The Cubs got the playoff-clinching party out of the way at Wrigley Field, and now they’re walking straight into a much messier setup at Fenway Park.
Friday’s twin bill against the Red Sox already has a weather wrinkle attached, with storms expected to hammer the East Coast this weekend. Boston and Chicago responded by making it a doubleheader, and the Red Sox also pushed the second game up 30 minutes to 5:35 PM CT to help beat the weather.
For the opener at 12:05 PM CT, the Cubs are rolling out a lineup that looks very much like their usual lefty-heavy mix against Alec Gamboa: Pete Crow-Armstrong in center, Seiya Suzuki in right, Alex Bregman at designated hitter, Tyrone Taylor in left, Nico Hoerner at second, Matt Shaw at third, Michael Busch at first, Dansby Swanson at short, and Miguel Amaya behind the plate.
Taylor is staying in the cleanup spot, and for good reason. He’s been punishing southpaws with a .308 batting average. Hoerner slides into the five-hole, and Shaw is back in the lineup for the first time since September 22, taking over at third base while Bregman handles DH duties.
And yes, Bregman is back already. After missing only three games, the veteran is right back in the lineup, batting third out of the DH spot. That’s a quick turnaround.
Boston’s first-game lineup has Roman Anthony leading off in left, followed by Mickey Gasper at catcher, Adley Rutschman at DH, Wilyer Abreu in right, Caleb Durbin at third, Nick Sogard at second, Jarren Duran in center, Andruw Monasterio at first, and Isiah Kiner-Kalefa at short.
On the mound, Clay Holmes is looking for a reset after his last start against the Reds went sideways. He was tagged for six earned runs, and the real trouble came from the walks - five of them in 5.1 innings. He did allow only three hits, but free passes turned the outing into a rough one.
There is at least a path for Holmes to settle in here. Boston hasn’t been a huge power club, and its groundball rate sits around 42.7 percent this season. But if Holmes doesn’t find the strike zone, it could get ugly again in a hurry.
Game 1 brings Alec Gamboa into the mix as an opener for Boston, and this is only his second start of the season. The left-hander has been excellent in limited work, posting a 1.16 ERA over 31 innings. The Red Sox are going with a bullpen game, though, and the Cubs are facing a staff that still has to get through one of baseball’s deeper relief groups.
That’s the twist in all of this: on paper, Boston’s opener strategy looks like it should help Chicago. In reality, the Cubs may be running into the best bullpen in baseball.
The second game follows later in the afternoon, with the schedule adjusted because of the weather threat.
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