Chicago Cubs Lineup

Chicago Cubs Lineup (7/29/24): Tauchman DH, Wisdom 3B, Taillon Starting?

Photo of Evan Altman Evan AltmanJuly 29, 2024

This series has everyone walking a little unevenly while waiting for the other shoe to drop, especially when one of tonight’s starters has been heavily involved in trade talks. The Cubs also figure to be active with what could be a series of small trades for individual pieces that fit better with contenders than with a team waiting for next year to compete. Jameson Taillon still has two years on his deal and could very much be part of the Cubs’ rebound, so naming him the starter against the Reds on Monday is either a sign that he’s staying or a way to spur bigger offers from interested parties.

If he does get traded, I just hope it happens during the game. That’s probably a dick move on my part because it’d be super jarring for him, but the online reaction would be quite a ride. Taillon has been everything the Cubs had hoped for when they signed him prior to last season, maybe even more since his ’23 campaign was so disappointing. Since I believe they are only parting with the righty for a very big return, this is a game of chicken in which they’re happy with the result either way.

The lineup behind Taillon doesn’t feature Isaac Paredes, so we’ll have to wait for our first look at him in a Cubs uniform. Nico Hoerner leads off at second, Michael Busch is at first, Seiya Suzuki is in right, and Ian Happ is in left, Mike Tauchman is the DH, Dansby Swanson is at short, and Patrick Wisdom will try to boost his trade value with another big homer as he handles third base on an interim basis. Pete Crow-Armstrong plays center and Miguel Amaya is behind the plate.

They’re facing righty Carson Spiers, who pitched against the Cubs back on June 9 as the bulk man after Frankie Montas gave up four earned runs while recording as many outs. Spiers has been a real starter in six games since now and has done okay except for giving up lots of hits and homers. He’s a strike-thrower who’s only walked five batters over his last 27.2 innings, but he’s given up 31 hits in that same time. Five of those knocks have cleared the wall, with three coming in one game against the Tigers.

Spiers isn’t a hard thrower, sitting 92 mph with his four-seam and sinker, but his cutter and changeup are both relatively firm at 88 and 87 mph, respectively. His sweeper serves almost like a changeup because it clocks in around 81 mph. Both the sinker and cutter have been effective pitches this season, though Spiers catches way too much of the plate with most of his offerings and he’s been punished for it.

He’s below league average when it comes to getting whiffs and a little better in getting called strikes, but he just doesn’t have enough oomph to put batters away consistently. His marked splits come from disparate results in 15 innings on the road, but his production at the Great American Ball Park shows righties and lefties hitting him more evenly. The big difference is slugging, where left-handed batters carry a .507 mark against him in Cincy.

That should bode well for the Cubs, but they have an uncanny ability to do the exact opposite of what the stats indicate. First pitch is at 6:10pm CT on Marquee and 670 The Score.

Photo of Evan Altman Evan AltmanJuly 29, 2024
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