Chicago Cubs Lineup (8/14/20): Happ Bats Leadoff in CF, Bryant Still Sidelined, Chatwood Scratched
Update: Tyler Chatwood has been scratched with back tightness, so Alec Mills will take the bump. Saturday’s starter is now TBD.
The Cubs looked great last night as Yu Darvish carried a no-no into the 7th inning, now they’ve got a chance to dig the Brewers’ hole a little deeper. For as different as everything else is in the world, it still feels weird to have these Friday games in the evening.
Ian Happ is in center and batting leadoff with Kris Bryant sidelined yet again due to the wrist/finger injury he suffered Wednesday on a diving grab. He homered in his next at-bat, but was scratched from yesterday’s lineup and may be dealing with a little more than just some residual soreness. It appears to be more the finger than the wrist, but David Ross will provide an update during his pregame media availability.
Anthony Rizzo, Javy Báez, and Kyle Schwarber are all in their familiar spots, with Willson Contreras behind the plate and Jason Heyward in right. David Bote is at third, Jason Kipnis is the DH, and Nico Hoerner handles second base.
Tyler Chatwood is back on the mound after a very rough outing in Kansas City that saw him allow eight runs on 11 hits in under three innings. While that may have rung alarm bells for some, this wasn’t the same Chatwood we saw in 2018. He was locating a little too well and the Royals were due, not a great combo.
Righty Brandon Woodruff returns to the site of his Opening Day loss for his fifth start of the season. He hasn’t allowed more than two runs in any start and has avoided walks for the most part, so this won’t be an easy task. His fastball/changeup combo is capable of getting plenty of strikeouts, though it’s interesting to note that his velo is down a tick from that first start.
First pitch from Wrigley Field is set for 7:15pm ET on Marquee, MLB Network (out of market only), and 670 The Score.
Here is tonight's #Cubs starting lineup! pic.twitter.com/zhiwV8WUzd
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 14, 2020
