Chicago Cubs Lineup: Quintana Leads Cubs Against Nola and the Phils
Here is tonight's #Cubs starting lineup.
Stream on @YouTubeTV: https://t.co/t4XvcdoeJc #EverybodyIn pic.twitter.com/PqcDE6Geat
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 6, 2018
Joe Maddon is rolling with the same lineup as Tuesday night as the Cubs look for a better result against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward continue to be mainstays atop the lineup and they’ll be followed, as usual, by Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. Willson Contreras and Kyle Schwarber will look to provide some pop behind Bryzzo, and the dynamic duo known as Al Mago (that’s Albert Almora and Javier Baez, for those wondering) round out the order in front of Jose Quintana.
Quintana gets the ball for the Cubs as they look to bounce back from a loss on Tuesday night. Quintana will look to build on a strong start against the Mets this past weekend that saw him toss six innings of shutout baseball while only allowing three hits.
Command is key for Quintana, who has already seen four outings in the 2018 season in which he walked four batters. Another key will be how he manages facing righties, who have put up big numbers against the Cubs’ southpaw this season. Righties are currently hitting .258/.354/.464 with a .352 wOBA against Quintana. The Cubs will need Quintana to be on his game, as the Phillies counter with one of the best pitchers in the game right now in Aaron Nola.
Nola enters Wednesday night’s game with a 7-2 record and a 2.18 ERA, sitting near the top of plenty of pitching categories in MLB. The Philadelphia righty is coming off seven innings of one-run baseball in a victory over the Dodgers that saw him strike out seven in Los Angeles. Nola has been dominant against both righties and lefties, with lefties having slightly more success (.240 wOBA vs LHB/.225 wOBA vs RHB). Nola sits seventh in MLB (among qualified starters) in ground-ball rate, getting that outcome on 52% of batted balls in 2018. Nola’s fastball generally sits around 93 MPH and he will also feature a sinker, curveball, and changeup.
The Cubs last faced Nola back in 2015, a game that saw Dexter Fowler and Addison Russell hit home runs. Of course, Dexter Fowler is now a Cardinal, and Addison Russell is day-to-day with a finger issue, so I’d say that has little baring on tomorrow’s contest.
