintage performance, but this is a game in which the visitors should get theirs.
Craig Counsell has been rolling with more or less the same group lately, just swapping his catchers at the bottom of the order. Nico Hoerner leads off at second, Michael Busch is at first, Seiya Suzuki is in right, and Ian Happ is in left. Christopher Morel is the DH, Dansby Swanson is at short, Miles Mastrobuoni is at third, and Pete Crow-Armstrong is in center. Tomas Nido rounds things out behind the plate.
First pitch from St. Louis is at 1:15pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.
Let’s play two!
Here is today’s #Cubs starting lineup for Game 1 against the Cardinals!
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— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 13, 2024