The Cubs got exactly what they wanted out of Monday: a loud 10-5 win over the Dodgers, four balls in the bleachers, and a reminder that their trade deadline surge can change the tone of a series in a hurry. Now comes the tougher part. They have to do it again against Tarik Skubal, who is set to make his Dodgers debut and was one of Chicago’s top deadline targets.
First pitch is set for 7:05 PM CT at Wrigley Field. The game will air on Marquee Sports Network, with radio coverage on 104.3 The Score, TUDN, and WPPN 106.7 / TUDN.
Chicago is also rolling out one of its newest additions right away. Tyrone Taylor is in the lineup a day after being acquired in the Clay Holmes trade, a move Craig Counsell first mentioned on 104.3 The Score. The way Counsell talked, Taylor may not be a one-night cameo; the Cubs could be leaning on him quite a bit over the next couple of months.
That has real implications for Ian Happ. Against lefties this season, Happ is hitting just .158 with a .530 OPS.
Against righties, though, the switch-hitting veteran owns an .820 OPS. Counsell has apparently seen enough to start thinking about a platoon in left field, and Taylor’s numbers against left-handers make the case easy to understand.
Taylor is batting .301 with a .900 OPS against lefties this season, production that makes him look like a sneaky-important part of the deadline haul.
On the mound for Chicago is Javier Assad, who is getting what the source described as “the start of his life.” The Cubs would love nothing more than for Skubal’s debut to go sideways at Wrigley, and Assad may be the guy to help make that happen before what appears to be a likely move to the bullpen.
Assad has been steady in his last three outings, allowing just three combined runs while striking out 12. The formula remains the same with him: mix pitches, keep the ball on the ground, and avoid free passes. His walk rate sits at 5.4 percent, a big reason he’s been able to limit damage.
Of course, that task gets a lot harder against a Dodgers lineup and a pitcher like Skubal on the other side.
Skubal brings the kind of stuff the Cubs were chasing at the deadline. He owns a 31.0 percent strikeout rate, a 3.7 walk rate, and a 2.79 ERA over 96.2 innings.
The arsenal is every bit as intimidating as the numbers: a high-90s fastball, a devastating change-up with a 50.9 percent whiff rate, and a reliable sinker. In plain terms, he’s as good as it gets, and Chicago will have to work hard just to put together quality at-bats.
There is at least one small opening. Skubal allowed three earned runs in his last start against Baltimore, his worst outing since June 24. Whether that means anything tonight is another matter, but it’s the only crack the Cubs have to work with.
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Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner provided the biggest swings for Chicago, each homering as the Cubs built enough separation to keep Los Angeles at arm's length. After Assad left, the Dodgers were held hitless the rest of the way, a detail that will linger for a team still sorting out what this matchup revealed about the gap it has to close. [Read more 🡒]